Conservation and restoration of feathers shaft and the vane. The shaft is composed of the calamus and the rachis. The calamus can also be called the quill and is the hollow portion of the shaft that enters the skin follicle. While the rachis is the solid portion of the shaft where the barbs attach. The vane extends to either side of the rachis and is made up of interconnecting barbs. This is considered the most substantial portion of the feather. Removing debris and organic matter from feathers is a key step in the conservation process. Here are several of the ways that feathers are typically
USS Calamus (AOG-25) USS Calamus (AOG-25) USS "Calamus" (AOG-25) was a "Mettawee"-class gasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of transporting gasoline to warships in the fleet, and to remote Navy stations. "Calamus" was launched 4 May 1944 by East Coast Shipyard, Inc., Bayonne, New Jersey, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. A. H. Moore; transferred to the Navy 7 July 1944; and commissioned the same day, Lieutenant W. Hord, USCGR, in command. "Calamus" sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, 13 September 1944, bound for Pearl Harbor and Ulithi, where she arrived in mid-December and began her work as