Couple of questions... I use to do a lot of target shooting and some hunting long ago. At that time I used Easton Aluminum arrows. So for Christmas my wife got me a gift card to (national chain) where I promptly got all new archery equipment. I love my bow (Diamond Stud) but I was not pleased with the setup. They had me take a couple shots to get it aligned but after final setup they handed the bow to me and said good bye! (Meaning no checkout shots at their indoor range.) So I got it home and set up my Block with a couple bails of straw behind it. First thing I noticed was that the drop-away was mis aligned causing the arrow to rest too high to properly seat in the retainer. After shooting 18 arrows the serving on the peep started to unwind. So I re-aligned the sight and re-served the peep. Small issues but inconsistent with what I'd expected from (national chain). At about 36 shots, the inserts for the screw in field tips started to work loose and I noticed that several of the nocks are also loose. I'm using a (national chain) block. Every arrow has hit the target (block). None have hit the ground or the straw. I pull the arrows straight out, without twisting, with my hand gripping the arrows shaft. Is there something different between Aluminum and Graphite where I need to remove the arrows differently? The arrows are a set of 12 Gold Tip 5575's from (national chain) that are all fitted with field tips. Funny thing with them also. Some have the cock feather on top while others have it on the side (perpendicular to the string). Some have the nock with the ridge to the left, others to the right. What's the deal (seconds)? So, 1. What glue do I need to get to attach the inserts to the inside of the shaft? 2. What glue do I need to get to attach the nock to the shaft? I think I might just have to start building my own arrows
1. I have used epoxy in the past and that works well but it sometimes failed. Now I use Ferr-L-Tie hot melt glue and it works very well. The problem is the constant pounding on the insert. Most glues eventually chrystalize and then the pounding causes the glue to break. With hot melt it tends to stay more "elastic" and not chrystalize therefore the pounding does not "break" the glue. 2. I don't glue the nocks, have never needed too but I do glue bushings and I use hot melt for them too. You can't use the hot melt for the nock but I would suggest new nocks anyway, something like bohning signature nocks should fit nice and snug.
I'm not 100% postive but I don't think you need to glue your nocks in. They're a compression fit. Just push them in tight. You can also align them however you want with your fletching. The inserts coming out is a different issue. They need to be glued in with a hotmelt glue. I had that problem with some poorly made arrows from a pro shop. (any shop, big or small... is only as good as the person behind the counter)
Thanks! I didn't know that the nocks were a press fit - that answers both the nock and the feather alignment issues. I do lots of work with system 3 and west system epoxy so I might just give them a try. (I've had REAL GOOD LUCK with system 3 in shock and vibration environments.) Thanks again!
The key with epoxies is that you have to use a slow setting epoxy (at least 12 hr but preferably 24 hr.). They are hard to come by so most shops just use a 15 minute which gets too brittle, like Bruce described. I've used a lot of different resins in boat building/repair and the West Systems or System 3 should work fine. The problem with epoxy is that ounce they're in, especially with those epoxies, they're in for good. You'll ruin the arrow trying to remove them. That's another benefit of hot melt glue. Just be careful that you don't overheat the insert to the point it damages the carbon, and NEVER heat the carbon! You need just enough heat to melt the glue and no more. A good trick is to keep your fingers on the shaft and if it gets too hot to hold, it's too hot! Keep a glass of water handy to dip it into.
10-4 on the heating cabron composite shafts. The binder for the carbon fibers is essentially epoxy and heating - even for a moment - over 300F breaks the cross linked chains. This results in weak (right where it needs to be the strongest) and/or out right ruined shafts. It's kind of like heating LocTite to get it loose. Yep, you got it loose but it's no good any longer.
