Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: CG on November 27, 2010, 08:21:00 PM
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A few months ago it was Barge Cement that I discovered had changed, now it's Fletch Tite.
I'm sure it changed quite a while ago, since I'm not usually on the cutting edge of anything. :confused:
Anyway, are you getting along with the Platinum as well as the "old" Fletch Tite?
Realizing that things I like usually get out of circulation, I tend to hoard things (probably have 500 Mercury nocks for example). But, as you know, adhesives are not easy to store.
Thanks.
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Platinum is all I use. Works well for me. I always use wraps on my carbons and never had a failure yet.
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EVERYTHING i like changes after a couple yrs or so. i, like you seem to hoard items i like. because once i find something i like i stick with it.
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Platinum aint worth a flip on aluminum!
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I use Platinum exclusively now, and haven't had a fletch fall off since I started using it.
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I think regular fletch tite is still around. I bought a couple of tubes from a vendor last summer.
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I crown dip all of my wood and aluminum arrows with Bohning Fletch Lac paints.
I have found that the new platinum adhesive does not work very well bare or dipped shafts.
I have had several arrows where the feathers 'fall' off of the shaft upon impact with the target butts.
I have changed to the Saunders NPV adhesive.
Platinum isn't worth the trouble.
Charles.
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Uh oh, I shoot aluminum shafts and was just about to put an order in for some platinum. The 'old' fletch tite worked great for me and I assumed the new stuff would be just as good, or better.
turkeyslayer, what adhesive do you use on your aluminum shafts now?
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Anyone else having problems using fletch tite platinum on aluminum shafts???
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I use the platinum on aluminum arrows and have had no problems at all.
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I have no problem with platinum on my aluminums. I do clean the shaft well before applying.
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LOVE IT ...........
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Never had an issue with Platinum on my carbons.
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i clean my shafts with denatured alcohal and the feathers still fell of using platinum .glue it ha s alot to be desired .i have not found any of the old fletch tite any were .
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Sure was hoping to hear everyone say it worked just the same......Crown dipping with Bohning and using Fletch Tite was about as good as I could imagine. Bout the same as gasket lacquer and Duco.
I looked on Bohning's website and they don't show to have regular fletch tite anymore. Neither did Kustom King or 3 Rivers (at least not that I could find). Might be some still in stores, but shelf life has never been that good for me (hence why I didn't hoard it).
Glad to hear that many are getting along well with it. Hope that's my experience as well.
Thanks for all the replies.
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Platinum fletch tite is all I use and I put wraps on all my carbon arrows.I'll use Duco on wood with a polyurethene finish.
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I have only used Platinum since it came out on aluminums with and without wraps .Iclean every shaft with acetone before gluing and have had zero problems.works for me.
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Good to hear some feedback here. Tradgang is quite a handy resource! I'll give it a go on my aluminum shafts. I clean them first with alcohol.
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I have been doing my own fletching for 30 years and have had nothing but trouble with platinum.
What about Loc Tite on alloys ? Anyone ?
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Ditto the bad results with platinum on aluminum here....picked up 3 tubes of "old" fletchtite at denton hill this summer. Hopefully last a while before hardening in the tubes.
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I have also had bad results with aluminum using Platinum. I never had a problem with the old stuff.
Mike Lee
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Originally posted by Steve Clandinin:
I have only used Platinum since it came out on aluminums with and without wraps .Iclean every shaft with acetone before gluing and have had zero problems.works for me.
I do the same thing with my aluminum arrows with the same results. No problems.
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Use the platinum all the time on my carbons with wraps and feathers have had no troubles, using it with vanes for my girls or friends that shoot blazers and the likes, no good, back to using goat tuff for anything with vanes. Todd
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I used platinum on my beman mfx, scuffed the shaft and wiped it down with alcohol, feathers too. Feathers fell off after about ten shots. Hardly any residue on the shaft.
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I really like Loc Tite control gel, available at any hardware store and does the job well. Can fletch an arrow in minutes using it.
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Platinum on all my wraps with no problems.
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I was having a hard time the platinum on my carbon arrows, So i've gone over the the AAE Max Bond and haven't had an issue yet.
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I agree with Ishi, I scuffed and wiped my Beman MFX's and had similar failures. Not knowing what else to try, I have been using Zap-a-Gap. Works great, and sets up quicker, allowing me to remove the clamp quicker.
