I've been capping and cresting autumn orange shafts and using Duco with no problems but a friend may want me to fletch raw unpainted shafts. In the old days we used fine sandpaper and coated with Fletchlac and then fletched with Fletchtite but I don't have any Fletchlac. What will work best?
Scrub the raw shafts with Ajax cleanser or Comet cleanser. Rinse them well with warm water and dry them with a paper towel. Then fletch them with Fletchtite.
This always works.
Joe
I clean with acetone/paper towels and fletch with fletchtite(not the platinum) and have never had a problem.
Clean them well, then go ahead and use Duco. It's all I ever use, and it works great.
I go with with fletch tape after the clean up. No problems!
My experience is Duco will not hold on aluminum arrows,I did a dozen a few years ago.They held at first,then after shooting a few rounds the feathers started coming off.I clean the shafts with alcohol and used Platinum fletch tite,haven't lost a feather since.Regular Fletch tite works good also.
MEK or acetone, regular Fletchtite.
I like to use steel wool,especially if they were prefletched to get all the glue off.Then acetone,then CA type glue.Works great.
I use comet and then make sure all residue is off with an alcohol wipe than use Duco.
I get them clean and use super glue gel.
On the Alu shafts... Acetone and then either Fletch Tape or Fletch Tite (regular)... No problems.
Saunders NPV...it's all I use and it works great.
Fletch Tape!
I used to use the acetone and then used rubbing alchahol and finally gave up and went to just plain old hot water and soap. What ever the wife had at the sink. Just make sure it is hot and then dry it off well.
When fletch tite doesn't work it normally was because it was old. Since they came up with the new screw on tip, I haven't had a problem with fletch tite failing even when it gets a bit discolored.
Tryed the newer methods and can't see much improvement, guess as am too old to change.
Kip
I used Fletch-tite for years on Alum arrows with no problems. Now I use tape and a drop of fletch-tite on the ends.......holds just fine seems real tough when I miss and shoot in the bushes.
I have never cleaned an aluminum shaft orange or otherwise and I have fletched hundreds of them with fletch tite with good results.
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.