weed wacker line- how to use for weight

[boznarras]

Who has used weed wacker line to weight arrows?
I'm working up some arrows for a bow I just got, and I think I may need more overall weight.
Game would be primarily blacktails, but there is a chance for elk, moose, and black bear locally, and I am thinking of a caribou hunt next year, so I want something that will work on any of these critters if the stars line up right for me.
The specs: Predator 60amo, 59@28, and I draw 28. Arrows are 5575 Gold Tip blems. 125 gr tips. Wraps on for bareshafting. 1 inch 2216 footing, not on during bareshafting. I was going to use 100gr inserts but kept trimming 1/4 inch at a time, down to 29 1/2 and still hitting nock left, at 20 and 40 feet,so I put in the standard insert and it just about straightened up, very slight nock left. Got the string nock levelled out. Fletched the arrow (3fletch, 5 inch shields)and put on the footing. Did two with the standard insert and tried two with the 100gr insert, all just with hot glue so I could reverse. Repeatedly, the standard inserts hit side by side, the heavier inserts are farther apart, and look to move more in flight.
So- I think the best flight and accuracy for me is the standard insert, but the whole arrow weighs about 460gr, giving 7.8gpp.
I'm looking to increase the weight(~130gr,to get maybe 10gpp?) but not change dynamic spine, so did search and saw earlier thread on using weed trimmer line .065 in a bundle of 4, with clear tape around the bundles, as a weight insert. Seems like a cheap thing to try, and reversible. And no wait, no postage involved.
Questions:
Does this stuff just float inside the shaft, or should I glue it in? How? Just at one end or what? With what glue? Does it tend to punch out the arrow nocks if it is loose, or at least shift around in use? Noisy?
What kind of tape is used around the bundles of weed line, looked like scotch tape in the other thread. Maybe it doesn't matter, just there to help get it in place? Or wrap the tape until a snug fit in the shaft?
Should other size weed line be considered for the best fit in the GT5575 shaft? Anybody worked out a chart for matching shafts and weed line sizes, number of strands to use? Or just weigh what I have for gpi and see what I can cram in there to reach my goal weight?
Look like the other thread they cut the weed line a couple inches shorter than the nock to insert length, is this good, or should I try to let it butt each end to limit movement?
Any other tricks on doing this that you have discovered the hard way, will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Walt

[LKH]

I found it buzzed.  

You will blow right thru bou with that and a 2 blade head.

[the longbowkid]

just cut to length with about an eighth inch poking out, and if you have a tight nock it soul have little to no buzz. shot my first deer with a string wieghted arrow, and performed flawlessly. if it does buzz, try changing the nock.
good luck  

[Terry Green]

I like aquarium tubing better...and have use both mini and regular.  Mostly use regular if I need to weight up a half dozed for a special need.

My stock ADs wiegh 585 grains and I really haven't seen a need to make them heavier.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I have shot arrows with 1/4" ropw in them.  Works great.  No change to the dynamic spine

[Bill Carlsen]

I don't use the weedwacker line any longer but when I did I took a pair of pliers and kinked the line every four to six inches. It really makes the line push itself against the inside walls of the shafts and makes it really quiet. However, it did not stop the nocks from popping off when I was stump shooting. Too bad you are having trouble getting the weight up front. My set up at the moment is 60# @ 28' and my arrows are 29". I use 340 Axis or Beman MFX shafts cut to 29" and put 200-225 grains up front and I get perfect bare shaft results and superb penetration on animals. Good luck and have fun.

[mickeys4]

This video from 3Rivers will help.

 http://www.3riversarchery.com/3rdemos8.asp#3

I use the line from my walk behind weed eater,very thick.It adds about 140 grains to a 28" arrow.

