Making a fan

[spottedeagle]

OK need a little help here. I'm making 2 fans in the next week or so and have a few queestions.
The first fan I'm making is a turkey wing fan. Is there a better way to make the handle than to buy that block of wood from crazy crow?? And how does everyone attach the handle to their wing??
The second fan is a flat fan which will either be immitation eagle feathers or macaw feathers (wing feathers). Still waiting on both sets of feathers to come in. From what I've seen there are 2 styles to making flat fans.
1. is putting the feathers into a block of wood.
2. is attaching the feathers to dowels then to the bock of wood.

Is one better than the other?
Just hoping to get a little feedback from you experts, before I start this new project. I just don't want to mess up nice feathers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any thing else I should know? Any tricks to help me along the way??????
Thanks in advance Joe

[Blackbear]

http://library.thinkquest.org/3081/wingfan.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0321

[spottedeagle]

thanks Blackbear!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any of you experts with some advice????????

[Blackbear]

that'd be bum and straightdanceAz ... I used to make fans..but mine are done alot differently than what is considered actual fan making LOL.... course I was self teaching again..soo..... don't look at me like that..not going to tell you how I made em..I'm too embarrassed...LOL

[hidatsachic24]

well i know it all depends on how many feathers you planning on putting on your fan...like i just made a flat fan that has 8 i think...or maybe more...but anywho...i got the fan handle from wanderingbull inc...its the kind that has the slots instead of wholes...and went to joann fabrics to pic up dowels for extensions...to add color to my white wing flat fan i used colored tape from crazy crow at the base of the quills...but if this is your first time making a fan and you plan on beading the handle...i would cut out the deerskin first and bead on that before you hot glue it on the handle....but to answer your question...if you have all the time in the world to make a handle from pine then go for it...but i usually buy my fan handles already made
f.y.i.- if you plan on making a wing fan i would go to noc bay...they sell them for 3.50....and already holes drilled all you have to do is sand them...they also have the fringe hole already drilled too...
:D

i've always ordered from them too bad they've taken out their french seed beads:(

[spottedeagle]

Thanks for the help hidatsachic!!!

I would like to have the fans done by the end of May. I'm thinking about making them plain to start and then beading them this winter, when I have more time.

[nabeader]

I have found that typically it is better to build the hande to the feathers instead of fitting feathers to a ready made handle. Remember that there are a number of different types of handle styles some which are dictated by tribe. Feather work and thread work are simple if you take your time and don't get into a rush. What type of fans are you building? I typically don't make a lot of wing fans but I do make a lot of flat fans and bunch fans. When you shape the handle remember that you have to bead it and the shape should be made so that it is easy to bead. First time fan builders usually make their fan handles to fat. Have you decided what you are going to set the feathers in? I like wood dough because it takes at least 24 hours to dry. This gives me time to readjust the feathers if needed. Need any help that I might be able to give just let me know
nabeader

[spottedeagle]

Thanks nabeader. I know I'm gonna build a wing fan or two, out of turkey wings. But I am also going to build a flat fan or two as well. I know my dad's friend uses some sort of taxidermy putty or clay. But I heard they don't make that kind of putty anymore, and when they did it was pretty expensive. How does wood dough (same as wood putty?) do with sticking to the quills?
One of the turkey wings I have was given to me. Unfortunately it was deboned. I had planned to just stretch a wing out and attach a handle. Who knows, turkey season is coming up. Maybe I'll be able to get a couple more!!!! Nothing like getting your materials the old fashioned way!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a pretty good idea how to do everything, just worried about putting the feathers in the handle. I used a thing fly fishermen use to tie flys for my thread wrapping it holds the spool of thread at one end, keeps everything nice and tight. Cost me about $3. Well worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BeadedPony]

I've seen beautiful wing fans set in less than 1/2 hour using Bond and a short piece of dowel rod. Use wire and beads to spread the feathers and hold them apart if you want to open the wing up a bit.

The Bondo is great to use because it holds the feathers and the dowel rod in place and can be sanded/cut down to the shape you want. Mr. Ruminator is the one to watch with his Bondo can -- the man is a phenom!

[NorthernTradish]

I just made a new fan. What I did is took the individual feathers and glued them in place with hot glue. All you have to do is glue the feathers together and build up a base of hot glue to form the handle. Let the glue dry, sand the handle down and cover with buckskin. Look at pictures and videos to see what an eagle wing looks like. If you are making a true wing fan you could just put hot glue at the joint of the wing and cover with buckskin. Good luck!

[Blackbear]

Are you using waxed paper or anything to keep from gluing the whole thing to the table that way???

[powwowbum49]

Originally posted by straightdancerinaz
EXPERT!! LOL

....naw......well......maybe someday Blackbear HAHAHAH!!


.....it's a compliment......a dang good one at that :-) THANKS!!!

I have to agree with SDinAZ...me an expert.....nah.....but thanks for the compliment...keeps me from getting a rotator cup injury!

I do a lot of fans with hot glue and have several that I made ten years ago or more and they are holding up just fine. The trick is you have to use high temp glue (for some reason the long sticks work best). I have never sanded that stuff though, I just use the tip of the glue gun to shape the glue.

I use bondo as well at times as well as wood putty. They all have advantages and disadvantages and far too many to try and list here.

As for a wing fan...I myself prefer to pluck and wing and then reset them into a fan. To do this you just need to lay them out the way they came off the wing or number them if you need. If you do this remember that all feathers on a wing have a top and a bottom and the top is always facing the outside of the wing. That means that when you look at the covert on the underside/inside of the wing you are actually looking at the back side of those feathers so remember to put them back on that way if you are trying to make the wing look just as it did before you plucked it.

[Tara]

Are you using waxed paper or anything to keep from gluing the whole thing to the table that way???

If you work on a sheet of plexiglass, the hot glue wont stick, when it cools, the fan peels right up. Flip it over, and build up the other side, etc. If you want it to cool a little faster, have a bag of ice handy. If the surface of the hot glue on the handle is lumpy, you can put a piece of heavy duty tin foil over it, iron it with an iron briefly, let it cool, and peel off the tin foil. I've done hot-glue handle fans, and they've held up really well over the years, i've used the high-melt.

Tara

[tigger]

you can also get handles (both for flat and wing fans) from nocbay.com

[spottedeagle]

Ok I finally got my turkey wings in the mail today. They are already deboned, dried and cured.

#1 question: how do I soften them up so I can spread them or should I leave them as they are.

#2 question: looking at the attached pictures, what would you do for a handle? I've already been considering all the ideas here, but I'm still not sure which would be best for my particular situation.

Well I guess I can't post the pics here, so I'll put them in the gallery and put the link here..........

Thanks all for the help!!!!!!!!!
Joe