Fletching Tape (Bohning)

Primitive Weapon · 01-12-2006, 09:22 AM

Does anyone use this fletching tape from Bohning?

Arthur P · 01-12-2006, 09:55 AM

I use it. I haven't glued a feather on an arrow since the stuff came out. It works on all kinds of arrows and finish dips. Evenworks great on carbon. The stuff keeps the feather on till you're ready to refletch and it peels off nice and easy. You have some adhesive residue to clean up before you refletch, but you don't have to do all that %&*! scrapping like you do with glue. Some tightwads (like me

Feathers are getting expensive!), when they break an arrow, they peel the feathers off very carefully and reuse them.

After getting the feathers stuck on, go back and put a dot of glue on each end of each feather. That keeps 'em from pulling up when you shoot through a target. Those little dots of glue is all the glue you have to scrape when cleaning the shafts for refletching. I've also found it's best to let the arrows rest overnight after fletching before shooting them.

It's not worth a flip for sticking on vanes though, so if you use plastic you can forget it.

Primitive Weapon · 01-12-2006, 09:58 AM

I've been using 4" feathers to get ready for some 3D shoots. I will have to give the tape a try.

mobow · 01-12-2006, 10:04 AM

Taping is much easier and quicker than glue. I must be doing something wrong, though. I have a problem with the feather curving on the shaft and not staying straight. Perhaps I am not getting them stuck down good enough.

Also, if you are going to splice feathers, glue IMO works better.

bullmoose38 · 01-14-2006, 07:13 AM

The best part about the tape is it doesnt ruin the arrow wrap if you use them.

HNI_Christine · 01-14-2006, 10:12 AM

I use fletch tape and have had good luck with it. I did have problems with the curve of the feather pulling the tape to follow at first.

To get around that, I put the tape on the feather, put it in the bitzenburger clamp, push down really hard and then let the clamp stay on the arrow for at least two minutes.

Then I get good adhesion. (I still put a couple of dabs of glue on too for extra insurance.)

So, it's not as fast as some claims.. but it's faster than regular fletch-tite.

Arthur P · 01-14-2006, 02:56 PM

What I do to cure the problem of the center portion of the feather not sticking is this. (Maybe it'll speed things up and save you some time, Christine.

)

I put the feather in the clamp, then run my thumbnail between the edge of the clamp and base of the feather, wedging it out of the clamp slightly, so the feather is sticking out just a bit. After putting the tape on the feather and stripping the backing off, I put the clamp in the jig. While in the jig, Ipress my thumbnail on the wide edge of the base, right against thebarbs,and run it downto the other end of the quill, making sure the feather is stuck down all the way along. Then I remove the clamp and press my finger down firmly on the leading end of the feather and run it all the way to the back end, making extra sure it's stuck down.

Index to the next position and repeat.

With left wing feathers, you can't get to the wide edge of the quill, so you have to skip that step. But I'd still press the whole feather down after taking off the clamp.