Shaft finish applicator

[cdpbrewer]

First, THANKS to all for the great info ya'll have posted!   I'm up to page 50 something reading past posts and have learned tons and gotten a lot of inspiration.  There are many true craftsmen and artists posting.   
As a small repayment, a simple gizmo I've found useful for finishing 5/16" straight and tapered shafts:



Just dip it a bit in the spar urethane, push it down and then back up the shaft.  Don't worry about the tiny bubbles that result- they dissipate- at least at room temps and RH. 

I don't remember where the foam brush was purchased but it came with a hole in the plastic reinforcement that's inside the brush.  The hole in the one I used feels around 3/8" to 1/2" in diameter.  A brush with foam of a fine texture and, for tapered shafts, a soft texture is probably the best bet.   To make a drill for the hole, sharpen the end of a 0.28" OD brass tube with a fine, smooth cut file on the outside edge and deburr the inside edge a bit with a knife.  Twist it with very gentle downward pressure by hand thru the foam. 

The rightmost gizmo in the photo is the first stab at an applicator.  It was made using a chunk of foam used for padding shipment.   The foam is much firmer than the that in the foam brush.  It did straight shafts well but not tapered ones.  The one hacked from a foam brush works better.

Caveats:   Might need to up-size the hole in the brush for shafts more than 5/16" in diameter.  Might not work as well with  finishes other than Helmsman spar urethane gloss.  Might not work as well outside of room temperature and RH.

Background:  Finishing shafts (and bows too) is my least favorite arrow-smithing task.  My favorite finish of late is Helmsman gloss spar urethane.  Dipping is messy and the amount of thinning seems to be critical.  I've not had success with a Little Dipper clone I cobbled together- maybe it works better with lacquer but doing it indoors that's too smelly indoors.  Brushing gives good results but tedious.  Ditto for wipe-on urethane.   

Again, THANKS to all for your posts!

c.d.

[Moose]

Well now, that is a really neat idea, i`m gonna have to make one of those today! I`ve just made my first ever batch of arrows (Sitka spruce) and like you say dipping with spar urethane is quite messy. Do you use it to apply the finish without dipping or do you use it to strip off the excess as the shafts come out of the dip tube? My shafts came out a bit lighter in weight than i wanted so i`ve been soaking them in the dip tube overnight to try and bump their weight up, which seems to be working but taking them out of the dip tube and wiping off the excess is making one heck of a big mess, not mention wasting a lot of expensive urethane!

[crooketarrow]

  Stain ( RITS WITH ALCIOLwith a rag let dry then spray with varafane. No mess easy to do.

[bowtarist]

neat idea, I usually use a spray on...matte finish...out doors or in the garage/barn.  I bet an old aluminum arrow would fit the bill to cut the hole.  welcome, dpgratz

[cdpbrewer]

Bowtarist's idea of using an old aluminum arrow shaft is a great idea- it's much cheaper than brass tubing.   

Crooketarrow:  I've had better luck with Feibling's leather dyes diluted with denatured alcohol than RIT dyes.  Thanks for the tip on spraying varathane.  I'll give it a go outside when the temperature and humidity is suitable for spraying.  The wife barely tolerates my brushing and wipe-on finishing inside the house- spraying would cause a hissy fit.

Moose, before coating the first arrow,  dip the dry applicator a bit in the varnish, squeeze it between sheets of newspaper a bit to ensure it's uniformly damp.  You only have to do this once.  Thereafter, dip it about 1/4 ways into the finish- just enough so there are no drips going to the shaft.   Push it down the shaft then back up.  Try it on a dowel or old shaft to get the feel of it and see if you like it.   For your use in removing excess urethane from soaked shafts and reclaiming the excess urethane,  the foam in a gizmo like mine is going to get loaded up with finish after a few shafts.  The Eco Dipper from 3-Rivers looks like a better- but more expensive tool. 

c.d.