leather fletchings?

[stuckinthemud]

Can you use thin leather for fletchings?  If so, then how would you go about it?  Presumably you groove the arrow?

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

[Mr. Woolery]

I’m not at home or I’d go through my back issues. One of the articles about museum treasures showed what I think was a Turkish arrow (I could be totally wrong about the Turkish part, but it surely was an arrow) with leather fletching.

When you think about the characteristics of thin leather and modern plastic vanes, I don’t suppose it is all that different. For that matter, a lot of people seem to be using duct tape for vanes.

I’ve not tried leather, but I know I like feather fletching better than plastic vanes.

Patrick

[Hawkdancer]

I would think the leather has to be stiff as well as thin.  Grooving and wrapping along with glue, perhaps.
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Once the arrow has been launched I don't doubt leather fletching would work fine. Getting around the bow might be a different story.

[Strelets]

Although leather was often used for fletching crossbow bolts in the Middle Ages, I have never come across any reference to it being used for arrows. I would not shoot a leather-fletched arrow off my knuckle.

[EdwardS]

Parchment I've seen.  It works very well.

[Deerhunter21]

I think thin rawhide would work! Wet it and mold it and sew it or glue it!