SEALER FOR HARDWOOD SHAFTS ?

[Phil Tuccillo]

I was told a rub on oil finish is best as far as penetration  but takes long to dry.Also heard a gasket lacquer is quick drying but don't penetrate the hardwood so good. Anyway what do you guys use and why? Please let me know the brands & where you can get it.
                        Thanks,Phil

[macbow]

Phil,
I've used most of them. The gasket lacquer is fast and pretty but if nicked it will crack and peel right off. Probably the worst for wet areas.

Oil based does take a long time to dry. Except for tru oil.
Oil is good if you want to add some mass as in weight.

Poly finishes do good if you want durable results and lose arrows now and then, economical.

One of the best is still the Bohning products. Lots of places like 3 rivers carries it. The only draw back is it needs a work area with some ventilation, definitely not the family room.
Ron

[Phil Tuccillo]

Macbow, The Bohning fletch-lac sealer or the super coat sealer? How do you apply it, with a foam brush or a dip tube?
Thanks, Phil

[Fletcher]

IMO, the best easy to use and readily available finish is Minwax oil base polyurethane.  You can find it at most any hardware or big box home store and Walmart.  Wipe or brush on or dip, dries fairly fast, tough and waterproof.  Compatible with stains and dyes.  Make sure you give the alcohol base stains at least 8 hours to dry, or the poly won't dry.  Trust me on that.  If you dip, thin it a bit.  Fletch with Duco.  Rick

[ErikT]

Polyurethane could be used successfully as a sealer but it is not rated for outdoor use.  I just dipped a dozen cedar shafts using spar varnish which is formulated for outdoor use.  Thin 40% with paint thinner, 3 coats.

[macbow]

Phil,  when using The Bohning I like the fletch lac. I use a dip tube. Usually 2 to 3 coats. I tie some string from point to point and hang the arrow shafts using spring clothes pins. Hang from the point end before cutting to length or the taper. The nock end is tapered before dipping. It also requires the fletch tite glue I like the platinum.

Nothing wrong with the spar varnish either.
I'd suggest picking a type and sticking with it, cheaper in the long run.
Ron

[Phil Tuccillo]

Thanks all I appreciate your time.
         Thanks Again, Phil

[LBR]

Epoxy finish.  Not as quick as gl, but pretty quick, cheap, and very durable.

Chad

[hill boy]

profin is what I'm using and it dries over night and permenantly treats the wood.It will be there when the cows come home.

[Phil Tuccillo]

Hill Boy, are all stains compatible w/ the profin? I have a quart of that I got from Bob Burton last year.

[Roy Steele]

Stain then use Spray varfane,fletching glue of most types will work fine or you can spray after you put your feathers on.
 But latey(15 YEARS) after I build my arrows.Stain,fletch,nocks,boadheads.I
rub on wax and then melt it in good with a hair dryer.This is how I seal my selfbows.
 I used varfane for over 10 years.

[NY Yankee]

The above products are good, but I highly recomend the Minwax product. Either gloss polyurethane or gloss Spar urethane are great products. Use the gloss only and buff with steel wool if you want it dull. Its easy to get, cheap, no fumes, real easy to apply (no cleanup, ask me how) and is made to protect wood. As far as the regular stuff goes, no, it wont protect your outdoor furniture or your boat like Spar will, but 3or 4 coats will protect your arrows while you are out hunting. They will dry just fine back at home.
Spar is good but yellows over colors and dries a little softer for flexibility in the weather. Both come in spray so you can re-do or just touch up if needed.

[celticknot]

I know alot of professional arrow builders use dalys profin. It is said to have very little odor and as strong as the bohning if not stronger. It can be found at  www.dalyspaint.com  
Its kind of pricey but its supposed to be great. I have purchased some and can't wait to try it. Its what wispering winds uses on there arrows and what they suggest you use with there cresting paints.

[NightHawk]

I have some wood arrows that are 5 years old and in perfect shootable condition. I regularly shoot these arrows at 3-d shoots. They were seales with PROFIN. I've used everything I could find and for the money the PROFIN is the best sealant I have ever used. The gasget system works great for it.

[STEVE R.]

Were can a person purchase some profin?

[David McLendon]

A third vote for Daly's Profin. Get it at Whisperingwind Arrows or do a search and buy it from the manufactor The shipping is steep but the product is worth it.

[Dave Pagel]

I use Helmsman Spar Urethane with the gasket system.  Steve H. recommended it and I figure if it works in SE Alaska, it will be fine in Michigan, Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas or anyplace else I spend time.

Dave

[Don Stokes]

Hardwood tend to be more porous than softwoods, so I use Minwax penetrating sealer, with or without stain, as the first coat, brushed on heavily. I top coat with gasket lacquer (it doesn't chip or crack if it's the right viscosity when it goes on) or Minwax polyurethane, brushed on. Gasket lacquer finished arrows are easier to pull from targets, especially if you shoot 3D.  As to products rated for indoor or outdoor use, you don't have to worry about it unless you leave your arrows out in the weather. When it comes to wood, there's no such thing as waterproof, only different degrees of water resistance.

One advantage of the urethanes is that you can fletch very quickly with superglue.

[Steve H.]

Excellent response Dave Pagel, lol!

[Phil Tuccillo]

Gasket system? Is that the speed coat dipper cap W/ the big dipper. I have made hundreds of arrows just never used a dipping method so bare w/ me.
                       Thanks, Phil