Adhesive for Feathers?

[yooper11]

What is the best adhesive to glue feathers to aluminum arrows? I' ve heard good things about AAE Fast Set Gel, but AAE gel is made more for vanes, correct? Does AAE Fast Set Gel also work well with feathers? What type of fast bonding adhesive works best with feathers?

[Arthur P]

Bohning Fletch Tape. I won' t use anything else for fletching with feathers.

[Rangeball]

Arthur, why is that?

[Arthur P]

Several reasons:

It' s very quick to use. I sold my ol' faithful multi-fletcher and bought a Bitz when I switched to tape. Didn' t need 6 arrows drying at the same time any more. And I can fletch a dozen arrows in about a half hour. Quicker if I don' t watch TV at the same time.

I' m kinda a klutz with a tube of glue (I' ve been known to glue my clamps shut [:' (]), and it' s darn hard to make a mess with a piece of tape.

The feathers stay on the shaft until you decide to take them off. I' ve done some serious testing, shooting through stacks of burlap sacks and stuff, trying to MAKE them peel off and they just won' t. I' ve lost arrows and found them a year later after being in 100 degree heat, under rain and snow. The barbs are usually rotted off the quills but the quills are still stuck fast.

When you do decide to take the feathers off, they peel right off. You can scrape the tape residue off with your thumbnail, a wipe down with acetone and you' re ready to refletch. A lot easier than scraping lines of dried up glue off a shaft. So prepping shafts for refletching is a lot quicker and easier.

I always drop a dab of glue at each end of each feather for insurance. But the main thing I' ve learned is to let the freshly fletched arrows sit overnight before using them. The tape seems need an hour or so to cure before the bond gets to it' s maximum strength. I just do my fletching the night before I need the arrows.

Forgot to mention... The tape bonds to every kind of arrow I' ve used it on. Aluminum, carbon - black and camo -, fiberglass and wood (polyurethane, laquer, gasket laquer... It don' t matter what kind of finish is on the wood).

[c903]

Art

I have always used the Bohning tube cement with great results and total satisfaction. I have been aware of the fletching tape but have never had someone (non-retail) who uses the tape to recommend it as you have done. I like what I read.

After firing the arrows repeatedly, have you noticed that any of the taped fletch had gaps where the fletch lifted from the shaft, or any side to side or forward or backward shifting?

[DoninVa]

Fletching tape works great after you get the hang of it. Just don' t be stupid like me and try to use the tape on vanes. What a night mare[]. Don

[Arthur P]

C903, I have had the feathers lay over, but only when I' ve used them immediately after fletching. Nearly quit using it because of that. But I was getting ready for a shoot once and fletched some the night before using them. It didn' t happen at all. I' ve not had a single problem like that since I started letting them ' cure' .

I' ve never had one lift in the middle of the feather like I get with glue. Just run a thumbnail down the quill after sticking the feather to the shaft to make sure it' s seated properly.

[5 shot]

I too use the tape for feathers and for all the reasons Arthur P stated. My method and his are also the same. Lot' s less mess and it really does work great.

[Dacotah]

Ditto the fletch tape, it' s all I use anymore as all I' ve been shooting is feathers. And I quit using a drop of glue on the front. It makes it easier to fletch and refletch. Just this week I changed from a 3 feather config to a 4 feather config, and salvaged almost all of the feathers.

[CAJUNBOWHNTR]

Well you can right this day down AP and I agree on something
Just kidding AP.I use the tape also on beman carbons and it works great.A LOT easier to refletch.I' ve shot arrows thru my block target and mangled the vanes but they stay glued .

CB