Crest Wrapped and Fletched a Few

Todd1700 · September 22, 2011, 01:25 PM

Got a few more arrows ready for the recurve for the upcoming season. Think they turned out well.

g.willikers · September 22, 2011, 02:46 PM

Nice work.
A well made arrow is just about a piece of art.
So is a recurve, come to think.
What are you using on the other end?

Pahoo · September 22, 2011, 02:54 PM

Todd
Very nice work as I know what it took to get to this point. I use to make my own back in the late 80,s and it is fun. That was before carbon fiber and alum. was just coming on. Nice to see Turkey feather fletching as well. Again, they will look pretty on your bow quiver. .....

Be Safe !!!

Todd1700 · September 22, 2011, 08:21 PM

Quote:

What are you using on the other end?

Zwickey 160 grain 2 blade No Mercy

Wild Bill Bucks · September 23, 2011, 12:06 PM

Good looking work Todd. Like Pahoo, this brings back memories from the late 70's. My first deer was killed with an arrow that I had made myself. When I was making them I had to use the Zwickey that had to be hot glued without the insert so tuning the arrow was a bit of a chore, but I got to shoot a lot more because of it.
I had a fletch burner, that had the shape of a lightning bolt on the top edge, and I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen. All my arrows had my name written in silver along the side of the arrow, and I thought I was Fred Bear.

Good to see someone has the time & energy to do things the good old long, hard way. I'm sure it gives you a real sense of accomplishment.
Most people don't have a clue exactly how much work and time it takes to make a dozen quality arrows.

warbirdlover · September 23, 2011, 11:11 PM

Very nice fletching job! Glad to see you didn't use a helical fletch (noisy). I used to own an archery shop and fletched literally thousands of arrows (including my own target arrows). Did you put a drop of glue on the front and back of each fletch? Really helps keep them on if you sink them too deep in the target (or deer).

Art Eatman · September 24, 2011, 09:25 AM

During the summer of 1948 I went on a "real Injun" kick. Bows'n'arrers, breechcloth, armbands, home-made moccasins. All that stuff. The only store-bought items were nylon thread and airplane glue for the fletching, and bowstrings.

Ran down the neighbor's turkeys for wing feathers. Several efforts with cedar before success in making a bow stave that wouldn't split. Barrel hoop for the arrowheads. Some sort of local bush (still don't know the name) for 26" arrow shafts.

I guess the final effort was around a 40-pound pull. Good enough to send a flight arrow some 389 long steps. Not bad for a fourteen-year-old kid.

A few cottontails, one fox, one rattlesnake and a little spike buck that I shot through the head.

My mother was quite pleased when school started, that fall.

Pahoo · September 24, 2011, 10:16 AM

I can still recall purchasing our arrow cedar shafts in 100Cnt. bundles, from a woodworking supply house. We would sort through the bunch and pick out the straightest of the lot. Some we steamed and straightened. The rest we just threw away. Pretty excited when I shot my first squirrel with one of our arrows as most of the time, we got skunked. Made our own fletching burner out of element wire from an old toaster and shaft turning jig, out of an old record player motor/mechanism. Back then, life was not fair but we didn't care as long we had bow in hand, arrows and a cool autumn morning. ...

Be Safe !!!

warbirdlover · September 24, 2011, 08:45 PM

I used to make my own bowstrings. It's alot of fun. You just need to make a jig and get the materials. They were far better then the ones you buy. Lasted forever and I could make them all the exact same length. Take a few purchased ones of a certain length and see how close to each other they really are!

Gunplummer · September 24, 2011, 09:23 PM

Look good, lot of work there. What kind of wood are you using? Good cedar must be getting scarce. I was using some kind of foreign spruce for a while. Really don't get time to go lately.

Art Eatman · September 24, 2011, 10:06 PM

Before the days of alloys and fiberglass, "Port Orford Cedar" was the usual availability. Pacific coast, IIRC; Oregon?

Pahoo · September 25, 2011, 09:39 AM

We started out with "Port Orford Cedar" and use to buy them by the 100cnt. bundles. They flew fairly well and then we went to fiberglass and they flew like telephone poles. I would suspect and expect that the OP is using aluminum as if you are going to invest that much effort into these beauties, then use the best. We use to buy our wing feathers already stripped from the quill. I still have some of these old arrows and my grandkids have mounted them on their walls. A buddy of mine still makes bow strings and another, napps his own heads. ....

Life it good !!
Be Safe !!!

Todd1700 · September 25, 2011, 09:56 AM

Quote:

I would suspect and expect that the OP is using aluminum as if you are going to invest that much effort into these beauties, then use the best.

Yep. The shafts are Easton Legacy 2016 aluminum. They are just painted by Easton to have a wood grain look.

Gunplummer · September 25, 2011, 02:20 PM

Nothing wrong with that, like I said good wood is probably getting scarce.

shootniron · September 25, 2011, 02:21 PM

Those look great. What kind of gun do you shoot them in?

langenc · September 25, 2011, 09:59 PM

In the late 50s we went to an archery shop and bought shafts. We didnt have to buy the whole 100-just a dozen alrteady splined and pretty straight.
At that time they were about $3.50/doz as I recall.