[boznarras]

Thanks for the input, guys.
Maybe next batch of arrows, I will try the Beman, Axis, or ADs and see if I can get more FOC, but for now will see what I can doctor up on the GTs.
I'll try the kinking with pliers.
Will look at the tubing and rope ideas too. Don't have an aquarium supply here, but the hardware store has stiff polyethylene tubing in small sizes. Could probably put weed line inside of it if needed more weight. Sounds like all sorts of stuff could work...
What about gluing a plug made of tubing & line just forward of the nock, and behind whatever else I put in for weight, to stop it from popping out the nocks?
Endless fiddling around, ya gotta love the journey!
Thanks,
Walt

[BEN]

I used it and didn't like it. Like said above, it will eventually pop out your nocks esp. if you shoot 3-D's in winter or even 1x on a bag target that was water-logged and frozen!        
Oh yeah, adding a plug of glue,etc...won't really help out---at least for me it didn't.

Anyway,IMO, I'd think you'd have better luck using brass inserts for more FOC weight or some ofthe shafts that are designed with weight forward..............

I use the CX Heritage 250's cut @ 29" with 100gr. brass insert and 150gr. tips  = 610 gr. arrow for my 62# recurve.

Ben

[the longbowkid]

the string was very quiet for me when I had it cut to where the nock has to push is in about an eighth inch, dont know about that causing nocks to fly out, but hitting a hard stump will sure do it!  :D

[boznarras]

I tried to use the brass inserts, but that didn't work out for good flight with the GT5575s. Maybe on the next (different) batch of shafts...
Just to add to info here, I weighed a 5 inch piece of .065 weed line and it was 4.2 grains, giving a 0.84 gpi result.

[boznarras]

OK I used the .065 weed line, 28.5 inches long, 3 strands. (This is snug between the insert and nock on the 29.5 shaft) This adds 28.5x3=85.5inches weed line at .84gpi=71.8grains. Added to the previous weight of 460grains I got a total of 531.8 grains for a gpp (on the 59 lb draw)of 9.01gpp.
I taped the 3 strands together in three places with electrical tape, wrapped to a snug fit inside the shaft at each end but not in the middle. I kinked the line every 4 inches or so, and I folded the ends over double into the shaft. The bundle resists movement, how much I don't know. Glued in the insert with hot glue.
I didn't weigh the completed arrow, I guess the tape added a bit too..so something more than the calculated weight of 532gr.
They seem to fly OK, land right next to each other, although about 2" lower from aim point than the 460gr arrows. No wobbling around. No extra noise that my poor human ears can tell. Did not shoot a stump or the ground, or a moose bone or anything else hard(yet), so no test on nock popping. Don't have a chrono, but to my eyeball they seem slower.
BUT-I can't see any difference in penetration on a foam Block target. Should I? This was from 40 feet, in my shop. Should I expect the difference in penetration to be more evident at longer range? What to shoot to test that? How far away?(Yeah I know, a moose, at 20 yards. Next year, maybe.)
Maybe I am just as well off with the lighter arrows. They hit right where I look, no relearning curve.
Thanks again for the help.
W.

[ronnyg]

I second the aquarium tubing.  You can add quite a bit of weight and it works well.

[Bill Carlsen]

Boz: When I was first trying to get my carbon arrow weight up I tried the weedwacker line as I indicated a few posts back. One day I read about Bob Morrison experimenting with adding weight up front.  I tried it his way and was pleasantly surprised to find that where the weight is does make a difference....in light arrows or heavy arrows. High FOC worked for me better than adding more weight in the shaft itself in regards to penetration. I also found that it was easier to bare shaft with the heavy FOC. The real trick is finding an arrow spine that will allow you to add the weight up front and still give you the appropriate dynamic arrow spine, or to put it another way, that will allow you to perfectly tune your arrows to the bow. Perfect arrow tuning, IMO,   is more important than arrow weight or FOC. But, if you can get the heavy FOC and perfect arrow flight you have the best of both worlds.

[boznarras]

Thanks Bill.
I know you tried to steer me to the Beman or Axis shafts on an earlier thread. Duh. Next time.
Live and learn, hopefully.
On the other hand,I guess I learned some things, and these do seem to be very well tuned to the bow. They shoot spot on, exactly where I look. They will hunt; certainly adequate for little blacktails, and probably more. I can see that hitting the target accurately and straight,is way more important than hitting the background scenery really hard.
Next batch of shafts, I will follow your advice and work up a higher FOC set up. And that will be fun too, it's all good.
W.