I read an article in the Jun-Jul of 02' TMB where a oil finish was used to seal arrows.
Does anybody treat their arrows with Watco Danish Oil and is it still avalible? Hugh MacCracken (the author) suggested soaking shafts in this material to not only seal the arrows, but after the initial soak, you could reweigh the arrows and re-soak the lighter ones to effectivley weight match arrows better. The longer the soak, the more weight the arrow picks up.
Anybody out there do this?
There's an article in the current TBM issue. The main emphasis is on using oil/sealers to add weight to wood shafts, but he touches on different types of finishes as well.
I wipe my shafts with the fruitwood watco and just love it you hve to wait for a while to fletch. it works great
An 11/32 cedar shaft will pick up from 50 to 70 grains when soaked in Watco oil for about a week. Will need a couple of weeks to dry hard before fletching. Can also just wipe on a coat a day for three or four days or so. Won't pick up much weight that way, but will seal the arrow. Most hardware and building supply stores carry Watco oil.
If you have an Ace Hardware nearby, they carry Watco in numerous shades. That's where I get mine.