Used to use Bohning Fletch- Tite to glue feathers on aluminum arrows years ago..... looking at the 3 Rivers website it says it only works on alum arrows with wraps.... HUH????? Since when? I dont use wraps so what to use now?? Thanks, Craig
I use Saunders NPV on aluminum and carbon.
Terry
The old Fletch Tite we used to know has changed. It caused many of us issues. Guess it has not been resolved to 3R's satisfaction. They also may not to be liable for feathers falling off our arrows.
I have gone to using the Saunders NPV glue as well. I still prep with soap, hot water and scrub pad. Just an old habit
Switched to NPV or Super glue when all my arrows fell off a few years back. Fletch Tite had a bad batch of glue. I like NPV better anyways. Glad I had the eye opening experience.
NVP
NPV... I ain't buying the "bad batch" thing for Fletch Tite. Why they had to "improve" a product that had worked flawlessly for decades is beyond me.
Saunders NPV also.
I completely agree with Charlie. I switched to NPV a few years ago. Sticks to anything, seems to flow more evenly as well.
I still use Duco for wood arrows, broadening out to carbons, and guess use NPV, lol.
Bohning Fletch-Tite is now known as "Fletch-Loose". I think the only thing that the "improved" formula improved is their profit margin.
I generally have used Duco on wood arrows but have had some failures on polyurethane sealer. I have a set of shafts that I haven't made up yet trying to decide what glue to use. I am not sure any of them are as good as they once were.
Thank you gentlemen..... I will look into the Saunders NPV
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the fletching glues offered are CA based. The viscosity changes a bit from one brand to another but I've used everything from cheap super glue to gorilla or loctite on wood, aluminum and carbon and haven't had a problem with feathers coming loose with any of them. JMO, though... Cheers, Pat.
I really like fletch tape, haven't had any issues so far.
I am using a thick super glue called Zing Kling by Flex Fletch. It is working well on aluminum arrows no wrap and vanes. Cleaning base of vanes with acetone. Worked great feathers and a wrap on carbon, not sure about feather direct to aluminum. The platinum stuff never worked for direct to aluminum. The old white tube Fletch Tite was the BOMB. I have always wondered if the EPA made them change the formula?
I've used Saunders NPV for years without issue on all kinds of shafts. I ran out one time; bought some Fletch-Tite Platinum. All my feathers fell off. Back to NPV.
I haven't had any issues yet with my first dozen carbons and fletch tite, didn't know there were widespread problems. I do also like the tape.
I moved to using fletch tape this year and will never go back to glues! I purposefully shot through a piece of carpeting multiple times with no loosening of the fletching occurring. Your fletching speed will increase about 400%, less mess and most importantly, even weight consistency on all sides of the shaft. give it a try and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
I use fletch tape with a front and rear dab of Gorilla Super Glue for aluminum and other peoples carbons. The year I went to the new and improved Fletch Tite, I noticed that someone was using the same kind of feathers that I had on my arrows for turkey hunting. I got a distant reply and set up in some cedars. Later I saw two of those same feathers on the ground between my feet. They were mine, half of my four inch four fletch were either coming loose or missing. I could have gotten a littering violation. I clean aluminums with borax until they squeak and then clean with alcohol. I never had a problem with the old glue, the fletch tape works for me.
I used Fletchtite Platinum on all my Gold Tip carbon shafts, and have fletched other brands of carbon for a few friends with no issues. It worked fine. The only difference I could see between the old Fletchtite and the new Fletchtite Platinum was the higher price!
I shoot FMJ's now, and they are aluminum on the outside.of course, it works great for those too.
Bisxh
Like Bisch, I've used Platinum for years on aluminum and carbon shafts including Gold Tip, Carbon Express, Victory and Black Eagle and never had an issue with feathers staying on. IMO I think it comes down to proper shaft cleaning - I only use acetone to clean shafts. I also dab a drop on the forward and rear of each feather as well as an extra small bead on each side of each feather once the original glue has set. I never have feathers falling off, even in the rain.