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I found some of the old fletch tite at a local archery shop,they hate the platinum for aluminums,the lady there that does all the fletching had a box of it stashed & was kind enough to sell me a tube,dont know what im gonna do when i run out of it,ive had to many feathers fall off using the platinum & (i also clean mine & scuff them)
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Odd, like we're talking about two different products here. Half the people, including me, have had no problems with Platinum. I shoot about 100 arrows every morning, both carbon and aluminum. Really take no special pains when fletching them. Have to pull the occasional arrow through the target when it finds a weak spot. Have had no fletches fall off with Platinum - none.
Others, who I believe are also telling it like it is, can't get the stuff to stick. Wonder what's going on?
Okay, this is the way I fletch arrows: I put the feather in the clamp, put a line of glue all the way down the quill, and then press it onto the shaft, which is in the fletching jig. Let it sit 15 minutes, and then rotate to the next feather. I usually fletch in my kitchen where the temperature is about 65 - 80 degrees, depending on the time of year. I feel stupid saying this, since this is probably how everyone else fletches arrows too, right? But there must be some difference somewhere.
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McDave -
I have had the platinum stuff fail repeatedly.
I also fletch indoors in a temp range of 70 to 75 degrees.
I run a line of glue down the length of the quill and let each feather set for a minimum of 1 hour.
When all 3 feathers are on the shaft I then put a small drop of glue at each end of each feather to make sure they bond well.
I have some arrows that I literally fletched almost 40 years ago and I am still shooting them.
I used the old formula Bohning adhesive for those arrows.
The new Bohning Platinum is no good for me.
I have switched to Saunders NPV and the problems went away.
Charles.
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The Platinum glue is worthless IMHO. I recently got back into shooting my longbows and the quickest set of arrows I could make was aluminum 2016's. Cleaning the new shafts with alcohol and then fletching with Platinum on a Bitz jig I am losing at least one feather every night shooting each arrow only 3 times while working on my form. They seem to separate from the back of the feather first. Try sliding an exacto knife under the glued tip of a Platinum fletched alum. shaft and the feather just pops right off, no resistance.
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I use Platinum fletchtite on both aluminum and carbon arrows.
I've never cleaned the shafts with alcohol.
I just glue them so it beads on the sides slightly, wait for it to dry and put a dab of thickset superglue at the beginning and end of the feather.
Have had very few problems - including arrows that go under dirt, pass through targets (and the occasoinal beast) - don't know why some people seem to have grief with it and others seem fine. :dunno:
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Could it be that there was a bad batch of platinum that came from the factory???
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I just got off the phone with the Bohning company, asking them about the new platinum fletch tite.
They recommend scrubbing the shaft with a light abrasive, then wash with warm water and let air dry. Said that there SHOULD NOT be any problem with the platinum bonding to an aluminum shaft.
And, if you are interested, they do have a FEW 1/2 pint cans of the OLD fletch tite for sale ($9.29 ea.). I would have snatched them up but I may have problems getting them shipped overseas due to their being labeled as hazardous material. (You would also have to buy the dispenser bottle.) If you are looking for the old fletch tite, this may be your last opportunity. Also, they said the shelf life of the cans is around 2 years??
Call (231)229-4247 and ask for Tonya.
I think I'll get a small tube of the platinum, and one of the Saunders NPV and see which one works best for me.
If all else fails I'll send my shafts to McDave in CA for fletching.
:)
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I had several fletches come off of my 3rivers trad only shafts using platinum. I started scuffing them with scotch brite and the fletches stuck fine after that. Since then I have switched to Goat Tuff on wraps I get from Onestringer and tghis works great. 15 seconds a fletch and no problems yet.
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Platinum fails with my alum. shafts like many others have said; feathers and nocks just fall off. Slight abrasive and rubbing alcohol. Went back to Original for nocks and tape for feathers and no problems.
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Funny. I thought it was something I was doing but yes it does not work too well on aluminum. I feel better now. I don't see the old stuff around any more either. Any suggestions?
sam :knothead: :knothead:
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i like gorilla super glue, I have the platinum and doesnt seem to work very good on my carbons
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I have had problems with the platinum myself even preping the shafts. I like Goat Tuff or the original Fletch Tite. Thats just my expierance it could have been operater error but I can use Goat Tuff with out even preping the shafts with no proplems.
