eastern woodland two fletch

[Josh B]

This is how I do the eastern woodlands 2 fletch or Cherokee two fletch as it is sometimes referred too.  First I will try to demonstrate the simple nail knot and wrap.  I use this on almost everything on the arrow needing wrapped.  Including reinforcing the selfnock, tying on feathers , and reinforcing the foreshaft joint on cane and phragmites shafts.  The first step is to apply glue to the area you plan to wrap.  Next step is to lay your string along the shaft with the tag end pointed toward the direction you intend to wrap so that you will wrap over the tag and effectively secure it.  The next step is to wrap down to within 5 or 6 wraps from where you want to tie off the other end.  At this point, take another piece of thread, double it over to form a loop and lay it down in a manner so that you will wrap over it for 5 or 6 wraps and still have enough of the loop exposed to insert the remaining tag end of the wrap string.  I use 5 or 6 wraps to secure it because fewer wraps don't hold as well and too many wraps make it difficult to draw the tag end back under the wrap to secure it.  Now insert the tag end of the string into the loop you made with the second string.  Pull it up snug.  Now you grab the ends of the second string and draw the tag end under the wrap until the second string pulls free.  pull the tagend tight and trim off flush with the wrap.  If I haven't confused you too much yet, you should have just tied a successful and very useful nail knot.

[Josh B]

Your wrap should look like this just before trimming the tag end flush with the wrap.

[Josh B]

Moving on to the actual fletching.  Lets first discuss the different sides of the feather.  I don't know what the correct terminology is for sure, so bare with me.  The first picture is what I call the outside of the feather.  It is the more defined, convex side of the feather.  The second pic is the duller concave side of the feather or inside as I call it.

[Josh B]

Next I will show trimming the feather to roughly the size and shape I want.  I usually make them about 5 inches long not counting the quills used to secure the feather to the shaft.  Starting about 2 1\2 inches from the outer tip of the feather, I will peel the taller side of the feather off towards the quill.  If you manage to do so without tearing it, save it. You can use the part you peeled off on normal fletching jobs.  Next very carefully cut half way through the quill, just below where you peeled off the feather.  If you cut all the way across you've already ruined it, start over with another feather.  Once you cut in half way, start to split the quill all the way towards the base of the feather.  Now on the other side of the quill you should have full length vain along the quill.  Starting from the outer tip of the feather, measure down about 6 1\2 inches and seperate the vain of the full length side.  From here, peel this side off toward the base of the quill.  This should leave you with a 2 1\2" vain on one side and a 6 1\2" vain on the other.  Now clip off the quill 1" below the long vain side.  Use the edge of your knife like a scraper and remove the pithy part of the quill and flatten it for 1 1\2" inches from the base end so that it will lay flat against the shaft later.  The next step is, starting at the outer tip and using scissors, cut the vain next to the quill 1 1\2" towards the base.  do this on both sides, so that the quill is sticking up above the vains.

[Josh B]

Now you should do the same thing with another feather that is as close to match with the first feather as possible.  Just to reiterate the difference in the sides of the feathers,  the first pic is the outside of the feathers.  The second picture is the inside of the feather.  This is important in the next steps.

[Josh B]

The next step is to apply glue to the shaft from the nock down for about two inches. This is where the first wrap that secures the nock end of the feather and reinforces the self nock will be.  Take a three foot long piece of thread, art. sinew or what have you and start your wrap as instructed at the beginning of this thread, and start your wrap at the nock and wrap down the shaft to the point that you want to secure the nock end of your feathers.  I usually go about an inch.  Now pay attention, the next steps are crucial.  Take your to feathers that you have roughly shaped and position them opposite each other on the shaft with the base end of the quills pointing away from the point end of the shaft and so that you are looking at the outside of the feathers.  Be mindful of how you index the feathers in relation to the nock so that when you fold them over and impart a twist they are running parallel with the nock cut.  This is hard to explain but you will figure it out.  Now your feathers should be hanging off the nock end of the arrow.  Make two or three wrapps around the quill right next to where the vains start.  At this point, you can still adjust the position of your feathers.  Make the adjustments and then continue wrapping over the quill and finish with the nail knot.

[Josh B]

Now you get to see if you did everything correctly up to this point.  Take each feather and bend it back towards the point end.  Impart a slight twist and just sort of pinch them against the shaft to check alignment.  As far as which way to twist, it depends on which wing feathers you used.  You will know If you are twisting the right direction or not.  It wont lay against the shaft very good if twisted the wrong way.  Now once again check for proper nock alignment and proper twist, if good, take note of where the base of the quills will end up and where your wrap will be and apply glue.  Now pull the feathers into position, start your wrap and give it 3 or 4 good wraps.  make needed adjustments and continue wrapping well past the end of the quills.( 1\2" at least) Finish your wrap with the nail knot, trim the tag flush, trim your feathers even and to shape and voila!  You can either sit back and admire your work or cuss the dickens out of me for screwing you all up.  I sincerely hope there is more of the former as opposed to the latter.  Thanks for following along and good luck.   Josh

[tattoo dave]

That's way cool!! May have to try that, thanks Josh!

Tattoo Dave

[soy]

Sweet!gonna do me some up 

[Gus]

Thank You Sir!

Will definitely give some of these a try!

-gus

[PEARL DRUMS]

Cool! That poor steering wheel must be all beat up Josh.

[Dictionary]

aww dammit i got lost doing the nail knot. I get wrapping over the tag end to secure it. Then insert another thread that is doubled in a loop. Then i insert the short end that i originally wrapped over(the tag end) into the loop and pull tight. This is where you lost me. When i pull tight on the tag end nothing really happens anyways.
then i'm supposed to pull on the two strands that formed the loop and for some reason something just doesn't work after that.

[gstoneberg]

D, you run the tag end through the loop and pull that loop back through the wraps and it brings the tag end along with it.  I used to use this approach with string serving until I learned how to do it without the loop.  Can't do that with the wraps on the arrow so this is the way to go.  Thanks for doing it, I've got a boatload of turkey secondaries and a couple arrows waiting for feathers.  Very nice build-along.

George

[Dictionary]

ohhh i got the nail knot now. I didn't understand what you guys meant by tag end haha. I can be so slow sometimes  Now to learn the two feather fletch 

[Jtilley]

Really good build-a-long! I may have to try some of those