mauser06

ok guys i just bought my bow and am shooting 4inch feathers. i just like the looks of feathers and i know the pros and cons. everything has its ups and downs. i chose feathers and so far i like them.

my questions..

i heard of you guys waterproofing them. what do i use for that?? will it add weight or effect their flight any?? dont really plan to hunt in rain but you never know. the reason i dont want to hunt in rain this year is because its my first year and i would like a blood trail to follow, though i know some of the best hunting is in the rain. i dont mind it but if i make a shot i owe the animal the respect of finding it and using the animal. if i take one early when its dry and can find it easy and know i can make good shots and know they go down quick i may change that but we will see. i just rather have blood on the ground

also..some of my feathers are a little.....ruffled. individual "strands" of the feathers kinda seperated from others. any cure for that?? does that effect their flight at all if its not terribly beat up or bad??

thanks guys..sorry for all the questions. im trying to learn all i can and keep my head above the water i plunged into this new sport. i plunged in alone and dont have any guidance. dad used to bowhunt. 15+ years ago! alumanums...vanes..fingers....everything he did is diffrent from me...so he really cant help. so thanks alot guys. im sure you all understand what its like.

Snood Slapper

I use Rightnour Fletch-Dry powder. Gateway makes a powder too. Some folks use sprays like Scotch Dry, CAP No-Snow, etc. I like the powder and a quiver (Simmons Bushmaster) or fletch cover that keeps them dry. Heck, I've seen some folks just using a plastic sammich baggie with a rubberband over the fletch. This page will answer a lot of your other questions: http://www.trueflightfeathers.com/facts.htm

mobow

I never had much luck w/ the powder. There is stuff for the Whisker Buscuit, made to waterproof the bristles, it works pretty well. I actually took a zip top bag w/ me and covered them.

Don't worry about them being ruffled. They work just fine.

JimPic

I use Bohning Dri-Tite.Best waterprooferI ever used.To get your feathers back in shape--boil water and put the feathers over the steam.

Snood Slapper

Yep, it was good, but I think Bohning quit making Dri-Tite. You can still find it some places (while supplies last so-to-speak) if you look hard enough, so buy it up if you do. They don't list it on their site either and have went to making a powder. Could be wrong though...

Paul L Mohr

I don't worry about water proofing them myself. I like feathers as well. I will shoot vanes, but if I fletch my arrows they are getting feathers. I just like the way they look and how forgiving they are.

As far as being beat up it does not effect them at all. This is one of the things I like about feathers. You can have over half your fletching missing and they still fly pretty good. Which is great if you hit the fletchings with other arrows. Do that with a vain and sometimes you are going to have to refletch that arrow. And both make more noise when they are messed up. Vanes are more quiet if they are in perfect condition, but once one gets messed up they are as loud or more loud than a feather.

The more messed up they are they also create more drag, be it a vane or a feather, but feathers or more noticable. You don't want to shoot old ragged feathers at longer distances. The difference in drag from arrow to arrow will start to stand out after about 50 yards or so with an average speed bow.

Paul

Greg / MO

You may also want to ventuer into the Trad forum and pose your question there; you'll be amazed at how much knowledge is available in there when it comes to shafts with feathers on them!

mauser06

thanx alot guys. snood slapper...awesome site!! i think when i start making my own ill be doing some cutting to get a native fletch with barred feathers or a shield cut!!

anyone ever try the powder to keep dry fishing flys dry??? i am willing to bet its the same stuff and i can find that easier. i ordered from RMC sports before but i think shipping is like 8+$..not worth it for a bottle of waterproofing. i bet the fly powder will work.....that trick about steaming them is a trick ALSO used in flyfishing to bring flys back to form! i thought that might be your guys answer..tonight i "tuned" my arrows by adjusting the nocks to get proper fletching clearance. i had a couple off a little ways. forgiving or not i could tell the diffrence between them. glad my arrows have tunable nocks! the ones aligned right seem to clear my quick tune no problem with a nice right helical on them. i gota bust out the video camera one day i want to capture the flight. at 20-25 yds i can catch the flight after the release and it looks awesome. my cock feather is white, the other 2 are a flo yellow, and the knocks are a chartruse. its a nice looking setup i think, visible but wont stand out too much in the woods.

im afraid to post on the trad forum lol. im sure them guys are the nicest in the world......heck i see alot of familar names there and actually LOVE reading posts there. traditional archery may be my next step. i love the look of a nice longbow. i gota master the compound first! any other feather questions and ill see what the trad guys know! im sure they know their stuff!

ijimmy

I hope Auther [feather man] will chime in . I love the things allso , its the only fletching Ill use.
I use boning fletch dry powder allso
To clean or straightn out feathers , I clean them gingerly with soap and water , rinse , and blowdry um with the wifes blowdryer , she loves it .
I have heard others useing unsented hair spray , and scotchgaurd to keep feathers dry .

BobCo19-65

I've used a lot of different types of waterproofing. I like the no-snow product, but it takes an aweful long time to dry, also expensive.I usually stick with hair spray. There is also a product that Atsko has out that is pretty good. But it also takes a while to dry.