Fletching tape gets the axe

[hvyhitter]

fletch tape, hot summer shoot, and a back quiver were a bad combination a few years ago so the rest of that roll went straight into the trash.......back to glue, it works.......

[pdk25]

Didn't read all of the posts.  I use fletch tape, with a dab of fletch tite front and back and a bead of fletch tite all down the beveled side.  Never had one even come close to getting loose, temps down to 0 and up to 115.

[Kevin Dill]

Originally posted by Flinttim:
...if the quill is not ground perfectly perpendicular to the rest of the feather, the tape will allow the fletch to roll over.Out of a dozen arrows I could look at the fletch from the nock end and see one or two feathers that were not in alignment.

This^

I can take a very imperfect feather and glue it to a shaft, ending with the glue holding the feather rigidly in position. With tape, if the feather base is not ground to a perfect 90 degree angle (from the feather) the fletch will adhere at at an odd angle...whatever angle the base finishes.

Tape involves a substrate with adhesive applied to both sides of it. The adhesives in tape do not air dry or cure solidly like glue, plus the substrate tends to remain a bit flexible. The adhesive remains sticky and maintains the bond over time.

It's all a matter of preference. My experiences have brought me to where I believe glue is the superior bond and yields better permanent (and dependable) results over time. That's what my results showed anyway. I couldn't see any advantages in choosing tape over glue (for my uses) and so it became obvious that I would stick with glue.

[Bjorn]

Interesting.........I have never tried tape and have no ideas about which is better...........this thread makes it clear that glue is a great choice.  

[Greg Szalewski]

I have used nothing but tape for about 17 years. Dale Karch got me started on that way back when he was actually making arrows. The only trouble I have ever had is on wraps the tape might tend to slide but I found by slightly roughing up the wrap with fine steel wool it is just enough to make the tape stick fast. You just barely take the shine off the tape. I find that you can shoot an arrow until the feathers are just about worn off and the quill is still stuck on. How much more would you want? Not to mention you don't have to wait for glue to dry.

[JDunlap]

I love fletch tape....I shoot in all kinds of weather..lots of stumping and roving -- I'm pretty rough on my arrows. Most of the time I don't even put any glue on the ends. I do make sure to run my finger nail down the quill several times. As long as I put the fletching on carefully, they stay secure.

[DBinAlamo]

Originally posted by Firstlight:
 

Originally posted by Mike Vines:
   

Originally posted by Firstlight:
Only read page one, off to work in a minute, BUT:

 

This is NOT an honest assessment of the ability of Fletch Tape.  If you "Run a bead of glue along the entire quill AND a drop on both ends", how could you Give credit to the feathers staying on the shaft by using fletch tape?

To each their own, but I have tried the tape and it has failed.  I don't want to risk losing a hunting opportunity because I decided to not wait the 5 minutes it takes for the glue to dry.  We invest so much into our sport, why cheap out on the easiest part of it?  If I have to use glue to make something work...either on the ends or along the quill...I might as well not use the tape at all and just skip that step, which I do.  (I skip the tape). [/b]

Hey Mike,

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything here just sharing my experience of how I use fletching tape, which works flawlessly with 15+ years of shooting in the field, thus it is an "honest assessment."  

There are no rules saying I'm not allowed to use glue and tape on the same shaft...

So to appease your fear I assure you that you won't "lose any fletch in a hunting situation" nor is it, "cheap-ing out" in any manner, applying fletch in my manner.

The only right way to fletch IMO is one that allows you to achieve the arrow flight you want so you can hit what you want, knowing your fletch won't move between shots.

These are the methods of fletching I know will work with properly prepared shafts and quill, the only right answer is the one that works best for the individual.

1.  Use Glue only.
2.  Use Fletch Tape only.
3.  Use a combo of Fletch Tape & Glue. [/b]

X2. Not cheaping out...  I have never had a failure!  Right on Firstlight.

[Mike Vines]

Like I said, "To each their own".  You found a way to make fletch tape NOT fail and that works for you.  I too found a way to make fletch tape work on my arrows...don't put it on them.  We both found a way to use it, and from the sounds of it, We all rely on glue for our feathers to stick to the shafts.

