After reading many different forums where people have tried various methods to water proof feathers I decided to do an experiment of my own. Among my hubby's tools and other paraphernalia I found a can of Scotch Guard Spray that he uses on his leather shoes and lap top case, one product that was recommended for use on feathers to prevent them from getting soggy with rain and moisture. The other item I used was hairspray.
SCOTCH GUARD
- This is the spray used in the experiment.
- The two plumes used BEFORE being sprayed.
- After Spraying with Scotch Guard the feathers took on an oily sheen and lost some of their fluffiness.
- I waited 24 hours before running water over the feathers.
- After putting the feathers under the tap they did not get soaked, the beads of water were suspended on the plume itself without penetrating the feather unless I physically rubbed the beads of water into the plume in which case it became damp but not soaked. The end result was this, the feathers remained looking as if they still had an oily sheen and never regained the fluffiness, even after blow drying, though they never got limp or soaking wet.
HAIRSPRAY
- Pheasant feather BEFORE spraying.
- Hairspray used.
- Feather after spraying; it looked damp and felt stiff but the feathers remained in position. I only sprayed the top half of the feather to compare with the untreated bottom half.
- After blow drying the feather I ran it under the tap.
- The feather got soaked but the part which was sprayed with the hair spray the feathers remained in position.
- A look at the entire feather immediately after coming out of the water. You can see where the feather was sprayed with hair spray the vane remained in the same position, but the bottom of the feather the vane separated.
In conclusion the Scotch Guard worked pretty well in repelling water, the only caveat is that I would not use it on feathers that are fluffy like Ostrich Plumes, I would prefer to spray them on feathers that lie flat like rooster feathers. The hairspray did nothing to prevent the feather from getting soaked, the only thing it did was keep the vane in place so when it dries it dries in that position.
4 comments:
Hey, Saucy,
I too did some feather waterproofing experiments. I tried out the Fletch-Dry powder. I paid less than $5 for a 4gm/.14oz bottle.
I poured a little of the powder into a Ziploc bag, placed the feather in the bag, sealed it and shook. When I didn't see any difference in the feather and I wasn't sure if all the feather got covered, I added some more powder (the powder is weightless and colourless when applied). That was probably unnecessary as the feather was all dusty when I took it out. After a few shakes, however, I think I got the excess off.
I waited about 5 mins and placed the feather under the tap. At first I tried repositioning the feather under the water stream because it didn't look as if it was getting wet, but eventually I was able to see the water flowing down the shaft of the feather. It was amazing that the feathers showed no signs of being wet. The ends were repositioned because of the force of the water, but I was able to blow it right. How cool is that?
The experimentation continues later when I waterproof my Sacred Sand headpiece. I want to see how much powder it takes to do a headpiece. If you want, I'll send you pics.
Given the effect of the sprays on the feathers, I think I may put my wings in garbage bags and powder them, rather than spray them. That way they won't be oily. PS, I was really disappointed with the hairspray. I thought that would have been a wonderful inexpensive method. I wonder if aerosol hairspray would have a similar effect. I'm going to see if my grandmother has any...
YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! I am so glad the Fletch worked!! Now I can order it as I did not like the oily look from the Scotch Guard.
The pics will be MUCH appreciated :D
How much of that stuff will you need to waterproof a whole headpiece? I'm playing with a feathered headpiece for the first time this year and although jumping across South Quay in the rain last year was sweet, I had a hat then! Very interested in knowing how much of this stuff I'd have to get hold of...
Hey princess if you take a look at today's post you will see a small bottle of Fletch Dry powder will do a headpiece or if using Scotch Guard it was not much spray used at all. One can will be more than enough.
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