Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: The Gopher on January 17, 2010, 11:52:29 pm

Title: HELP! Tie on fletching
Post by: The Gopher on January 17, 2010, 11:52:29 pm

I've been trying to get the hang of tying my fletching on and using a thread spiral wrapped up the shaft to hold the feathers flat. i love the way they look this way, but man it sure is tricky. does anyone have a good method of getting this done other than having a third arm grafted to my body? it seems like it should be simple but it sure isn't for me. the few that i have finished look good, but it takes like an hour for me to do one. any tips would help a lot. thanks, Dan.

Title: Re: HELP! Tie on fletching
Post by: zenmonkeyman on January 18, 2010, 02:08:40 am

This video on youtube may help, he starts the fletching somewhere after the 7 minute mark if you're impatient.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Paleoaleo#p/u/5/N8N5M4stpMw

Title: Re: HELP! Tie on fletching
Post by: Oorlogsboog on January 18, 2010, 08:03:25 am

Another few helpfull flicks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1-snubaJTw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1-snubaJTw)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkhAA9PJCRE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkhAA9PJCRE)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GHZ_lf-CVI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GHZ_lf-CVI)

and my personal favourite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxeFvDgXE54 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxeFvDgXE54)

Title: Re: HELP! Tie on fletching
Post by: Scowler on January 19, 2010, 10:59:05 am

There was a good article in this website's magazine, volume 17, issue 3, which demonstrates how to spiral wrap fletchings to arrow shafts.  The author, Neil Wilhelm, also uses pitch to secure the fletchings but I found the wrapping technique illustrated in this article works quite well even without using pitch.  Since I don't use pitch I have to pin the arrow shaft up against my kitchen counter with my body when tying on fletchings.  This frees up both my hands for tying on the fletchings.