Stripping old fletching before refletching

[adill84]

How clean do you guy get your arrows before refletching? Do you get off every noticeable streak of vane material or is a little streak or two ok if you can’t really feel any noticeable high spots?

 

[houghton_hunter]

I go all the way down to the carbon and then I generously use denatured alcohol to really get anything else off.

Lots of folks don't like wraps, I get it, but if you ever need to refletch, in my book it makes that much easier to do. I just use very small wraps which match my vanes so not to add too much weight to the back.

 

[Archerichards]

I use wraps because I find the residue from Superglue (Cyanoacrylate) very, very difficult to remove from the shaft. Said another way, it takes less time to refletch an arrow with a wrap than one without.

To prepare my arrows for refletch I put them fletch side down in a cup of boiling water for 30 seconds or so, then use a dull pocketknife to removed softened fletching and wrap. Most of it comes off easily. Might have to peel just a little with a fingernail. If any gummy wrap residue remains I remove it with Acetone on a paper towel, which seems more effective than alcohol. I end up with a like-new shaft that is ready for a new wrap and vane.

 

[BBob]

For about 40 years I’ve used a utility knife. With the right technique and angle it’ll take everything off. Rough cut the vane off and then run the blade back and forth to remove all of the adhesive. Easy peasy and everyone owns a cheap utility knife right? Never used wraps.

 

[wildwilderness]

All the way off. As mentioned dull knife works well. I then clean with Acetone

 

[adill84]

I’ll try the dull knife approach Im more concerned with damaging the carbon.

 

[BBob]

I’ll try the dull knife approach Im more concerned with damaging the carbon.

A sharp blade works. You just have to lay the blade angle down to almost zero to keep it from catching the fibers.

 

[JMundy84]

I soak the fletched end of my arrows in acetone for about 15 minutes and everything comes right off

 

[Sizthediz]

Potato peeler and acetone. If you use wraps refletching then a little heat and they peel off very clean after that. Any concern about foc and arrow weight, trim your wraps down to what only need for vanes.

 

[Whodat7]

I strip them with the bohning strip pro after a little acetone, then use it softly with rapid strokes to remove residual, then a very light sanding. Then clean with alcohol. Creates a very nice surface for new vanes.

 

[BigSky]

I soak the fletched end of my arrows in acetone for about 15 minutes and everything comes right off

Ditto. If my fletching is on wraps, I take a heat gun to the wrap and it peels right off slicker than snot on a doornob.

 

[Billy Goat]

I cut vanes to the base, then stick in a jar of acetone, 15-30 minutes depending, then wipe clean.


Whenever I get a new arrow to try, I leave a cut off section in acetone to see if it breaks down. Victory, Gold Tip, Day6, Altra, CX have all been fine months down the road. I had one at 4 months you could tell it had softened some, think it was a victory, can't remember. Was long enough I wasn't bothered by it.

 

[5MilesBack]

I use a utility knife to cut off the vanes, then hold perpendicular to the shaft and scrape back and forth until all the glue is off. Never had an issue.

 

[Tilzbow]

Some arrow manufacturers warn against any type of solvent. That said, in the past, I’ve used acetone on a lot of different arrows and haven’t noticed any issues. But I’ve now transitioned to 99% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning shafts.

Years ago I bought a utility knife that came with blades with 1/4 circle indentations that conform to the shaft and it works great. I’ve still got a blade or two but if those ever dull I see Bohning makes a similar device.

 

[Beendare]

Some arrow manufacturers warn against any type of solvent.

Yeah, Easton told me the same. The matrix used to extrude the Carbon can be weakened by using Acetone or Mec, it weakens the Epoxy they use to make the shaft.....they said Alcohol only.

I doubt a small amount of Acetone is going to affect your arrows much...but dipping them in solvent is not the best idea. The 90% Alcohol works great.