What brand of water based finish do you use? Do you use a dip tube?, do you use a gasket or just dip and hang to dry, wipe on?
I use Minwax Polycrylic in a PVC dip tube and just stand them in a gutter type trough to dry. The drawback to polycrylic is that it will adhere to a 3D foam target and is harder to pull out.
Dennis
I don't use water base, but do use a dip tube and just hang them by a staple that is straightened on one end and pushed into the shaft itself.
Bert.
I use 'Raptor dip' from raptorarchery.com It is water based and produces great results.
Water based. Steel wool between coats. Dip tube and use a clothes pin to hang-em dry on a string thats stretched across and a piece of cardboard on floor.
Spar Urethane, dip tube, no gasket needed, one dip and you are done! If you don't thin it down it is a perfect thickness for hanging and drying. Then I weigh them when dry if one or more are off by 8gr or so grains, I dip these one more time and it brings them right up to the others.
Tried water base for crown dip outa a short dip tube...no matter how clean, on carbons it would leave tiny pinholes... used the gasket to wipe it off as it came out...
Alum was fine... they (whomever they are) claim anything left in tubes will lose the solvents through the plastic... even water base. Heck, I've had GL in mine for years..just add some thinner time to time.. :)
If you use water based with tubes, use a piece of t-shirt as the gasket...works great and you don't have to wait for them to drip...I've used the fast dry stuff and can do a bunch of coats in very little time.