First Time Making Up Beman MFX Arrows-Questions

[ishoot4thrills]

Hey guys(and gals). Been shooting a dozen Meman MFX 500 Classics for a while now and lovin'em. So I ordered a half dozen more raw shafts and am gonna put them together myself. I've assembled aluminum arrows before but not carbon. I'm gonna make them just like the ones I'm shooting now except I added wraps.

My questions are:

Is there anything I need to know before I cut them to length and install the 100 grain brass inserts, that I bought extra, in them? I'll be using the glue that came with the shafts. Are the instructions that come with them good enough or is there something else I need to know before I start?

Any tricks/advice would be greatly appreciated as I would hate to mess any of these up. They're definitely not cheap!

[WESTBROOK]

Hey Doug

Measure twice cut once

The biggest thing is making sure you get a square cut. With an arrow saw no big deal.

Some wrap a little saran wrap around the insert to hold it in so you can shoot them and verify all is OK before you epoxy them in.

Once you get over the fact there only $10 each its not that bad. LOL

Good luck, Go Slow

Eric

[JC]

I think Eric is right in his advice. A G5 Outdoors ASD (arrow squaring device) is an excellent investment for anyone building their own carbon arrows. I don't have an arrow saw, I just use my dremel to cut and get it as close as possible, then use the ASD to make sure it's square. Even if I had a saw, I'd still use the ASD.

Once you are SURE you have the right length, have both ends square (don't neglect the nock end as they often aren't square), prep is the next important step in my opinion. I scour the inside of the shaft where the insert is going to go with a small dremel carbide cutter in my hand (not on the tool). It's a really rough tool with sharp points/edges to get the inside of the shaft textured. I then rough up the insert with a piece of course sandpaper, clean both with acetone and install using JB weld. The stock glue is supposed to be good; not sure if I've just had bad luck or gotten old shafts w/old glue but it doesn't hold nearly as well as JB in my opinion. I have been very happy with durability using this method. Just be SURE you have the length you want it (tuned with your wraps etc. just the way you are planning on hunting with it) cause you won't get the JB out if you prep like mentioned.

And Eric, you're paying too much brother. You can regularly find them on fleabay for around $7ea shipped. Back in the summer I bought a group of 3 doz 340's for $6ea shipped.

[buckeye_hunter]

Make sure you clean the insert area with denatured alcohol before puttig in the inserts. Like said before make sure it flies well with the inserts BEFORE putting them in permanently! Finally, clean the shaft area where you are fletching with th alcohol before applying feathers or wraps. They won't stick well to a dirty shaft.

-Charlie

[Bill Carlsen]

I would also recommend that you foot them. It'll save lots of arrows and keep some $$$$ in you pocket. Makes for an almost bombproof arrow.

[Rob DiStefano]

there are lotsa good ways to create a good arrow - this how i build my beman ics venture/bowhunter 500 carbon hunting arrows ...

i true up the nock end on a shop 120 grit sanding wheel first, install the bohning nock, measure out the shaft length.  i use a dremel carbide cutoff wheel to cut the shafts within 1/16" of actual length, then true up on the shop sander.  

cut/sanded shaft ends are prepped/cleaned with naptha (lighter fluid) on a paper towel.  

i install shaft inserts with slow set epoxy.  i used to use 100 grain brass inserts, but now use 45 grain aluminum inserts and an internal 4.5" footed weight tube (nail weight) that weighs 155 grains = cheaper, heavier, stronger.

points are 125 grain (woodsman, judo, field) epoxy glued to a 125 stainless steel point adapter.

i use bohning fletch tape exclusively for carbons, with a tiny dot of glue at either end of the feather for added insurance.  feathers are 4" 75x105 four fletch, low profile banana.

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Bill Carlsen:
I would also recommend that you foot them. It'll save lots of arrows and keep some $$$$ in you pocket. Makes for an almost bombproof arrow.

