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