Shot my first flu flu today

[Friends call me Pac]

I built it with 3 of the flu flu vanes i got from 3 Rivers and fletched it in a standard right helical twist.

I was kind of concerned because I had no idea how it would fly. At the first shot I started laughing when I heard the sound it made as it flew towards the target.  Sounded like a turkey taking off.      

I wish I had a field to try it in to see how far it would go before it runs out of steam.  can't do that in my back yard here in town.  I'll have to wait until tomarrow to find the answer to that question.

I read that you can also use 6 fletch.  My question is that 6 full size feathers or 6 standard size feathers?

[Orion]

Six standard length feathers, for example 4 to 5 inches long, but left unchopped or unburned.  Three fletch first, then add a feather in the center of each space between the first three feathers.

[Pat B]

A single full length feather spiraled around the shaft will stop your arrow quicker and it will travel less distance than the 4 or 6 straight or helical fletched flu flu will...and it is only one feather.    Pat

[Pruneemac]

Pat B- thats how I like them they wont go more than 40 yds. I have a 6 fletch 5.75 in. banana flethed flu-flu and it slows pretty fast. I think it will work too!

[tradtusker]

awesome fun arnt they i make mine with 1 full length feather spiraled around the shaft really slows it down and you save on feathers

[Friends call me Pac]

If you go with only one feather spriraled around how do you keep it in place until the glue dries?

[champ38]

I would like to hear more about the"one feather spiral" tech. All Ive ever used is the regular old Flu-Flu's and they still travel to far,and are often lost when squirrel(sp?) hunting/shooting up into trees. Starting from the back of the shaft, how far down does the feather spiral( is the spiral scruntched up or stretched out along the shaft)? ...i guess i make absolutly no sence..hope someone gets the gest of the?

[CheapShot]

I usually tie or clamp the nock end of the feather first, put the glue on the feather, spin the shaft slowly while keeping the feather straight, then clamp the front of the feather until the glue dries. It's a little messy this way, and an extra set of hands makes it easier.
A much better and faster way is to use fletch tape. I take the time to wrap the front of the feather, and add some glue to back. Seems to make them more durable.

[champ38]

Thank You CheapS. Shane

[Pat B]

The fastest way is with fletch tape. With the tape on the quill of the split feather begin the spiral at the nock end and spiral it down the shaft depending on whether its right of left handed feathers as to the direction of the wrap.  
   I also just tie the nock end, spiral wrap the feather with about 1/4" between wraps and when I reach the other end I tie that; no glue at all. Because I usually shoot off my hand all of my fletchings, whether flu flu or regular fletching has a wrap at the front end to protect my hand.   Pat

[adeeden]

Pac, a couple clothes pins on each end of the feather works pretty good for glueing the one feather spiraled.

[shortstroke 91]

I wrap the ends of my spiral wraps with dental floss or artificial sinue, to keep them there for good i also cover that in glue.

[Shaun]

When making wrapped flu flu's it helps to "break" the quill over an edge like your table or bench so it will wrap easily. Sorta like making a piece of paper curl by pulling it across an edge. Do this first and then apply fletch tape or glue. Pin, clamp or tie the tail end and wrap, then fasten the front end. I like to use 1 1/2 full length feathers to make a longer wrap.

[tradtusker]

to make the spiral fletch flu flu like Shaun says .."break" the quill over an edge like your table or bench so it will wrap easily, and as mentioned above used Fletch tape. i rap the front with dental floss and super glue to hold the front down then rap the feather around the shaft and finish with raping with dental floss and super glue again at the end. it will never come off.

you can "tune" these flu flus if you want them yo go a bit faster / further by cutting down the height of the feather before along the whole length.  

here's an article and a few pics for your interest...

 http://tradgang.com/flu-flu/

[Mechslasher]

i also like a spiral wrap.  a tip, if you are going to be hunting in thick woods, use white or some other bright color.  natural turkey or some other barred color tends to "hide" from you.  on this set, i double wrapped using two white full length feathers.  i double wrapped because the bow i'm shooting them from is a rocket launcher.  i used natural carbon shafts with an aluminum footing to reinforce and add some weight to the tip.  the small game g5 are an awesome point for hunting critters.  this point also takes a chunk out of a tree.  they weigh in around 550gr. and fly about 50-60 yards shot at a 45 degree angle.
 

 

 

[tradtusker]

nice!
what bow is that Chris?

[Pat B]

Chris, Isn't that one of James Parker's bows.

[Mechslasher]

yep, that's one of james parker's nomads.  she's 48" long and draws 65#@28".  last time i shot it through a graph, it shot 209fps.  james says he can squeeze about 220fps using a thumb ring.  these are some sweet shooting bows.  it makes thoughs flu flus hum through the air.

[longstiks]

When I do a spiral wrap I use the secondary feathers and stripp them from the quill. Then you only have a thin membrane to to twist around the shaft and they go on real easy. As for the hard to find thing I dye mine with coolaid before putting them on the arrow.
Denny

[MikeW]

I put them in a clamp and sand the quill real thin to make wrapping easier. I also do what was mentioned in an earlier post. I glue the first 1/3 of the feather down an then spiral wrap the rest.
2 feather and a 3 feather.