RE: What was that finish?
Here it is (finally). Sorry for the wait.Tom Kiessling' s epoxy/acetone finish for arrows, and its application.
1) First thing I do is stain shafts (I usually use aniline dyes from
Gray Ghost Archery). I only stain up to where the stain and crown
meet.
2) After stain dries, sand off any raised grain, then stain again
if necessary to achieve desired color.
3) If I don' t have any epoxy formula made up, I use the following
procedure for that.
*I purchase Devcon 2-ton epoxy and a can of acetone from Wal-Mart
in the paint section. I use a 4 ounce baby food jar to squirt the
entire contents of epoxy in to. I then completely mix the 2 epoxy
parts until clear. I then add 1 ounce of acetone (1/2 jar) and
stir until the epoxy appears to have dissolved and looks only like
acetone remains. I then fill the jar with acetone and stir again
for a few seconds.*
4) Applied one coat of epoxy as described next.
*Always wear chemical resistant gloves, I use the blue Nitrate cloves
that the tools trucks (Snap-On, Mac) sell to local automotive and
diesel garage mechanics. I use small cotton rags from t-shirts.
Hold arrow at nock or point end, make one long continuous swipe
from end to end. Then rotate shaft 180 degrees and do again. (Do
not attempt to double wipe on same side, the rag will stick to
the first coat).*
5) After epoxy dries, check for raised grain. Sand if needed.
6) Apply second coat of epoxy.
7) I then spray the crowns on, (I usually use Krylon enamels, and usually 2 coats are
needed too).
8) After crown dries, apply cresting lines (Testors and Odds-n-Ends).
9) After crown and cresting are COMPLETELY dry, spray or brush the
crown and crestings with a thin coat of Min Wax Water Based
Polyacyrlic (blue can). I prefer to brush mine on.
10) After poly dries, apply second coat only if spraying on poly.
Brushing usually only requires one coat.
11) After letting poly dry an hour, apply first coat of epoxy over
entire shaft. Make sure to check wiping rag for paint residue
after first arrow to insure that acetone is not attacking cresting
and crown. If paint is being attacked, crest the arrow if
needed, and give another coat of poly over all arrows.
12) If all is ok, I will usually put on 4 to 6 coats of epoxy,
make sure to smooth out finish very lightly with 0000 steel wool
between all coats (do not steel wool last coat unless you prefer
a satin finish).
13) I then set nocks using Duco cement, and mount feathers with either
Bohning Fletch Tape or regular super glue (not the gel stuff).
I prefer the tape. This makes for easy feather repair if needed.
I haven' t tried doing it yet, but I have some arrows with this finish, and it works well.
Chad