ok, so I bought a half dozen arrows the other day, first day out shooting them and I've got 4 arrows that need to be refletched... I have ZERO fletching equipment on hand, what do I need to get setup to do this??? I don't think I need top-o-the-line gear but I don't want to skimp and buy crap either... I've been thinking about doing this for a while but I'd never blown any fletching off my arrows before this weekend... frankly, my old setup didn't penetrate the bails far enough to tear the vanes off... and please tell me I can buy all the stuff at BassPro on the way home from work tomorrow...
Seven, you will be able to buy all the stuff from BassPro on the way home from work. I started fletching my own arrows about 5 years ago. Just buy a simple fletching jib with a slight off-set right helical and some fletching glue....that is really all you need. Ask the guys at BassPro and they should have you walking out the door spending less than $35 to buy everything you need to refletch a half dozen arrows.
the tape??? cheapest jig i saw at BP was like 35 bucks... other than the jig, everything else is gonna cost the same anyway, might as well get a good jig... so I guess I'll get the bitzenburger jig, a couple packs of blazers in different colors and a bottle of glue... anything I should watch for on the technique???
$20 jig (simple little plastic jig) $5 glue $10 20 vanes or so....=$35 That could vary by $15 or so---$35-$50
Make sure you get complete contact from your vanes on your arrow. Also, place a little (just a tiny) extra glue on the front and back of the vane to make sure it doesn't tear off mid-flight and send your arrow into the woods!
Fletching is easy enough. As stated get a jig (personally I prefer the bitzenburger but most jigs will suffice), get the fletches (blazers it looks like), glue (tape only works with feathers) and get started. I would recommend dry fitting first to determine where you want the fletches to sit on the shaft. after dry fitting tighten everything down and then start fletching. Even if you don't get it perfect the first few fletches they likely will be good enough to shoot. Some other stuff you may want to get is Denatured alcohol for cleaning the shafts before fletching. A semi sharp knife for gently scraping. Some will recommend against it but I use Acetone for removing the more stubborn remnants of glue. Some clean rags to use.
Yeah don't use tape if you're using vanes. Feathers? Absolutely. It doesn't work very well with vanes though, in my experience. The only real "art form" to fletching is how much glue to use. You'll get the hang of it quickly enough though. The clamp has hash marks on it so you can get each vane in the same place.....you'll just need to adjust the clamp so it sits flush on the arrow, again not very difficult at all. The Bitz is the best in the biz, but......for about half the cost you can get a Grayling that will work equally as well.
I just started fletching recently and I got the Bitz. It's a little more expensive but it is very easy to use!
the uptick is that with two boys that shoot also I'm in need of repairing a few of their arrows as well... long term it'll save me money to do it right the first time... thanks fellas!!! must feed the addiction...
I know that the Bitz is known as the best, but I bought a Jo-Jan. It's all metal, easy to use and works beautifully. I don't know what the Bitz does that the Jo-Jan doesn't. I've fletched hundreds of arrows with perfect results. After a little practice you'll be a pro.
I switched to Blazers recently and fletched a dozen arrows with them over tape. I've shot approx. 500 arrows and have not expirienced a problem with the vanes over tape. Can you fill me in why you think this combination doesn't work?
I have not had fletches adhere very well and others have told me the same thing. Perhaps we did something wrong. EDIT: I did not use blazers when doing this, just 4" vanes.
Go for it, pretty simple and a great way to save some money in the long run. I enjoy fletching my own. I use a grayling jig I paid $25 like 10 years ago. I fletched hundreds of arrows with it and never had a problem. You can also save money by using Duco cement. Most hardware stores carries it and its under $2.00 a tube. Been using it for years and never lost a feather on wood or carbon arrows!
