Shooting off knuckle problems

[Bill Tell]

I have a bow that I built and have been trying to shoot off of my knuckle.  The problem that I am having is that the fletching is cutting my finger.  How do I need to fletch or shoot so this doesn't happen?

Thanks.

[trad kid]

i would wrap the end of the flething with a thin string

[tecum-tha]

Take thin linen thread and wrap the sharp end of the feathers to the shaft. Then rub fletching glue with your finger into the wrap.
Or there is a special glove for your bowhand made for horsebows to protect your hand.

[Jack Aldridge]

Put super glue over your knuckle before you shoot. We use it all the time to heal small cuts, etc. It should protect the skin, and if you use warm water it comes right off. I would use medium thickness so it doesn't run everywhere...

[dan ferguson]

You don,t have to dig very many quills out before you start watching that close. I don,t shoot off my knuckle but very close, and wrapping them will help as already stated, I will also sand the quill down, drop of glue up frount, when dried for awhile press it down into the shaft and then I will take a finger nail file and really smooth them up. If using my own turkey feathers I just strip them so there is no quill, I don,t wear a glove but I noticed my finger is really callosed up where the feathers fly. and I know the quill go in a lot easier then they come out.

[AllenR]

A question for the more experienced guys shooting off of their knuckle:

Could you tune the arrow a little nock high so that it doesn't make contact?

Thanks,
Allen

[Bill Tell]

Originally posted by dan ferguson:
You don,t have to dig very many quills out before you start watching that close. and I know the quill go in a lot easier then they come out.

Dang you are right there.  The little ones up front really barb in.

[robtattoo]

Shoot cock feather in. The lower feather will not contact your hand at all & it won't alter your arrow flight in any way.

[Grant Young]

I've shot off my hand for most of my life and have never had a problem but I do a couple of things to insure that I don't. As stated above, filing or sanding the front edge of the quill and putting a drop of glue over the front is good insurance. I also position my nocks so that with a hard helical the slot of the nock is centerd with the back of the bottom hen fletch with a left wing feather and the top hen if I use right wing. This seems to improve my clearance and arrow flight but I'm not sure that it reduces the abrasion on my hand since I've shot arrows fletched by others that didn't hurt either. Robtattoo may have the simplest method-I'd try that first. Good luck,
                                     Grant