Todd1700 · September 25, 2011, 10:51 PM

Quote:

In the late 50s we went to an archery shop and bought shafts. We didnt have to buy the whole 100-just a dozen alrteady splined and pretty straight.
At that time they were about $3.50/doz as I recall.

Them days is loooong gone. LOL!

September 22, 2011, 01:25 PM	#1
Todd1700 Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2008 Posts: 192	Crest Wrapped and Fletched a Few Got a few more arrows ready for the recurve for the upcoming season. Think they turned out well.

September 22, 2011, 02:46 PM	#2
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Nice work. A well made arrow is just about a piece of art. So is a recurve, come to think. What are you using on the other end? __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

September 22, 2011, 02:54 PM	#3
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Brings back memories !! Todd Very nice work as I know what it took to get to this point. I use to make my own back in the late 80,s and it is fun. That was before carbon fiber and alum. was just coming on. Nice to see Turkey feather fletching as well. Again, they will look pretty on your bow quiver. ..... Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

September 24, 2011, 10:16 AM	#8
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Seems like only yesterday I can still recall purchasing our arrow cedar shafts in 100Cnt. bundles, from a woodworking supply house. We would sort through the bunch and pick out the straightest of the lot. Some we steamed and straightened. The rest we just threw away. Pretty excited when I shot my first squirrel with one of our arrows as most of the time, we got skunked. Made our own fletching burner out of element wire from an old toaster and shaft turning jig, out of an old record player motor/mechanism. Back then, life was not fair but we didn't care as long we had bow in hand, arrows and a cool autumn morning. ... Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

September 25, 2011, 09:39 AM	#12
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	I can still smell the Neatlack. .. !! We started out with "Port Orford Cedar" and use to buy them by the 100cnt. bundles. They flew fairly well and then we went to fiberglass and they flew like telephone poles. I would suspect and expect that the OP is using aluminum as if you are going to invest that much effort into these beauties, then use the best. We use to buy our wing feathers already stripped from the quill. I still have some of these old arrows and my grandkids have mounted them on their walls. A buddy of mine still makes bow strings and another, napps his own heads. .... Life it good !! Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

September 23, 2011, 12:06 PM	#5
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	Good looking work Todd. Like Pahoo, this brings back memories from the late 70's. My first deer was killed with an arrow that I had made myself. When I was making them I had to use the Zwickey that had to be hot glued without the insert so tuning the arrow was a bit of a chore, but I got to shoot a lot more because of it. I had a fletch burner, that had the shape of a lightning bolt on the top edge, and I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen. All my arrows had my name written in silver along the side of the arrow, and I thought I was Fred Bear. Good to see someone has the time & energy to do things the good old long, hard way. I'm sure it gives you a real sense of accomplishment. Most people don't have a clue exactly how much work and time it takes to make a dozen quality arrows.

September 23, 2011, 11:11 PM	#6
warbirdlover Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2009 Location: central Wisconsin Posts: 2,324	Very nice fletching job! Glad to see you didn't use a helical fletch (noisy). I used to own an archery shop and fletched literally thousands of arrows (including my own target arrows). Did you put a drop of glue on the front and back of each fletch? Really helps keep them on if you sink them too deep in the target (or deer).

September 24, 2011, 09:25 AM	#7
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	During the summer of 1948 I went on a "real Injun" kick. Bows'n'arrers, breechcloth, armbands, home-made moccasins. All that stuff. The only store-bought items were nylon thread and airplane glue for the fletching, and bowstrings. Ran down the neighbor's turkeys for wing feathers. Several efforts with cedar before success in making a bow stave that wouldn't split. Barrel hoop for the arrowheads. Some sort of local bush (still don't know the name) for 26" arrow shafts. I guess the final effort was around a 40-pound pull. Good enough to send a flight arrow some 389 long steps. Not bad for a fourteen-year-old kid. A few cottontails, one fox, one rattlesnake and a little spike buck that I shot through the head. My mother was quite pleased when school started, that fall.

September 24, 2011, 08:45 PM	#9
warbirdlover Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2009 Location: central Wisconsin Posts: 2,324	I used to make my own bowstrings. It's alot of fun. You just need to make a jig and get the materials. They were far better then the ones you buy. Lasted forever and I could make them all the exact same length. Take a few purchased ones of a certain length and see how close to each other they really are!

September 24, 2011, 09:23 PM	#10
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Look good, lot of work there. What kind of wood are you using? Good cedar must be getting scarce. I was using some kind of foreign spruce for a while. Really don't get time to go lately.

September 24, 2011, 10:06 PM	#11
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Before the days of alloys and fiberglass, "Port Orford Cedar" was the usual availability. Pacific coast, IIRC; Oregon?

September 25, 2011, 02:20 PM	#14
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Nothing wrong with that, like I said good wood is probably getting scarce.

September 25, 2011, 02:21 PM	#15
shootniron Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2011 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,599	Those look great. What kind of gun do you shoot them in?

September 25, 2011, 09:59 PM	#16
langenc Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2007 Location: Montmorency Co, MI Posts: 1,551	In the late 50s we went to an archery shop and bought shafts. We didnt have to buy the whole 100-just a dozen alrteady splined and pretty straight. At that time they were about $3.50/doz as I recall.