# Fletching keeps coming off



## Bow_Rep (Sep 14, 2006)

Denatured alcohol works fine as does Naptha. Both have a highly volatile atom and evaporate quickly. Best to use either outdoors and just wipe the shaft down well with them. 

Do yourself a favor and use Saunders NPV for fletching your arrows. It's kind of old school, but it works as good as anything.


----------



## Fireman131 (Dec 13, 2006)

Bow_Rep said:


> Denatured alcohol works fine as does Naptha. Both have a highly volatile atom and evaporate quickly. Best to use either outdoors and just wipe the shaft down well with them.
> 
> Do yourself a favor and use Saunders NPV for fletching your arrows. It's kind of old school, but it works as good as anything.


Thanks Bow Rep;
Where would I find Saunders NPV?


----------



## T-LaBee (Dec 28, 2003)

FOB's


----------



## sticbow (Feb 29, 2004)

Bales of straw arn't packed tight enough to stop carbon arrows, buy a good quality arrow stop, it's much safer too.

build one out of carpet,(carpet comanys will cut removed carpet for you at 12 to 24 inches for removing out of the house just ask them.

couple of threaded rods/nuts and washers and couple of 2X6s, make cuts in the ends so the rods will poke thru stack the carpet


----------



## Bow_Rep (Sep 14, 2006)

Most online archery suppliers like Ye Olde Archery Shoppe (Pape's) will carry Saunders NPV. I had recent issues with the Platinum and maybe it's just a bad batch that got out. However, NPV has never let me down in 20-some years. Blazers, feathers, carbon or aluminum...the stuff works very well.


----------



## Fireman131 (Dec 13, 2006)

Thanks to all, never thought about the carpet remnets. 

Again THANKS!


----------



## ozhuntsman (Aug 13, 2005)

OzCrest wraps can be re-fletched over and over again and you will never lose a vane no matter how many times you pass through. :wink:


----------



## arrowshooters (Jun 5, 2006)

The thing about the ST Epics is that they have a "polished" surface. It is very important to scuff the surface. I use a Scotch Brite pad, wipe with Acetone then fletch with the Platinum. Have not lost a single vane.


----------



## 12point chaser (Apr 11, 2006)

if i were you i would use wraps your keep fletching alot longer. and its easier on the shaft when it is time to refletch


----------



## Fireman131 (Dec 13, 2006)

Thanks a lot everyone, this helps a lot.


----------



## BaMaBoWHuNTeR. (Jul 29, 2006)

Do it like this, and use goat tuff. They WON'T come off!
http://forums.mathewsinc.com/viewtopic.php?t=56775


----------



## BOE_Hunter (Jul 29, 2005)

I have wraps on my arrows and occasionally lose a fletching too. Removing the old glue has been easy with a small sanding block. It eliminates the glue and roughs up the wrap just a bit so the new fletch will adhere to it. This is sort of rough shod but I will re-wrap my arrows shortly before the hunting season. My arrow fly fine with the new fletchings. I am using Blazers and super glues.


----------



## Y-POPEYE-Y (May 2, 2007)

well my shop made me some arrows awhile back that was happening an i was using epics too... they found out it was a bad batch of adhesive glue they where using an trying out for the first time an then they went back to what they have been using... is this s possibility in your case too just some bad glue?


----------



## esoxsmd (Aug 24, 2006)

I was having the same issue with by ICS arrows and Fletch Tite Platinum.... I have since switched to Goat Tuff, and can't pull them off no matter how hard I try.


----------



## shooter76 (Nov 27, 2006)

esoxsmd said:


> I was having the same issue with by ICS arrows and Fletch Tite Platinum.... I have since switched to Goat Tuff, and can't pull them off no matter how hard I try.


i was using the platinum also and i thought that the bond it made was weak. i myself have switched to goat tuff and have to agree that the fletching bond is very strong.


----------



## CARRASCO (Jul 18, 2007)

Are you using an "Arizona E-Z Fletcher"? If so, how old is it. I think those things are good for guys getting started at home, but I've seen where they get a little worn, and loose. Sometimes theyt wont put as much pressure on the vanes (to the shaft) as needed. Loose vanes while glue is drying = vanes comming off easy. A simple trick I came up with is puttin a rubber band around the fletcher as the glue dries.
As far as glue goes, there are some 30 second fast acting fletching glues made by a couple of good companies (ie Bohning), but be advised, they are much harder to clean off your shaft when refletching. Finally, some very light steel wool works well for the initial scrub when cleaning old glue from shafts.
Hope this helps.


----------



## razortec40 (Feb 8, 2004)

arrowshooters said:


> The thing about the ST Epics is that they have a "polished" surface. It is very important to scuff the surface. I use a Scotch Brite pad, wipe with Acetone then fletch with the Platinum. Have not lost a single vane.



Exactly what he said


----------



## Orngrimm (Aug 14, 2007)

I always use instant-glue (= cyanoacrylate) to fletch my Easton Diamon-vanes to my Easton ACE 430.
If the arrow passes trough the farget-face my vanes are still in perfect shape. A freind of mine which shoots Spinwings, needs to refletch almost everytime... 

