Go Back  HuntingNet.com Forums > Archery Forums > Bowhunting
 instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows! >

instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Bowhunting Talk about the passion that is bowhunting. Share in the stories, pictures, tips, tactics and learn how to be a better bowhunter.

instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Old 01-27-2006, 06:08 PM
  #1  
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
 
Greg / MO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson, Missouri
Posts: 7,051
Default instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

OK, I've been thinking about doing this for quite some time as a lot of questions get asked around here about capping and cresting. In light of that, I've put together a little step-by-step instructional on just a basic, no-frills approach to getting a good-looking arrow that most any bowhunter would be proud of.

To start with, you're going to need a cresting machine. Bohning offers one for around $130, but I found some awesome plans for making your own forless than$20. They can be viewed at: http://www.stickbow.com/stickbow/arrowbuilding/cresting.html

Here's how mine turned out:



You'll notice the one upgrade I permitted myself from the plans on stickbow.com was that I neglected to use the piece of surgical tubing as a coupler, instead opting to actually order the chuck which comes with the Bohning kit. You can order it separately for $7-8, I think. I think it would be well worth it, considering this is the piece that actually comes in contact with the arrow.

You may also notice that I decided against using a "V" block as the plans show, and instead chose to use a solid block of oak with a hole drilled out at the precise height to hold my arrow level. I just didn't want to have to worry about my arrow "bouncing" out of the V block; the solid block with a hole in the middle holds the shaft absolutely secure. Here's a length-wise view looking down the machine:



That view also gives you a great shot at the sewing-machine motor. I was very pleasantly surprised to find it available at a local sewing machine repair shop for $5 -- just like stickbow.com said I would be able to! You can see in the first photo that I attached a simple variable resistor as a speed control, even though I have only used it at its slowest speed that I can dial it down to. These little babies hum!

After stripping the old fletching and any wraps or anything of the sort off, I gently sand my shaft with 150-grit sandpaper, followed up by a rigorous going-over with 320-grit.



The next step (after cleaning off the residual dust with a wet paper towel and drying it off) is to mask off where you want your cap to stop. I like mine to come just up to the arrow rest, but not go past it; that way, when I'm sitting in the stand during a hunt, all my gloss white is kinda hid behind the bow and against my body, if that makes sense.



I first place a small strip of masking tape perpendicular to the shaft where I want the cap to stop, then I tape on a piece of copy paper or anything that's handy to stop the overspray. I use just the cheapest gloss white enamel spray that Wal-Mart sells; I think it costs like .97 cents a can. The key is to lay down a couple thin coats. This stuff dries fast and hard; there's no use putting it on thick, and your arrow will look a lot better by putting on a few thin coats. You'll also keep from getting a thick line where your masking tape is.

This was one coat:



Here's the arrow after a couple coats ready for cresting:



You'll only need a few basic supplies; it's really amazing how cheaply you can do this. A broader brush to lay down the wide cresting and a smaller pointed brush for pinstriping is all I use. You can see I use the little Testor's bottles that model-builders use. The toothpics are for stirring up the paint after it's sat for a while:



Here's the first band of paint; I try to cover the "line" where the capping ended on the arrow shaft:



I will tell you that I've had both my brushes and paint waaaay too long; I'd get much better results if I'd just go buy some fresh bottles of paint and a couple new brushes. Probably wouldn't cost but about $5, and I'd be good for another couple years.

Oh -- another bit of advice: You can see here that I literally just guess where the next band of color needs to be applied, simply because I don't want to clean out the brown and then put green on, and vice versa. If I had just one more wide brush the same width as the one I'm applying the brown with here, I could alternately put the brown on, then the green, then the brown... and so on -- without having go guess where the green will end when I'm done:



Here, I'm laying down the green between the brown bands. Like I said, my brush is about shot, and my paint is too old to get good results. This is actually the worst-looking job I've done, but I really wasn't going for a finished product as much as I wanted to capture the process; I'll show youhow they usually turn out at the end:



Here's where you can start to see your work taking shape; pinstriping between the bands makes all the difference in the world, in my opinion. It really cleans it up:



Here the crest is after all the pinstriping is laid down:




Keep in mind that my big brush is shot; that's where all the little fibers sticking out of the paint all over the place comes from.