To be good hunters, you need to have confidence in your equipment.  Sounds like everyone has found, or is searching for what works for them.

[Kevin Dill]

I so love the scent of solvent vapors as I try to keep a steady hand....

   :D

[mooshkat]

Going back to glue also, too many times lately, I find feathers are sliding on shafts

[reddogge]

Glue is more...I don't know....traditional. Ha, that ought to stir the pot in Feb.

[Pat B.]

Two different rolls of tape failed for me so it was back to glue..

Amazing that all our experiences differ so much.

[Bladepeek]

I wonder why we insist on beating each other up over issues like this. Those of us who have never had a failure are not going to stop using fletch tape because someone else did. And those who have experienced failures are not going to use it regardless of good results experienced by others.

Why don't we ask a more easily answered question such as "Which is better - a recurve or a longbow"   :eek:  

It's like sitting around a campfire arguing a theory until the beer runs out and then agreeing that everyone had good points and catching some sleep.

[Shotkizer]

I switched to it a few years ago and absolutely love it.  It takes a little while to figure out how it works, then it's lightning fast from there.  I found it more durable than the super glue types. Sorry it's not working out for everybody...I'm stumped as to why.

[Rob DiStefano]

ah, so this thread has reared its ugly head back up yet again.    :D  

like all the subjective stuff about traditional archery, how fletchings get stuck on the arrow is a personal preference thing.

when it comes to fletch tape, if it's failing for ya, there's either a people or material or process problem, or all three.  don't give up on it, learn how to make it work for ya!  

i've been using fletch tape since it first came out in, i think, the late 60's or so as it used for attaching those new fangled rocket ship spin wing vanes on alums.

while there surely are times that i still like to whiff the smell of a freshly opened tube of duco for sticking feathers to a classic woodie shaft, 95% or more of my arrows get fletched with bohning fletch tape.

as you might expect, i've never had a fletch tape problem other than using an inferior brand that got ditched pronto.  the only fletch tape that works for me is the bohning brand.

if the shaft and fletch are properly prepared, and both are clean and free of oils and dirt, and if the bohning tape roll is fresh and clean, and if the tape is properly applied and set, it ain't coming off unless a sharp knife is used to scrape it off and even then it will not come off easily.

i've had more than a few personal testaments to the mechanical holding power of bohning fletch tape to the base of a feather fletching.  the last one was a 4-fletch carbon arrow that i kilt a hog with that terry found over a year later at the "bacon strip" in south carolina.  a year's worth of hot and cold and rain and even snow.  the bugs ate all the vanes but the quill bases were still intact and bear to get off the shaft.

   

   

[Broken Arrows]

These debates seem to bring out so much information it should almost be in the how to section. Lol It seem to me prep is the most important for either process. I do like the fletch tape and have been using it for years.

[hoo-ray]

I've tried fletch tape. It worked ok for me.  I tried it on carbon and with a wrap.  Didn't hold real well either way.  I like fletch tite platinum.   Josh.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by hoo-ray:
I've tried fletch tape. It worked ok for me.  I tried it on carbon and with a wrap.  Didn't hold real well either way.  I like fletch tite platinum.   Josh.

fletch tape on a wrap makes an epoxy-like weld to a fletch quill base.  been there, done that.  

yer doing something very wrong if it ain't working for ya.

i'll add - i've had some local archers gripe about how bad fletch tape is and they stopped using it.  once i showed 'em a way of using it, they ALL went back to bohning fletch tape.

[wooddamon1]

Mixed results here, the times my feathers were laying over was my fault for using cheapo feathers and being in too much of a hurry. I'm patient building wood arrows until it's time to fletch, then I just want to be done. Took my time with some tape on my latest batch, so far so good. I'll keep a close eye on 'em this summer...

I've had issues with "compatible" glues/finishes, probably due to operator error.

BTW, the arrows with feathers layed over still fly true.  

[Flingblade]

I've had great results with tape.  Holds much better than arrows that I've bought from vendors fletched with glue.  I used to put the drop of glue at the front and back but I don't even do that any more, just tape.  I've only used Bohning but recently I bought a roll of Bearpaw so we'll see how that works.  From what Rob says I may need to order another roll of Bohning.