Pairing Quill Wings?

[1hook 0]

I've been trying to familiarize myself with some of the more traditional winging methods. I've been working on mallard quills, hen pheasant wings etc.

 

My question is this, when you have a whole wing set, where do you start when pairing feathers, do you just disassemble the entire wing and then match all the pairs up? Work off the wings as you go? I'm not really sure where to start

[Cold 0]

I think what you're asking is answered, by me at least, as follows:

 

I'll pluck the last primary (the feather that makes the wing tip), from each wing, and use those together, until I've used most of the feathers' prime real estate, then I'll pluck the next primary back on each feather and use those...and so on and so forth. The wing is an obvious and easy way to keep the feathers matched, paired, and sorted, all in a convenient package...so just leave them as-is until you're ready to use.

[Gene L 0]

Feathers aren't useable all the way. I pair them based on length, usually the primaries and then on down. When I want to use one for a fly wing, I match the feathers up, quill to quill, and clip them together with a forceps so they don't move when cutting. Then I figure the size wing I need and take a razor blade and slide it up the quill to cut off the right amount to match the width of the wing. Both at the same time, and they match up just fine. I suppose you could do this separately with scissors, but I can't.

 

This makes it a lot easier for me, but I don't use slips all that often. They sure look nice when done right, which I can't master.

[rockworm 0]

Using first the number 1 primaries, then the number 2 primaries, etc as suggested by Cold makes good sense if you have the right and left wing from the same bird. Unfortunately, unless you shoot your own, the pair of wings you buy will often be from different birds. I prefer to cut the primaries from each wing and put them in bags labelled either Mallard Primaries- LEFT or -RIGHT. Then I can match them up later when I need them. If the wings look very close in size I will cut the distal feather from each wing and tye them together with a bit of copper wire at their base. Then the next pair, etc. until I have the whole set. Attached like this, you can cut slips from the right and left feather at the same time.

 

The secondaries can be treated similarly. The covert feathers need to be plucked and should also be bagged and labelled according to their origin (marginal, under, lesser, greater.)

[flytire 0]

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=68264

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=80822

 

Look at the underside of the primaries and you will see a sort of webbing marked by the darker line. Between this line and the center quill the barbs widen and flatten and are unusable for winging. Select your slips based on the space available outside of that demarcation.

 

[1hook 0]

Great advise, thanks guys. I think I'm going to bag them as suggested by rock worm by feather type and left/ right