I always buy my cedar shafts from Rose City, and LOVE their arrows, but I don't like the way the arrows are burnished and don't take the stain. Is their something I can do to them to open the cells up to accepting the stain or can someone recommend another premium cedar shaft vendor for me to try?
I sand them with 220 grit paper, they stain well then.
What grizz said.
Or,you could run em through some fine steel wool.It also tells you if there is some grain runout or slivers in the shaft.
Sometimes using a alcohol based stain will work better on those shafts as well. A lot of the commercial oil based stains don't penetrate well. DYES as opposed to STAINS will penetrate better as well.
I have had some incredible results using wood dye instead of stain. It comes as either water or alcohol-soluble, as a powder. As long as the powder stays dry, it will last forever, and it will color anything. I used it on the bamboo backing of my bow, and had great results. I used Waterlox original for a finish, but any kind of sealer will take on it.
The RIT dye at your local grocery is great too. It's alcohol based and dries quickly. TM
Move to the PowWow.