# heat shrink fletching repair



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

has any one used them 

my sons archery league is taking it's toll on fletchings this season has anyone used them 

how are they


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Never used them Pete but everyone seems to like them.


Wade


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## TRellis (Sep 16, 2013)

You are asking about the type of fletch that has all three fletches attached to a heat shrink tube that slides down the shaft and then you place it in hot water for a bit and you are done?

Or is there actually a repair kit of some type to repair a single fletch that I do not know about?

If you are talking about the former, I tried them a while back and did not like them very much. The shrink wrap tube takes a beating if you are unlucky enough to put an arrow through a bag or have to pull it through the bag because the arrow penetrated too deeply. The fletches take a worse beating if they go through a bag.

The fletches also seemed to separate from the tubing a little too easily in flight. I cannot count the number of times that I would release an arrow and "Whoops! There goes another fletch!" I am a little wary of the bond between the shrink wrap and the fletches. These were the Bohning ones also and they usually put out a good product.

What fletches survived that little experiment of mine were quickly stripped off by me and replaced with regular fletches, which are also Bohning.

TRellis


ETA: I was shooting a little bit faster speed than most and have since cranked it down.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

I suspect that all these shortcomings have been noted by the makers and will be corrected. Heat shrink sure beats glue in time and effort. 

There will always be the purist who kills the old grey goose and goes on from there.


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## TRellis (Sep 16, 2013)

Oxankle said:


> I suspect that all these shortcomings have been noted by the makers and will be corrected. Heat shrink sure beats glue in time and effort.
> 
> There will always be the purist who kills the old grey goose and goes on from there.


I am sure that I am not the only one that had those experiences and the manufacturers more than likely took some corrective action, but I have not tried them in about two or three years or so. And, yes, they certainly were faster to apply. 

But, there was also the psychological barrier that I could not breach. With the shrink wrap fletches if one fletch comes off they all have to come off. It seemed a bit of a waste. Now, as before my experiment, if one comes off I just replace that one.

TRellis


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## CrossTimbers1 (Feb 8, 2015)

I've used them on my daughter's arrows. We bought the NAP QuickFletch brand and they were ok. Nothing special. They stayed put if you get the right heat on them from the water. Not hot enough and they wont stay put. Too hot and they tend to crinkle. 
I much prefer the Bitzenburger jig and Bohning fletching tape. I used to glue all my feathers/vanes but a couple years ago I tried the Bohning fletching tape at the recommendation of a friend and I've been hooked. Super easy to use, and fast. I have heard bad reports on the Bear Paw brand of fletching tape with reports of it coming loose, but not the Bohning brand. I've shot through targets, deer, etc and have yet to have one let go just because of the tape coming unstuck. I still put a dab of fletch-tite on the front and back of the quill just for added insurance.


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## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

Yep, what CrossTimbers1 said.


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## TRellis (Sep 16, 2013)

CrossTimbers1 said:


> I much prefer the Bitzenburger jig and Bohning fletching tape.


The fletching tape piqued my interest and I looked around the internet for reviews and other info about it. It seems pretty decent, but I use 2" Blazers which are obviously plastic and not feathers. (I have way too many Blazers left to even think about going back to feathers.)

Most of the info that I have found seems to suggest that the fletch tape should not be used with plastic vanes because the vanes have a tendency to separate from the fletch tape. 

Some individuals attributed the separation to the fact that the base of the vane is concave and may not have been making good contact with the tape in the first place.

There also seemed to be some dispute as to whether the tape works on carbon arrows. (Also what I use.)

So my questions are....

Are you using the fletch tape on carbon arrows?

and...

Are you attaching plastic vanes such as Blazers onto your arrows?

TRellis


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

thanks I was talking about the 3 vein shrink tube replacment , I have been gueing back on with fletchtite , the gyu at the store said they had newer faster glue but fletch tite is what I alwasyed ued with my jig when I was making my own , I think I need to strip and steel wool the surface then I might get a better bond , this is my first time working with carbon arrows , yeah i know I tool almost a 20 year break from archery where I shot a little but only with my old equipment from the early 90s when alluminum Easton game getters and XX75 where the arrow of choice


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## CrossTimbers1 (Feb 8, 2015)

I shoot traditional bows so I use feathers. However my youngest daughter shoots a compound and uses carbon shafts and I have used the Bohning fletch tape on them with excellent results also. The vanes she shoots are 4" Marco vanes. They don't have much concave to the bases and the fletch tape has worked well.


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## CrossTimbers1 (Feb 8, 2015)

Pete, there's nothing wrong with them XX75 shafts! They are still the shaft material of choice for _some_ bowhunters. I still shoot Easton aluminum shafts and while I've tried carbon offerings, I've always went back to the trusty, field-proven aluminums.


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

There are two types of heat shrink fletchings. I use NAP Quikfletch 2 inch Quikspinson my XX78's that requires boiling water to set them. The other brand requires the water to be 180 degrees. I have been shooting through a whisker biscuit a couple of years now with no problems. The time in the water is most important, too long and they'll come loose. To little and they won't tighten on the shaft correctly. I have found that do to the consistency of the fletching positioning, tuning an arrow is much easier.


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