Hey all, anyone on here ever use linseed, tung, danish, etc oil for finishing wood arrows? If so, did you like the results and what glue worked well for the fletching over it?
Thanks!
Quite some time ago, there was a short lived fad that involved impregnating arrow shafts under pressure with tung oil as a way to get heavier shafts. I did it for a while. As I remember, when they came out of the pressure tube most of the POC shafts were 100 grains or more heavier than when they went in. But they bled as they dried and ended up closer to 50 grains heavier after drying. That drying process took at least a month under fairly warm, sunny conditions, with a fair amount of wiping between.
After playing with the pressurized stuff, I took to just wiping on several coats of tung oil. Usually, 5-6 coats were required to get the coverage/finish I wanted. Don't remember the glue I used, probably Bohning or Duco, and it worked fine as long as the finish was totally dry. If it wasn't, the glue didn't adhere well.
Ultimately, I decided it was more trouble than it was worth and went back to harder finishes.
I have settled on oil based Minwax wipe-on poly. It's easy to apply, dries quickly through 4 coats and it's very durable. A plus is that if you do shoot a LOT and get some target burn, simply scuff the front end with 220 grit and wipe on some more. You're good to go.
I use pure tung oil on the unpainted part of the shaft. I like to cap dip and crest so glue isn't an issue. When I first read about using tung oil the author said he fletched first on bare shaft. I like the oil because I don't get a target burn or annoying little pieces of 3D target stuck to my arrows. When it wears I wipe on another light coat.