fletchings

[b44mag]

ok guys i have read some stuff on here about feathers and choppers. now i tightened up my 5in. LW shield chopper and started chopping. my feathers are close but not perfect.
dose it really matter if the feathers are not perfect?????. i know i would like them to be but do they really have to be the exact same. dose it affect arrow flight if the lil hump is there or a lil bit higher in back or any other differance. they are close but just not perfect.
let me know what you all think about this.
thanks for any info on this

[Larry m]

Close is GOOD! I trim the difference with a small sharp pair of shears. A little experience goes a long way towards accuracy. After glueing on the shaft a little dab at the beginning and end of the fletch helps smooth the transition.

[Orion]

Even commercially chopped feathers aren't perfect  They still work, and so will yours.  If you want all the feathers to be the same, need to burn them.  That's one of the advantages of a burner.

[b44mag]

thanks thats what i thought. but being new i dont know so i ask the ?'s. you guys have been there done that. i looked into a burner very nice set up but 120.00 to much right now.
thanks again.

[JRY309]

I bought a chopper many years ago,just wasn't happy with them.Only did 2 dozen arrows,then bought a Young Feather burner.Still works great after 15 years and many dozens of arrows.The ribbons are cheap and you ae not limited to one feather shape.

[JamesV]

I see burners on the big auction site go for cheap. Off brands $20 and a almost new young burner for $59 with some extra ribbons, shipping not included.

[b44mag]

i missed those ones when looking. i agree that the burner is the way to go but if im only making arrows for my self and the lil diff is no problem. i might just deal with it. i think in the longrun ill end up with burner but for now the chopper is ok. i did some slow take my time chopping this morning and they came out nice. just a lil play side to side kept it pushed to the right and the feathers came out nicer. i tightened it up to about 1/16 wiggle
and its better you have to pay att. to the side to side it losens up quick.

[sweeney3]

I trim most of mine anymore with eyeballs and scissors.  They fly fine.  Close is good.  The pre-Columbian Native Americans didn't have a burner wire or a feather chopper, and they did fine.

[Rob DiStefano]

don't matter a bit if the finished fletches aren't perfect, the arrow won't mind and neither will the critter it gets stuck into.    

a burner isn't necessarily "the" way to go.  choppers get the job done very well and without the smoke 'n' stink, but there is the constant noise of the hammer fall.

all that said, i prefer burning.  it just smells right to me.   :D

[dino]

I'm with you Rob, there is nothing like the smell of burning feathers  :D

[Ric O'Shay]

In preparing for our Sunday dinner, I remember my grandmother wringing the neck of a chicken and watching it flop around on the ground a few seconds before it finally lay still. Then what still lingers in my mind after nearly 60 years, is the smell of the feathers as she dipped that chicken into a big pot of boiling water and began plucking the feathers. That's why I use the chopper.

   

[thunder1]

I started burning feathers less than a month ago and have seen a big difference in them. My chopper will be sitting for awhile .

[b44mag]

i went down to the mancave and got some of the trash end feathers grabbed the lighter and fired them up.
well guys you all were right
NOTHING LIKE THE SMELL OF BURNT FEATHERS.    
i think its chopping till atleast summer when its not so cold outside im still laughing