Arrow building / cresting steps

[Mark Normand]

For those still building woodies and cresting, I'm interested in hearing your steps in order regarding crown dip, cresting, sealing, etc.
Years ago I had good success, but never did crowns then.

Something similar to:

(Do or do not taper both ends first?)
Apply stain of choice, hang dry
Dip using lacquer/polycrylic, hang dry
Dip crown, hang dry
Crest as needed, hang dry
Dip in lacquer/poly, hang dry
Dip one final coat in lacquer/poly, hang dry

I'm having minor trouble getting this in order to get the best and tighest crests and pinstripes.
Currently I like water based Polycrylic, and Testors enamel hobby paints for cresting.

And what is your crown process? I sprayed the last batch and got less than perfect results.

Thanks!

[NoCams]

I switched my testors to their acrylic water based enamels due to cresting running when I dipped my final top coats full length. No issues since. Buy mine at Hobby Lobby and you can also buy direct from testors.

[NoCams]

One more thing bud on your pinstripes.... to get them very fine ya got to make sure your shaft is running very true, ( straight ), use a very high quality brush, and thin your paint down so it will run like water. Back when I was using the regular enamel testors I ahd to add 4-6 drops of Xylene to thin mine enough to get it to flow well. You can buy Xylene at ACE in pint or quart cans or buy the testors thinner too, but it is much more expensive per ounce.

Now that I am using acrylic enamel I can thin with plain old water. Hope this helps bud.  

[Mark Normand]

Do you first dip & seal the entire shaft after you stain? Then crown and/or crest on top of that?

[NoCams]

Mark,
I cap all mine so here are my steps....

1) Stain up to painters tape @ 10" from nock end.

2) Cap dip two coats in Krylon acrylic enamel from Wally World thinned big time with water.

3)Crest with testors acrylic enamel

4) Dip 3 coats in Daly's Profin, scuffing with 320 grit between coats.

5) Taper ends and glue on nocks and points.

One day hope to get even close to the fine arrows that the Tradgang Arrowsmiths post on here ! We have some very talented folks here, that is for sure.  

[Mark Normand]

You know, I keep forgetting to go back and re-read all of Rob's how-to's !

Probably should have done that again, but I enjoy seeing what others are doing.

[M60gunner]

I do it pretty much the same but I put tape above the 10 in. line. I stain the bottom of the shafts first. I let them dry a couple of days. Then I take off the tape and do the nock tapers. At this time I use thinner to clean the shaft of any tape residue and hand oils. "Gloves are for the faint of heart". I use fletch -Laq products for all my dipping. It stinks but it still gives the best finish for me.I dip a thinned coat of white first. I let them set for a day then come back and 2nd coat the color I want. I let them set till the next day then I crest. I let the finished cresting sit a day. Then I wipe off any residue, excess stain etc. from the shafts. I then dip the whole shaft in gasket Laq. 3 to 4 times. This gives me the shine I like and also let's me use Ducco cement instead of Fletch-tite cement to apply feathers and nocks.
I seeI forgot the nocks and point tapers. I do this before any finish goes on but I tape the tapers to keep stuff From building up on them. The tape also keeps track of the mark I use on the nock end to align the nock in relation to the grain of the shaft.
Remember to use paints, thinners, finish that are comparable
to each other.

[M60gunner]

I do it pretty much the same but I put tape above the 10 in. line. I stain the bottom of the shafts first. I let them dry a couple of days. Then I take off the tape and do the nock tapers. At this time I use thinner to clean the shaft of any tape residue and hand oils. "Gloves are for the faint of heart". I use fletch -Laq products for all my dipping. It stinks but it still gives the best finish for me.I dip a thinned coat of white first. I let them set for a day then come back and 2nd coat the color I want. I let them set till the next day then I crest. I let the finished cresting sit a day. Then I wipe off any residue, excess stain etc. from the shafts. I then dip the whole shaft in gasket Laq. 3 to 4 times. This gives me the shine I like and also let's me use Ducco cement instead of Fletch-tite cement to apply feathers and nocks.
I seeI forgot the nocks and point tapers. I do this before any finish goes on but I tape the tapers to keep stuff From building up on them. The tape also keeps track of the mark I use on the nock end to align the nock in relation to the grain of the shaft.
Remember to use paints, thinners, finish that are comparable
to each other.

[AkDan]

If you're having issues with scuff coats on cresting seal it with waterbase.   Either the hole cap or just the cresting.  If u still want to seal over that or leave it be.   I overcoat to get a consistant gloss from cap to crest.  No amount of over coat is going to protect crests so why make it more difficult than it has to be?  I fought this for years.   My cap dips are not always as nice as I'd like them depending on what paints I'm using (due to colors).   The water base basically evens out the gloss with the caps and crest.  Typically one coat is all I'm looking for and the thinner the better.

I have sealed the crests (testors) before going through gasket lacquer.  Its the only way to keep gold or silver pin stripes!