5 Easy Steps
to make An Arrow
Making arrows can be the easiest and cheapest way to maintain your arrows. The number one reason that people start making their own arrows is the cost of having arrows fletch by a pro archery shop. I have found that it costs about $5 to have an arrow refletched at most pro shops. The other reason why we fletch our own arrows is to try different feathers or vein configuration. Making a dozen arrows will take one or two nights and you will still be able to watch your TV programs.
The first step is to get an arrow jig. The cost of an arrow jig can go from $20 to $80 depending on which jig you want. The jig that I use is the Dial-O-Fletch by Bitzenburger. This jig will allow you flexibility in arrow setup for different hunting situations. The most important aspect of a jig is that it holds the fletch in the right helical or the angle that the fletch is at. The helical is what makes the arrow spin in flight. The jig must also hold the fletch in the right place on the arrow. There are two types of helicals, the right and the left. The helical that is used doesn't make any difference as long as all your arrows have the same helical. I should also point out that there is also a strait helical. I have tried this and would not suggest it for a hunting situation.
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The next two items that you will need is a shaft and the feather or veins. This is where the rubber meets the road or the feather meets the shaft. The shaft can be found at the local pro shop or a catalog. You will want to have the arrow shaft cut to the correct length by the pro shop or catalog, this will save you money and time. When picking your shaft you must look at the charts that the arrow companies provide to make sure that you get the right arrow for your bow and draw length.
The next step is the feather or vein. This is why I like fletching my own arrows. There are hundreds of different kinds of feathers and veins out there. I have tried a lot of them. The only real way to decide whether to put feathers or veins on is to try them. This way you will find out which one works best for you. In this setup we will be using the Blazer vanes. I have just discovered them and they shoot great with broad heads.
This packet costs only $15 for a 100 veins, and yes you will have to get two colors. The cost of different feathers and veins can vary.
Before we get to far ahead of ourselves, how are we going to attach the vein to the arrow? I have found the best way is to us Fletch Tite cement. One tub will last you a long time. The glue dries fast, holds the feather or vanes good, and it is easy to clean off the shaft when stripping off old fletch.
Before we can talk about putting on a new fletch, we have to talk about removing the old fetches. When removing the old fletch, you will need a utility knife and acetone. The utility knife will cut off the old fetches and glue, being careful not to cut into the shaft of the arrow. The acetone on a rag will remove any remaining glue on the shaft, be careful not to get any acetone on the nock, it will melt it. The Acetone has to be dried off the shaft before attaching the new fletches.
Now the fun begins. To start with set the jig to put the fletches on about a half inch from the nock. This setup may have to be changed as you begin to know what you want. All the rest of the veins will have to be alligned with the ones that are already on arrows.
The next step is to glue the vein onto the shaft. This is where a good jig comes in to play. Using the clamp to hold onto the vein you run a bead of glue onto the vein.
At this point you will have to place the clamp on the jig and the arrow shaft. The glue will take about 20 minutes to setup to hold the vane onto the shaft. Be careful not to get glue on the clamp because you will glue the clamp to the shaft. The skills needed to make arrows takes time to build up and the first couple of arrows might not come out as good as you were hoping.
We now have three veins on the arrow. This is the setup that I use, but with a good jig you could have put on four or five veins.
The next step is to put a drop of glue at each end of the feather or vein. This will prevent the feather or vein from being removed by going too deep into a target. This step is very important.
The last step is to adjust the nock. This is done with a tool that comes with the extra nock that you will buy. There are a lot of people that adjust the nock on the bow string. This puts stress on the bow string and can shorten the life of the string. The tool is easy to use. Put the tool on the nock and turn until it's in the setup you want.
You are ready to get started.
Good luck
and
Good shooting!
