My First Set of Arrows

[benmmc]

I'm sure many people have done this, but I thought I might post in the hopes of getting some feedback from people who are more experienced than me. And please know that I have no idea what I'm doing, so if things seem a little thrown together you know why.  :D

I have fletched many arrows with vanes, and just did my first set of feathers a few months back. Relatively painless, so I decided to move on to building a set of arrows myself.

I bought 18 cedar shafts from Bill at Zipper Bows when he was selling them for $2/ea in the classifieds, and since I recently acquired a new Hill bow, I began the project.

First, I weighed them, just because I wanted an idea of how much weight all of the finish added, and I wanted to see how consistent they were. Seems like most were around 400 grains, with 3 or so being about 425, and maybe 4 or 5 being around 375. I noted the lighter and the heavier shafts.

I then applied some Minwax red mahogany stain, since I wanted this set nice and dark. I am very pleased with the color. I think it looks kinda like a dark fall camo.

 

Next was the topcoat, or sealer, or whatever. I originally chose Minwax wipe-on clear gloss poly just because I read people recommending it. But while the stain was drying I started thinking about how I was going to let the poly dry. How could I hang them so they wouldn't get messed up by laying them on their side as I did with the stain?

Well, I came up with this.

   

 

 

You'll have to excuse my mess. I am in the beginning stages of building a shop, and my carport is full of building materials (and other crap, because I don't yet have a shop...).

So, the 'system' was just a 2x6 laid across my table saw and a pile of windows with thumb tacks holding binder clips that each held 2 arrows.

When I got it set up, I thought about how annoying it would be to have to wipe on the poly and then have to fit it back in the clip to get it to hang. So, I decided to spray on a finish.

I used Deft Satin Clear Wood Finish, a spray-on lacquer. I have used this when building furniture, and I like the look of satin much better than gloss.

So, that's where I'm at. I've sprayed on 4 coats of lacquer, and I rubbed them with 0000 steel wool in between coats. Waiting on the last coat to dry now.

Thoughts so far?

 

[JamesKerr]

Looking good so far!  

[Shakes.602]

You are On The Right Track!!     BullDog Clips, and Wooden Clothspins are Indispensable Items in My Arrow Building Boxes!!     GOOD ON YA!!  More Power to You Sir!!   ANY  and  ALL  Questions Can and Will be answered here!!
  If there is  ANYTHING  I can Personally do to Help, Ask Away my Friend!! I Warn Ya, its a  Terrible Habit  you are Embarking On!  AINT IT GREAT????      

[helo]

Keep it up looks good. As many others on here say you will be hooked on building wood arrows.  

[benmmc]

Thanks guys! Yes it is addicting. I've been obsessing over it for days.

I'll post pics of the lacquered shafts tomorrow. Then I'll cut them to length. I have a nice little mitre box and hand saw I was going to use to avoid any splintering the chop saw might cause. That sound about right?

Also, I figured I'd use Loctite gel super glue to attach the plastic nocks. What say ye?  

[benmmc]

Also: CLOTHESPINS - DUH!    

 :D

[wildgame]

Looking good!

[Blackhawk]

 

Looking good...and I also like that stain.

[Glunt]

You can also cut them with a knife. Place the blade on the shaft on a hard surface and roll the shaft back and forth keeping pressure on the blade.  Works pretty well in a pinch and no splintering.

[BOHO]

one thing I used to do was take a paper towel with a fair amount of stain and kind of slap the shaft all over and create a splotch effect. looks really good IMO

[grayfeather]

your off and to it now , best way to learn is to do it.Good work ,i,ll be waiting for more pictures.

[benmmc]

Thanks for the encouragement and the input, fellas!

Glunt, I just might try the knife thing. It sounds like it may come out cleaner than the hand saw. Also, that caribou in your avatar is awesome, man! I'd love to hear the story on it sometime.

OK, so I just brought them in after letting them dry overnight. It was rainy all night, so I've hung them in the attic to dry some more. They're not tacky or anything, but I thought it couldn't hurt to let them cure a little more. I tried to get some good photos of the finish, but it was difficult to get the light to hit them just right.

 

Not sure if you can tell from that picture, but the sheen is very low. Just what I was envisioning.

I am very pleased so far. Next step is cutting and tapering. I'll probably do it today if I can escape work for a few hours.

[Mike Vines]

If you are either wanting to dip or wipe on your finish, use the way you first did with the clips (but for better results) point and nock taper the ends before staining, then use binder clip on the point end for the 1st coat.  When dry install your nocks, then when they are dry, use the binder clip on the nock end.  This way you get 100% coverage with stain and sealer.  Also, wait a minimum of 24 hrs between steps in arrow building.  It is a relaxing hobby, and should not be rushed, not to mention mistakes happen when you rush things.

To keep your floor from getting covered in clearcoat, use a wallpaper tray (approx. 36") underneath to catch your run off.  

If you are using self nocks, cut them in and sand them before any finish work is started.  Then use a pin with a ball on top (used by a seamstress for holding material).  Push it into the center in the valley of the nock, then clip your binder clip on to the pin to install your finish.  Works like a charm.

Personally, I prefer to dip my arrows, but to each their own.  The above techniques work either way.

[Mike Most]

Another thing you can do is use a pre-stain sealer, then when you wipe it on, its supposed to even out the stain as the stain is applied. It soaks into the wood grain of the shafts and only takes about 30 minutes to dry. I like red oak stain(dark but with a reddish tint). Then when its dried I use tru-oil and just rub it on each shaft with my trusty right index finger.

Then cut and taper the nock and point ends.

One other thing I learned here was to wipe the fletches and the shaft with alcohol prior to glue or tape up.

My 2 cents (have fun)  

[benmmc]

Thanks for the input Mike(s)  

Those are both good to know for next time. And yes, there will be many next times...

[Mike Vines]

Best advice I ever received from the best arrowsmith I know is to only make 6 arrows at a time.  By the time you break/loose the fist six you will have already thought of a way to make the new ones better.  So, unless I'm making a dozen arrows to give away, I only make 5-6 arrows for myself.

[benmmc]

That is good advice, Mike. I'll keep that in mind next time too!

I do like having a ton of matching arrows, though...  

[benmmc]

Last night I tapered the nock ends, and when I dry fitted the nock, you could see a strip of unstained wood, which I didn't like. So, I dipped the tapered ends in the stain to color them, and maybe seal them a little too.

   

I figured the length by measuring with a nock dry fitted and I test-tapered the point end to see how much the taper took off. Got it all figured out and ready to cut with a saw, but I thought I'd try Glunt's method of simply cutting them with a knife first.

Wow! Absolutely no mess and a super-clean cut. Thanks for the tip!

   

I'll be cutting all of them and gluing the nocks tonight. Maybe even starting some fletching. We'll see!

Thanks for letting me chronicle my journey on here fellas. You know how it is to be young and eager to learn!

 

[benmmc]

Oops! double post...  :p

[WJackson11x]

Looking good! I too just started making my own arrows for the first time using 5/16 wooden dowels like in the how-to section.  Definetly a fun experience. Good luck