repairing carbons

[hickstick]

haven't posted anything in a long time...but I'm still here and kicking. 

I had been am instinctive aimer for all of my trad life....last January I decided I wanted to try to convert to gapping with a fixed crawl to extend my range a bit.  It was a struggle and I, being very bull headed, probably stuck with it too long, and got to the point were I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.  I ended up damaging a bunch of GT Trad Carbons and some old Carbonwood Vapor arrows by hitting hard stuff and driving the insert back into the end of the shaft.  I end up tossing those shafts in a corner, hanging up the bow for 3 months.

in the summer I decided to pick it back up and start from square one, back at 3 under instinctive....and got right back on track with where I had been. Hunted all season like that.  but still had that pile of splintered  carbons in the corner.  as I was moving stuff around in the garage and old arrow bock nearly fell on my head, and it was full of old easton aluminum shafts.  got to looking at them and *bing* wonder if any of these would be the right size for footing my carbons.  pulled up the old chart here on TG and found that 2219s were the right size for my GT Trad 5575s.  Found a couple 2219s among the box and pulled out my arrowmaking tackle.  cut up a bunch or 2" sections of 2219 and chucked them in a drill and chamfered them on my sander.   most of the damaged carbons on close inspection were only split about 3/4" down the shaft so i cut off and inch from each, knocked out the old insert remnants, and sanded the ends to get a good bond.  used hot melt to install one footing and a new insert, let it cool and then test fired the shaft with my regular arrows and surprise surprise...it flew right with them (I was concerned about shortening the shaft too much and throwing off the dynamic spine.   Since it flew fine and the footing and insert seemed pretty solid, I did up the rest with hot melt (I'd always used JB weld with my carbons).

shot them a bunch and they are great.  Nice to not have to throw away all these shafts.  I know its probably not the safest thing, but feel that the footing should be holding any latent fractures together.

[Airdale]

Nice work.  Should make a real tough stumping arrow.  Have made a few with my damaged GT Trad 600's.  Have not put them to the test yet but they fly great in the backyard.

[Possum Head]

 :bigsmyl:glad it worked

[blacktailbob]

I've repaired some carbons that weren't too bad by wrapping the end with 20lb braid fishing line the same way you would wrap a guide on a rod, then super glue all the threads.
So far no failures.

[Huntschool]

There was a time in the past when lots of folks were trying for heavy FOC and did what you just did.  Seems it worked out then.  What goes around comes around...

Glad you found "the cure" for your arrows.....

Just sayin

[hickstick]

@huntschool I actually still have a few footed from a couple years ago, but it wasnt to boost FOC, it was to strengthen the screwin/insert/shaft junction.   I was already borderline EFOC anyway shooting 250gn heads and 100gn brass inserts.  The footing only adds another 30gns. But before I could never get a good bond between the aluminum and carbon using JB weld.  I saw that some folks recommended hot melt so I figured 'why not?'

The total arrow weight on these is 680gn. 

I just hadnt thought to chop these down because I thought it would negatively impact dynamic spine.  This Satori clone is more center-shot than my other recurves so it still may be that these wont fly perfect out if my other bows.

Pic below is a smattering of my regular length un-foooted shafts and the cutdown footed ones from 20 yards. 

[M60gunner]

I did something similar. I cut off the bad part then used the left over pieces I saved from the orginal cutting to length. I used one of those skinny shafts I found in the garbage at the range  as a insert to join the pieces together using epoxy. Makes kind of an internal footing.

[Huntschool]

@huntschool I actually still have a few footed from a couple years ago, but it wasnt to boost FOC, it was to strengthen the screwin/insert/shaft junction.   I was already borderline EFOC anyway shooting 250gn heads and 100gn brass inserts.  The footing only adds another 30gns. But before I could never get a good bond between the aluminum and carbon using JB weld.  I saw that some folks recommended hot melt so I figured 'why not?'

The total arrow weight on these is 680gn. 

I just hadnt thought to chop these down because I thought it would negatively impact dynamic spine.  This Satori clone is more center-shot than my other recurves so it still may be that these wont fly perfect out if my other bows.

Pic below is a smattering of my regular length un-foooted shafts and the cutdown footed ones from 20 yards.

Hey man, whatever works.....

[Wudstix]

I might even try this with some of the Easton arrows I have that have blossomed.