Author Topic: does grease,oil,heating,coatings,grooves add strength to arrows!!!  (Read 2408 times)

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birdpointlightstring32

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If an arrow were to be soaked in grease or oil would it add integrity to the arrow to prevent breakage. or any other method coatings,grooves,wax,heating, or heating the grease to soak into the wood. Thank you for any advice. :)

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: does grease,oil,heating,coatings,grooves add strength to arrows!!!
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2012, 01:21:52 pm »
Some wood might respond to oil by becoming more flexible but I don't know for sure.  Osage and juniper have oils that help preserve the wood but I don't know if their oils also increase elasticity.  They probably do.  These two woods would probably benefit from a hot oil "bath" but I can't think of any others right now.  Oil or fat soaked into the wood will also add weight, so you might want to think twice about doing it.

Look up "heat tempering" to get more info on heating shafts to strengthen them.  It does work but it's an advanced technique that takes time to learn, IMO.

Grooves or wax do not add strength, IMO.

The strongest arrows are made out of strong wood: like hickory, bamboo, ipe, etc.
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

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Offline Bevan R.

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Re: does grease,oil,heating,coatings,grooves add strength to arrows!!!
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2012, 01:24:52 pm »
First and formost understand, wood will never be as 'durable' as modern materials (carbon, fiberglass, aluminum). If cared for, and shot from a tillered bow that matches the arrow, wood arrows will last just fine without all the things you are talking about doing.
Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

birdpointlightstring32

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Re: does grease,oil,heating,coatings,grooves add strength to arrows!!!
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2012, 02:37:18 pm »
Thank you for the advice. I use oak 3/8 dowels at lowes and compared to sitka spruce    oak by far is far more durable taking dozens of hits on rocks and trees. I received some sitka spruce arrows as a christmas gift. an accidental miss and i had to cut the shaft and remount my brass point. I was amazed at the performance of dry oak lowes dowels.

Offline CraigMBeckett

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Re: does grease,oil,heating,coatings,grooves add strength to arrows!!!
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2012, 09:52:26 am »
If an arrow were to be soaked in grease or oil would it add integrity to the arrow to prevent breakage. or any other method coatings,grooves,wax,heating, or heating the grease to soak into the wood. Thank you for any advice. :)

If you were to soak shafts in oil/grease so that shaft becomes saturated then you would be adding mass to the shaft, not always a desirable thing. There is also a belief amongst some that shafts treated that way would become more flexible, that is lose spine

Craig