How do you spine tune your gold tips?

[Bldtrailer]

I have noticed that my gold tip shafts have a stiff and week side and it does make a difference when  bare shafting /arrow flight (I tune by turning the nocks). How do you tell what side is stiff without a spine tester?   Lately I bare shaft shooting each shaft and turn the nock till it groups with the rest then fletch, but there must be a better easier way.

When I shot GoldTip, I used a spine tester. It would show me the stiff side so I could align all my nocks the same. It also showed me the shaft or two in every dz that was so out of whack in spine that I could take it out and not have to hassle with flyers that would not group with the rest of the dz.

Then I switched to Easton FMJ’s. I still spine new shafts, but I don’t know why (I guess old habits are hard to break) because every shaft I have spines in the last couple years has all been within .010” of each other!

Bisch

[rraming]

I have heard of guys floating them in water, stiff side will be down, never tried it, I have a spine testor

[limbshaker]

Just curious, have any of you had these spine problems with current production GT Traditional shafts? I have some old ones (2011) and some new ones and they DO shoot different even though they are the same spine.

I heard of the bad batches floating around a while back.

I never shot the GT Traditionals, so I can’t say anything about them. I did shoot XT Hunter shafts that were nearly $100/dz for bare shafts, and every dz I had had at least one wonky shaft that was way out of spine. Most dz’s varied about .050”-.090” from weakest to stiffest shaft in that dz.  To me, that was unacceptable quality control for something that costs that much, and that is why I switched to the FMJ’s. Every single FMJ I have spine tested (even from different dz’s) has all been within the same .010” spine.

Bisch

[katman]

To find stiff side install insert and a field point, suspend the shaft at about a 30 degree angle on a hard flat surface by the nock end and point on  surface. Now just roll the shaft with opposite hand applying pressure about center shaft. You will easily feel the stiff area as you roll over it. I roll each shaft a couple times to be sure I got it right. Then shoot bareshaft to confirm correct flight.

[limbshaker]

Originally posted by Bisch:
I never shot the GT Traditionals, so I can’t say anything about them. I did shoot XT Hunter shafts that were nearly $100/dz for bare shafts, and every dz I had had at least one wonky shaft that was way out of spine. Most dz’s varied about .050”-.090” from weakest to stiffest shaft in that dz.  To me, that was unacceptable quality control for something that costs that much, and that is why I switched to the FMJ’s. Every single FMJ I have spine tested (even from different dz’s) has all been within the same .010” spine.

Bisch

Thank you, and I agree. For that kinda cash they oughta be a lot better!

[Zradix]

I've never shot em...but I have built a super cheap and easy spine tester.

Now this isn't a spine tester that gives you a spine range or anything like that...but it should work for what you want.

I just screwed a couple hooks into a wall...I think they were 18" apart or so.

Then laid a shaft in the hooks.
Put a weight on a hook..I think it was about 1.5#..and hang the weight on the shaft. (my weight was actually a cap from an oxygen welding tank...lol)
Ideally you should put the shaft in the same location in the hooks...all the way to the left or right..centered..just do it the same.
...and put a little mark on the wall where you hang the weight so you're doing that the same too....centered between the hooks seemed smart to me.

With parallel shafts it's probably not as important to center them in the hooks...I was working with tapered wood shafts and naturally tapered bamboo.

By watching the deflection while rotating the shaft you could find the stiff sides.

I used this while making shafts from bamboo planting stakes.
I had a 50-55# wood shaft that shot well out of my bow.
Put the wood shaft in the tester and made a mark on the wall showing how far that shaft deflected.

Then I sorted out the bamboo by choosing the prospective shafts that deflected the same amount as the wood shaft that worked.

[McDave]

If we were fletching wood arrows, we would orient the grain so it was parallel to the arrow rest, meaning the stiffest side of the arrow is against the bow, and the weakest side is up and down.

Now, with carbons, say we have one shaft with spine that varies from 44-47#, and another shaft that varies from 47-50#.  Should we orient the stiffest side against the bow in both cases, or find some spine in between that is common to both shafts and orient that side against the bow?  In other words, if all of our shafts have 47# in common, should we orient that side against the bow?  Or in my example, should we orient the shafts so that one has 47# against the bow and the other has 50# against the bow?

McDave, I don't think it really matters as long as you do them all the same way. When I was shooting GT, and spining every shaft, I would find the stiff side, mark it, then line up the nock indexer with that mark. That essentially put the stiff side away from the bow. As soon as I started doing this (and weeding out shafts that were waaaaay out of spine tolerance), I virtually eliminated all flyers from that point on.

Bisch

[McDave]

I think you're right, Bisch.  Up to this point, I’ve been aware of the spine differences in GT shafts, but haven't done anything about them, because I wondered if I shot well enough to notice any difference, and mostly any differences were smaller than differences I accept in wood arrows anyway.

But in thinking about it lately, it is an error I could eliminate without a whole lot of work on my part, that would benefit me in some small way every time I shot those arrows from that point on.  Even if I couldn't tell the difference on any one shot, it should make me a little more accurate overall.

[SuperK]

Because of this post, I checked the spine (with an Ace spine tester) of some different Goldtip shafts I have.  I tested several 3555 pink blems, 3555 trad and  3555 camo.  The pink blems were always several pounds lighter.  I also noticed a slight difference in spine around the shaft on every Goldtip.  On the other hand, some 2016 shafts I have were exactly the same from one shaft to the other and around the shaft.  I can't tell any difference from one shaft or another by shooting them.  They all work just fine for me if I do my part.

[mcgroundstalker]

OMG! Now you just gave me something else to worry about..... Talk about "ignorance being bliss"... Guess it's back to the drawing board for me...

Thanks, I Think...  

[SuperK]

Hey Mcgroundstalker, I wouldn't sweat it if you're getting good arrow flight.  Even with the minor spine differences, my Goldtips fly great.

[BAK]

McDave, I have made hundreds of wood arrows, and the grain side to the bow does not always result in the stiffest spine.  It just doesn't.

[McDave]

Originally posted by BAK:
McDave, I have made hundreds of wood arrows, and the grain side to the bow does not always result in the stiffest spine.  It just doesn't.

So what is your procedure for orienting the nock on the shaft?

[Kingstaken]

Originally posted by BAK:
McDave, I have made hundreds of wood arrows, and the grain side to the bow does not always result in the stiffest spine.  It just doesn't.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the stiffest side mentioned above would only apply to carbons. There's no grain that could split.
I would not want to have the grain on a wood shaft facing the wrong way (On the shelf) and have it split at the grain causing possible injury to the shooter.