huntmup

OK - so my gobbler is done - I' ve been to Cancun & back & now it' s time to get serious about 3d...

I ordered new arrows (CXL250' s), black nocks, and black vanes...

I scuffed my CXL' s then used acetone to clean.
I cleaned the flexfletch vane with acetone & applied goattuff.
After drying the ends (front and back) are curling up - away from the shaft... I can' t explain it... It didn' t happen with the duravanes I fletched up for Turkey hunting..

Anyone have any ideas?? I tried Bohning " red" " for carbons" on the last arrow with the same results...

I saved the other 6 to bring to the pro-shop to fletch for me - these things look horrible & I just can' t figure what' s wrong...

HELP...????

c903

I do not use vanes, therefore I do not know anything about the different brands and the material composition used in each.

However, from what you describe, it is possible that the Duravane does not have a rubber resin in its composition, and the Flexfletch may. Solvents such as acetone, tuolene, xylene, etc, regardless of what the Flexfletch manufacturer suggests to use as a cleaner, can soften rubber, degrade some resins used to make rubber pliable, and can dissolve rubber-based adhesives used to secure the vane to the shaft. Even the strong fumes can have a degrading affect.

I do not know if the acetone is at fault, but it is a possibility I would not dismiss considering your problem occurred after using acetone. Maybe you should contact the Flexfletch company and inquire.

huntmup

Interesting...

And I can understand your comments - but -

I was told by about 5,000 people " You have to clean the vanes with acetone before you glue them on" ...

I could give ' not cleaning them' a shot but I think I' ll wait - I want the ' pro' to do the other 6 so I can get ready to CLEAN the next 3D course[8D]

Thanks for the thought...

Proff

Huntmup, I use acetone to clean the glue and what is left of the old vane of my Gold Tips when it is time to refletch. Actually I soak them in it. I have never heard od cleaning the vane off with acetone. I use AAE vanes and the excess that was still on the arrow curls all up when it soaks. I spilled some acetone on a new vane once and it made it curl up and get wavy. It will melt the nocks if you get it one them. i always make sure that I really clean the shafts with soap and water before refletching. I bet that the acetone is the problem, especially after I have seen firsthand what it does to the AAE vanes.

goldenarm

hey i did some 250' s last week.I rubbed the shaft with rubbing alcohol only.I didn' t do anything to the duravanes.I used AAE Fast set gel. they stayed together great.no curling up .I' ve shot them several times sofar and no complaints.

TFOX

Duravanes and AAE are completely different from Flex Fletch.Duravanes and AAE have an accelerator on the base to help with the gluing but they are NOWHERE as tough as the Flex Fletch.I have and still use both AAE and Flex Fletch.

The Flex Fletch has mold release residue on the vane that MUST be cleaned off before they will stick.


If I underdstand the problem with the curling it may very well be because of acetone.I use denatured alcohol and NOT RUBBING ALCOHOL to clean both my vanes and my shafts because acetone can actually break down carbon arrows from extended use.I also use Flex Bond glue and I havn' t experienced the problem you are having.I also put a drop on the front and back of the vane just to insure that these 2 places are secured.This will also help if there is a slight curl of the vane but I really havn' t experienced this problem so maybe if you try it the way I do,you can get rid of curling.

R.WARD

c903 is right on the money! wet one of your old vanes with acetone, and put it aside for a day or so,and see what happens. I' ll bet it curls up.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out.

huntmup

After re-reading c903' s post I went back & inspected the shafts - you know what - I bet he' s right - in that it' s a reaction with either the acetone or the glue (in this case the goat-tuff)...

The end of the vanes really have a curl AWAY from the shaft - unlike I' ve ever seen - AND - I dropped a dab of tuff on the end to help hold them down - I wonder if it' s the glue or acetone...

I' ll listen to the ' man' tomorrow & get his advice before I waste another 18 flex fletch vanes...

Thanks for the input fellas - !

c903

I am not familiar with " goat-tuff" glue. However, it seems that cyanoacrylate glues (Super-Glue) appear to be popular for gluing vanes, especially on carbon shafts.

If " goat-tuff" is a cyanoacrylate, I would have to believe the manufacturer knows the right substance to use, which would be a cyanoacrylate glue specially formulated for bonding plastic and rubber to smooth and/or porous surfaces.

However, the " debonding" agents used to soften and dissolve cyanoacrylate adhesive, and sold under fancy names for fancy prices, is commonly nothing more than -ACETONE.

Lady Forge

I have also made the mistake of using the Acetone to clean my CXL 150' s and Gold Tips and had the same bad results. Found out quickly not to use Acetone. I had to remove old vanes wipe with a little denatured alcohol and clean with soap and water, let dry completly and then refletch and they came out nice.