Fletching tape

[Charlie Lamb]

One word... Duco Household Cement.     (that's for everytime someone has posted a fletching glue question and several guys pop off suggesting tape instead. )    

[donw]

i have a problem with it "drifting" if not secured with a drop of glue on each end, sometimes...

i guess i'm "old school" but...i think i prefer glue for the biggest part. i'm still in the process of 'thinking' about it...

[amar911]

Charlie,

What do you think is bad about the tape? I assume you have had problems. Any problems with Duco? Does it go on easy and clean up easy if you get it on the fletching jigs? How long does it take to set up?

Thanks,
Allan

[shedhunter]

if you use a vinyl wrap the beauty of fletch tape is you just pop off the old fletch and use your thumb too "rub" off the old tape and refletch, you don't have to keep removing the wrap every time you refletch.  I've had arrows stuck in my target all winter and the fletch is still stuck in the spring.  Takes a little time to get used to using, but once mastered it awesome.   ron

[Charlie Lamb]

Allan... I was just poking a little fun at the tape guys. I don't have any experience with the stuff and the bad things I've heard have been minimal.

Usually with glue (either Duco or FletchTite) set time is about 15 minutes). Keeping the feather clamp clean isn't a problem either. Careful application of the glue helps and any excess scrapes off easilly when it dries.

[Don Batten]

I take a blow dryer and heat it a bit and it'll pull right off when i'm ready to refletch. to get the backing off, I put the feather in the clamp and then the clamp upside down in a small vise. i then rub one end a few times with my thumb nail and use a hat pin to pop up the backing. DB

[Slappy]

I'm going to go against the flow and give fletching tape the thumbs down.  It tends not to stick the feathers on straight for me, but follows the natural curve of the feather, which bugs me.  Also, it tends to get gummy in hot weather and the fletching can move around a bit, glue dot or no (we get serious hot weather around here).

I prefer gel superglue because it's cheaper, easy to find nearly anywhere, glues the fletching on nice and straight, is super durable and sets in about 20 seconds.  Of course if you make a mistake, repairs are a mess!

S.

[ABrown_PVAZ]

And here I am, huffing glue like a sucker!
   

[Peter Arthur]

I'll chime in in favor of tape too. However, I've not tried re-fletching a shaft that had tape on it in the first place. I'll be trying that tonight though!

[ChuckC]

You can pull off the old taped fletch and refletch.

Not certain if I can articulate this... for those having trouble with removing the backing.

Stick the tape to anything.  Pick up the backing so the tape separates.  Now, cut the tape, but not the backing.  Leave a 1" (or more)tag of the backing with no tape.  You can see thru the backing to where the tape ends so placement on the next feather is not a problem.

Put feather in clamp, apply tape to feather and, using 4 hands, ( I lay the clamp between my knees) pick up the tag end and pull it away from the tape until just past the end of the feather.  Cut the tape.. but not the backing, and then cut the backing, again, leaving 1".  After you do it two or three times, you get a feel for it and it is easy.

ChuckC

[BEN]

sendero,
if you cut the tape just slightly longer than your feather ( 1/8-1/4"), you canpush the tape back and most of the time, the film will seperate off the edge.
Fletch tape is all I've used since i started archery and found that I didn't have teh patience to wait for glue to dry with a single fletcher    

Ben

[sendero25]

Thanks Ben,
I'll make sure I try that tonight, I was cutting the tape to close to the ends of the feather. I just got more feathers today to refletch some 2018s.
I finished fletching my Grizzly Stiks using fyrfyter's advice of using an exacto knife (actually a scalpal) to lift the backing.
Thanks fyrfyter, it works!
John

[ZA206]

Dang it... now I gotta buy some fletching tape!

-ZA

[Peter Arthur]

Quick update to my earlier post..
The old fletching came off with no problem. I just slipped the Xacto blade under the leading edge of the tape and pulled the fletch off. Came off nice and clean.
Don't know if it makes sense,but for something that holds it on as nicely as it does, it comes off much cleaner than I've experienced with Duco or FletchTite.