<![CDATA[Fly Tying: A whole wing, what to do?]]>I recently came by a whole wing from an unidentified bird (outstretched about 18″) which was medium gray in color. It had been cut at the bone (about 3/8″ in diameter). There was flesh around the protruding bone and I could feel what felt like ‘meat/muscle’ in the front section closest to the bone. I was really unclear of how to process this material. Frankly, I have received pheasant capes and skinned rabbits before. The processing results of borax and salt and curing really never turned out very well and waste resulted.

http://limjunying.wordpress.com/2009/09/

This time, I took heavy kitchen scissors and cut each individual feather away from the connection points as close as I could. In the end, I harvested maybe 40 feathers (primaries, secondaries, primary coverts) that will mostly provides wing material for say a classic wet fly pattern. I am attaching a link on process materials for fly tying. I have frozen deer hair hide in my freezer. They went in somewhat clean but still possessing blood/flesh. I did not process them. I have to contend with that at some point. (Fly Tying & Processing Materials)  There are safety/health/hygiene concerns in handling these materials. Rubber gloves might be a good idea.

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