Essential stuff for fletching my own
#1
Thread Starter
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,640
Likes: 0
From: Roodhouse Illinois
What is the essential stuff i need to fletch my own arrows? And what do you reccomend as in the equipment? What is the best book, or video to get to help me out? Thank you
Edit: Oh and if it helps, I plan on using vanes only, and using a right helical or offset
Edit: Oh and if it helps, I plan on using vanes only, and using a right helical or offset
#2
Typical Buck
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 970
Likes: 0
From: Mertztown, PA
Bitzenberger Jig......it's heavy, consistent, and it's the one your pro-shop probably uses - for good reason.
Fletching Glue - You'll get all kinds of opinions here, but I use Flex-Bond. It stays soft, has never allowed any of my fletching to come off, but can be scraped off rather easily. The down side is that it takes about 10 minutes to properly set up before removing the clamp and about 8 hours to dry before shooting (overnight is better).
Shaft Cleaner - Use whatever your arrow manufacturer recommends. You'll usually find this info on their website.
A dull pocket knife to remove old fletching - They sell special tools for this, but pocket knives are commonly used and work well.
Patience in setting up your jig - If you take your time, insure the fletch is in contact around the entire shaft, and don't try to use more helical than the arrow allows, the fletching will almost seat itself insuring a nice consistent job.
Fletching Glue - You'll get all kinds of opinions here, but I use Flex-Bond. It stays soft, has never allowed any of my fletching to come off, but can be scraped off rather easily. The down side is that it takes about 10 minutes to properly set up before removing the clamp and about 8 hours to dry before shooting (overnight is better).
Shaft Cleaner - Use whatever your arrow manufacturer recommends. You'll usually find this info on their website.
A dull pocket knife to remove old fletching - They sell special tools for this, but pocket knives are commonly used and work well.
Patience in setting up your jig - If you take your time, insure the fletch is in contact around the entire shaft, and don't try to use more helical than the arrow allows, the fletching will almost seat itself insuring a nice consistent job.
#3
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,862
Likes: 0
From: Illinois
I suggest not using any cyanoacrylate adhesive. Cyanoacrylate adhesives become brittle and do not hold well on any surface that will flex.
I have tried several types and keep coming back to Bohning Flex-Tite cement. I recently tried "Bohning's Platinum" on aluminum shafts and will never use it again. The Platinum appears to be a cyanoacrylate adhesive and was very "runny." I had a mess on my hands.
After my fletch glue is dry, I always clean the glue out of "valleys" between the fletching. The "Fletch"Tite" was always easy to remove. The "Platinum" was as hard as rock and could not be scraped without scraping the shaft too much. In addition, the hardness tells me that the rigidity of the dried glue will be too brittle not suitable for a flexing shaft. I do not look forward having to replace a fletch and having to scrape the old (Platinum) glue off the shaft.
As for "Fletch-Tite;" last year I removed the fletching from some shafts that I had since the early 70's. The fletch was still in very good shape and the "Fletch-Tite" glue was still intact.
I have two Bitz systems set up. For a starting system, I recommend the following materials.
1 Quality fletching jug.
1 Straight clamp
1 Helical clamp
Fletch glue of preference
Small quanity of "gel" cyanoacrylate adhesive (Super-Glue) in small tubes
X-Acto type knives and extra blades
1 Box opener and extra blades
000 and 0000 steel wool
Very fine emery cloth or paper
1 Can of acetone
Cotton balls
Lint-free rags
A shaft stand to stand finished shafts. (A large block of hole-punched Styrofoam works very well.)
1 small coffee can
If you use a "uni-nock," have extra nocks that you will only use to fletch with and will replace with the nocks you will be using after the glue dries. Just the fumes of certain fletch adhesives can weaken a plastic nock. If any glue makes contact with a nock, replace the nock. You could have a nock disintegrate when you fire the shaft and your bow could experience a "dry fire."
If your shaft has "glue on" nocks, protect the nocks from glue fumes and contact with glue.
After a shaft is fletched, it is best to stand the shaft with the nock down so that the fumes from the glue rise (evaporate) away from the nock as the glue dries.
I have tried several types and keep coming back to Bohning Flex-Tite cement. I recently tried "Bohning's Platinum" on aluminum shafts and will never use it again. The Platinum appears to be a cyanoacrylate adhesive and was very "runny." I had a mess on my hands.
After my fletch glue is dry, I always clean the glue out of "valleys" between the fletching. The "Fletch"Tite" was always easy to remove. The "Platinum" was as hard as rock and could not be scraped without scraping the shaft too much. In addition, the hardness tells me that the rigidity of the dried glue will be too brittle not suitable for a flexing shaft. I do not look forward having to replace a fletch and having to scrape the old (Platinum) glue off the shaft.
As for "Fletch-Tite;" last year I removed the fletching from some shafts that I had since the early 70's. The fletch was still in very good shape and the "Fletch-Tite" glue was still intact.
I have two Bitz systems set up. For a starting system, I recommend the following materials.
1 Quality fletching jug.
1 Straight clamp
1 Helical clamp
Fletch glue of preference
Small quanity of "gel" cyanoacrylate adhesive (Super-Glue) in small tubes
X-Acto type knives and extra blades
1 Box opener and extra blades
000 and 0000 steel wool
Very fine emery cloth or paper
1 Can of acetone
Cotton balls
Lint-free rags
A shaft stand to stand finished shafts. (A large block of hole-punched Styrofoam works very well.)
1 small coffee can
If you use a "uni-nock," have extra nocks that you will only use to fletch with and will replace with the nocks you will be using after the glue dries. Just the fumes of certain fletch adhesives can weaken a plastic nock. If any glue makes contact with a nock, replace the nock. You could have a nock disintegrate when you fire the shaft and your bow could experience a "dry fire."
If your shaft has "glue on" nocks, protect the nocks from glue fumes and contact with glue.
After a shaft is fletched, it is best to stand the shaft with the nock down so that the fumes from the glue rise (evaporate) away from the nock as the glue dries.