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Sorry edit-no problems
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I have had problems with Platinum glue also. I could not get plastic vanes to stick to carbon. I thought it would work with my feathers and wraps but they came off too. I contacted Bohning and they sent me a new tube but I had the same problem. I even followed the directions that they gave me. I even tried a different jig with no luck. I started using superglue and have had no problems.
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My first problem occured after I got my aluminum arrows wet in a light rain at a 3-D shoot. The feathers flew off at release or when they hit the target.
Now I pre-clean the shafts with denatured alcohol and let each feather sit in the clamp for at least 5 hours. It takes forever to fletch a batch but I hardly ever lose a feather, still happens but not very often.
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I wipe with acetone, Both Aluminum and Carbon
Then a strip on the feather,Or I am shooting QuikSpins right now,, 5-10 minutes turn the shaft..
Not a bit of trouble..
????? Things that make you GO HUUMMMMMMM!!!!!
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the main question is why did bohning make the platinum in the first place . the old fletch was a great product .i think they bohning should make both .the new and improved and old fletch tite for all the guys that want it .in all the reading here it seems around half the guys want the old and the rest like the new .
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I'm with you. If it ain't broke......apparently it is now, at least half the time.
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I went to the outdoor range today as I do at least once a week,
I had 3 arrows that the feathers just fell off of after one shot with each arrow.
This is aggravating as I recently fletched 4 to 5 arrows of several different spines to check out 3 new bows.
Damned platinum is costing me bunch of time, aggravation and money as I now have to rebuild a bunch of arrows using Saunders NPV.
Charles.
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I was thinking about these posts about Platinum when I was stump shooting the other day, and my arrow happened to hit a branch at an angle, which totally destroyed the arrow:
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s175/mcdavid1944/DSCN0247.jpg)
You will note that even though the shaft fractured and broke off, and the feather was skinned off the shaft, the quill remains tightly bonded to whatever shaft is left.
This was fletched in my usual way, described above. I am really puzzled why I and a few others use this product with no problems, while others can't seem to get it to stick. I have had similar good results with Gold Tip trads and Easton aluminum shafts.
The only additions I would have to my previous post about how I fletch are that I put a drop of glue on the each end of the feather, as do most people. I don't do any particular shaft preparation; just use them as they come out of the box. I do press the fletch down as hard as I can against the shaft without dislodging it for about 5-10 seconds. Then I let it sit for about 15 minutes before rotating to the next position.
I would like to solve this mystery, but don't know if we'll be able to figure out why mine stick and other's don't.
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Mixed results for me.
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Could humidity (in the fletching phase) be a factor?
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It's generally pretty dry here in Sacramento. It's really dry in the summer, and during our rainy season, in the winter, it's still pretty dry inside my kitchen, as the central HVAC tends to dry out the air. Not Las Vegas dry, but a lot dryer than most places in the Southeast.
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Great results on Beman Bowhunter carbons.
Why don't we establish a time line?
It is pointless to say one works, one does not, without at least establishing when you bought the Platinum FT. That way we can see when the failures started and when (if) they ended.
I got mine last fall, 2009.
Joshua
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I'm on about my fifth tube since I started using it. Bought all of them from 3-Rivers over the last 1-2 years, purchases spread out more or less evenly over that period.
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it's possible the formula change over (to platinum) was epa and/or economics driven, but i'm guessing????
these dayze, my only use of fletching glue (mostly duco, but also platinum) is to spot the taped on feathers fore and aft.
i use bohning fletch tape on both carbons (no finish or cap wrap) and woodies (polyu gloss finish). really, once ya know how to use the tape, it's too fast and durable a way to super bond feathers (or vanes) to any shaft.
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Man.....WHAT AN AGGRAVATING THREAD! :banghead: Im going to be trying carbon for the first time in a bit here, and want to go with a glue I can feel confident in. :banghead: Like someone else stated, seems like people are talking about 2 different products with the platinum! :banghead: 50/50! Not worth the gamble IMO! :dunno:
Gotta find something to go with....need to start looking around more I guess.
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I'm not sure if humidity is the problem in my negative experiences with platinum.
