Doin it on my own
 

lookin to try an start doin some "simple" stuff on my own.. fletching arrows.. is bohning jug worth a darn or jus spend the few more dollars an go with the arizona ez fletch..the blitzenburger is get a lil to pricey... another thing wraps... are they hard to take off? or they jus peel off... i guess ill have to get the zip strip.... wraps are they easy to put on.... if i get a flteching jig do they make ceratin ones for blazers an other fletching or will they work for all?????? tryin to learn so i know what im lookin forward to .thanks

RE: Doin it on my own
 

I have so much fun making my own arrows. I use the Arizona right helical to fletch my aluminums. Wraps are easy to put on . Just put it on a flat surface and role arrow over it. Taking off on aluminum is easy , razor blade , soap , and water. They help my Blazers stick better , My whisker Bisquit really test the Bohning Platnium glue, but a dab of super glue on the tip of vane makes the arrow bullet proof ;)
Its a very economical set up, but it sure gets the job done . Good luck and have fun MdDave

RE: Doin it on my own
 

this is something I really enjoy doing. I cap and crest my arrows and then fletch them. I do as much work on my bow as I can too. I own a bowpress and a fletching jig and will soon get a bowvise and centershot laser.
Just last week I bought a Bitzenberger jig. I have owned a Jo-Jan for several years. There is no comparison. The Bitz is so much easier to use and much more consistant. It is a well made product and should last a lifetime. IMHO it is well worth the extra $$. I was using wraps until I read the thread instructionalGreg/MO posted about cresting and capping. My arrows look so much better now and are much more enjoyable to make. I also know that no one else will have arrows that look like mine. I take pride and pleasure in my equipment and you will too when doing it yourself. Goodluck and post pics of the finished product.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

I would second the bitz jig. I only started fletching my arrows about a month and a half ago and bought the Bitz, as everyone said it was the best and would last past your death.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

I will third the bitz...I too used a Jo Jan for a while and the bitz is really nice! I wrap my arrows, too, because it makes refletching easier. Just peel off the wrap and the shaft is mostly clean. You wont have to scrap near as much on the shaft if you didn't have the wrap on. Only downside is, if you only have to refletch one vane, you have to refletch them all if you are using a wrap.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

my old arrows are wraped.... so are you sayin i wouldnt need the zip strip sence they are on top of the wrap.. the blitzenburger is one fletch at a time right?? what i did like about the arizon ez is i could do all 3 at the same time.... .do i have to buy different jigs for different offsets? an do they make certain jigs for blazers compared to 4 inch vanes?

RE: Doin it on my own
 

One problem with the Arizona EZ fletch is that you have to put glue on all 3 vanes before you close it. By the time you get the proper bead of glue on the 3rd vane the 1st vane may have dried a little if you use a fast drying glue.

The Bitzenburger can be purchased with 1 of 3 clamps, a left helical, a straight and a right helical. If you are only getting one clamp I would suggest the right helical or straight.

Whether you get a Bitzenburger or not I would suggest you get a fletcher that does one fletch at a time. If the arrow shafts are already prepped it only takes a few minutes to do each arrow if you use a fast drying glue. Put the vane/feather in the clamp, run a bead of glue, put it on the shaft, wait 1 minute and remove the clamp and go on to the next fletch.

You really should not be in a hurry when building arrows though. Take your time and craft your ammunition well.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

I used the Arizona EZ for a while, but it ends up being a messy operation. As someone else said, you have to apply the glue to all 3 fletchings then close it. By the time you get to the third one the glue is drying or has run down the fletch. The glue also started to clog the inside of the fletcher. I now use a Grayling. It is much better. I didn't want to buy a Bitz until I was sure about doing things myself. As it turned out I should have just bought the Bitz, although I think the Arizona could be useful in camp as a quick fixer.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

If you don't want to lay down the cash for a Bitz....get a Grayling jig. They run about $30 and work great. The extra clamps are cheap also.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

as far as taking old ones off.. my arrows are already wraped..so i wouldnt need the zip strip right? jus pull the warp off???? i understnad what your sayin about the glue dryin fast makes sense...... do u have to buy a certain clamps for blazers compared to 4 in vanes or do they all work the same?

RE: Doin it on my own
 

The Zip Strip makes taking wraps off a cinch as well... well worth the money.

Thanks to tx up above for bringing up my old thread; you may want to look at that if you've never seen it: it certainly will show you how to have some major fun on a limited budget as you get into this do-it-yourself game...

Good luck; it's addicting!

RE: Doin it on my own
 

alrighty then.. i rememeber readin your post bout cresting an capping... that'll have to be lil more down the road as i learn more an more on jus what in the world im doin....thanx!

RE: Doin it on my own
 

You can fletch vanes and feathers from the smallest micro vanes to 5" feathers and vanes with the bitz using the same clamp.

RE: Doin it on my own
 

good to know... thanks alot.guess its time to spend some money

RE: Doin it on my own
 

If your arrows are already wrapped, then all you need to do is pull the wrap off and then I would wipe down the arrow shaft with a cleaning solution. This makes sure the shaft is nice a smooth since the wrap may leave a little bit of resedue. Most clamps will take all different sized vanes, however, I have a friend who had the arizona EZ fletch and he had some trouble with the QuickSpin vanes fitting in there and working really well because the slot where you put the vane in the arizona isn't quite big enough for the kicker of the QuickSpin. What's nice about the grayling, Jo Jan, or Bitz is that the clamp open and closes where the arizona has just a slot cut. This allows for more control. The arizona is really, really fast at fletching when compared to the Bitz, but I think the bitz will do a better job.