**** Tac vanes - avoid and save your money

broeske7

FNG
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
38
I had issues at first but took the time to prep and follow instructions and haven’t had issues since. They’re a great vane imo


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Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
2,126
Location
Iowa
Never used TAC vanes, but thanks for the heads up!

If you want some super easy sticking vanes, the Q2i Fusion vanes are awesome... I've been using them for 15+ years. I just wish enough people would email them and complain about their ugly silver logo they recently started putting on their vanes that they'd go back to just plain blank ones.
 
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
9,725
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Shenandoah Valley
I'm doomed...bwahaha.

Shooting trad passionately for 50+ years finally snag a compound... still shoot turkey feathers dickin around but bought some,what I thought were cool looking vanes and will give you two guesses what they are?

Haven't had any problems other than tearing them up shooting groups... in fact glued up 4 new broadhead arrows this morning. Using a Bitzenburger with a few degrees of offset. Scrub the chitzky out of the shafts with acetone and steel wool,halfa$$ wipe off vane and glue them with platinum fletchtight.

On carbon or aluminum?

I never tried fletchtight with them, I mostly just use that on feathers.
 
Joined
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hawai'i
just use q2i and you dont have to worry about them sticking like with tac or aae. they got a vane for everyone
 

BWSmith

FNG
Joined
Nov 16, 2021
Messages
54
Location
Mnts of Virginia
Used on aluminum yesterday Billygoat but same process on carbon.... and slightly less aggressive on lacquer dipped.

Don't want to get too far into the weeds but, we've noticed not only a change in Bohning's fletchtight over the years but their lacquer as well. #2 son is a PhD chemist(big dick in the tobacco industry so we don't put up with too much of his chit) and he "should" know about this sort of rot.... is a lifelong archer,his kids are even dang accomplished shooters...

He shrugs his head(about the chemistry in question here) and just trys stuff until it works? So,like folks posted above... some colors work? In my pea brain that's BS ... but,can accept it and move on?

The only color tac vanes I've used are white and a washed out,pale chartreuse.
 

Yoder

WKR
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
1,678
One thing I found is you have to put the glue on right after the primer dries. If you wait, they won't stick. I wouldn't wait more than 10-20sec.
 
Joined
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Messages
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Used on aluminum yesterday Billygoat but same process on carbon.... and slightly less aggressive on lacquer dipped.

Don't want to get too far into the weeds but, we've noticed not only a change in Bohning's fletchtight over the years but their lacquer as well. #2 son is a PhD chemist(big dick in the tobacco industry so we don't put up with too much of his chit) and he "should" know about this sort of rot.... is a lifelong archer,his kids are even dang accomplished shooters...

He shrugs his head(about the chemistry in question here) and just trys stuff until it works? So,like folks posted above... some colors work? In my pea brain that's BS ... but,can accept it and move on?

The only color tac vanes I've used are white and a washed out,pale chartreuse.


Have you tried FF Flex bond?

I think it's closer to the original formula of bohning, if you are looking.

It's not uncommon for me to soak carbon in acetone to clean them, I hadn't thought of trying bohning platinum on Tac. Still not a fast process. I used to tip and tail stuff with Platinum or Flex bond, but have removed that step in fletching now too.


I think with the different colors, it's probably a different amount of release agent applied to the forms at the time, making it more difficult to clean/prep vanes. Rather than color actually making a difference. But it shouldn't be nearly as big of a swing in weight as reported, so it seems like something is going on different with some batches.



I do remember a few years ago when the tac vanes first came out, walking past the booth. The rep was showing them to me and I specifically asked how well they stick. He said "Levi doesn't shoot drop away vanes" and yanked on a vane that came right off.

It was pretty funny, tho it wasn't expected, on his part anyways. I'm sure he had done that a bunch, it was just that point where it had enough.
 
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BWSmith

FNG
Joined
Nov 16, 2021
Messages
54
Location
Mnts of Virginia
Firing up the Stihl weedwacker,as I head into the weeds.......

In the world of ultra slick plastics like those used on machine fixturing,and interestingly on cheap doodoo factory rifle stocks....
One trick we use to get adhesion in the gluing process is,wait for it.....
Gotta think swinging dead chickens whilst chanting incoherently about your X's shoe collection or some other dumbchit. But I swear it's been confirmed by some pretty far up the science ladder plastic engineers....

Take a common propane torch lit,with a very low flame and pass it over the part. Very carefully,not trying to heat it per se... yes it's voodoo... but we're just opening up the chemistry to accept the glue. A POS tupperware rifle stock is the perfect example here.... then,and confirmed by the engineers,you'll have about 20-30 minutes to get the bedding(rifle in this case) or the machine's wear strip glued and clamped.

Further...more than you want to know. Apparently "the test".... Levi probably missed this part,bwahaha.... you can pour water on the part during the "open time" and watch it's reaction. We don't,we propane it,glue it,then go F off till it's cured.
 
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
9,725
Location
Shenandoah Valley
Firing up the Stihl weedwacker,as I head into the weeds.......

In the world of ultra slick plastics like those used on machine fixturing,and interestingly on cheap doodoo factory rifle stocks....
One trick we use to get adhesion in the gluing process is,wait for it.....
Gotta think swinging dead chickens whilst chanting incoherently about your X's shoe collection or some other dumbchit. But I swear it's been confirmed by some pretty far up the science ladder plastic engineers....

Take a common propane torch lit,with a very low flame and pass it over the part. Very carefully,not trying to heat it per se... yes it's voodoo... but we're just opening up the chemistry to accept the glue. A POS tupperware rifle stock is the perfect example here.... then,and confirmed by the engineers,you'll have about 20-30 minutes to get the bedding(rifle in this case) or the machine's wear strip glued and clamped.

Further...more than you want to know. Apparently "the test".... Levi probably missed this part,bwahaha.... you can pour water on the part during the "open time" and watch it's reaction. We don't,we propane it,glue it,then go F off till it's cured.

I can see why the heat helps.

It's similar to using a primer pen, or hitting with acetone, and then it's a time period to get the glue to stick before it won't.


Or we just use vanes from Q2i, Bohning, Flex Fletch, etc that you put in clamp, put any glue on, stick to arrow.
 

Matt G.

WKR
Joined
Aug 17, 2017
Messages
549
Location
Ohio
When I initially tried three TACs I had so many issues. I think initially I used the aae glue and pen I used for the max stealth vane and even used their jig.

After trial and error, I used a bitzenberger like jig with extreme offset. The biggest thing I learned is to make sure full contact and no air as press vane in shaft. If you do that, the vane instantly sticks. It is the best adhesion ever and I need pliars to remove. I hardly ever damage or shoot off vanes. I also notice that I have less clogging of the glue.

I have since moved back to the bitzenburg helical jig and 4 fletch to get fixed bh flying true. Mechanical I can use 3 fletch.

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