Why does my cresting suck so bad??

[toot]

I built a crester the other day, and started experimenting with it..

The shafts were P.O.C. shafts that were stained..

The paint just kind of smeared on.. Not covering like I needed..

So...  I put some white primer on a couple, thinking this would give it a good prine to adhere to..

It may (and I mean just maybe) worked a little better, but still looked terrible when I turned off the crester.. Just smeared and streaked..

Any idea what I'm doing wrong, going by my verbal discription..??

The paints I used were good Testors paint..

For now I'm done.. All I'm doing is making a mess out of things..

Toot

[flint kemper]

Toot, did you have a coat of clear on before cresting? also the speed of your crester is important as well. Here is what I do if staining: stain let dry, dip in polyurethane or my clear 2 coats dry between coats and steel wool lightly, then let dry and crest over that, after the crest is dry I redip in clear to cover and protect the crest. Can you tell us step by step what you did and what stains ect you are using to help out? Flint

[NoCams]

Toot,
My first try was just like yours too, haha !!! I was pretty frustrated till I got some help. Thin the Testors with their thinner, or get you a pint of Xylene at Ace Hardware. I think I added about 10-15 drops of thinner to get it running like water. Cresting will go on nice and smooth then.

And yes, the cresting will show up much brighter and better if you are cresting over a cap dip of paint versus cresting over the stain. I cap dip 10" of white then crest with black and gold. Just make sure you let your cap dip paint dry for a few days before cresting to make sure it is COMPLETELY cured and dry. I also thin my white latex cap dip paint with lots of water so it will go on smooth. I dip twice for good coverage. Hope this helps and good luck.

nocams

[toot]

Well. I did it two different ways to try and achieve success..

First was to stain with Varathane premium wood stain.. A couple coats of that and dried very well..  Put a couple coats of Poly on, steel wool #0000 inbetween. Dried and crected, or attempted to..

Second go round was with these same shafts, but put a white exterior primer on the area, and then tried the cresting..

You say the speed of the spin has alot to do with it as well.........

Well crap... L.O.L.

The little motor I'm using is from a canibalized electric fan. Two speeds, but it's cruisin' pretty good.. Infact I'll get a little bit of splatter comming off the shaft/brush area..

Hi speed low speed, same thing..  

I even get the same type ugly coverage if I just try to paint by hand.. ((No motorized spinning))

I don't know..

Toot

[toot]

Thin the paint........

Well that's certainly doable..

O.K.

Toot

[NoCams]

Toot,
You got it now man, it is the paint that is causing your problem. Thin her down and you will be in business. As you gain experience you will be able to tell when your paint is thinned enough. Make sure you got a good cresting brush too. I bought one a Wally World, think it was around $7. Sounds like lots of $$$ for a little bitty brush, but you gotta buy a good one.

nocams

[stringstretcher]

Don't be afraid to put paint on the brush.  Load the brush up and let the paint flow.  When you see the paint has covered, lift the brush

[flint kemper]

Well Toot, it is the paint then, as has been said thin it out and also as has been said do not skimp on cheap brushes.Practice, practice, practice Flint

[toot]

O.K.  Tomorrow is another day.. The wife goes to work. The daughters go to basketball practice, and Toot is on the loose..

I was amazed at how much these paint brushes cost.. I bought the paint and the brushes when I was at a hobby store with my dad. (he is into these radio controled airplanes)

Yeah I was surprised what the little brushes cost.. I figured I could buy 3 for a quarter..

I left the store thinking my paint brushes were also "custom built"..

Thanks, folks..  I'll keep you posted..

Toot

[NoCams]

Toot,
Just make sure as stringstretcher said to lift the brush off the shaft as soon as you get a good coat around the shaft. If you dwell too long you will get a rough crest job. The faster you get off the shaft the better. What is happening if you stay on too long is you are tearing the paint as it is drying. I almost had the brush yanked out of my hand when I was learning to crest for the first time !!!    

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[Hot Hap]

If your using an electric fan motor, it may be way too fast. It should be turning around 300 RPM's. Hap

[Straitshot]

Buy a pin stripping brush from an auto paint supplier. Very good brush for cresting arrows. Also, as others have said, THIN the paint to where it runs and keep plenty of paint on the brush. Mark your gresting pattern spacing with a pen or pencil and practice on an old shaft first. Don't leave the brush on the shaft too long or let it run dry of paint, or you will end up with the brush jerked out of your hand and stuck to the shaft flopping around as your frantically trying to turn off your motor. If you are only staining and not crown dipping, at least crown dip a clear coat over the stain before attempting to crest over it. Your cresting paint will cover better if you do.

