[ChachiSnips]

I put a whisker biscuit on my hunting bow and after just a few shots the fletchings on my arrows were being pulled off the shaft. I know the size of the rest is correct. Has anyone else had issues with this? I've heard it can take a toll on the fletchings after awhile, but not after 3 shots...

 

[r33h]

when I had a WB on my bow...this same thing happened to me. My suggestion is drop it and go with a drop away...much better!

 

[thenson]

Here is what I found on the manufacturers website. I also included the link below. Hope this helps.

thenson

Tuning-Tips
My fletching wrinkles or tears, is there anything I can do to fix it? We have tested many different vanes from many different manufacturers and found that some hold up better than others. Here is what we have learned:

White vanes are the softest regardless of the manufacturer or material. This is because it takes a lot of dye to produce the white color and the dye weakens the vane. You will also notice that white vanes get discolored faster than other vanes.

Rubber based vanes are the easiest to glue to an arrow shaft, but are the weakest material to make vanes from. Most arrow manufacturers use rubber vanes because they are so easy to glue on and allow the mass production of arrows. You can tell a rubber vane by its usually textured surface and elastic nature. Rubber vanes have some memory, but when stretched past their elastic limit, they will wrinkle. Rubber vanes also wrinkle in flight due to the acceleration of the shot. You can expect about 150 shots before seeing damage to the vanes.

Urethane based vanes are the toughest vanes and hold up the best over the long term. They are however more difficult to glue to the arrow shaft. The base of the vanes must be cleaned well with a solvent, or simply dish soap. A good flexible glue like Flex-Flex glue works the best. Urethane based vanes don't oscillate during the shot, and are the most quiet as they fly through the air. You can expect 1000's of shots without damage to the vanes.

The best method we've found to affix the vanes to the shaft is as follows: First rub the shaft with a fine abrasive sandpaper or scotch bright. Use a flexible glue on the base of the vanes like the Bohning glue. Then dab a hard glue like super glue or goat-tough glue on the front and back of the vane. Let the arrow sit over night and then shoot it 1000's of times before having to worry about the fletching again.

We have found the following manufacturers to produce the best fletching and adhesives:

Bohning Company, Ltd.
7361 N. Seven Mile Rd.
Lake City, MI 49651
231-229-4247 Bohning makes the best overall vanes we have found. They will last indefinitely and bond easily to the arrow shaft using their flexible Bond-Tite cement. These vanes are available from most dealers, or from Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
Flex-Fletch Products
1840 Chandler Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55113
651-426-4882 Flex-Fletch makes excellent vanes that will last indefinitely. They also produce Flex-Fletch glue, which is a superior glue.
Bi-Delta Vane Systems
25 Dempster Street
Buffalo, NY 14206
716-896-4734 Bi-Delta vanes have a unique profile. They have a cut out in the middle that is supposed to reduce drag and increase range.
Arizona Archery Enterprises
2781 Valley View Dr.
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
928-772-9887


http://www.carolinaarcheryprod.com/tuning.04.html

 

[millstonesuper]

Imagine that

You are using a full contact rest and now having problems with your fletches, hmmmm?

 

[Mr. October]

You are using a full contact rest and now having problems with your fletches, hmmmm?

Kind of what I was thinking . . . but didn't want to sound sarcastic.

Yes . . I can not imagine that shooting your fletching through bristles would not, in some way, effect it.

 

[DrJAG2]

Put a drop of superglue at the front of each vane and you'll have no problems with the vanes tearing off again. If the vanes get a little waving from shooting, it won't make any difference; however, if you want them to be straight again, run them under a hair dryer for a minute or so, and they will straighten out.

 

[michihunter]

Use some Blazers. Problem solved. The WB is loved by many a hunter. Hard to believe they are all having problems yet continue using it. :wink:

 

[millstonesuper]

I don't mean to sound jerky, but I am always amazed at the guys (especially around here) that put the WB on their bow and then are mad because their fletches get wrinkled, fall off, or are damaged. It stands to reason that a full constant contact is going to damage fletches. It goes against everything I ever learned about arrow flight. No contact w/ the fletches = good shooting bow. Any contact = stumped shooter wondering why he can't shoot better. Just my .02 for what it is worth. When is the last time you saw a "pro" win with a biscuit? I can't remember when. I have heard about Jim Despart Shooting a 300 in a Blue Face round in a tournament once, but that's it.

 

[michihunter]

The Whisker Biscuit is touted as a Hunting rest. Not a tournamernt style rest. Even dropaways are shunned by the top tourny shooters. Doesn't make them less effective to those that like them.:wink:

 

[BingoFlyer]

Some vanes just hold up better than others. If you use AAE Speed Flite,Blazers, Fletch Tech, etc. you will not have a problem as said before a drop of glue on the front helps.

I shoot the same AAE Speed Flyte vanes for three years and the only vanes I replaced are those hit with another arrow.

I changed arrows this year and the new fletching (Vane Tech) looks new after several hundred shots.

 

[jtb1967]

I've been using Blazers with my WB this year and have had zero wrinkle problems so far.

 

[KO_32]

One thing to consider is , when the fletch goes through tthe biscuit it gives the arrow a trirl just like a t4 turbo nock I use a super glue and clean the shaft and vane with ether. I use blazers and never have a problem with ruffed vanes. I also put a drop of glue fore and aft the vane. Problem solved. I also use dropaways, for hunting they arn't better!
KO_32

 

[Daniel Grundman]

Wait. The quote you've found doesn't apply to Flex-Fletch Vanes. At least some of it doesn't. Just for the record, Flex-Fletch white vanes do not have more dye in them than our other vanes. Our white vanes are just as durable as any of our other vanes, which are the best vane available. All vanes are not created equal. The extrusion process others use to produce their vanes isn't comparable to our unique process. Daniel Grundman / Flex-Fletch products.

