You Can Do “WHAT” With Emu Feathers?
by Joylene Reavis
Everyone recognizes that emu meat is deliciously nutritious; that emu fat is rendered and refined into emu oil; and that emu hides make beautiful leather goods. But, did you know that emu feathers can be used in a variety of ways to add extra income?
Emu body feathers are soft and downy with a very high oil content. That is why they are popular as feather dusters. That high oil content keeps them from creating static electricity. This makes them perfect for dusting electronic equipment.
Emu feathers, affixed to large drums, are used in some auto assembly plants worldwide to dust the cars before they are painted. This would look very similar to the drums uses in an automatic car wash.
The fact that emu feathers do not produce static electricity is important in the auto industry. Auto bodies are sent through an Electrocoat Dip to help give bare metal surfaces, inside and out, corrosion protection and to prep the metal for optimal primer and paint adhesion. If static electricity were to create a spark in the Electrocoat Dip area, it could cause a fire or possibly an explosion.
Emu feathers are very good at removing dust because of their long barbs. Most other bird feathers have tiny barbs, which interlink and hold the vanes of the feather together, making it stiff and helping to keep its shape. Emu feathers do not have this type of barbs. This allows the vanes to move freely. If you spray an emu feather with a dust removing agent, such as, Pledge or Endust, more of the vane area is coated because the parts of the feather are not held tightly together.
Florists use both emu body and tail feathers, as fillers in floral arrangements and crafters use the feathers in various craft projects.
Emu feathers have been burned onto the outer coating of pottery to create some amazing designs.
These feathers have been used to decorate women’s dresses, purses and even worn attached to the hair. Emu feathers can be easily dyed to just about any color. They can be purchases on eBay as loose feathers or as feather fringe that is ready to be sewn or glued onto your clothing or craft project.
And, not to be forgotten, the smaller emu neck feathers are used by fishermen to make fly fishing lures, spinners and various other lures.
As you can see, there is a very real demand for emu feathers and you are limited only by your imagination.
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“Emu Feathers in the Auto Industry Article”
“BMW Uses Emu Feathers to Dust Cars”
