Saturday 1 April 2017

Preparing Your Arrows for Fletching.



Hide-out Archery Shop Cape Town can assist you to choose the correct arrows.

Before you start fletching your arrows please make sure you have the correct spine (strength) arrow for the bow you are using, because higher poundage bows can break soft arrows that are not suited for them and cause serious injury…

Firstly you need to prepare the arrows so the feathers or vanes will properly stick to the arrow shaft without falling off on the first couple of shots.

Please note this is my personal preference of doing this and it has given me great and longer lasting results with my clients.

Carbon arrows need to be prepared and cleaned carefully in order for thefletching to adhere properly to the shafts. 

I use very fine sand paper to scuff up the back area of the shaft where the vanes or feathers are going to be glued on. Fletching sticks better when glued to a ruffed up surface. After scuffing up the shaft to prepare the area, I clean the area with surgical spirits to remove any carbon dust and oil that can cause the glue not to bond correctly.

Then with a heat lamp overhead I glue the fletching in place on the arrow shafts using a fletching jig.A fletching jig makes it very easy to be precise.

All fletching jigs take a bit of getting used to,but you do get ones that have a range of settings for different arrows or configurations on the vanes or feathers.

Please note: This is the key to vanes and feathers adhering correctly and staying in place for longer on your arrow shafts!

Work under an infrared lamp so all the components (the glue, shafts and fletching) will be at optimal temperature.The solvent in the glue work best when at atemperature of 22°C+. (If you have no lamp, work next to a heater or in the sun on a nice warm day)

I also use a soft disposable cloth to wipe away excess glue around the foot of the vanes or feathers to give a more professionally finished look.

For any further assistance please don’t hesitate to contact us at Hide-out Archery Shop Cape Town.

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