Gluing to carbons

[toyrecurves]

Hello,

I have always used goat tuff to glue my feathers to my carbon arrows. I usually do six arrows a year or more if needed. This last batch of arrows got me extremely frustrated. The feathers took a really long time to stick if they did at all. Has goat tuff changed their formula lately or what?

I do use wraps and they have worked fine in the past. Could that be the problem? What does everybody else use?

I want something that sets up quick like the old goat tuff!!

Thanks,
D.Toy

[Longbowz]

How old is the bottle of glue?  Most adhesives of this type have a limited shelf life.  Around a year or so.

When I buy a new bottle I print the year on it.

[Possum Head]

Fletchtite! Never had a problem

[Rob DiStefano]

i'd used glue to fletch arrows since the early 50's, but after discovering bohning fletch tape it's all i use on every kinda arrow finish from clear coated woodies to vinyl wrapped shafts to bare carbons.  

that stuff will HOLD TIGHT!  after 3 years in the carolina woods, one of my carbons still had every bit of all four fletch feather quills still firmly attached to the bare carbon.  i will NEVER use glue again to attach fletchings.  getting the old fletching off by fingernail scraping is very easy, as well - no more need to do the harmful blade scraping on glued fletches.  imo, fletch tape is superior AND lots faster.  ymmv.

check out the how-to forum ....

[Butch Speer]

Got to agree with Bob. Good stuff.

[mikebiz]

I have a bottle of Goat Tuff that I got in the spring.  Haven't used it much since I use fletching tape, but I put a drop of GT on the ends of my feathers and the stuff took forever to dry.  I've heard such great things about GT and I was shocked by it's dry time.  Thought that was odd for a cyanoacrylate glue.  Goat Tuff website says touts it's 2 year shelf life.

[sweet old bill]

same with me Bob I gave up glue many years ago and use the tape. I found a arrow in the pasture last spring and after snow all winter on the arrow the tape still hold the feather in place.

[Rob DiStefano]

duco or fletchtite on the fletch ends after taping.  cures inside of a few minutes.

[Big Ed]

On carbons make sure you clean the shafts with some sort of cleaner. Alcohol, thinner, Acetone. DO NOT soak them just wipe them.
 Ed

[cajnhuntr]

Goldtip, Tip Grip is about the best. I have used it for about 3 years now with no complaints yet. Just be careful where you put it, it will hold anything. I used Goat tuff in the past and had the same issues mentioned. I also noticed that even if the glue does hold, it will become britle after a year and the feathers fall off the arrows.

[JRY309]

I like to use Platinum fletch tite for all my fletching except I use Duco on wood arows with a polyurethene finish.Haven't had any problems with using it on wraps or aluminum.

[Kentucky Jeff]

Another vote for fletch tape and Duco on the ends.

[Rob DiStefano]

i put a small drop of cement on the fletch ends of all taped on fletching, not so much to hold down the fletching ends, but to fair the transition of the quill to the shaft.

[Swamp Yankee]

Cyanoacrylate glues are great when very thin and cure almost instantly, but not so much when there's a large volume of glue.  I'd use Fletchtite or Duco to secure the ends of the fletching, not superglue.  Either will work find with vinyl wraps.

[metsastaja]

I use tape and dab of cement on each end. I wipe all shafts with alcohol or acetone before applying tape.

[Jim Brennen]

Fletch tite and tape here,never have any problems

[guspup]

Is there a shelf life on the tape?