Wood arrow making tips

[sagebrush]

Hi All, I thought it would be informative to start a thread where everyone would post a tip or two they have learned about making wood arrows. I will start:
1. I like to let my stain dry for a few days so that when I dip in the sealer it doesn't run off into the sealer.
2. I have found that when you have a batch of arrows where some are heavier spined, take a drill and sandpaper and you can lower the spine on the heavy ones pretty fast. I start with 60 grit and work down to 120. Be careful, it can change fast. Of course you have to have a spine tester to do this. Gary

[KILLER B]

Straighten by rubbing a screw driver on them.

[dhaverstick]

Before staining, I always put a mark on the ends of my arrows to indicate how I want the nock oriented with respect to the shaft's grain. If you use dark stain, it is sometimes hard to see the grain afterwards and this makes nock alignment more difficult.

Darren

[ishiwannabe]

Make sure your finish and glue are compatible...

[snag]

If after dipping them in your sealer of choice and some are 5-10gr less, dip the lighter ones again. It will usually bring them up to the weight of the heavier ones depending on what you use for a sealer.

[Plumber]

when useing a dip tube your lacquer will build up if you stop. the shaft will sometimes pull from my fingers due to suction causing build up it is almost impossiable to do anything about it. so I take a small drill bit an drill a hole at the very base of the shaft. then slide a finishing nail in the hole an use like a T handle .this works great an no more crappy build up.

[mooseman1967]

another tip for dipping arrows use a blue wirenut screwed onto the end of the shaft it gives you something to hold onto. the blue ones fit all size shafts and can be found at any hardware store.

[Old York]

Take the time to get the shafts  straight , especially the to-be nock end. Grind your tapers carefully with accurate angles and your nocks will be centred & truer and your points will adhere better. Pretty basic I know...but they're good basics      

Make a dip tube holder so you aren't searching for a third hand whilst everything is falling over    

Moose that's a neat tip about the plastic nuts.

[sagebrush]

Old York, Pretty basic but good to be reminded. I've been making arrows for a few decades and I think we all need reminded. I also pick up new things sometimes. Everyone has a different way to do it. We can all learn, even me. Gary

[wharvey]

The last shafts I made I used Tru-oil instead of gasket lacquer. Worked great. Also used wraps. Arrows came out looking better than i had hoped.

Great idea marking the nock alignment. That should make it a lot easier than hunting the grain after the other work was completed.

[Roy Steele]

After staining and marking nock [grain] end a good spray on sealer is varifane.Puts on a super thin  plastic coating.

[Pat B]

When I was making cedars I opted to use only water based paints and poly because of a lack of good ventilation in my shop, plus I hate the solvent smells. I dipped my arrows in poly and crown dipped and crested with water based paints from Wally World. It all worked very well for me.
 If you have an arrow or 2 that don't fly just right, try putting the cock feather in and see. Many times this will fix the problem. If it doesn't, we all need more squirrel and stumping arrows.

[SCATTERSHOT]

Another basic tip... Wait to cut your arrows after you have dipped, crested, fletched, etc. to be sure you cut them to the right length. Length is measured from the throat of the nock to the base of the point, so be sure to leave an inch or so for the point taper.

[sagebrush]

Wharvey, What glue are you using to put the feathers on with when you use Tru-oil?

Great tips guys, keep it going. Gary

[SuperK]

Hey Sagebrush,Duco works great with Tru-oil.

[Killdeer]

Duco works great over Tru Oil, and it is cheap at WalMart.

Killdeer  

[Autumnarcher]

TO me, its important not to be in a rush to get them done. If you rush, you'll miss something. I straighten before I start, then leave them overnight and straighten again as needed. After staining or dyeing, do it again. I check them between each step. I putthem in my cresting motor to see how they spin, then also eyeball them. I cut them about an 2" longer than the finished length so I don't waste time straightening something I'll be cutting off later. Straight arrows crest much better and evenly.

[NY Yankee]

If you don't have a lot of experience making arrows, don't try to make fancy ones right away. Just stick to a good basic arrow, straight and well sealed. Do a good job mounting the fletching and just go shoot. After you get good with the Plain Jane's then try some new things. Just learn how to make a good arrow first. Remember, arrows are expendable.

[Fletcher]

Measure twice, cut once.

[Fletcher]

Use a timer to remind you when it's time to glue on another feather.  I use 15 minutes with Duco.  You will be amazed at how it speeds up the process.