Anyone cresting on a budget?

[Robinofdahood]

I'm just getting back into all of this and would like to build and crest some wooden arrows on a budget.  I just made up six with some POC shafts that have been in the closet for a while.  I have a ton of feathers and nocks.  Anyway, I stained these using Minwax stain and then rubbed five coats of tung oil on them(didn't crest 'em), cause that's what I had.  I couldn't get Bohning to adhere to them so I used Zap-a-Gap and it worked great.  
Alright, my question:  I'd love to hear what everyone has had luck using for staining, sealing, dipping, and or cresting and fletching and what you find to be compatable.  While I'd love to order a bunch of Bohning stuff, I thought I'd try using what I have, or spending just a few bucks on say, Testors over the Krylon I have in the basement.  Seems like it would be easy to spraypaint a cap.  I'd love to get some input.  I borrowed my buddy's cresting lathe and am itching to order some more wood shafts.  
This is such a great site, and what a nice bunch of creative and resourceful people.  Thanks!
-Dave

[McGeeM]

1 - Fiebers (sp) leather dye as my crown paint.

2 - dip them in mynn wax poly, when it dries I use 00 steel wool to smooth it out.

3 -I do one coat of poly then do any cresting that I plan on doing. For the cresting I mainly use craft paint pens from Wal-mart. After that dries.

4 - I dip the shafts two more times using 00 steel wool between each coat.

5 - for fletching I use fletch tape and have never had any problems with arrows coming off.

[pointy sticks]

I have used in the past a variable speed drill with a trigger lock clamped to the board with a couple of V notched boards to stabilize the shaft while spinning.

I buy a pint of minwax oil base stain in what ever color I like

I use water based acrylic paints from the hobby shop, and water based poly applied with a sponge brush steel wool between coats.

Stain first 2 coats of poly steel wool, crest 2 coast of poly, steel wool then 2 more coats of poly.

If you want to try dipping, got to the sports shop, buy one of those plastic sleeves for gulf cubs and a big enough cork to plug one end. Don't over fill the tube as it will over flow onto the floor.

The end results can be beautiful. These were done by using two different stains and then cresting over the gap where the stains meet.

good luck
 

 

[Robinofdahood]

Beautiful, pointy sticks!  That two tone stain looks great.  The cresting and flethcing are the hometeam's(WV Mountaineers) colors too!  Very nice.
-Dave

[elk ninja]

I am cheap, errrr, frugal, especially when it comes to my arrows.  I love the control it gives me over the final product as well.  I use POC, stain them with minwax gel stain in mahogonny.  Nice earthy tone without being too dark.  I then taper and determine my crestin glength.  I use the crest as a tool to ensure my brace height hasn't changed, so the length depends on the bow I am making them for (you have to determine the sweett spot for the bow before you make up a full batch of arrows).  I tape them up at that line, cover the bottom part of the arrow with newspaper and spray away.  Currently I use some spraypaint I bought at Home Depot, but I am at work, so I don't know the brand.  Several light coats equals good full coverage without drips.  Spray paint also adds more weight ( I think, I've never weighed them.) tahn dipping (because you have to thin the paint for dipping).  Then comes the cresting!  I built a cresting machine with an old Black and Decker electric screwdriver and some scrap pine 1x4" board, an inch of surgical tubing and a small square of felt.  The screwdriver is nice because it is rechargable, I can sit in front of the boob tube and crest a dozen arrows really easily.  Since my cresting colors are simple, (silver and black), I use SHARPIE markers.  works great, I can get some good, fine lines with a new marker.  Sometimes, like this year's hunting set, I put in a "lung ring" too.
 
you can see the lung rings here
 

[trapperDave]

nice  

[LEOPARD]

I use a hand drill on a home made jig to turn the arrow. I use Gloss Emamel paint on my arrows. After I've painted the arrows, I use a spray varnish to coat and seal the arrow. Works really well! You can usually get the paint in loads of different colors in small tins at hobby type stores. Hope this helps!

[redneckrampage]

i used krylon, and 1/8th inch masking tape to paint up my first batch that i made, then finsihed with spray laquer, they turned out pretty good i thought