Simply put, it is nothing more than dipping your arrows in paint. Bohning for example, makes various colors that a person can put on the fletching end of an arrow and then apply a clear coat finish that protects the paint from the elements. Some will put a beautiful crest on their arrow before applying the clear coat just to "spice up" the arrow before attaching a color coordinated fletching. I have seen entire shafts dipped, but normally it is just one end. When I do mine it is normally the last 9-10 inches of the shaft that is covered.

I dip my arrows for a couple of reasons. It makes my arrows easier to find and it also makes them easier to follow in flight.

It is a messy and time consuming job considering a guy can buy arrow wraps and roll them on in a matter of minutes, although the wraps only go down seven inches on the shaft. Two inches or so doesn't sound like much but when your looking for a lost arrow it can be huge. I have seen some use spray paint and come out ok too.