NEVER use Acetone to clean your carbon-shafts! Acetone will damage the resin used to hold the carbon-fibres together.
I always use bruning-alcohol with no acetone in it.


----------



## wsb_bwhntr (Apr 25, 2006)

My $0.02...

Use the goat tuff glue. I used the platinum for a while too and it just didn't work as well. I know that from a chemical reaction standpoint acetone can erode the structural integrity of the carbon and the resin used to hold the carbon together, but I do wipe mine down with acetone after scuffing up the surface slightly. (I was nervous about the acetone, but I soaked a complete arrow shaft (immersed) in acetone for a little over a week and it looked and felt just like ti did before I put it in the acetone. I didn't shoot it, but in bending it there seemed to be no change so I don't feel wiping the shaft down with acetone will affect the arrow... IMHO).

I used to use wraps, but got sick of re-wrapping each time I had to replace a fletching. How do you guys refletch an arrow that only needs one vane without removing the wrap?? I didn't see a way to do that so I moved away from wraps so I didn't have to refletch the whole arrow and re-wrap everytime I had one vane that needed to be replaced. Maybe I just missed something that would make that easy...
Thanks!
Bill


----------



## Fireman131 (Dec 13, 2006)

Thanks everyone. You all have given me good thing to look at and try. I've since switched to a faster drying glue, and seems to be working, I'm also using a light sand paper before I wipe off and re-fletch, so far so good. 

Again THANKS!!:smile::thumbs_up:thumbs_up


----------



## mulehoyt (Oct 27, 2006)

When I fletch a carbon arrow, I use goat tuff. If I fletch an arrow that has a wrap or has been dipped in paint, I use the same old glue that we started with on the aluminum arrows. You do not need to use a glue like goat tuff to glue on paint or wraps. The goat tuff was designed to have a chemical reaction with the carbon fibers to make the vane stick. I use flex fletch or fletch flex. I don't know which word comes first. It has work fine for me for a number of years. As far as acetone, I allways just wipe down the shaft right before I put the fletching on. It takes all the oils off the shaft. It may break down the fibers, but I haven't noticed any difference. The main thing with any fletching or re-fletching job is getting the shaft clean and free from oils. I wipe the shaft and take a q-tip and wipe the vane. Then immediately apply the glue....Good luck........


----------



## Rick243 (Jun 30, 2006)

*Fobs*



T-LaBee said:


> FOB's


Ditto. The more I shoot them the better I like them.


----------



## ozhuntsman (Aug 13, 2005)

wsb_bwhntr said:


> My $0.02...
> 
> Use the goat tuff glue. I used the platinum for a while too and it just didn't work as well. I know that from a chemical reaction standpoint acetone can erode the structural integrity of the carbon and the resin used to hold the carbon together, but I do wipe mine down with acetone after scuffing up the surface slightly. (I was nervous about the acetone, but I soaked a complete arrow shaft (immersed) in acetone for a little over a week and it looked and felt just like ti did before I put it in the acetone. I didn't shoot it, but in bending it there seemed to be no change so I don't feel wiping the shaft down with acetone will affect the arrow... IMHO).
> 
> ...



By using an OzCrest with our patented solvent proof materials, the vane can be peeled away with NO DAMAGE to the wrap. Any solvent can be used to remove the old glue then just stick on another. No need to replace a wrap. I have staff shooters that have wraps over a yr old and have been refletched many times. :darkbeer:


----------



## nolucklarry (Oct 5, 2004)

*Oz wraps*

So do the fletches stick good to your wraps. Why would they need to be refletched over and over. I currently use wraps but have yet to try yours. Although they sound so thin and light that I have thought about giving them a try.


----------



## woodchuckssuck (Aug 7, 2006)

I use fletch tite platinum on my carbon express terminators, they can pass through a target and be pushed back out and not fall off, unless i dont get a good bead of glue (it happens). Im using VaneTec Vmax 4" vanes, and i scuff them and the shaft with scotchbrite pads, then clean with denatured alcohol. Seems to hold very well for me! 

Also, i put a small dab of the glue at each end of the vane to help with shoot throughs/pull outs. gives a smooth surface so the vane cant get caught and rip off! try it, it helps a lot!


----------



## ozhuntsman (Aug 13, 2005)

nolucklarry said:


> So do the fletches stick good to your wraps. Why would they need to be refletched over and over. I currently use wraps but have yet to try yours. Although they sound so thin and light that I have thought about giving them a try.


The thing is mate, that they last much longer than your vanes will, and most of the time they outlast the shaft also. So over time you may want to change your vane color, or just replace vanes that have been damaged from tight groups. I can pull a vane till the arrow breaks and it won't let go, and I use them as grip to pull the arrow from the target. however, when you need to you can remove them easily in a peeling motion. Although it is hard to grasp the theory, it works. It still amazes me each time I refletch. Unbelievable almost. They literally come up brand new when you rmove the glue. Here are some pics


----------

