I just recently bought six Maxima Hunters 250's. I had them cut down at the shop but wanted to do the rest of the work at home.
I squared the arrows with the G5 ASD, cleaned themand used Bohnings Two-Part Epoxy for the aluminum inserts included with the shafts.
I let the arrows sit (granted in my basement) for a few days before I screwed BH's or FT's into the inserts.
My problems are two-fold:
One of the problems I faced was the epoxy clogged up the threads on the inside of the shaft. What do you guys do to alleviate this problem? I still have some inserts I can't thread a head into because of the epoxy buildup.
And secondly, the epoxy did not bond very well. One of the inserts pulled out when I was trying to unscrew a broadhead, the other pulled out when I removed the arrow from my target. It was stuck in the middle until I forced it out with another arrow. I know it said not to use a quick setting two part epoxy. Does anyone else have any information on the Bohning Two-Part Epoxy?
How about any other tips and tricks when using epoxy. Like mix time, amount to apply, etc?
Any other suggestions on the type of epoxy to use?
I want to try and get these arrows ready for season. I don't really trust the bond created by the epoxy and am looking to somehow take the inserts out of the shafts, buy new inserts, buy new epoxy and start over.
Thanks for the help in advance.
Bols
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Proud founder of the Rotten Apple Clan.
To clean the epoxy out of the threads, run a tap through the insert. It will clean the threads right up.
As far as your inserts not staying put, one of the biggest culprits is not properly cleaning the inside of the shaft before putting the insert in. When you cut the arrows, the carbon dust will coat the inside surface of the arrow and can lead to adhesion problems.
With respect to the whole epoxy thing, I don't use it. I have been using low temp hot melt and have yet to have an insert come out. The advantage is that you can gently heat the arrow and get the insert out if you need to.
If you have an ASD, I would use a permanent bonding glue such as goat tuff. If it isn't square then use the tool to make it square. I really want one of these tools........just haven't gotten around to ordering one yet and I can manage to find enough arrows out of a dozen that spin true to not worry about it. I also clean the inside of the shaft w/ a q-tip after cutting, that carbon dust is awful.
Redline, thanks for the tips. You are talking about the hot melt like the Bohning Ferr-L-Lite correct? What brand do you use, and is it still safe to heat up a carbon arrow if you want the insert removed? What do you use to heat up the arrow, a small propare torch or something a bit less hot (i.e. lighter)?
Rick James, they supposedly clean out the shafts at the pro shop I got them cut at. But I don't think they really did a good job. I will definately run a few q-tips along the inside of the shafts when I remove the old inserts.
The ASD is a pretty neat tool. But like you said, I just square them regardless, they might have spun true without squaring them.
Any suggestions on getting the old inserts out?
Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.
Bols
__________________
Proud founder of the Rotten Apple Clan.
Regardless of the glue that you use, incomplete cleaning is the # 1 culprit for insert failure.
Another problem comes from using the 5 minute epoxy. Never use this on arrows. It sets up much more brittle than the 24 hour epoxy. As soon as the point starts taking a little shock, some of the inserts will come loose.
Several very good archers have recommended lowtemp hot melt glue. I haven't tried it yet, but every time there is a thread on gluing points someone brings it up. I think that I will try it on my next set of arrows.
Hot melt works on carbons but I'm always very leary of heating the carbon shaft at all. I use a propane torch to heat the glue stick then apply the melted end to the insert. Once there is enough on the insert lightly heat the insert w/ glue on it just until the glue melts then insert it into the shaft, spinning it in as you go (it's easiest to do this with a point screwed into the insert). I have a small cup of water nearby that I immediately plunge the tip into to stop the carbon from getting hot. If I have to heat a tip to remove the insert, I put heat to the field point and pinch the shaft with my fingers as I'm heating so that I can feel if the carbon is getting hot (if you can't keep your fingers on it, I think it's too hot). It takes a while to do a dozen arrows like this so I usually only do it on my own arrows. For customers arrows, unless they request hot melt, I use a 15 minute epoxy (since I can't find 24 hr. anywhere and have to pay HazMat to get it shipped here). For any carbon shaft, the key to a good bond is making sure the shaft is clean. Oh, you can remove epoxied inserts with a bit of heat too, just be careful not to overheat them. Screw in a point and heat only the point while holding the shaft between your fingers just as for hotmelt. It helps if you've got someone to pull on the point until it comes out while you heat.
I use a clean bore cleaning brush to rough up the inside of the shaft then make sure I clean it out with a q-tip and plain water. I think I have a .30 cal brush I bought just for this, but it's a little large. After it's dry, I use Bohning Power Bond to put in the insert.
I bought some SSR and found there was a little bit of carbon dust left inside the shaft. So much for the proshop cleaning them out good! [:@]
I found some black carbon dust mixed in with epoxy on the inserts I had pulled out of the shafts. So I definitley think my problem wasdust left inside the shaft.
I like the brush idea, I will probably end up using the borecleaning kit I have for my handguns. They have all sorts of different cal. brass brushes.
I bought some Ferr-L-Lite hot melt, I willtryyour ideas Kodiak as well. Thanks once again
Bols
__________________
Proud founder of the Rotten Apple Clan.
A question for arrow builders.
