Imping needles

[Casey]

Hi All,
Just a quick post to see if anyone has had any success with anything other than metal needles when fixing a Spar tail half way up i.e., too thin for a small feather shaft. The trouble is, a metal needle is too rigid and ends up breaking out of the top or the bottom of the imp.

I have new feathers to go in, but would like to know if anyone has had any success with any other materials for these super fine breaks. Just curious.

Chris

[njfalconer]

Hey Chris,

Anytime I needed something super small but strong, I will use fiberglass. I hate to work with it cause of the splinters when you shave it but it works super well in our Sharp-Shinned hawks as well as our merlins. Its super flexable and very stong. The glue sticks to it really well too. I use gel superglue. When I need fiberglass I just go to a sporting goods store and buy a target archery arrow. Use the hacksaw to cut a chunk out of it, then start shaving it down....just mind the splinters ACK! Good Luck!!

Brian:supz:

[Casey]

It must be reaally difficult to get it down to the width of a pin? whar do you use to get it down so small.

[njfalconer]

Actually is not hard at all. The arrow will be hollow. So I use a box cutter. I turn the piece up on its end (so you can look down the hole) put it on a cutting board, then take the box cutter and slice it in sections. After you cut a small section the whittle it down. Takes no longer than using bamboo (which also works well).


Brian:supz:

[Lee Brindley]

Chris mate, if you have new feathers to imp in then why do you need to imp them half way up? :confused:Just cut them off near the top and you can use something thicker.

[Gyr]

My son had a carbon fibre fishing rod that he broke,when my mates spar broke a tail feather we used this, shaved it down with a stanley blade ,worked a treat,:supz::supz:

[Fenlands Rescue]

My son had a carbon fibre fishing rod that he broke,when my mates spar broke a tail feather we used this, shaved it down with a stanley blade ,worked a treat,:supz::supz:


Good advice.

[SparsTheOne]

Hi All,
Just a quick post to see if anyone has had any success with anything other than metal needles when fixing a Spar tail half way up i.e., too thin for a small feather shaft. The trouble is, a metal needle is too rigid and ends up breaking out of the top or the bottom of the imp.

I have new feathers to go in, but would like to know if anyone has had any success with any other materials for these super fine breaks. Just curious.

Chris

If you have a whole feather,its much easier to replace the whole thing than to imp a fine break,I use bamboo it works really well.


jase.

[Tacatanach]

If you are fine with something that looks a bit ugly instead of using a feathershaft as the needle, get a shaft thats wider than the shaft on the broken feather then use that like a sleve. I had never done one like this before until a few months ago. Nothing was holding this one feather in- and before people get on my for husbandry each time it broke it broke a different way, but always right across the imp (I had been using bamboo)- I was Harry McElroys house the last time it broke, and he helped me imp it using this technique. He swears by it and I can say its the only thing thats held more than a day. Cal's break is far enough up that you cant see the feathershaft until he fans his tail, but when he does this its definatly noticable. Heck, its held and gets the job done which is all I ask.

[Casey]

Chris mate, if you have new feathers to imp in then why do you need to imp them half way up? :confused:Just cut them off near the top and you can use something thicker.

yep, that was what I was going to do. that way i'll have a new tail for a couple of weeks till she smashes it up!!

I'll then spend time repairing again until a new tail comes along and wanted ideas on the best way to give the tail imp a bit more longevity.

BTW she won't accept a tail saver!:roll:

Chris

[Casey]

My son had a carbon fibre fishing rod that he broke,when my mates spar broke a tail feather we used this, shaved it down with a stanley blade ,worked a treat,:supz::supz:

Was it flexible-ish

[Casey]

If you are fine with something that looks a bit ugly instead of using a feathershaft as the needle, get a shaft thats wider than the shaft on the broken feather then use that like a sleve. I had never done one like this before until a few months ago. Nothing was holding this one feather in- and before people get on my for husbandry each time it broke it broke a different way, but always right across the imp (I had been using bamboo)- I was Harry McElroys house the last time it broke, and he helped me imp it using this technique. He swears by it and I can say its the only thing thats held more than a day. Cal's break is far enough up that you cant see the feathershaft until he fans his tail, but when he does this its definatly noticable. Heck, its held and gets the job done which is all I ask.

Tacatanach,

Not sure i understand what you have done. Can you expand on the technique a little more? Any photos would help. Who cares if it looks ugly, so long as it has a bit more strength and flexibility than a metal pin/needle

Chris

[Gyr]

Was it flexible-ish

Very flexible, you,ll be amazed:supz:

[Tacatanach]

Tacatanach,

Not sure i understand what you have done. Can you expand on the technique a little more? Any photos would help. Who cares if it looks ugly, so long as it has a bit more strength and flexibility than a metal pin/needle

Chris

I'll take on and post it after while. But basicly you take the feather your imping in and trim off the barbs. Glue the imp feather shaft into a hollow feather shaft from a larger bird (so like with my tiercel pere I used a rt feather). Cut the barbs off the feather your imping to and then glue it into the other 1/2 of the hollow shaft. We had 1.5 in or so of shaft on each side of the feather so the hollow rt shaft we used was about 3in long. Its flexible and strong as I said this is the only thing that didnt break within a day of the hell my bird likes to inflict on his right deck feather.

[Salty]

ive used bamboo ,me favourite ,and sometimes them very skinny galvanised nails out of nail gun the ones you break off they very thin but strong,always araldite me aswell[rapid]:supz:

[AlexB]

Go to a fishing tackle shop and buy a couple of quiver tips, they work a treat and are as cheap as chips. Very flexible, strong and light and easily shaped or sharpened.

