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Best fletching glue for carbon arrows

39K views 53 replies 47 participants last post by  nvcnvc 
#1 ·
Hey folks. I need some help fletching help. I have been using bohning fletchtite platinum and can not get my fletchig to stay in very well. Its seems like it is always just one fletching that comes off. I am using a straight arizona ez fletch with blazer vanes. I roughed up the surface with a green scratch pad and cleaned with alcohol. I would appreciate any help not only with the glue but other tips for fletching.
 
#2 ·
fletch tite platinum works very very well just takes awhile to set so your gonna want to leave the vane in the jig for about 5-10 minutes and maybe put a small dab on the leading edge of the vane. also i would let sit 24-36 hours before shooting them.

other than FT platiunum loctite ultra control gel super glue works very well as well as gorilla glue impact resistant super glue (with light blue cap)


Eric
 
#6 ·
I get maxi-cure at my local bowshop and it works great on carbons...used it for along time and hardly ever have a vane fall off..if they do its usually hit with another arrow...The shop uses it all the time and they fletch literally thousands without any complaints...it advertises on the bottle 10-25 sec glue...it works..
 
#18 ·
denatured alchol!regular alchol has oil in it !then check date on fletc tite!if it has been opened it less efective
Hey folks. I need some help fletching help. I have been using bohning fletchtite platinum and can not get my fletchig to stay in very well. Its seems like it is always just one fletching that comes off. I am using a straight arizona ez fletch with blazer vanes. I roughed up the surface with a green1 scratch pad and cleaned with alcohol. I would appreciate any help not only with the glue but other tips for fletching.
!
 
#49 ·
denatured alchol!regular alchol has oil in it !then check date on fletc tite!if it has been opened it less efective!

I've used fletchtite for years. I've also noticed that the older the tube of fletchtite is the less effective it becomes. It definately has a shelf life once its been opened. If you do it right, and the tube has been open for less than say about 6 months it will hold strong for a long time!
-Clean shafts with acetone to remove any oils.
-Glue on fletching as you normally would, spread glue evenly on fletching base, clamp fletching to arrow, being sure not to push too hard on the shaft.
-Let fletching stay clampl at least 5 mins, i usually try to go for at least 15 minutes.
-When all fletchings have been glued or are set, I put a dab of glue on the front and back of each vain to help secure the ends.
-The most important part is to also allow the glue to "cure" for at least 24 hrs, although I think it says 48 hrs on the tube.

I was just now using some of the Fletch Tite Platinum that I've always used, but have been having issues with the vanes not staying on even after letting them sit/cure for 2 days after gluing. The bottle I have is probably about a yr old, and the glue was starting to get difficult to squeeze out, so it is probably too old and why it is not working. If you have the patience Fletch Tite Platinum works well, but just remember if you haven't used the tube or it has been opened for quite a while, its probably best to get a fresh tube. One tube should be enough for a few dozen arrows.
 
#23 ·
yeah loctitie contol gel is awesome but ya dont get much outta it, maybe a dozen or 2 arrows and when it starts getting low squeezing the sides of the bottle sucks...

FT platinum or gorilla glue or loctite or goat tuff i've founmd different glues work better on different vanes/arrows.

Eric
 
#25 ·
I've used Platinum with good results as long as I let it sit in the jig extra long, honestly I think that's a lot of guys problems with superglues too, either too much glue, or taking them out of the fletching jig too fast, or a combination of the two, especially with gel since it seems to need a bit more drying time than the liquid. I had to learn to that putting too much pressure on the vane on the shaft either with like a bitz or even cranking down the ez fletch too hard causes problems because the edges of the vane glue trough get bent up and don't adhere well. My vanes stuck a lot better when I quit "squishing" the vanes on the shaft too hard. The platinum stuff is just a perfect consistency and a good applicator nose that it always produces the nicest/neatest looking glue jobs for me, but I have better overall luck with superglue sticking.

I tried the gorilla glue, and it works great but the 2 oz applicator sucks, the bottle I got was really stiff to squeeze, so you really had to squeeze on it and I'd tend to get too little or too much glue all the time, but I am loving it for inserts/bushings etc. but I've noticed it takes a bit longer to dry than other super glues even other gels. The locktite big squeeze bottles are a huge rip off but I get a lot better application/glue control with them. I also think the liquid superglue sticks better than the gels but the liquid stuff doesn't work well in an EZ fletch for me, by the time I get three vanes in there, the glue has migrated to the bottom of the vane on the first two and I end up with too much at the bottom of vanes and then in the Fletcher arm pivots.

