[Myk]

Contrary to what the carbon fans claim is possible, I bent one.
Side swiped a target going 290fps and sunk it an inch or two deep into a plywood covered 2x4.

I was very careful tearing apart my shed to dig it out because I was assured by the carbon fans on AT that carbon doesn't bend like aluminum, especially not from a slight contact with a measly wooden shed.

I changed the point, the insert and the nock and it still has a wobble that wasn't there before (.001" arrows).
I tried very hard to flex it to the point of breaking and it seems OK in that aspect, it's simply no longer straight.
So can it be used as the first arrow to set the sight or judge the wind?

 

[Dub]

Of course you can damage them....anyone thinking otherwise is misguided.

I'd trash that arrow.

 

[TOOL]

Absolutely, carbon will weaken. Chack your arrows on a spinner and see if you can locate the wobble. If it's at the end, you might get away with cutting it down and giving it to your wife, kid, etc.

 

[stiffwindpsr]

After reading some of the stories here and seeing the pictures DON'T SHOOT IT!!!!!!!!!Just trash it and forget about it.It might shoot 50 more times or,it might shoot once and blow through your hand.I test all my carbons now every time I pull them out of the target.There's to many horror stories to take that chance.Heck were only talking $10 or so,not worth losing a minutes sleep over that.

 

[meanv2]

Trash it!! Don't even think about shooting that puppy

 

[KYShooter]

Replace insert and tip, set it aside for a day or so, and see if it is still bent. Carbon has memory, and will come back. Least that is what I have heard.

 

[Myk]

Thanks.
Yeah, even though it's still strong I didn't trust it not to snap when it takes off because of the bend.
There's no saving it for a short draw. It's pretty much the whole back half that has a bow in it.

Although I'll keep it around for the next time someone bad mouth's aluminum and paints carbon as nearly indestructable (have to devise a new vane mark for bad carbons so I don't treat it like a bent aluminum ).
Seems they both have the same reaction to that shot (I shoot my shed a lot ).
I'm not totally down on carbon, I wouldn't be shooting an aluminum 290fps. But they're sure not as durable as some around here claim.

At least I did finally figure out the problem with that bow and get it tuned.

 

[Myk]

Replace insert and tip, set it aside for a day or so, and see if it is still bent. Carbon has memory, and will come back. Least that is what I have heard.

That's what I was hoping to hear. It did seem to have less wobble after I replaced everything and rechecked it after I got done shooting.
Here's to crossed fingers. :darkbeer:

 

[boojo35]

What kind of carbon arrow is it? They are not all created equal you know.

 

[Maybee-R]

when in doubt throw it out .ask my buddy with a hole in his hand doctors cost more than arrows

 

[cletus1185]

my opinion

a friend of mine had an arrow break and stick his hand to the grip so in my opinion it is not worth the 5 or 10 bucks an arrows costs. I shoot Maximas and as much as it hurts to loose or break one I would throw it away personally

 

[Myk]

What kind of carbon arrow is it? They are not all created equal you know.

GT UL Pro 400

 

[boojo35]

The ultralight arrows are not as strong as a heavier carbon arrow. They still take some abuse though. IMO though, carbon is either broken, or it is as straight as it started. I have NEVER seen a bent carbon arrow and I have shot them since the original bemans came out. An aluminum carbon is a different story. They do bend. If you change the insert and point and it is straighter, it would seem that that is what you bent. Are you positive that the arrow was straighter when you started? Another thing to do besides bending the arrow to see if it is broken is twist the arrow. That will show some cracks sometimes. Make sure you listen as well as visually inspect it when you do it.

 

[Myk]

I have NEVER seen a bent carbon arrow and I have shot them since the original bemans came out.

I'll sell it to you, it's a very rare one of a kind bent carbon, no others like it

It didn't get straighter from the insert and nock, the bend is in the back 2/3 of the shaft as far as I can tell. It got less bent while sitting on my bench waiting for me to come back inside and look at it again.

I know it's bent now and I know it started out spinning with no vibration, I spun them all and it clearly vibrates now when none of them did before. Being an old time aluminum shooter I have a habit of spinning my arrows often (plus with the way I shoot spinning them is the only real benefit I'll see from having .001" arrows ). The odds that this one didn't get spun ever aren't very high.
If it was aluminum it would be one you pull out of the target, spin and throw in a pile to straighten before shooting, it vibrates that bad.

I twisted and bent it trying to get it to break figuring that if it's bent it must have broken strands. I even rolled it bent over my knee. It's still very strong and doesn't make any noise.
If it does straighten I'd probably trust it, although I might find someone with a spine tester first.

 

[archerdad]

my son shot a beaman hawk into a tree earlier this year at a 3d shoot and by the time we got it out it looked bent.
so when we got home i pulled the insert thinking that was what was ben, lo and behold the shaft itself was bent.
go figure....

 

[CoppertoneSPF15]

Chances are, there's a separation in the layers. Composite don't have a plastic yield region like metals do. They aren't suppose to take a bend and still be intact. That's why carbon arrows are said to be unbendable.

If it is bent, very likely there's a failure somewhere between the layers. That's pretty much a broken arrow, definitely a candidate to poke some holes in your hand.

 

[jerrytee]

Coppertone has it correct. There are almost definately a collection of micro fractures and delaminations in the arrow.

 

[dartman]

Chances are, there's a separation in the layers. Composite don't have a plastic yield region like metals do. They aren't suppose to take a bend and still be intact. That's why carbon arrows are said to be unbendable.

If it is bent, very likely there's a failure somewhere between the layers. That's pretty much a broken arrow, definitely a candidate to poke some holes in your hand.

+2 to this.

I have a couple of pulltruded Bemans which also appear to be "bent" (from glancing blow with target stand). In reality they are split, with one half of the shaft having slipped in the outsert and the other still in the original location. One side of the arrow is longer than the other so it appears to be bent. Cut the outsert off and the bend goes away.

I'd say your arrow has internal delamination with asymetrical slippage, with the friction between the layers holding them in their slipped positions. While it may retain more structural integrity than a split pulltruded shaft, I still wouldn't shoot it.

 

[StevenB]

toss it, arrows are cheap, putting one through your hand isn't

 

[leblanc822]

Myk, do a search on "CHECK YOUR ARROWS", you'll see a good opinion base.