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Arrow Building - Ranch Fairy - insert glue

bowhuntr09

bowhuntr09

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
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2,371
Location
Midlothian, VA
I’m going down the RF rabbit hole. What’s everyone’s preferred glue for inserts.

What do you do if you want to play with insert weight? If I glue a 100g insert in, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be easy to get it back out and trim it. Yes, I am aware of slinging the drill bit inside the shaft.
 
I used the Ranch Fairy test kit to figure out total broadhead weight + insert weight.

Then I bought the right insert weights. The glue I used was gorilla glue.

No problems. Good luck!
 
If I’m starting from complete scratch and have no idea what I’m doing, I just glue in a single stock light insert, and shoot different point weights until I find out how much weight I want up front. That arrow is sacrificial, and I’ll build the rest accordingly.

I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d want to remove inserts.

but if I did, hot melt works fine for this phase of figuring it all out. Just don’t go overboard with the heat to remove.
 
Yeah, I bought the test kit from Sirius, so I have 4 arrows that will ultimately be sacrificial. I have hot melt. Just trying to get it all figured out.
 
The blue "cool" melt is what I've been using....I've sailed a couple heavies wide of the target while playing with different point weight and stuck in the 4x4 post on the fence...I just wiggle and pull as hard as I can and the insert stays right where it was located in the arrow shaft..it's pretty tough stuff. 900gr arrows stick into the post pretty good. The inserts are pricey so I want to be able to remove and reuse if that is what I choose. Prep work is vital regardless of what u choose. Square the arrow, scuff and clean ID, scuff and clean insert. More than likely no wrong answer to ur question cause all the different glues probably work well. I just prefer the hotmelt incase something silly like a shaft breaking....hot tap water will remove everything and then I can slap it all back in a new arrow shaft
 
Weldabeast said:
The blue "cool" melt is what I've been using....I've sailed a couple heavies wide of the target while playing with different point weight and stuck in the 4x4 post on the fence...I just wiggle and pull as hard as I can and the insert stays right where it was located in the arrow shaft..it's pretty tough stuff. 900gr arrows stick into the post pretty good. The inserts are pricey so I want to be able to remove and reuse if that is what I choose. Prep work is vital regardless of what u choose. Square the arrow, scuff and clean ID, scuff and clean insert. More than likely no wrong answer to ur question cause all the different glues probably work well. I just prefer the hotmelt incase something silly like a shaft breaking....hot tap water will remove everything and then I can slap it all back in a new arrow shaft
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This, this this^^^^^^^
Blue cool melt from Bohning, especially during the building process, but it also works fine for permanent arrows. And it's removable with just hot tap water. Just prep the shafts properly and this stuff will do the job.
 
I've tried it all. My current favorite is bohning cool flex.

The drill bit method never worked for me (trust me, I tried). The cyanoacrylics (superglue) can be finnicky if the surface isn't prepared properly, and not all are impact resistant once dried. Not all epoxies are created equal either, and you will run into same issues with superglue.

If you want to glue inserts and never want them to ever come out and don't care about removing them then I recommend G5 BlueGlu. It's simply the best superglue i've used.

If you want to be able to remove and reuse inserts then bohning cool flex is what I recommend.

Regardless of what you use I always prep arrows with denatured alcohol. Wipe the exterior with a paper towel or lint free cloth and for inserts use a Q-tip or cotton swab to clean the inside of the arrow and make sure it's free of carbon dust and debris before gluing.
 
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Thanks guys. I had regular hot glue sticks, but I picked up a stick of the Bohning cool blue stick I will use on these. Thanks for all the tips!
 
Bohning cool flex is what I use as well. I heat up the tip of the insert just a bit with a lighter and then do the drill bit sling dance, insert usually pops out after 3-4 slings
 
Exhumis said:
Bohning cool flex is what I use as well. I heat up the tip of the insert just a bit with a lighter and then do the drill bit sling dance, insert usually pops out after 3-4 slings
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If u using the blue glue all u have to do is run the end of the arrow under hot tap water and it'll come out.... The drill bit arrow fling is dangerous
 
Weldabeast said:
If u using the blue glue all u have to do is run the end of the arrow under hot tap water and it'll come out.... The drill bit arrow fling is dangerous
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Man you're telling me! I usually engage safety squints and hide the family. I tried the hot water thing and it didn't work. Does it have to be super hot? Maybe boil water in a pot?
 
Exhumis said:
Man you're telling me! I usually engage safety squints and hide the family. I tried the hot water thing and it didn't work. Does it have to be super hot? Maybe boil water in a pot?
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I turn my faucet on and let it heat up till as hot as it can go. Let the arrow heat up under the water for a little bit and grab the field point with vise grip...if it doesn't move just hold it under the water longer....boil water work also I'm sure, never tried because the regular tap water does the job
 
Weldabeast said:
I turn my faucet on and let it heat up till as hot as it can go. Let the arrow heat up under the water for a little bit and grab the field point with vise grip...if it doesn't move just hold it under the water longer....boil water work also I'm sure, never tried because the regular tap water does the job
Click to expand...
Lots of people have their water heaters turned back to avoid scalding. I know mine runs at 140 which is plenty hot.
 
bowhuntr09 said:
Lots of people have their water heaters turned back to avoid scalding. I know mine runs at 140 which is plenty hot.
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I'm not sure what my water temp is, but if I just run it under the faucet, the insert doesn't pull as easy as if I run the hot water into a glass and submerge the arrow for a minute of less. I let the water continue to run into the glass as I soak the arrow. I grab the point with either vice grips or channel locks. I hold the arrow with something "grippy" like a sheet of rubber, rubber glove, arrow puller, etc. Even then, with just a small dab of blue cool melt glue on the insert, it still holds pretty tight. Tight enough that proves it works fine for permanent arrow building. I don't recommend coating the entire insert with glue. Just a small dab will do.
To be specific, I'm gluing Ethics inserts into GrizzlyStik Momentum shafts. I prep the shaft with a little brass brush on a drill. I swab it out afterward with a Q tip and denatured alcohol. I also scuff the insert slightly with a scotch pad, but I really don't think its necessary. I've never had an insert fail, and I can get them out if needed.
 
Been making my own arrows and arrows for friends for 6-7 years and about 70-75 new and 30ish reetchings and have used both the blue insert hot glue and plane jane hot glue with great success but I do a very thorough prep job of every arrow and insert including getting both 100% absolutely clean after sanding to insure great adhesion
 
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