Arrow Build Along, As promised finished product on pg. 2

[hunt4life]

i went to k-zoo to pick up the supplies i needed today. man that place was packed. anyways, i cant stress enough how important it is that you get good shafts. in the end, it comes down to the arrow launching the broadhead. so i went with jim curlee single tapered shafts. awesome guy, awesome shafts. first things first. you need to straighten the shafts. i reccomend the ACE Roller-Straight. its an awesome little tool. here are the shatfs after straightening.
     
next, get blue scotch painters tape. cut off a piece about 1.5 inches long and wrap it around the are you want to stain. this will keep area that you dont want stained safe. make sure the tape is lined up and snug against the shafts. eventually you will just get a feel for when the tape lines up. do this with one shaft, then line up the arrows with the shaft you just did. dont switch shafts or the arrows will have some differences in them.        
 here are all 12 after they have been taped.
     
now pick the stain color of your choice. i use minwax becuase that goes with the polyacrylic that i use. get an old rag or some paper towel and  apply the stain to it. start wiping the stain on the areas that you want stained. when done, prop the shaft against a wall.        
here are the shatfs after being stained.
       
     
 
let the shafts dry overnight or for about 8 hours minimum. tomorrow we seal and crest. enjoy.

[tmccall]

COOL!!!  I'm on board!  Can't wait to see the finished product!  Are you sure we have to wait until tomorrow?????   :D

[wifishkiller]

looks like my shop.  I see thoughs blazer vanes in there lol you like them

[hunt4life]

i dont shoot blazers. they are nice though. those would be my dads. i shoot gold tips out of my compound with feathers.

[The Whittler]

Good job Adam. It's nice to see young people get involved in something worthwhile. This is something that you will carry on the rest of your life. Alan

[Van/TX]

Outstanding Hunt4life    .....Van

[hunt4life]

the stain dried faster than i thought, so in a while ill start dipping. we'll crest in the morning. thanks for the comments
adam

[hunt4life]

sorry i didnt get pics up last night. ok so now we are dipping to seal the shaft. once your stain is dry, lightly rub down with 0000 steel wool. then fill your dipper with the finish of your choice. i use polycrylic becuase it goes with minwax stains and bohning paints. i highly reccomend you test it out on a spare shaft to be sure. hold your arrow by the point end. plunge the shaft into the poly at a steady rate, then pull it up and a steady rate.  
hand it up or set it against a wall. if you set it against the wall, be sure to turn the shafts 180 degrees in about 15 minutes after you dipped it.

[hunt4life]

now well cut the shaft to length. remember, if you want an arrow 29" to back of point(BOP) you want to cut it a hair under 30"
 becuase of the point taper. i cut mine by marking wher i want to cut, then take a knife and roll the shaft back and forth while the knife is on the point that you want to cut.   its kinda hard to explain. the knife wil start to go into the shaft. when it gets about 1/4 way through, you should be able to break the shaft off at that point.

[hunt4life]

now we are going to mark where we want the crest to be at. i take the shaft, put it in the crester and use a sharpie to mark where i want the lines to be.  
   

once you've done that, lie another shaft next to it and use the lines from the shaft that you just did like a stencil.    

[Luke Vander Vennen]

[Dan Worden]

Adam,

How'd you get that goose to point out where you're staining the shafts?   :p  

Looks good. Missed you at the Zoo Saturday.

[hunt4life]

lol, yeah i didnt see you, but i talked with your dad for a bit.

[TexMex]

   

[tmccall]

ttt

[hunt4life]

sorry its been so long. ive had lacrosse every night and when i get home im usually beat. ill try to get started again to night. thanks for all the comments.

[tmccall]

[hunt4life]

ok, sorry about taking so long. lacrosse every night, then the cmaera wouldnt work, but i got it going.
after you apply you lines, crest over them with your pattern. hers how mine came out.
         

next, im going to re-dip the shafts. this will help seal the shafts more, and protect the cresting.
   
next i glue on the nocks. i dab a bit of duco on the taper then turn and press the nock on. make sure it is lined up and be sure to twist it a few times to get good glue coverage.
         

hers the matched dozen
         

normally i would use the woodchuck power taper tool, but i dodnt want to bring it to my house from my dads house, so i brought the cheap pencil sharpener types. they work just fine. insert the shaft and turn it like you would sharpen a pencil.
         

ill do my best to get more pics up tonight.

[Van/TX]

Hunt4life, you are the Man    Great stuff    ....Van

[hunt4life]

thanks van. i wont be able to fletch them up tonight, but ill have lots of time to do it tomorrow. wow, i really should have spell checked my last post.  that was bad. sorry.