Fletching your own arrows: prepping and cleaning

[BackSpasm]

For those of you who fletch your own arrow shafts, are you using arrow prep wipes? primer pens? acetone? rubbing alchohol?

What is your preferred method to prepare your arrows for fletching to maximize vane adhesion? Do you think arrow prep products are worth the money or a total waste?

 

[Weldabeast]

Acetone

 

[Tr33_n1nj@]

Lock tite superglue gel, straight on the vane or feather, clamped immediately on the arrow. Remove from clamp after 30 seconds, Let sit 24 hrs, good to go. Only cleanup is my fingers.

 

[Weldabeast]

 

[BackSpasm]

I hear a lot about differences between different vanes. For examples, lots of guys on AT say you can't really fletch an AAE max stealth vane without the primer pen. I have always used loctite with my blazers successfully, but I am switching vanes and thinking about prep wipes and pens etc. I hear mixed reviews ranging from: "they don't matter at all" to "you HAVE to have them "

 

[like.2.fly]

2-sided fletching tape. Maybe not the cheapest, but by far the easiest to use. Instant bond (no wait time), way less messy, and works as good or better than any glue I've used. When I was still using glue it was Gorilla super glue gel. Amount applied to vane was critical. Too much was sloppy. Too little didn't hold. Had to be just right. It worked good but I hated getting super glue all over my jig and my fingers. Now I just wipe the shaft off with acetone on a rag, apply the tape to vanes/feathers, clamp them on, and go shoot. Never had one come off.

 

[BackSpasm]

2-sided fletching tape. Maybe not the cheapest, but by far the easiest to use. Instant bond (no wait time), way less messy, and works as good or better than any glue I've used. When I was still using glue it was Gorilla super glue gel. Amount applied to vane was critical. Too much was sloppy. Too little didn't hold. Had to be just right. It worked good but I hated getting super glue all over my jig and my fingers. Now I just wipe the shaft off with acetone on a rag, apply the tape to vanes/feathers, clamp them on, and go shoot. Never had one come off.

that is interesting to me. Do you still use a jig? How do you get the tape onto the vane all the way to the ends?

 

[elk yinzer]

scoth pad and acetone.

I've had two issues:
1) Using old glue (goat tuff). They say freezing keeps it fresh but I just but a smaller bottle every year.
2) AAE vanes. I couldn't get them to stick no matter what I tried. They have some rigamarole to get them to stick which to me wasn't worth the bullcrap, I moved back to blazers.

 

[BackSpasm]

scoth pad and acetone.

I've had two issues:
1) Using old glue (goat tuff). They say freezing keeps it fresh but I just but a smaller bottle every year.
2) AAE vanes. I couldn't get them to stick no matter what I tried. They have some rigamarole to get them to stick which to me wasn't worth the bullcrap, I moved back to blazers.

Do you use arrows wraps or just fletch straight to the shaft? I’m going to Heat vanes which I’ve heard great things about and should stick just like blazers


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[elk yinzer]

Do you use arrows wraps or just fletch straight to the shaft? I’m going to Heat vanes which I’ve heard great things about and should stick just like blazers


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Straight to the shaft (FMJ). I would think carbon can be trickier, I don't really know though. Far from an expert. I try to keep my archery gear carefree and fancy free.

 

[like.2.fly]

that is interesting to me. Do you still use a jig? How do you get the tape onto the vane all the way to the ends?

Yes, I use either a Bitzenberger or AAE EZ-Fletch jig. Just apply the tape (Bohning Fletching tape) to full length of vane/feather that is already in the jig clamp. See these two videos (HERE, and HERE for two different techniques). Super easy.

 

[ericabbott]

Yes, I use either a Bitzenberger or AAE EZ-Fletch jig. Just apply the tape (Bohning Fletching tape) to full length of vane/feather that is already in the jig clamp. See these two videos (HERE, and HERE for two different techniques). Super easy.

I do the same, then apply a little bit of glue to the front and back of each feather fletching.

 

[Sziggy2.0]

I have not done a ton yet, just recently bought all the equipment, but I just used denatured alcohol and blu glue brand of glue and it works fine.

 

[Gumbymedic]

Yes, I use either a Bitzenberger or AAE EZ-Fletch jig. Just apply the tape (Bohning Fletching tape) to full length of vane/feather that is already in the jig clamp. See these two videos (HERE, and HERE for two different techniques). Super easy.

I do the same, then apply a little bit of glue to the front and back of each feather fletching.

Same here. Fletching tape with feathers over a wrap on a Bitzenburger then Fletch Tite Platinum on the tip and tail. Oh yeah, acetone prep first.

 

[Cotehex]

Scotch bright pad and denatured alcohol if there is no adhesive on them. If there is adhesive that is removed with acetone then wiped with denatured alcohol. I use locktite gel ultra control. I've had zero issues with Blazers or Fusion vanes.

 

[hokiehunter373]

Yes, I use either a Bitzenberger or AAE EZ-Fletch jig. Just apply the tape (Bohning Fletching tape) to full length of vane/feather that is already in the jig clamp. See these two videos (HERE, and HERE for two different techniques). Super easy.

Why have I never heard of this stuff before?! Looks amazing

 

[onestringer]

I have fletched hundreds of arrows both vanes and feathers. If its a bare shaft I simply wipe the end with alcohol, the vane I take a qtip dip it in alcohol and wipe any dust off the vane base. Just about any glue works, I like gel the best. Loctite Ultra gel is probably the best, but cheap no name brands also work. The key with the glue is use a fresh bottle. Say I open a bottle of loctite ultra gel fletch and fletch some arrows. Six months later I want to fletch some more. That glue I opened 6 months earlier isn't good anymore, get a fresh bottle. This is why I started messing with cheaper glues. If I am refletching a shaft I will use goo gone extreme on the fletch end to remove any wrap residue, then its the same process.

 

[Cypressslipper]

Scotch bright pad and denatured alcohol if there is no adhesive on them. If there is adhesive that is removed with acetone then wiped with denatured alcohol. I use locktite gel ultra control. I've had zero issues with Blazers or Fusion vanes.

I second the denatured alcohol after cleanup w acetone! There’s no oil whatsoever in DA, so if a vane doesn’t stick. It’s not because it wasn’t cleaned properly. Most likely a glue issue. I clean the vanes w the DA as well.

 

[heretic]

This is the 4th season I've fletched my own arrows (and for my brothers and nephews). For shaft prep I stick with rubbing alcohol and arrow wraps. Makes for a consistent medium to adhere to and a much easier cleanup if I ever have to strip, clean and re-fletch a shaft. I like to clean the base of the fletching with q-tips/rubbing alcohol. You can use pretty much anything to fletch blazers. For AAE I can't get them to stick worth a crap unless I use AAE glue and AAE prep pen. YMMV

 

[kuzinva]

1. After squaring nock and insert side of shafts I use denatured Alcohol to clean inside shaft.
2. Since I use wraps, I also wipe the nock end of shaft down with DA before applying the wrap.
3. I usually use Bohning Blazer vanes, which require minimal prep, but I like to flex flecth zing primer to wipe the base of the vane - probably could use DA and get the same results.
4. Loc-tite Super Glue Gel - a few drops, spread evenly and the only way the vanes come off is if I take the wraps off.