How To build some pretty cool looking arrows. Motor City Machete style

[Mike Vines]

With gun season approaching, and Daylight savings time upon us I thought I would get to tinkering with some arrows.  Just some basic no frills shafts, but it's still fun to make them.  Haven't figured out the fletchings yet, but I'm sure it won't be anything fancy.            

I am going to do a complete "How-To" on the next dozen I will be doing the crown on starting this evening, so please bear with me,  like to let stuff dry between steps.
         

[Sockrsblur]

nice start Mike, I love watching you work
Take lots of pictures!

[Green]

Good to see you back Mike.  Nice start you got going on there.

[Mike Vines]

This next set I'm going to do colors that will be easy to see in the How To. Thinking White and Red crown on an Ebony stained shaft.

[Todd Greenwald]

Very Nice!!!

[cahaba]

You got talent!

[Thumper Dunker]

Looking good.

[Jayrod]

SWEET!!

[Mudd]

Mike says,..."I am going to do a complete "How-To"..." and I know immediately he isn't directing this at me...lol

There will be a whole bunch of folks that'll be excited to see this and they'll be helped immensely.......

but I ask myself how's this going to help me since I "HATE" building arrows....lol

Mike I can be helped but "if and only if".. you send me a dozen....lol J/K

Good job Mike!!

God bless,Mudd

[Mike Vines]

Thank you for the kind words guys.  

Hey Mudd, what does the guy that says "I can" and the guy that says "I can't" have in common?  They are both right.

[Mike Vines]

Time to start the crown...

I will not run thru the beginning stages of prepping tbe shaft and bore you with staining and the 1st coat of dip.

I did all that listed above and hung my shafts to dry.  Everything I do has a minimum of 24 hrs dry time between steps.  Why?  Because the guy that taught me said so, and i don't need to try and improve the techniques on who I consider to be the best Arrow Builder known.  Plus, if it works, why mess with it.

Here is a picture of the shafts hanging to dry after being prepped, stained and 1 dip of clear...

   

If you don't mind, I'm not just gonna show a bunch of pictures, I'm also going to "Talk" as I'm going along.  I feel it's important to be able to carry on a conversation in life.  If you don't want to read it, just look at the pictures and get half the fun.

If anyone has any questions about my set up, the shop, steps I might not have been to clear with or anything you just need an answer to, please feel free to ask.  I DO NOT believe in keeping "Trade Secrets".  Knowledge should be shared and passed on. (sorry guys, I still can't figure out women so your on your own there).

[Mike Vines]

Next step is to get a couple VERY eagar assistants willing to help Dad in the shop and take pictures for me.

   

Here, I have taken all the shafts and steel wooled them toget rid of the raised grain from the previous dip and preparing to use some painter's tape to mask off where I want the spray paint to terminate.

It always help if you make yourself comfortable when working, so shorts and a shirt that means the world to me are worn when I want to relax.

You see, this shirt is just over 23 years old.  I got this shirt on the 2nd of August 1990.  Does anyone know what that date means in history???

2 August 1990 is a significant date to me for 2 reasons.  That is the date that Sadam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and it is also the same exact date that I was issued that very shirt when I was in my very first day of Basic Training for the Army.

That shirt has been around the world when I was enlisted and has seen plenty of better days, and one of the worst that I could imagine too.

Funny how something as simple as a shirt could have such meaning and memories associated with it.

[Mike Vines]

Just another view of the taping process.  You really dont need that long of a piece, as long as it goes around at least a full time, your good.

 

[Mike Vines]

[Mike Vines]

Here is the dozen all set and ready to go in the spray booth (aka the garage)

 

[Mike Vines]

Now I take a simple piece of paper and use it to protect most of the masking tape and the part of the shaft that I do not want any oversprayed paint on.

   

Some of the things I do may seem redundant, but they are done for a reason.  Masking tape does it's job, BUT there is always that one time where you should have done something better but didn't.  So now I always use masking tape AND a piece of paper to protect the area I don't want paint on.

[Mike Vines]

Here I am in my spray booth :-)

 

Trust me when I say you ARE going to get overspray on anything that is IN your spray booth.

You can't tell in this picture, but i pulled my wife's van out to do this step.  I didn't feel like cleaning her vehicle with Acetone AGAIN.  If anything you gain from this tutorial...learn from my mistakes.  Just a little forethought will prevent a LOT of unnecessasary aggrivation.

[Mike Vines]

Crown all sprayed and ready to go back to the shop...

 

And here they are with the tape removed and set to the side to dry.  

 

[Mike Vines]

That's it for tonight.  Now to let everything dry.  I'll try to get to these either tomorrow or Saturday.

[steadman]

Looking good!! At least you're learning from your mistakes... I hope