I used to like the AAE fastset gel, but it seems like you get one really good tube, then one bad tube where the liquid seems to have separated from the "gel" superglue and it won't squeeze out evenly so you end up with clumps on the vane, which means a sloppy glue job.
 
#29 ·
The best of the best is Flex-Bond. Been using it for a long time now.

If doing a refletch, I scrape off the old fletchings with a somewhat dull knife. Use sand paper ~#100 grit, wipe with regular alcohol, wipe dry, then fletch.

I have NEVER lost a fletching to that glue nor that procedure. I have cut them off by shooting them through my garage but the bases remaind, I have shot them off with other arrows, but not one has fallen off. Not even the old flat base Blazers.

Skeet.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Over the last six years I have done some extensive testing on adhesives, I guess I have tested just about every super glue on the market. There are tons of adhesives on the market and most are made by only a few manufactures and labeled with various company brand names. I know of at least 5 or 6 well known archery companies that get their adhesives from the same manufacture. Day to day glues can appear to change, one day they work every well and the next you may pull your hair thinking what the heck is wrong with this adhesive. It isn't the adhesive, weather conditions are critical when working with super glue. We actually made our fletching room climate controlled, the humidity stays at 65% and the temperature stays at around 75 degrees year round.

Here are some key point if you follow them you will not have many issues using super glue on vanes.

Shaft Cleaning You should wipe them off with warm soapy water then rinse with warm clear water or use alcohol

Humidity Control This is critical very low humidity or if you have humidity over 65% you are going to have issues. Super glue responds to moisture, it is an activator too little and it wont setup, too much and you have blooming issues.

Vane Prep (super glue primer) A lot of vane companies say there is no need to prep their vanes but I have found treating vanes with a primer makes the stick faster and adhere much better.

Proper Jig Setup If you use a bitz type jig you need to fine tune the setup. The clamps must be fitted to arrow shafts using a file to fine tune the edge of the clamp so it sits against the shafts from one end of the clamp to the other

Glue Control (less is more with super glue) There are no glue bottles on the market that have the perfect size tips. We purchase our super glues in 1# bottles and transfer it into 2 oz very soft sided bottles and use a micro tip. the tips are about the size of a hypodermic needle at the end and we cut them to fit the viscosity of the glue being used.

Viscosity The thinner the better, the closer together the two items that are being glued are the stronger the bond. You can actually use super glues as thin as water if you can control the amount placed on the vane but problems in inconsistencies in the shafts or vanes make thin glues not very practical. We have found the best all around viscosity to give the best coverage and adhesion is a range of 800 to 1500 cP. This does not mean that gels aren't good, they are very good choice for the home archer, minor setup issue with fletching jigs, vane and shaft inconsistencies are not an issue when using a gel.
 
#37 ·
Its interesting that the majority of us all swear by different glues. i found that the best thing to do is experiment and see what works best on your particular shafts, vane and wrap combo. I was using Loc Tite Ultra Gel for my set-up, but was having issues with the last set of vanes i bought (maybe it was humidity as SouthShore pointed out or maybe the Blazers). I tried Loc Tite Professional (not a gel) and it worked better than any other glue i have tried...period! This was the same day and same conditions that i was using the Gel too.

For the LT Professional, i cleaned the shafts with denatured alcohol and NOT the vane base (Blazers). They all stuck immediately and I needed plyers to pull the test vane off not 2 minutes after fletching it. Professional is very thin and for me, i like it better....it allows me to better control the amount on the vane. i always keep a small amount of paper or the backing that wraps come on and use the edge to evenly distribute a small amount of glue on the vane. works great for me.

i am also curious about SouthShores last comment about inconsistencies in shaft and vanes and the use of thin glues not being practical - maybe i dont pay enough attention, but i have never ran into a problem with shaft of vane consistencies that didnt allow the vane to sit firmly on the shaft.
 
#41 ·
The average adhesive on the market for use by the general public is somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 to 1500 cP, the average gel exceeds 4000 cP, all of these viscosities have some level of gap filling capability. Loctite professional is very thin when compared to the average super glue its viscosity is 40 cP. We also tried a number of adhesives in that viscosity range and in a production shop it wasnt a good fit. The adhesive I am referring to are 2 cP which is about the consistency of water, this adhesive is used in the manufacturing industry where it is actually sprayed onto items to be glued. We experimented with using these adhesives to fletch our arrows and found there were small gaps from time to time because water thin adhesive will not fill a gap even the slightest gap.

dblungem, I would love to discuss adhesives with you sometime if you would like to call me in the shop.
 
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