[M60gunner]

I agree with Hap. If your slinging the paint the motor is to fast or the paint is to thin. Guys used to make cresting lathes from BBQ spit motors or phono graph motors and or sewing machine motors. I have one I made from an old copy machine motor.
That said the store bought cresters turn pretty fast. Some colors do not cover as well, you may have to do 2 coats. I find this to be true with areas over 1/4 in width.
Have fun, this is supposed to relax you.

[Fallguy]

Another important piece of the puzzle the straighter the shaft the better the crest. If the shaft bounces when it is being spun you can not get a even crest. Also any flat spot will create a skip. I look back at my first arrows from 20 year ago boy they are ugly but every dozen got better. I can not do Whispering Wind like stuff but I have not crested 1000's of shafts either. Practice, practice, practice.

[TSHOOTER]

A dimmer switch (rheostat) wired in series with the motor should allow you to get the speed you need.

[Barney]

Slow down the motor and try paint pens, they work great for me.  

[john fletch]

I am not that good yet either, and having been working on it for over fifteen years!!!

I have never had that great a luck with Model paint.  It works much better with lacquer, especially Bohing Fletch Lac - But I always use lacquer dip on the shafts as well.  Even over a stained shaft.

The best results I get are using a fine tip high quality artist brush and reasonbly thin lacquer.  Too thin, it runs, too thick it blobs.

The only Model Paint I do use are the gold and silver (accent pin stripes).  They seem to coat well and those colors are not available in lacquers.  I also find the lacquer to be harder.  It will not rub off as bad on the arrow rest as the softer model paint does.

I have also found that cresting does not make the arrow shoot any better - it just makes it pretty and adds more time (and cost)!

I have been critical of my own work ever since I looked at the cresting that Susan St. Charles did at Northwest Archery in Seattle.  Her work is the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life and definitely the standard to shoot for!!!

[kevsuperg]

i see you used an ext grade primer. so just make sure your paints are compatible  i had the same problem yesterday with a new paint color. its a model paint lacquer,i use primarily auto touch up lacquers. apparently model and auto lacquer arent compatible. it just smeared around a base of white auto paint.when it dried it cracked. try the touch-up paints,tons of colors and when i am done i just cover the crests with touch-up clear coat.

[NoCams]

Toot,
How bout them fellow tradgangers..... Just covering you up with good tips and advice ain't they ! That is why I love this site !

I forgot to tell you when you get thru with cresting that I dip mine in two coats of Minwax Polycrylic. Again, thin it way down so it will flow like water. I dip mine in a 2" PVC pipe, then just pour it back in the can for use later on. Rinse PVC with water, done ! Make sure you let the testors cresting dry for a few days to make sure it is COMPLETELY cured. Any smearing problems are caused by getting in a hurry and not letting things cure. I use regular old minwax stain, Rustoleum acrylic enamel for cap dip thinned with water, testors thinned with Xylene for crest, and Minwax Polycrylic thinned with water for final dip, two coats. Be sure and DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL in between coats of the Polycrylic. I use 320 or 400 grit sandpaper, otherwise you will have rusty old wooden arrows, haha !!! I use these products cause they are readily available just about anywhere, cheap, and all water based. Keep us posted and stay at it.


   
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[idahobeartrax]

Most everything you need to do is covered above, but to summarize:

Straighten your shafts...you cannot have good results when your arrows are bouncing around. This is a major part of getting a uniform crest.

Thin your paint, but not too thin... Testors always worked for me, but it is getting harder to find. I am experimenting with hobby acrylics. I am yet too see how durable they will be, but coverage is much better than I expected. Although I swear by Bohning for my crown dips, I have never liked Bohning for cresting. It tends to be too thin for me, and I don't get good coverage. Others seem to do fine with it.

Use good brushes... I bought a couple of automotive pin striping brushes from Paul Brunner years (decades?) ago, and I am still using these brushes today. I was using cheap hobby brushes and really balked at spending the money on these brushes, but they make a world of difference and last forever if you take care of them. The long bristles help maintain contact with the arrow shaft and 'smooth out' some of the imperfections created by slightly crooked shafts.

Control your crestor speed...Add a rheostat if your motor is too fast.  You cannot get good coverage if you are spinning too fast, and if you are spattering paint, you are way too fast! My crestor... built from an eight track tape player in the '70s... still spins at just the right speed!

Seal your crest....If you are using Testors or  acrylics, they will smear from rest contact and target penetration if you do not seal them. I use a spray acrylic and lightly spray a couple of seal coats over the crest area. Be very careful doing this with Testors! The acrylic spray will make your Testors crest run if you use heavy coats, especially if you use any metal flake. The acrylics I am playing with now don't seem to run and are giving a better than expected coverage.

Good luck and have fun! Nothing personalizes your equipment as much as your very own crest!