Yes I footed my other MFXs with aluminum 2020s. The ones I'll be making will be identical to my arrows I'm shooting now, except for the wraps and feather color/cut(shield cut versus parabolic cut, both 4").

I have a homemade cut off saw that should work well for a square cut.

[snag]

When you guys foot the carbons do you recommend the JB Weld for gluing them on also? Or would a 2 ton epoxy work better?

[pj starrett]

what is footing?  new dumb guy

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by pj starrett:
what is footing?  new dumb guy

here's how i internally foot my carbons, using some tubing and a nail ...

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=080153

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by snag:
When you guys foot the carbons do you recommend the JB Weld for gluing them on also? Or would a 2 ton epoxy work better?

I used Gorilla Glue and it works to perfection.

[JC]

Snag, JB for both inserts and footings here.

[Steve O]

I've used the Easton epoxy, regular epoxy (2T and 5 min), Gorilla Glue, and nothing, nothing beats JB Weld.  JC knows what he is talking about!

Here is a pic of a 260g Snuffer and 250g Judo shot into a Bionic target at 10 yards out fo a 55# @ 28" bow (drawn 29.5").  I put the insert in with JB Weld and the shaft is perfect:


 

[ishoot4thrills]

UPDATE.....My wraps are unwrapping on my bare shafts! I treated everything with denatured alcohol, the shafts and the wraps. They were sticking to the shafts but they aren't sticking to themselves. I bought them on here from someone at 48 for $15.00. Was that a deal too good to be true? I have taken them off until I find what the problem is. Very disappointed.

Could it possibly be that the MFXs are too small in diameter and not sticking because of that?

[Rob DiStefano]

something's dang near amiss with either your shaft prep, overall technique or the wraps themselves.  my wraps are IMPOSSIBLE to get off without some serious heat ...

 

[ishoot4thrills]

I use the mouse pad method as described on 3 Rivers website. Shaft prep isn't the problem as they're unwrapping where they overlap the wrap themselves, so they're not sticking where it's wrap on wrap. I used denatured alcohol on all surfaces. I guess it's the wraps.   :confused:    :(    

I used them a few months ago on my aluminum arrows and they worked well but I'm starting to see a slight raising of the edges on those too, but not near as bad.

I guess I just won't use wraps on this batch.

[JC]

I have to agree with Rob. While Onestringer's wraps are not the cheapest, lots of boiling water or cutting them off is the only way to get them off my arrows. Worth the expense in my opinion not only for the quality but durability. Not all wraps are created equal.

MFX classics are notorious for some sort of heavy oil/? on the shafts and take judicious prep. I use a heavy shop rag soaked in acetone and scrub the outside of the shaft at least twice to get all the gook off of them. I don't think denatured alcohol will cut it. I also wouldn't put any alcohol/chemical on the wraps. That could be causing some reactive problem with the wraps adhering to themselves. It doesn't have anything to do with the diameter of the shafts in my opinion; I've done 3-4 dozen with wraps and as said, you've got to work to get them off.

[ishoot4thrills]

Thanks for the info, JC. I guess I will have to give Onestringer's wraps a try. Are you sure denatured alcohol isn't good enough? Do you prep the wraps with anything at all?

[JC]

Not 100% sure, just throwing out some possibilities for you. But I've not seen anything better than acetone for stripping off crud and still not hurt the shaft. All I do with the Onestringer wraps is peel the backing off and roll them on.

You're over by Elizabethtown aintcha? About 100 miles from my mother's farm in Dawson Springs...hunted some in between Beaver Dam and Caneyville too. Pretty country. big deer.

[Charlie Lamb]

I'd keep all solvents/cleaners off the wraps. Fletching cement chemically bonds with the vinyl and tape has no problems sticking either.

When cleaning shafts with Acetone, I use paper towels and wipe with a strong grip until I hear the shaft sqeeking. Squeeky clean is a good thing.