chavender
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Thanks Peter, so no taper then, or not to speak of? What is it that is 'reversed' about them?
That is extraordinaryly thin peacock quill at 3mm.
not that extraordinarily thin ,if you use the top section of the quill (the bit with the 'eye' motif ) as the base of the float
the peacock quill has three distinct sections ;
the bottom section:
is only the last 4" or so that slots into the birds body ,this usually has a set or kink in it ,and often used as a float tip and ends where the quill straitens up too form the mid section
the mid section:
is the straitest part of the quill ,some 12" -18" or so of uniform thickness quill with a long drawn out taper with 1,2mm difference between start of section and the end.
the end section:
this starts roughly where the quill starts too bend under its own weight if held upright and extends too the very tip ,it has a long drawn out taper ,thinning down quickly over 12 to 18"+ with a 2-5mm difference between ends .
i'd think a reversed peacock would start in the tip section and extend down into the mid section .there would be only a small area of the quill thats (about 2") that has a dia of 3mm or thereabouts ,above this area the quill might be too brittle for this application .
finding the correct (base) diameter for the float is the starting point ,then by carefully selection of feathers / quill's will give you a range of quill with slightly greater gradients too the tapers .
the weight carrying capacity would be determined by length the more you extend into the mid section ,the thicker the quill gets ,until uniform thickness is achieved ,then its a matter of length = capacity and with a range of tapers you should get a close set of floats of near equal length but varied shotting capacities
a simple method starting with a full length striped peacock quill ,find the 3mm area and trim off the rest of the tip section (or leave a stub of 2-3" below the 3mm area,to later form a quill eye if desired ) then do a tank test ,to determine final cut of float per given shotting weight . find the water lever per given weight (and mark position) then mark 1" - 1½" above this to form the tip & cut ,retest it at the shortened length too double check ,then rub the area with grit paper too form a domed top but keeping the thickness as best you can ,then paint the tip ,the stem can be left as is or painted .
you can either whip a bit of wire too the 3mm end or mark the quill here and leave 1" - 1½" below this point too form a quill eye .every quill has a hard edge and a soft edge (normally with the hurl perpendicular too these)
make a cut a ¼" in at a 40* angle towards the hard edge then along behind the hard edge .too form a sliver that you bend back too meet the stem near the 40* cut then trim to ¼" overlap and whip ,the size of the eye is upto you but ¼" is a good size . then you'll end up with a set of floats that step down in size with a corresponding drop in shotting capacity.
i hope this helps
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