I used these on Shrek who broke a few tail feathers.

ATB
Alex

[Casey]

I'll take on and post it after while. But basicly you take the feather your imping in and trim off the barbs. Glue the imp feather shaft into a hollow feather shaft from a larger bird (so like with my tiercel pere I used a rt feather). Cut the barbs off the feather your imping to and then glue it into the other 1/2 of the hollow shaft. We had 1.5 in or so of shaft on each side of the feather so the hollow rt shaft we used was about 3in long. Its flexible and strong as I said this is the only thing that didnt break within a day of the hell my bird likes to inflict on his right deck feather.


Sorry to be a bit dense, diagrams would be useful here if you can.

cheers
chris

[Tacatanach]

Tacatanach,

Not sure i understand what you have done. Can you expand on the technique a little more? Any photos would help. Who cares if it looks ugly, so long as it has a bit more strength and flexibility than a metal pin/needle

Chris

Sorry it took so long, heres a pic i took of the imp. If you want a step by step description I can put that up, or more pics.

[Tim Laycock]

You would be batter to replace the whole feather, a mid shaft repair will not last long regardless of what its imped with.

If you are worried about the "life" of the imped feather then replace the spar feathers with those from a corvid.

If those wont last then its best to give up! :lol:

[Casey]

Tacatanach,

Thanks for the photo's,

if you do get a chance, a full step- by step guide would be good.

She isn't likely to need them for a few weeks:roll:

Chris

[Casey]

You would be batter to replace the whole feather, a mid shaft repair will not last long regardless of what its imped with.

If you are worried about the "life" of the imped feather then replace the spar feathers with those from a corvid.

If those wont last then its best to give up! :lol:

Tim,

I have a selection of corvid feathers, pigeon tails and a whole new Spar tail to go in. I agree that it would be easier to imp in the new Spar tail feathers, and then start on the pigeon/ corvid feathers after that breaks. To be honest, I would love her to have and keep her intended tail, but as you say if it ain't gonna happen then I might as well pop in something different that will be a bit more resilient than her normal tail. So long as she flies with it and catches quarry, who cares?

I am quite fussy about her being feather perfect. perhaps i need to consider what really matters.

Cheers

Chris

[Varvel1]

Hi All,
Just a quick post to see if anyone has had any success with anything other than metal needles when fixing a Spar tail half way up i.e., too thin for a small feather shaft. The trouble is, a metal needle is too rigid and ends up breaking out of the top or the bottom of the imp.

I have new feathers to go in, but would like to know if anyone has had any success with any other materials for these super fine breaks. Just curious.

Chris

Plastic cocktail sticks work really well. Plus they bend naturally ;)

[TimDog80]

bristles off a hard yard brush:yawinkle:

[OutHawkn]

Hi All,
Just a quick post to see if anyone has had any success with anything other than metal needles when fixing a Spar tail half way up i.e., too thin for a small feather shaft. The trouble is, a metal needle is too rigid and ends up breaking out of the top or the bottom of the imp.

I have new feathers to go in, but would like to know if anyone has had any success with any other materials for these super fine breaks. Just curious.

Chris

The easiest and best thing I have ever found is feather shaft. You can take it from the broken feather that you are imping or from a replacement feather. Think about it, what is going to flex any better than a natural shaft? Nothing. Dont imp half or 3/4 quarters of the feather. Cut the broken feather off right above the quill. Just where the shaft starts. The quill is the empty part that is attached to your bird.
If you need help you could go to www.outhawkn.com the site is down right now but will be up again tomorrow.

Here is a quick explanantion of the process: http://www.nafex.net/viewtopic.php?t=1051

[Ben C]

If you have a whole feather,its much easier to replace the whole thing than to imp a fine break,I use bamboo it works really well.


jase.


I have also tried bamboo........but they ****ing things have snapped at the top of the imp shaft leaving wood inside the feather making it IMPOSSIBLE to insert a metal one. I prefer using wood but it has caused me no end of trouble.

[Ben C]

I am quite fussy about her being feather perfect. perhaps i need to consider what really matters.

Cheers

Chris

AMEN to that......but I will be more concerned next season.

[Altai]

I have not read the rest of the thread so someone may have said this already; the best material I have used is form bamboo chop-sticks. It is very dense, flexible and strong.

[Alf]

Bill tried this method for the first time this year managed to imp really close to the tip of the tail feather of a little hawk like a musket spar and it’s still perfect.
I won’t use anything else in the future nothing can compare to the natural quill. Alf.


The easiest and best thing I have ever found is feather shaft. You can take it from the broken feather that you are imping or from a replacement feather. Think about it, what is going to flex any better than a natural shaft? Nothing. Dont imp half or 3/4 quarters of the feather. Cut the broken feather off right above the quill. Just where the shaft starts. The quill is the empty part that is attached to your bird.
If you need help you could go to www.outhawkn.com the site is down right now but will be up again tomorrow.

Here is a quick explanantion of the process: http://www.nafex.net/viewtopic.php?t=1051

[MusketMad]

bristles off a hard yard brush:yawinkle:that is what i use tim

[OutHawkn]

Bill tried this method for the first time this year managed to imp really close to the tip of the tail feather of a little hawk like a musket spar and it’s still perfect.
I won’t use anything else in the future nothing can compare to the natural quill. Alf.

I think anyone that would try it would like it. It is without a doubt the best method I have ever seen. And you have a never ending supply of needles!

[Angel_Eyes_Lass]

Bamboo