rotating hot melted inserts without breaking bond

[raisins]

I've always been a 3 or 4 blade broadhead guy and installed inserts with gorilla glue (impact resistant) or 2 part epoxy. I don't worry about broadhead alignment with those.

I square both ends of my shaft, glue in insert, square insert and then it is always straight if my broadhead is straight.

I'm considering going to a 2 blade head this year. I do not believe in blade to fletch alignment, but I would like to have my 2 blades all oriented the same (probably horizontal) because there is only 1 plane to catch the wind. If I get any dispersion with a broadhead (not due to tune but due to micro form changes) it is left or right (slight grip changes, wearing a glove, etc). We are talking a few inches at 40 yards with a bow shooting over 280 fps.

So, I'd like to do my usual shaft prep (squaring etc) but use hot melt this year. When I am ready for my broadheads, I'll screw one on and then mark where I need to rotate the insert to achieve a horizontal head. I would not do this from the jump (prior to squaring the insert) because the act of squaring the insert will remove material and change where the broadhead rotates to.

Then I'll put a field point on (don't want to boil my broadheads) and then dunk the end in in boiling water and then rotate. Check the square of the insert and broadhead and then go.

However, I feel that heating, rotating, and then allowing the hot glue to resettle might hurt the bond and end up with inserts pulling out when I start shooting my broadheads into targets.

Does anyone have experience with moving hot melted inserts and how to do it without ruining the bond?

I suppose I could mark the insert, pull it out, and reheat, etc...but would like to avoid this.

When I was not super careful in the past and used hot melt, I have lost points in the target. I'd hate to lose an Iron Will broadhead!

Any advice or experience is appreciated. Or radically different approach.


- R

 

[JSEXTON23]

I have used the blue cool melt for a while and I have yet to lose a tip or insert to a target. I have even rotated heads like you are describing and not had a failure. I don’t square my shafts or inserts, I don’t clean the inside of my shaft. I also don’t boil my points to remove them. I use an old field point and heat it with a torch for about 3-5 seconds and then pull it

 

[raisins]

I have used the blue cool melt for a while and I have yet to lose a tip or insert to a target. I have even rotated heads like you are describing and not had a failure. I don’t square my shafts or inserts, I don’t clean the inside of my shaft. I also don’t boil my points to remove them. I use an old field point and heat it with a torch for about 3-5 seconds and then pull it

Thanks bud. Makes me feel better. Since you helped me, I'll say that a Lumenok arrow squaring tool (and silver and black sharpies) would be a great present for yourself. It virtually eliminates heads that don't spin right or weird arrows that don't group.

You use the sharpies to check the squaring. It is square once you can put a sharpie mark all over the end of the shaft or insert, give it one turn on the squaring device, and it wipes off completely like cheap lipstick.

 

[raisins]

I have used the blue cool melt for a while and I have yet to lose a tip or insert to a target. I have even rotated heads like you are describing and not had a failure. I don’t square my shafts or inserts, I don’t clean the inside of my shaft. I also don’t boil my points to remove them. I use an old field point and heat it with a torch for about 3-5 seconds and then pull it

So when you rotate the head, you put the field point on, heat it with a torch, and then turn?

The other thing I worry about is damage to the carbon. In theory, they can taking boiling water.....but you kinda have a thing with a sharp thing right next to your hand. A failure of the carbon due to heat and it messing with the carbon epoxy might be ugly or mimic a bow dry firing.

 

[Weldabeast]

The water doesn't have to be boiling hot

 

[raisins]

The water doesn't have to be boiling hot

Yeah, kinda leads me to this catch 22......the hotter you reheat that glue, then it seems the more likely you'll get a good bond again once it recools....but you are bumping against the point where you might hurt your carbon.

Man, I might just stick with gorilla glue points and Wasp Drone 125 grain 3 blades

 

[JSEXTON23]

So when you rotate the head, you put the field point on, heat it with a torch, and then turn?

The other thing I worry about is damage to the carbon. In theory, they can taking boiling water.....but you kinda have a thing with a sharp thing right next to your hand. A failure of the carbon due to heat and it messing with the carbon epoxy might be ugly or mimic a bow dry firing.

Yep, heat just the field point. I don’t heat my broadheads because I don’t like the idea of messing with the metal temper.

You won’t damage your carbon if you’re careful. I don’t use water because I’ve had field point threads rust.

I actually work R&D for an adhesive company. How hot you heat the adhesive really only affects the flow or applicability of the adhesive (unless you are heating to the point of degradation of the polymers, which isn’t happening here). Hot melt or cool melt just needs to be warm enough to not be a rock solid. Getting that even coating is all.

 

[michigandrake]

How about setting your arrow up and fletching last? Set the broadhead in the correct orientation and mark the cock feather location. Could still insert tune if you wanted. No need to move the insert after the initial build.

 

[kbetts]

Thinking about things waaaay too hard.