I am in Tucson, AZ where the humidity is generally low and I fletch indoors with refrigerated air on all the time.
Maybe the quality of the feathers???
I use Trueflights all the time.
All platinum was purchased this year.
Who knows???
Charles.
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I would have to say I fletch my carbons just like McDave. I do prep the shaft with rubbing alcohol. When I apply the Fletch-Tite platinum I make a fairly thick bead from one end of fletch to the other. Other than that exactly the same and have not had a problem with this adhesive on carbons. I don't use aluminum, I'm not sure how it works on metal but I would try it with no hesitations.
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I too have had feather fletch pop loose from bare carbons when using Platinum. After really scuffing them hard with a fiber pad, no failures. I scuff, wipe and fletch.
My good arrows all get Bohning Fletch-Lac crown dips. When fletched with Platinum, the feathers are impossible to get loose...they bond into the paint.
So, has anyone tried the simple approach of using Goat-Tuff, Beyond Bond or other cyano-type adhesives for feathers? I wonder about the long term durability.....
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All of my arrows get Fletch Lac crown dips and have for many years.
The feathers are falling off when using platinum.
The feathers are not falling off when using Saunders NPV.
I have some arrows I fletched almost 40 years ago that I still shoot and they were fletched using the old Bohning white tube adhesive.
It defies explanation and Bohning has been somewhat reluctant to believe there may be something wrong with their new stuff.
Charles.
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"All of my arrows get Fletch Lac crown dips and have for many years."
"The feathers are falling off when using platinum."
THAT really messes with my head. I've got arrows fletched using Plat, and I can't get them loose without cutting or peeling thru the paint. I guess I'll keep doing what I've been doing. Platinum's been out for what....5 years? I've had my arrows in extreme conditions from southern Utah all the way to central Alaska and nary a loose feather.
Stuff like this...I should have gone into forensics!
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on the other side of the what-to-use-for-sticking-feathers-on-shafts coin, never ever had a problem with fletching tape ... feathers will NOT come off easily. i will never use glue again ... well, 'cept for the feather dots fore and aft. i've turned on at least 6 guys to fletching with tape and all have switched to tape over glue.
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i use platinum for all my fletching needs. I shoot 4-4" and I only leave it on for 30 seconds then remove and rotate. I used to leave them on the jig for 10 min. Found I didn't have too. Love the product! never had a problem. ron
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Will not use anything but fletch tite platinum.
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I too have used the platinum on aluminum and some carbon without any problems. I wait at least 15 minutes before glueing the next feather. Hey Rob, I don't like the tape because in the summer my feathers move on the shaft. Go figure....
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One thing about tape I don't like:
If the feather base is not ground at a perfect 90 angle (perpendicular) to the feather, tape will allow the fletch to lay at an angle on the shaft. Tough to describe. You can wind up with perfectly spaced fletch, but one of them appears to lay at an odd angle to the shaft. This isn't a problem if your feather bases are all perfectly ground.
Glue has the ability to stiffen and set the feather at the angle it is applied, provided you leave the clamp on with enough time for setting to occur. Platinum FT does this job well for me.
I've used the tape successfully, and I've used glue(s) for decades. For my experiences I've had greater dependability and performance from a good glue like Bohning products.
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I could not get the platinum to work on aluminum but it did work on carbons. I shoot aluminum all the time though.
Mike Lee
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Wow....never imagined my question would have drawn this much response. Really glad I asked now. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I'll be making up a few arrows before the end of the year, and I'll go ahead and use the Platinum. If I remember, I'll post back with my experience. I'll be making some aluminums with a Bohning crown dip. I'm also considering sealing some wood shafts with Bohning so I can try it there (haven't ever used Bohning for wood--used GL and poly with Duco before).
After Barge and now fletch tite, I wonder how long it will be before Duco gets a "new and improved" look?
Thanks
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i quit using fletch tite along time ago just for this reason, super glue type stuff is all i use anymore..very few problems..and its usually my falt, for rushing through it.
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I have used Goat Tuff on wraps with no problems for years, BUT have switched to Saunders NPV and really like it better.. I let each feather sit for about 8 minutes before rotating which wasn't necessary with the GT but I like the finished results better with NPV. It's all I use now. I do wipe the wrap with acetone before fletching. Never had a feather come loose with either method though..
