have been looking at the "how to section" and I have not seen where someone shows how they cap arrows? I did a test with a half dozen last night and my wife thinks they look fine but I think they could be better. I masked from the top of the cresting up and did 2 coats of rustoleum(rattle can) semi gloss white on 2 shafts and the other 4 with a good heavy shot of laquer sanding sealer first followed by the white. Again they do look ok, but they could be better. I have heard of "dipping" the caps, but have no idea how to do this?

any one care to shed some light on this?

also I have read not to stain under any caps or cresting? I find it hard to believe that any stain could possibly show through a coat of paint (or the crested area) but I dont want to find out the hard way either!      

thanks,

L.R.

You dip the arrow in the paint for a cap. It has to be mixed correctly for a good finish. You stiffen dynamic spine of the arrow when you add a cap.

Dark stain under a light color can only cause trouble, but I have done it before.

I tried using spray paint as you did: they do not hold up well for me.

1 1/2" PVC scrap 12" long with cap glued on one end. Quart can of Krylon Acrylic Enamel from Wally World thinned with water till it runs back off the shaft like water. Tape off 10" for cap area and dip 2-3 coats, DONE ! I wait a day between coats. Put down newspaper under makeshift clothesline that shafts hang on to drip dry. Total cost around $10 and can cap dip hundreds of shafts.

perfect! thanks~

L.R.

If you use spray paint, DO NOT use the paint that dries to the touch in less than a hour.  You will not be happy with the results.  It dries too fast to allow the paint to flow together.

Yes stain will bless thru paint.  I have some that I stained with an alcohol based red stain and tried covering it up with some white paint, and it looked great till about a week later the red started to bleed thru the white, so yes it does happen.  

Just figure where you want to stop the stain and start your crown and put a pencil mark there.  And carefully stain up to it.  I use a shotgun cleaning patch to do my staining.  They allow me to get in real close in a neat fashion.

I dip my arrows because I find that my dipped crowns are much lighter in weight than wrapped arrows. It is much better to have you paint thinner that you think, even if you find that you must dip them two to three times.  

I have spray painted my crowns when Bohning products have proven too expensive. The only time I use wraps anymore is when I have arrows that are borderline under spine.  That heavy wrap seems to stiffen the arrow just the right amount for me.

I've dipped and sprayed crowns on wood arrows with good results. I used water based paint to dip and Krylon to spray.
 For spraying I just masked off what I didn't want to paine and sprayed away.

I started spray painting the caps 15 years ago and have been satisfied so I never tried dipping.  I'm sure you will get good at either method if you stick with it.  Don't judge your work from the first time.  The first time I crested, I thought they were the ugliest arrows a human could possible make.

after dipping, do you seal the entire shaft (including the crown) or just leave the crown alone? Or are you staining, and sealing (the entire shaft then dipping?

L.R.

I seal the shafts under and over the crown dip.