Birch Bark Fletching?

[bushman]

Has anyone ever tried to use the bark from a Paper Birch for fletching? Or would that be as smart as using razor blades for fletching? Since paper can cut you I don’t know if a thin sheet of birch bark traveling at 100 fps or more going across your hand would be a good idea or not. I have been thinking about it lately, it would be easy to wet form it to the shaft then let it shrink tight to it. But it would be stiffer then feathers. A plus is it would be water proof for a while and wont mat like a feather. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Bushman

[Matt G.]

I have no experience with it but it seams to me that if it is that rigid ghent it wouldn't lay down when hits your hand or self and would cause the arrow to kick. Be the same as using a plastic vane off the self. If you have issues with feathers getting matted from rain try using turkey primaries or goose feathers for fletching. Like I said no experience here with it so I could be wrong.

[Dazv]

I have made a couple i find that birch bark fletchings don't have a very long life( a few shots at most). I find that it works pretty well for dutch arrows though.

[bushman]

Ok thanks for the replies. I was thinking if you just needed to make a few arrows in the bush that it might work. What type of arrows are dutch arrows, Dazv? Thanks
Bushman

[stickbender]

Ok thanks for the replies. I was thinking if you just needed to make a few arrows in the bush that it might work. What type of arrows are dutch arrows, Dazv? Thanks
Bushman

  Yeah, what he said?  Dutch arrows???

                                         Wayne

[JackCrafty]

When I was a kid I used a brown paper, two-fletch system on all my arrows.  I cut up paper bags from the grocery store.  They worked OK as long as I crinkled the paper really well before attaching to the arrow.  A three fletch quickly become a two fletch anyway...  so I stopped mounting three.

Birch bark should work fine for a few shots as long as the fletching is damp or wet.  Cut some "vanes" into the front part of the fletching so you only loose a little bit of the fletch each time you shoot...  or the entire fletch will tear off at one time.

The best non-feather material I've used for fletching is the top of ziplock bags.  The "zipper" part becomes the quill.  The best natural non-feather material is fur.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I spilled urethane ALL over a freshley feather fletched arrow. Knowing I couldnt clean it up I decided to let it dry and see what happens. Needless to say the stiff fletching whacked my risers hard and flew like poo. Im guessing any stiff fletching like bark woud do the same. I seen duct tape fletching before and it lasted for a good while.

[Pat B]

I saw an arrow that James Parker(Robustus) made using pine needles for fletchin. Kind of a spiral wrap like a fluflu.

[JW_Halverson]

I spilled urethane ALL over a freshley feather fletched arrow. Knowing I couldnt clean it up I decided to let it dry and see what happens. Needless to say the stiff fletching whacked my risers hard and flew like poo. Im guessing any stiff fletching like bark woud do the same. I seen duct tape fletching before and it lasted for a good while.

So you are saying YOU invented the poo-flu arrow?

[stickbender]

     

                                            Wayne

[stickbender]

     Uh, OK, what is a "Dutch" arrow?   

                                           Wayne

[JW_Halverson]

Are those the arrows you use to shoot into a dike?  Or at windmills?  Maybe they are made of chocolate with tulip petals for fletching.  Not following you here, either.