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I never had any problems but I clean my aluminum shafts with comet cleanser and this may help some.
I scrub the aluminum shaft with comet and rinse with water.
While rinsing I look for the water to bead on the shaft and will clean the shaft again if beads appear. I want the water to run off the shaft smooth without the beads and when this happens I dry the shafts and start fletching.
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Since I ran out of the old fletch tite I've tried el cheapo super glue, works alright, but too watery. I tried gorilla glue superglue, a bit thicker and seems to bond well enough.
I have some platinum on the way, and I'm curious how it will work for me. (Wonder which side of the 50% I'm in?) If the determining factor for a good bond is the lack of humidity, then it won't work over here.
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Had no problems with fletch tight platinum on carbon with feathers. Can't say the same with vanes.
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I've used Platinum for about 5 years on CE and GT carbons. I always wash with denatured alcohol prior to fletching and leave it in the clamp 10 minutes or so. Never any problems sticking to the shaft. In fact when I wanted to remove some old fletching in order to refletch, I had to cut the fletch off with a sharp knife and use steel wool to clean the shaft before re-fletching. Even then I had a tough time getting every trace of glue off.
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I quit using it and went to goat tuff,really like it better.
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works for me!
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very important to have a good fit with fletching jig the quill should sit perfect to shaft lightly scrub shafts and clean them . carbons and alloys can be lightly scrubbed then cleaned with isopropyl alcohol do not use acetone on carbons very bad most arrow manufactures warn against this >
and also be carful what paper you using to clean and dry shafts with some or many papers contain oils perfume chemicals that do not go well with platinum the cheaper non colored paper the better
and if you want rock solid bonding run a line or 2 of platinum up and down were feather goes and smear it around shaft let dry and then fletch will never ever fall off i have gone to loc tite super glue the gel because i sold 6 of my bitzenburgers and only have one left and can not be bothered waiting any more the gel has worked great for me and i can fletch an arrow in couple minutes cheers Cody
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The old fletch tite worked best for me.
I'm not fond of the new platinum.
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In the old days when I fletched over aluminum I would coat the shaft where the feather went with Fletch-lac clear and then fletch over that with fletch-tite. Some of those old arrows I have are 35 years old and still going.
I just did some flu-flus with Fletch-tite platinum over laquer caps and so far no problems.
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Just yeasterday ifletched my first dozen alums. It was the first time I have used it. Didn't do any specail cleaning . Hope they hold together.
Larry
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I have used Fletch-tite Platinum for a few years now. I also use the comet cleaner method on my aluminums . I also wipe the shafts down with Fletch-lac thinner before fletching. When I fletch vanes for my son I also wipe down the edge of the vane before putting on glue. Maybe all this is over kill but I have no trouble keeping my feathers and vanes on the shafts.
I also wonder about the "bad batch" theory. There may be more truth to it than we are lead to belive.
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Just got some fletch tite platinum and made a few arrows.
Scrubbed the shafts with steel wool, wiped them down with alcohol and fletched them up.
So far, so good.
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Fletch-tite Platinum has worked so far for me with feathers on bare aluminum and with wraps.
I don't think I saw anyone mentioning if they use any type of water proofing material on their feathers. I know that using a silicone spray for me will release the feathers in quick order. I could have sprayed too much on but someone had recommended NAPA silicone spray in another thread some time back and that did not work well for me.
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OK... as of 9:00 AM this morning this is how the replys looked as to good or bad and some other info:
There were 45 replys as of time...
22/45 were satisfied with Plarinum. This broke down to 12 carbon users and 14 alu. users. Due to multi shaft users the numbers look out of "wack"
23/45 were displeased with Platinum. This broke down to 6 carbon users and 13 alu users.
10/45 stated they used some type of surface prep. Of those 6 used alcohol and 3 used acetone. Of all these 6 were listed in the satisfied group and four were listed in the displeased group.
There were additional comments regarding roughing surface and allwoing clamp time while fletching.
This is just a listing of information for your consideration and is no way a scientific evaluation.
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Huntschool -
Good summary.
Charles.
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The other day I mmmmissed my backyard target and lost an aluminum arrow under the rapidly melting snow. After 24 hours the ground was bare enough to locate it. One of the feathers was barely hanging on, the other two seemed OK but matted.
