WOODEN SHAFTS ONLY!
Every now and then it happens; you break an arrow or two. Here is a remedy how to re-use the fletching: check if the feathers still look allright. If they are out of shape, you can steam them up. For this you can use any good old watercattle. Wait till a fair amount of steam is getting out the opened cattle and then gently rotate the shaft with the feathers in the hot steam. Once in the hot steam, they will "pop" back in their original shape.
Then cut the shaft an inch or so under the fletching and put it in the micro-wave. Half or one minute will do. Get it out and remove the fletching. Whatch your fingers; the shaft can be HOT! The removal should go easy, because the micro-wave melted the glue. If not, it was not long enough in, put it back and try again. You can even remove the nock in this way!
At a closer inspection you will notice glue and even glue-wires on the back of the fletching. Just put them in a fletching-clamp, the same way as you do when fletching. Take a piece of sandpaper (medium grind), and gently grind the glue away from the back. Now it is ready to start it's second life!
I usually put all the fletches I did this way in a special plastic bag. When I start with a new serie, they are ready to use!
ATTENTION: sadly this does noet work with wraps: the fletching will stich to the plastic whatever you do...
Topic: Second life of fletching; the DUTCH treat.... (Read 163 times)
