How do you clean and preserve wild feathers

[Pistolpeet]

How do you clean and preserve wild feathers.

I can get a few different wild bird Feathers, but I’m not sure how to clean and preserve them so they will last.

Do you freeze them or do you microwave them

[Jody]

Are they on a skin still or they loose feathers?
All my loose feathers I've picked up from the zoo and such I've just chucked in a packet and they've lasted. No mite problems etc etc

[Pistolpeet]

All loose feathers, I'm afraid they come with some or other mites that escapes and destroys all my other feathers

[shector]

All loose feathers, I'm afraid they come with some or other mites that escapes and destroys all my other feathers

Loose feathers can possibly be stored in zip lock bags. You also need to store those bags somewhere with some mothballs to prevent moths, silverfish and also mites to get to it.

[nkula_nkula]

How do you clean and preserve wild feathers.

I can get a few different wild bird Feathers, but I’m not sure how to clean and preserve them so they will last.

Do you freeze them or do you microwave them

Be very careful of the lice & mites from "wild" feathers.... Keep they separate from other materials....

[Pistolpeet]

Be very careful of the lice & mites from "wild" feathers.... Keep they separate from other materials....

Can you wash them, or I heard that you must freeze them for a day or two and then take them out as all mites will be dead. I not sure freezing them is such a good idea.

[Jody]

actually I see lying at the bottom of my fly tying box IS a packet of mothballs, I never put it there. Maybe it was the wife, who got scared of all the goggos... That would explain the lack of mites.

[Jody]

There is another thread here somewhere or on another forum where the guys were discussing mites in their fly tying materials and possible solutions. I suggested freezing, but sealed in a packet of course, like what was suggested to me a few years ago. But other people reckon that mite eggs could actually survive the freezing process, like cockroaches.

[Babyson]

All "wild" tying materials I collect I pop in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and them freeze them for a while. No lice or insects probs for me so far, but I do also use moth balls. Works really well if you can live with the smell of Naphthalene.

Rob

[Pistolpeet]

Thanks for all the advise I will Microwave then freeze and then put some mothballs (somebody also suggested Lifeboy soap) or pet collars in with the feathers

Thanks again

Peet