I fletched some aluminum shafts and had some feathers just fall off. They had at least a 3 week drying time. I used Trueflight feathers and Fletch-tite Platinum glue. The glue was a fresh tube and the feathers brand new. I wonder if anyone has heard of any problems with this glue. I've been fletching arrows for over 25 yrs. and did not do any thing different this time. Anyone have any ideas?
The only "idea" that comes to mind is this: did you "clean" the shafts before you fletched them up? Alum. likes to be wiped down before fletching.
Alcohol and a cotton ball are good things.
Personally I wipe fathers and the shafts of anything I'm fletching with denatured alcohol.
I have always cleaned my shafts with MEK before fletching, and never had this problem.
Hi, yep you should clean the shafts first, Easton has recommended AJAX, it is also been used by the aircraft industry to clean aluminum before painting. Put some on a wet paper towel and clean shaft where paint, nocks and feather will be. Rinse with water and let dry. Keep fingers off, or wear cotton gloves.
Some recommend Acetone, but I have used Ajax for 30+ yrs without a problem. Don't substitute any other powdered detergent, it will leave a film, which is what caused your problem in the first place.
You can clean the feather quill by wiping with lighter fluid, or Acetone. Let it dry.
Anything touched with hands, yours or others will leave some oil and cause problems.
If you decide to use fletch tape, follow the same procedure, but clean both shaft and quill first, then cut and trim feathers, add the tape to the feather in a clamp, trim excess tape and press onto the shaft in your jig.
You will not have this problem once everything is clean.
Try the tape. Works very good for me on eveything.
I have had the same experience as Brandon.
The feathers fall off with the new Platinum.
So I also use Saunders NPV.
Charles.
I will second Sanders NVP for both aluminum and carbons.
Thanks guys I'll give the Saunders a try. I never had this trouble with the old Fletch-tite.
I have also had a bad experience with glue, that is why I switched to the tape.
Had some platinum on carbon shafts on a trip last year and it rained during the night and my arrows were in my tent and by midmorning the next day the feathers started dropping like fall leaves.
I've used the Fletch-tite platinum. My feather's don't just fall off, but the glue is certainly not what it once was. It just seems to take a long time to set.
I have trouble getting anything other than Fletch-tite up here because I can't seem to find anyone who'll ship fletching glue in the mail...something about it being flammable...and all they have up here is Fletch-tite.
You have to use Ajax (or similary cleaner) or an acid etching solution to get a good bond with alumiminum. Been fletching them for many years with the old fletch-tite and the new Platinum; never had a problem with either.
Same problem with Fletch-tite Platinum. Probably will try what Brandon suggested or to use tape going forward.
Simple solution... use a wrap the Platinum sticks like glue to them... and they're easy to remove..
I buy bumper sticker (tag end) rolls for about $30 buck (makes hundreds of wraps) from a label company in Dallas and cut them with a paper cutter the wife uses for her scrapbooking...
If anyone wants the url for the place pm me and I'll give it to you..
I used a new tube of the platinum one time
and the feathers did fall off. Fletch them again with NVP and still shooting them 3 years later.
Platinum seems to be very sensitive to cleaning. Methods that have been considered failsafe (acetone, MEK) for 40 years don't work with Platinum.
Try some of the alchohol or cleanser type preps or switch to Saunders.
I've had the same problem on some types of carbon. Once I started using vinyl wraps on my shafts, never had another adhesion proplem.
Good Cleaning with Acetone, then Glue them on with Saunders NPV Fletching Cement.... forget the Rest and Use the BEST!! Sounds a bit biased doesnt it?
I have used Saunders NPV for 14 years and have NEVER Lost a Feather, unless the next shot was so close it stripped it off.
Have you tryed super glue ?
Just use the regular Fletch-tite and you won't have any problems...at least I haven't with aluminum. Also clean shafts with Acetone.
try duco,just not on your carbons.duco is some great stuff and it is cheap.send me a pm with your info and i will send you a tube to try,steve
Another "Platinum Horror Story" here. It happened about a year ago so I trashed the stuff and bought about 4 tubes of the old Fletch Tite. When thats gone I'll go back to NPV.
