Red Quills

Well I have red quills, I have them in the oven, no heat, drying off. They are not as intense as I would like them to be. At this point I'd be glad if I didn't overheat them, I don't think I did but the cochineal pot was near boiling when I came into the house. So I strained the quills and cooled them off with cold tap water. They didn't seem mushy or anything. We'll see later tonight.