I'm new to making woodies. I'm staining the shafts, then giving them 3 separate coats of danish oil, rubbed on. Is that enought to seal them? Also putting on 3 coats of water-based poly. Will the danish oil seal them enough without the poly? The shafts are ash.
have tried about everything, but have settled on 3 coats of helmsman spar urathane gloss wiped on with a rag. The danish oil should work fine, as long as you don't expose them to significant rain.
You don't need the danish oil and the poly. I've messed with danish oil a lot. Usually, though, I soak the shafts for days at a time and use a particular color of danish to get the shaft color I want. Oil does not penetrate as well when it is rubbed over a previously applied stain, which tends to clog the wood pours. Three coats of Danish oil over a stain may be ok for damp conditions, but I don't think it will hold out rain. Three coats of poly, on the other hand, because it is a surface coating rather than a penetrating coating, will hold out rain, water, etc, unless the finish is somehow compromised--split, chipped, etc.
You want to make sure you have all your shafts straighten before sealing them. I use polyurethane on mine, after staining and cresting them. IMO Ash makes an awesome hunting arrow. Warning making your own arrows can become addictive and not cheap. :thumbsup:
danish oil, tung oil, linspeed oil - all these kinda clear coat finishes take time, and some will take *forever* to dry/cure. save time and money, use a quick/easy/durable clear coat like min-wax gloss wipe-on, or birchwood-casey tru-oil.
+1 on helmsman spar urathane
Anyone here used the 3 Rivers Greybark one step seal and stain? I'm a novice at building arrows and want to start. Nothing fancy, just a good straight hunting arrow. thanks
Wolfhunter4life,
A small can of stain will last you a while, and as Rob said Minwax wipe on poly is an easy way to get a great protective finish. At least three coats of poly.
i have never tried this before on an arrow but what about a CA glue finish? has anyone tried this?
I use spray can lacquer from the hardware store. 3 coats and your good to go. Lightly steel wool after the first and second coat. Dries really quick!!
Thanks for the info fellas! Will be going to menards for the next batch of arrows. No more 3 rivers pre finished shafting. It doesn't come very straight and giving me fits with my Ace Roller. It's cracking the lacquer. Can I just wipe on some Minwax poly over the cracked and exposed parts of the shaft after I get them straight?
How long should I wait between coats?