Wood (cedar) arrow storage questions

[dan d]

Hello,
  I have an itch to use my tax return to stock up on cedar arrows. I havent decided how many yet as this depends on the answers to this question. Im thinking like 200 - 300, maybe more if the price is right and I can keep them. Is there any concerns with keeping cedar arrows in long term storage ?
Dan

[reddogge]

I'd store vertically and in a low humidity area where you don't have a huge temperature swing.

[M60gunner]

Question, Shafts or arrows? If shafts I would store laying flat. I usually sort the shafts into matched dozons. I bundle them using string not rubber bands. Arrows I would put in an arrow box stored on end. I would put some type of moth repellant in the box if you live in an area where moths invade the house. You might ask the vendor what they think.

[dan d]

Raw Shafts is what I would be buying and storing, I would fletch them up & finish as needed, a dozen or so at a time. I learned not to use rubberbands on my aluminum arrows, after a while they degrade and leave a nasty goop on the arrow.

[Rob DiStefano]

tight bundled groups of a dozen, with 3/4" scotch 3m blue masking tape or rubber bands at either end, store in a cool place with about 40-50% humidity level, in a fully supported horizontal position.  i usually rub beeswax, or wick in some cya, on the shafts' open grain ends to prevent excessive humidity fluctuations.  i've had shafts last decades this way, in perfect ready-to-fletch condition.

[Don Stokes]

As long as the place where you store them averages at least 10 degrees warmer than the outside air temp, they won't absorb enough atmospheric moisture to matter. That's a wood technology rule of thumb. If you tie them up in bundles and they have any taper, don't tie them on the tapered end.

I stored a few thousand shafts for more than a decade in an unheated metal building, and the building absorbed enough heat on sunny days to keep them in good shape. I started selling them a couple of years ago, and found that the ones that had been spined and weighed prior to storage were still the same spine and weight. If they absorb much moisture in storage, the spine will decrease and the weight will increase, but this is reversible by putting them in a dry environment for a while. Same is true of finished arrows.

[DEATHMASTER]

I think it was snag who just made arrows from 40yr old shafts.
I am sure they were not kept ant special way.

If you do as stated above and seal the ends and keep 12 to a bundle they will last till???????

If you find a good deal let me in on them.

Tim

[dan d]

Thanks for the good advice ! Now waiting for the Tax Return. I have not even looked at buying yet, so no good deals found yet.
Dan