Arrow cresting paint removal- what works?

[highpoint forge]

I have a bunch of crested arrows I want to strip clean as I don't care for the colors used. What is best/fastest acting for quickly removing these paints? Thinner or acetone, MEK? I tried denatured alcohol and mineral spirits. This made the arrows clean, and that's as far as I got. Suggestions?

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I've had very good luck with this stuff and some fine steel wool...

 

[Blackhawk7204]

I just use a fletch removing tool with a curved blade to scrape the bulk of it off then clean with acetone. Can go from dipped and crested to bare shaft in a minute or two.

[Chris Surtees]

For carbon and aluminum I start off with a knife and scrape off as much of the paint as I can without getting in the fibers (carbon) or finish aluminum. Then I use some acetone to clean the rest off. Lastly some hot soapy water and alcohol.

With woodies I think you are stuck with what is on.

[M60gunner]

I use a product called "Aircraft Stripper" I bought at the auto paint store, (Tri-city Paint) here in San Diego.
I tried all the products mentioned and water based strippers but they did not work to my liking. Either I spent to much time or the paint never really came off. These are woods, alum. and carbon shafts.
Aircraft stripper is one of those toxic products not friendly to your skin so care must be used. I always wipe down the shafts with Fletch- Lac thinner when I am done. If they are alum. I wash with hot water and kitchen cleanser and a brite pad.
I may be doing overkill but I use Fletch-Lac paints.

[highpoint forge]

Yeah, taking this stuff off aluminum arrows easily is what I want to do. When a steelwool them I'm afraid i'll remove the finish!

[Dan Worden]

AL are the easiest to clean. I use a piece of 1-1/2" copper tube with a cap on the bottom. Fill it with acetone. Insert the shafts. Walk away for an hour. Pull  out the shafts and wipe them down. This takes off glue, nocks, paint, everything down to the original anodized color or pattern.

If you feel like you it you can dip and wipe to get them clean faster, but it's a lot more work and probably doesn't save time if you're doing 1/2 dozen or more.

The only issue I have ever had using this system is that I reused the dirty acetone a little too much. Like 6 months (3-400 shafts) It started to take a lot longer and also left a residue. But that definitely was na extreme case.

[highpoint forge]

That sounds like my kind of system and I'll try soaking them....

[KSdan]

Lacquer thinner works for me.  Also thins Bohning dip paints.

[d. ward]

What Dan said,but Larry uses laquer thinner on them inside one of the plastic dip tubes ?? Shove about 3-4 arrows at once into the tube.Tops tube off with L-T tightens down the cap and lets it rest 1 hr.Then paper towel the shaft clean.He's doing this on old woodies,but I am sure it would work on aluminums....bowdoc