Waterproofing arrows

[Ari_Bonn]

What is your guys favorite stuff to waterproof your wooden arrows?

I've used tung oil but i find that it doesn't hold up after many shots and requires recoating.

Spar urethane is really effective but I find it leaves a very unatural scent even after drying for weeks and I'm unsure if a deer would pick up on it.

[crazynate]

I use bobbing lacquers and sealers. Then after I crest I use a wherein Williams water based polyurethane to add gloss and protection. The lacquer will seal the wood.

[crazynate]

Bohning lacquers lol sorry about that my phone has auto correct.

[Roy from Pa]

I use gasket lacquer with the dip tube. About 4 to 5 coats.

[Pat B]

Water based poly. I have used Tru-Oil also.

[The Whittler]

Water base poly here also.

[hawk22]

What water based poly do you guys use?

[JakeD]

I'm using gasket lacquer. Its really easy and fast to put 4 or 5 coats on a dozen arrows and does a really nice job.

[Roy from Pa]

I like the gasket lacquer too, but you need some good ventilation when using it.

[SC Bowhunter]

I use the Minwax Polycrylic.

[slowbowjoe]

Ari, how many coats of tung oil are you using? It's all I've used for the last 5 years or so, and I find it holds up surprisingly well. Found some arrows that had been lost for months, laying in damp ground, and they were still in good shape (other than the fletching).

If I'm in a hurry to shoot a new arrow or two, I just go for two coats. Normally, at least 3 (which is really plenty) or sometimes 4 - which is about where it starts looking kind of glossy.

One main reason I started using it is that it adds hardly any weight at all to the shafts, which is helpful with my arrows.

[Longtoke]

If you dont care about the wood grain, oil based enamel paint works really well. I use the rattle kind kind they use to paint tractors and stuff like that.

[YosemiteSam]

I've just been using pure beeswax.  Softened just enough to rub it on like a crayon & then melted with a heat gun to let it penetrate the wood.  Rub it in while it's hot.  Dries to a hard finish when cool.  For the fletching area, I use a beeswax/oil blend that I also use as a boot polish (about 50/50 wax/oil).  I just rub it on, smear it around the exposed areas, warm it with the heat gun & let it cool.

I'll probably need to reapply -- especially come summer.  But I accumulate beeswax faster than I can use it up.

[Longtoke]

Do you glue the fletch on first or what glue do you use with the wax?