No stain, Lately I have been finishing my wood shafts with just poly and really like the look of the grain showing through instead of staining . Anybody else like this look. I know most people like dark stain and capping but I just got tired of seeing the same old thang.
Yep...My favorite color shaft is just oil based poly that has aged to a mellow gold color.
Yep exactly westbrook.
I have done that on quite a few dozen over the years for stump shooting. I can find that nice light colored shaft a lot easier than a stained one when it tries to bury.
I also like to leave the "cap dip" area just plain wood and only stain forward of that cresting the transition. To me, that looks better than a cap dip of color.
I had RMS gear do a dozen that I just had them stain for the cap and leave the rest bare, just poly. A funky look. I like them, I just use my fir arrows more. All I really do anymore is 1 coat of stain, poly, fletch. I find the simplier the arrow, the easy the inevitable loss. One day maybe I'll have an abundance of time and money and I can play with nice looking arrows. Just not now.
Just tried Minwax Antique Oil Finish (red tin, it's a wipe-on)on a non-archery project. Has an old-school light reddish-orange tinge to it. Oil poly on top of it should be fine. If you guys like that aged look it might worth trying.
I just use Teak Oil on mine. Being a cabinet makers grandson I love the look of wood with all it's character.