Here is what I found on the manufacturers website. I also included the link below. Hope this helps.

thenson

Tuning-Tips
My fletching wrinkles or tears, is there anything I can do to fix it? We have tested many different vanes from many different manufacturers and found that some hold up better than others. Here is what we have learned:

White vanes are the softest regardless of the manufacturer or material. This is because it takes a lot of dye to produce the white color and the dye weakens the vane. You will also notice that white vanes get discolored faster than other vanes.

Rubber based vanes are the easiest to glue to an arrow shaft, but are the weakest material to make vanes from. Most arrow manufacturers use rubber vanes because they are so easy to glue on and allow the mass production of arrows. You can tell a rubber vane by its usually textured surface and elastic nature. Rubber vanes have some memory, but when stretched past their elastic limit, they will wrinkle. Rubber vanes also wrinkle in flight due to the acceleration of the shot. You can expect about 150 shots before seeing damage to the vanes.

Urethane based vanes are the toughest vanes and hold up the best over the long term. They are however more difficult to glue to the arrow shaft. The base of the vanes must be cleaned well with a solvent, or simply dish soap. A good flexible glue like Flex-Flex glue works the best. Urethane based vanes don't oscillate during the shot, and are the most quiet as they fly through the air. You can expect 1000's of shots without damage to the vanes.

The best method we've found to affix the vanes to the shaft is as follows: First rub the shaft with a fine abrasive sandpaper or scotch bright. Use a flexible glue on the base of the vanes like the Bohning glue. Then dab a hard glue like super glue or goat-tough glue on the front and back of the vane. Let the arrow sit over night and then shoot it 1000's of times before having to worry about the fletching again.

We have found the following manufacturers to produce the best fletching and adhesives:

Bohning Company, Ltd.
7361 N. Seven Mile Rd.
Lake City, MI 49651
231-229-4247 Bohning makes the best overall vanes we have found. They will last indefinitely and bond easily to the arrow shaft using their flexible Bond-Tite cement. These vanes are available from most dealers, or from Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
Flex-Fletch Products
1840 Chandler Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55113
651-426-4882 Flex-Fletch makes excellent vanes that will last indefinitely. They also produce Flex-Fletch glue, which is a superior glue.
Bi-Delta Vane Systems
25 Dempster Street
Buffalo, NY 14206
716-896-4734 Bi-Delta vanes have a unique profile. They have a cut out in the middle that is supposed to reduce drag and increase range.
Arizona Archery Enterprises
2781 Valley View Dr.
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
928-772-9887


http://www.carolinaarcheryprod.com/tuning.04.html

 

[mdbowhunter]

The Whisker Biscuit is a fine hunting rest, but it helps if you pay attention to a few details when fletching yourself or when buying pre-fletched arrows.

First, a vane that is fairly stiff like Blazers or Flex Fletch work well. I have used 3-4" Flex Fletch vanes with my WB for years with no signs of wear or damage. They have a fairly slick surface and are very rigid which enables them to slide through the bristles easier.

Second, always apply a small dab of fletching cement to the leading tip of the vane. I would recommend this step especially on pre-fletched arrows. Many times this important detail is ommited. This will ensure the bristles dont catch the front of the vane and pull it off.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

 

[Arrroman]

The Whisker Biscuit is for Adult Use Only!

That means you have to tune the bow, use the correct spine arrow for the bow, and generally follow the suggestions that are given at the Carolina Archery website.

Cheap fletching jobs, underspine arrows, and untuned bows are definately not allowed with the whisker biscuit. Nor are they reccomended.

Parental discretion advised.

Good luck hunting! >>>------------->

 

[Mark250]

We see this alot at the shop. it is a common problem with a WB rest.

 

[AKDoug]

It is a common problem with poorly glued fletchings of the wrong type. Use Vanetecs or FlexFletch and the issue totally disapears. With FlexFletch I don't even get wrinkles.

 

[Moon]

WB with Bohning Blazer vanes

and your problems are over. Bohning had adhesion problems with some of their opaque vanes a while back but the problem is gone now. I've shot Blazers for over 12 months on a daily basis with absolutely no vane damage. What you will see is some residue buildup on the dark colored vanes. Periodically I will take a paper towel with a small amount of acetone to rub the residue off the vanes and they are good as new. The residue, believe it or not, is from the bristles on the rest.

The WB is one of the most durable and fool-proof hunting rests on the market and offers really good accuracy at hunting distances. I won't get into my thoughts on drop away rests for hunting because I don't want to turn this thread into a gang bang. Bottom line, shoot what you want and what you are prepared to maintain.

 

[sbninja]

I intially had duravanes(arrows fletched at proshop)

I had problems with vanes tearing. I Got a doz arrows from archery experts, fletched with the new duravane "savage" - a lot tougher vane. But almost every vane came off at the base. I would say very shody fletching job!

I bought a fletching jig, some loctite super glue gel, and now use AAE Elite Plastifletch. no problems through the wisker biscuit! In fact I only re-fletch when one arrow hits another, or when I want to change colors!

 

[thundertrap]

I bought some beman hunters that came from the factory with vanes, they didn't last anytime at all with the wb, beman must have used some crappy cement, I stripped them and put on feathers and have had zero problems since, and picked up a few feet per second as well, the feathers now look a little frayed on the edges after a few hundred shots but fly great and have no signs of coming loose.