Cresting wood arrows

[tomsm44]

I'm planning to build some wood youth arrows for my son the first part of 2016 and I want to crest them to match his bow.  I've done a little cresting before, but only on carbons.  I'm thinking about doing a spray on laquer finish just to make it simple.  Should I do a coat or two of laquer before cresting then another couple coats over the crest, or just crest on bare wood and then laquer over the top of it?  I'm thinking it would go on smoother on top of the laquer, but want to make sure what's the best way before I try it.

[Sam McMichael]

I am looking forward to this thread. I just now got a Spinrite cresting machine for Christmas.

[The Whittler]

Everyone has their own way and as long as it works for you that's all that matters.

Here is how I do mine.

I crown (with what ever color) but I use a white base as this makes the crown color brighter.

Then when completely dry I crest then let dry a day or two. Then I clear coat, I like to use water base poly as the oil base makes the lighter colors yellowish.

Some like to clear coat before cresting but I have found the way I do mine works for me.

And if you like to stain you can use a water base paint and thin it with water about half and half and use that as a stain (works great). Good luck.

[The Whittler]

For got to add, i apply 3-4 coats of clear then I lightly sand and apply a final coat.

[The Whittler]

For got to add, i apply 3-4 coats of clear then I lightly sand and apply a final coat.

[tomsm44]

Thanks Whittler.  That answers my question about needing a clear coat before cresting.  I had thought about staining the whole arrow blue then doing a white/blue crest, but I'm leaning toward leaving the wood natural.  A white crown shows up great in the leaves and is what I've used as a base for all the ones I've created so far, but I'm thinking about something a little different.  I was looking at pictures online to get ideas and came across one that looked really nice.  It had about a 1" wide series of blue/black/silver cresting stripes at the center of the fletching, then about a 2" wide series of matching stripes a few inches in front of the fletching.  Everything in between was left natural.  Being for a 10 year old, I may end up doing the full white crown just for visibility and try the other way on some for myself later, but not real sure yet.

[Stumpkiller]

I may go 11 months between arrow making spurts and the dip tubes and paints were thickening up.

I came up with a durable and simple method of cresting and semi-crowning arrows.  I use alcohol based stain and Feibing leather dyes, wipe on MinWax Polyurethane finish and Sharpie pens and  Pilot metallic ink pens on my Douglas fir and P.O. Cedar shafts.

The results are not up to dipped and bruch-crested shafts . . . but they are a LOT easier and hold up as well.

I do the stains and dyes, then three coats of the Poly.  Then do the cresting.  The metallic occasionally need touching up - which is easy to do.

   

   

   

   

[monterey]

I've adopted three rules for all of my arrow work.  1.  Water based.  2. Water based.  3.  Water based.  I stick with that like dang near 100% of the time.    

There are three reasons for this.  1. Easy cleanup.  2.  Easy cleanup.  3.  Easy cleanup.

For basic shaft coloration, any water based stain or water based acrylic paint full strength or watered down.  A piece of masking tape to mark off the crown which is done in water based acrylics.  Cresting in the color and pattern of your choice also in water based acrylic.  

Three or four coats of minwax Water based poly wiped on over the whole shaft for final finish, then Fletch.

Every thing you need at the Big Box or hobby lobby!  

[Fletcher]

This is what has worked best for me:  1) stain; 2) 2 coats clear; 3) crown dip; 4) crest; 4) final coat of clear.

I tried a few of the water base finishes but found them to be less durable, less water resistant, and more prone to target burn.  I use a thinned (4-1) oil base clear gloss polyurethane.  Thinning the finish makes it more durable and minimizes yellowing and target burn.

[M60gunner]

I had less then desirable results with dye. I was using a wood dye that came as a powder. When I tried cresting the lines came out blurry. Not up to my standards.

[Mike Vines]

Here is how I do it...

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000138  

  http://www.probowsociety.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2775

[James Principi]

Fletcher,
  What type of paint do you use for crown and cresting - oil base?  Also what glue do you use for fletching?  I know certain poly, paints and glues don't get along too well together.  I'd like to be able to get my supplies local.