Loose or Drop fan

[Rolling Thunder]

how do you make a drop fan? what would I need? I have feathers already, leather, beads, thread, etc..
should I use a dowel/stick for the handle?

Feather Fans by Nicholas Breeze Wood

[powwowbum49]

RT

Drop fans are the easiest of all fan to make. I often use a dowel rod for the handle but sometimes I use the shotgun cleaning rods or put the shotgun rod ferrules onto dowel rods. The shotgun rod thing is so that the handle can be taken off of the feathers for storage.

Assuming you are wanting to set it round you just put a screw or nail in the end to attach the feathers to, but remember to cut the head off of it. Now as for the feathers they have to be extended if you going to or need to depending on the feathers and then decorated if you are going to. Once this is done you need to wrap the base of the feather/extension with leather leaving some excess leather past the end as a tab. This tab need to be about 1/4" - 1/2" longer than the amount of nail/screw exposed in the end of the dowel. The longer the tab the looser the feather will lay. After all of these are glued use some sinew to start wrapping the tabs to the nail building out. If you want you can put some glue onto the tabs to aid in securing it all. once you have all the feathers whipped to the nail you can build up a bit more sinew to make sure it is all even and then put on your fringe at the bottom and wrap the handle in leather. After that is dry it is time to bead.

Hope that helps

[Rolling Thunder]

Chi-Miigwetch!

(So It's one screw or nail right? then I start attaching the feathers with the tabs? How many feathers would you recommend?I have up to 19 feathers I can use.)

[also, should I use a thicker leather for the tabs? (you know there's a little difference between hides.) or should I just not worry about it?]
Chi-Miigwetch again.
Rolling Thunder

[powwowbum49]

I normally use a thin hide so it has good movement, but it can't be too floppy either ... that is just my preference though. As for the number of feathers...that is just what looks good to you and what kinda feather you are using, the smaller the more it can take. I have seen as a few as 5 (condor feathers) and as many as 50 (scissortails), and actually both looked good.

[Rolling Thunder]

well, they're smaller like scissortail, I have 3 tail and the rest are wing feathers. (I'm not using pointer/spike feathers)

[Rolling Thunder]

my feathers are about this size.

[powwowbum49]

Well, those are not even close to the size of scissortails, especially since those are hawk.

I see no reason you shouldn't/couldn't use all 19 you have if you want. I personally like the feathers my fans to match and might hold onto the tails until I got more to make another fan with, but then they could be worked in by trimming and such too if you want.

I can tell you how to actually construct it but beyond that the true choices about the fan are up to you...you know what the feathers look like ... you know what they are and I am sure you have an idea how you want the finished fan to look.

[Rolling Thunder]

oh, sorry! I was meaning more the size of Scissortail feathers than eagle. (oops.)
But I have already made a fan from the left wing feathers. (It's a wing fan, but I plucked them and put them into a handle.)

I have 9 right wing, 8 left wing. I like the look of the picture above. That's what I imagine.