I use denatured alcohol to clean shafts before fletching. It's also what I burn in my lamp for installing inserts with hot melt. I'd be worried acetone might attack the carbon shaft.
Woodpuppy, I've been using acetone to clean carbon shafts since 1991 and have never seen any evidence of a reaction between the two. Just put it on a paper towel and rub until it squeeks. Acetone is pretty volatile and evaporates quickly.
QuoteOriginally posted by Pete McMiller:
Woodpuppy, I've been using acetone to clean carbon shafts since 1991 and have never seen any evidence of a reaction between the two. Just put it on a paper towel and rub until it squeeks. Acetone is pretty volatile and evaporates quickly.
Cool, no worries :)
The following is a portion of a letter I got from Larry Griffith, President of Bohning.
"We changed the Fletch-Tite formula based on a number of factors but mostly because of customer calls. We do our best to investigate, recreate and understand what that customer had occur, using both field and scientific methods. Once we know what has occurred, we determine a method to improve our product. The possible solution is tested in a lab, outside at our facility and with the use of shooting staff scattered throughout the world. This is all done before a final change is made.
Over the 50 years that you have been an archer you have no doubt seen or heard of many changes. However, some of the changes are not easily seen or noticed by the archer. They deal with materials, coatings, unique chemistry of the end product, and methods of manufacturing designed to improve durability and reliability.
One major change most archers are not aware of concern the laws and regulations governing the use of chemicals. They are far more stringent. The war on drugs has very quietly impacted our archery community. In addition we investigate (and sometimes use) new chemicals and or design new solutions applicable to materials used in arrows and other archery products. The result are the changes as seen in products like Fletch-Tite Platinum.
I will tell you the number of changes occurring in arrow shafts, especially over the last few years, have been tremendous and are largely unrecognized by the archer. Even wooden shafts have changed. We have seen a tremendous variety of new woods appear. Rarely are shafts made from the same wood as decades ago because those trees are sold for more lucrative and profitable products, when they are available.
Aluminum shafts have undergone multiple changes in their processing, coatings, and anodizing methods. Colors and patterns rarely fade anymore. Carbon graphite shafts, too have undergone huge production and processing changes. No longer do you have to stand on a target (which is now made from any number of plastics) to remove an arrow. The ease of pulling shafts out of targets and the color fastness of designs greatly impact adhesion and the glues bonding vanes to coatings on a shaft.
We did test the current formula (and there have been approximately 4 incremental formula changes over the last 12 years) with wooden shafts (to include a very "sappy" pine), aluminum (both Easton and Doosung), and every carbon graphite shaft we could obtain from suppliers throughout the world.
Platinum works best in low humidity and temperatures between 40 to 90 F because it needs low humidity for the solvents to evaporate. The actual pull strength when compared the Fletch-Tite is 2 ½ times as strong as the old Fletch-Tite. If fletching in a high humidity indoor environment (40% to 90%) an archer should use an instant (cyanoacrylate adhesive). In fact instant adhesives, ours or any other manufacturer's, must have humidity to allow bonding with the water molecule."
Hmmm. Pretty sure I've never lived in a <40% humidity environment in Florida...
Interesting letter, and while I don't have a dog in this fight, I was super bummed when Barge Cement was changed... I don't have this on super authority from a letter, but I Have tried the "NEW" Barge and have field experience from several of my associates and I!
They changed one particular chemical in the formula, ostensibly, itwas due to kids "huffing" the glue to get high and ended up doing brain damage... Barge worked well on many applications as an outdoors man, but the stuff out today I won't give house room. Same prep & even ramped it up some, and it still fails miserably!
There was only one brief note in the letter above about Govt Regulations, but IF, that is as reputed by BARGE, the govt requiring companies to create a product that doesn't work to protect people hell-bent on hurting themselves for the sake of a buzz says something about our country's future me thinks!
Well of course you know it is big governments job to protect us from ourselves.
There is a reason Darwin was right.