I just switched to Bohning fletch tape. Should have done it years ago(old school glue).I had to cut some fletch off for checking different feather shapes. Blade slide right under the feather and tape.Rolled the left over tape off the shaft and you would never know that the shaft had been worked. ( carbon ). The best part was that I could use the feathers again if need be. BTW, actetone is a good solvent but not really good with porous materials for what we are doing (carbon).The Ajax works great with aliminum.Did it years ago. It absorbs in the shaft for a bit and reacts with the glues.The alcohol is better.The best advantage is you can do a dozen shafts in a lot less time.No mess either.Just my 2 cents worth JG
Just a add to my previous post ,must have hit a wrong key?? The actone absorbs into the porous material not the ajax.JG
I had a bad batch of the new fletch-tite platinum. I had to re-fletch several arrows that I had built for my fellow wheelie bow guys last year and again early this year. I haven't had that problem with my fletch tape though. You may give that a try, it's pretty inexpensive and you can do about three dozen arrows with one roll for about $8. Good luck.
I have had the same problem with carbon shafts. I cleaned them with denatured alcohol and I tried acetone. I didn't have luck either way. I emailed the company and they sent me a new tube. I fletched some up and they worked fine. I fletched some more several months later and they fell off. Now I just use superglue and no problems.
I dont like that glue at all. Some times it works and other times it doesn't. I use fletch tape now and a dab of gorrila super glue on front and back of feathers
Cleaning the shafts carefully is the good first step as many have already said. I ususally lightly rub the area of the shaft where the fletch will be mounted with fine sandpaper (600 grit) and then clean with alcohol.
But I have to say I'm a bit suspect of Platinum. Over the past couple of years I've tried four tubes. Two worked great. Two did not hold. Hard to believe they have this kind of batch to batch problem. Wonder if there is a shelf life issue, especially after the tubes are opened.
Yep. I have had issues with the platinum stuff too. I still use the original fletch-tite. Works great for me. For wood arrows though, I use Duco cement and a green brillo pad, or sand paper, or steel wool and follow that up with alcohol.
I always use fletch tape with glue on the ends of the fletches and have never had a problem with them coming up.
Also had bad luck with fletch-tite platinum on bare shafts. Works great when arrows are dipped with bohning paints. Use Saunders Arrowmate NPV cement on bare shafts.
Tape seems to work the best, clean shafts are a must no matter what attachment style you prefer.
If you use tape ,as soon as you get into cold wheather your feathers will fall off , all of them!
Fletch tape. Clean first, then apply fletching. They generally last longer then the feathers do. I've never had tape fall off from cold, wet or icy weather.
Alcohol does not work for cleaning the shaft. Easton and Bohning will both tell you alcohol inhibits adhesion and to use ajax or ssr.
Yea, the Bohning SSR cleaning solutions is pretty cool. Comes as a powder in the bottom of an empty bottle. All you do is add hot water to the line, shake, dip, wipe, dry and fletch. But it's for aluminum and carbon arrows, not wood (It says on the bottle Aluminum and Carbon).
Even though I have never had any problems with alcohol on any shafts (wood, Almn, or carbon) I will try the Ajax. I like home remedy stuff.. That sounds like it would get it CLEAN!
Haven't had any problems using Platinum glue on aluminum shafts. I always wipe the shaft and feather with acetone. I recently tried the Bohning tape, which worked very well. I used both the glued and taped arrows for stump shooting in the snow and rain..... no problems.
I use good ol' Loctite superglue and it is fantastic stuff. Cheap too.
QuoteOriginally posted by Wayde Burke:
I fletched some aluminum shafts and had some feathers just fall off. They had at least a 3 week drying time. I used Trueflight feathers and Fletch-tite Platinum glue. The glue was a fresh tube and the feathers brand new. I wonder if anyone has heard of any problems with this glue. I've been fletching arrows for over 25 yrs. and did not do any thing different this time. Anyone have any ideas?
I had the same problem when I went from alums to the MFX Classic carbons...cleaned the heck out of them use platinum, refletched them, still fell off.
I finally used fletching tape and they absolutely "STUCK" for good on the Classic wood grain pattern. Takes an arrow or two to get used to using tape, but I had 6 arrows fletched in less than an hour with just one jig!
The problem with just using solvents on aluminum is it only removes the dirt and oil. Aluminum has to be etched as well for the glue to adhere well; hence the need to use Ajax (or any cleanser with an abrasion agent) or etching acid prep. Some solvents actually leave a residue behind that makes the problem worse. When in doubt, read the instructions; Easton has been doing this for a few years now.