Here's the finished product. I think we'd all agree I'm not going to win any "most artistic" awards for my cresting efforts; that was never the goal. As a pure bowhunter, I wanted something that gave me a sense of pride and craftsmanship, but more importantly allowed me to find my arrows easily once I got down from my stand and hit the forest floor -- but didn't have neon colors. The white caps really stand out when they're stuck in the ground; I've never had any problem finding them, and my other colors of course allow me to keep my "camo" theme going.



I was taught by some of the people in the "Traditional" forum here to fletch with Duco; it's a common household glue that comes in a greentube similar -- but much bigger -- to Super Glue. It costs about three or four bucks. I let my capping/cresting dry overnight, and then fletch them all up the next day. I've had some of these babies that I have honestly had four or five pass-throughs with. I just wash the blood off the feathers, let them dry out, and stick them back in my quiver. There is absolutely no adhesion worries...

Obviously, with some time, effort, and ingenuity, you can do lots more with the basic principles outlined here.

God bless, and good hunting!!
Greg / MO is offline  
Old 01-27-2006, 06:11 PM
  #2  
 
Bols's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: IL
Posts: 1,269
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Woo Hoo!! I have been waiting for this post!!

Thanks for the input, along with the time spentand dedication toposting this for us beginning arrow makers!!
Bols is offline  
Old 01-27-2006, 06:24 PM
  #3  
Boone & Crockett
 
The Rev's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Burleson Texas
Posts: 12,560
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Thanks Greg, I used an old drill motor with variable speedwhen I used to crest my arrows. It sure is a lot of fun, I just have so much other things I really don't have time for that anymore... I've also made my own jig to cut arrows, I use that quite a bit. I still have my cresting jig, maybe one day, I do some more.

Thanks again, I am sure this will help those interested in cresting, it's very informative. (Good Job)
The Rev is offline  
Old 01-27-2006, 06:58 PM
  #4  
Nontypical Buck
 
Pat Curtis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Decatur, IN
Posts: 1,425
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Great thread. Thank you very much for the info.
Pat Curtis is offline  
Old 01-27-2006, 07:47 PM
  #5  
Boone & Crockett
 
bigbulls's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Great thread here and pretty good looking arrows.

A little tip if I may.......... You will get much smoother bands if you thin down the paints to almost a water consistancy.
bigbulls is offline  
Old 01-28-2006, 05:07 AM
  #6  
Boone & Crockett
 
Rob/PA Bowyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Hughesville, PA USA
Posts: 18,322
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Fantastic thread Greg and fantastic job...you might have me getting into this myself...I wish I could see all the pics but at a 24K dial up at home, it ain't happening...I'll check out all the photos on work on Monday with DSL....lol great job...I've always wanted to do this myself.
Rob/PA Bowyer is offline  
Old 01-28-2006, 05:28 AM
  #7  
Nontypical Buck
 
Rhody Hunter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 3,606
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

good informative post. thanks
Rhody Hunter is offline  
Old 01-28-2006, 10:02 AM
  #8  
Typical Buck
 
KickerPoint79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 789
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Great post Greg. I plan on trying this myself soon and this will be
a good reference.
KickerPoint79 is offline  
Old 01-28-2006, 02:09 PM
  #9  
 
mobow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 13,082
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Ok, but how do you get the stripes in the same place on all dozen arrows?
mobow is offline  
Old 01-28-2006, 03:12 PM
  #10  
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
 
Greg / MO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson, Missouri
Posts: 7,051
Default RE: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!

Ok, but how do you get the stripes in the same place on all dozen arrows?
Good question.

I actually only measure where I place the masking tape on the arrow shaft where I want the cap to end; each length of cap is exactly the same on all arrows. Then, when I lay down that first band of paint, I have it end with just the smallest amount of overlap from the cap onto the arrow shaft; that covers up any "edge" or "line" that's there from spray painting the cap onto the shaft. (As I said earlier, if you lay down at least two or three thin coats as opposed to one heavy coat, it will minimize this greatly.)

As I just use the width of the brush as the exact width of my cresting bands, they all stay pretty much the same size/length -- as long as I make the same pattern on every shaft, of course.

For the little crest that I make down where my fletching is, I have sometimes layed a piece of paper on the surface of my cresting machine with "tick" marks with a pencil... That way, as I'm leaning over the top of the shaft and about to lay on a strip of paint, I can look down and line up where I'm about to place the brush with the pencil mark.
Greg / MO is offline  

Quick Reply: instructional thread for capping and cresting your own arrows!


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.