Before I began preping with Acetone I could have expected all three feathers to fall off if they got wet. I guess this is a victory of sorts.
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Good thread. Thanks for the summary.
I just finished using my last "hoarded" tube of fletchtite. Don't like the 50% thoughts of crown dipping and cresting to have the feathers fall off. And I'm a big fan of acetone cleaning.
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I went ahead and ordered several tubes of platinum a few months ago after reading this thread and wondering why it seems to work well for some, but not for others.
I'm using it with true flight feathers on aluminum shafts for myself, and my two sons and have not had a failure yet. Shafts are buffed with steel wool, then cleaned with alcohol and the fletchings are adhering well. :thumbsup:
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I have had mixed results with this stuff, I use a dab of gorrila glue super glue and fletching tape now. I clean my shafts with alcohol and use a little sand paper, unless I use wraps than I just use the tape and a dap of glue on front and back of feather
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I use it along with wraps and have never had a feather or vane come off.
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I wipe my shafts with alcohol and I wipe my feathers after I put it in the clamp. I have never had a problem out of platinum on carbon or aluminum.
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Originally posted by Stone Knife:
I use it along with wraps and have never had a feather or vane come off.
:thumbsup: Same here.
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Originally posted by Cecil:
I wipe my shafts with alcohol and I wipe my feathers after I put it in the clamp. I have never had a problem out of platinum on carbon or aluminum.
I do the same thing. I did it with the "old" glue and now with the newer Platiunum. Never had any problems.
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I have had mixed results with the new platinum. I don't really like it. The original fletch tite seemed to go on better and hold better. I only shoot wood amd do use different finishes. Never had a problem with any of them with the original formula, but the platinum leaves me guessing. I am switching to Duco for everything although I will say the Saunders works well also.
Also I used to buy the original fletchtite for $2-$3 a tube and the platinum is $5 a tube where Duco is still $3.
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For the first time in all of the years I have been using Bohning products this is the first time I have had a problem with the new platinum fletch-tite glue. It seems to form a superficial layer of glue between the aluminum shaft and fletching and the feather will easily separate from the shaft. I don't understand what is happening with the Bohning glue and why they quit manufacturing the old fletch-tite glue in favor of this new glue. The old glue worked much better. Will Duco work as well on aluminum shafting or is their something special that must be done to the shaft before applying the Duco cement?
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I have mixed results...for me, the feathers have a tendency to fall off in cold weather. Anyone else notice this?
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I've gone through about 5 tubes of Platinum ove the past few years,without a single problem.Some may have had problems,but maybe they didn't clean or prep their shafts?I haven't had a single problem with using it.
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John, like you I have used the Bohning glue for years without any problems, but recently it has become such a problem that I am lookiing for alternative glues to do the job. As I stated in my earlier post, the glue seems create a superficial layer between the shaft and the fletching. It sort of looks like paint does when it bubbles up and starts to crack and fall off. I clean my shafts thoroughly before applying the glue, but with this batch it doesn't seem to matter and the feathers will come off when I shoot the finished arrows.
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Another unhappy Platinumn user here,I shoot aluminums and and prep with fine sand paper and then Acetone,The shafts are squeeky clean and left in the jig untill completely cured, the fletching will pop off with in a few shots.It looks to me like this stuff is too brittle.I found some Saunders NPV,no more problems. The old Fletchtite was bullet proof, why change it?
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I use fletch tape now, but still use Platinum on aluminum without issue. Works great.
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I'm still using Platinum to fletch my Gateway feathers to my Easton aluminum arrows and I'm having absolutely "no" problems with this fletching glue. My feathers don't fall off in hot or cold weather after shooting them into my bag target.
One arrow went underneath the target and buried itself under some San Augustine grass. I found it and the feathers were still tightly attached.
I don't know why some of you are having problems with this glue, but after I fletch my arrows, I put a small dab of glue right on top of the front of the feather and at the end of the feather. I let it dry overnight and the feathers stay attached.
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I've had problem with platinum but I suspect a bad batch or a bad storage :dunno: :confused:
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I have used Platinum on carbon arrows with good results, like Night Wing I put a dap of glue on the tip and the back of each feather I glue on. I have never had a failure and I do not prep the shafts in any way.