Nothin like good wood.....  

Gator, you crack me up    

You can use a stain or use water base paint and cut it half with water. Lightly rub it on to see the grain.

Steve, if youre looking for really vibrant color, aniline dyes are the ticket. Some are water soluble, some are mixed with denatured alcohol. Many colors available, both in wood colors or primary colors.

If you want a painted crown dip, I quit using Bohning paints years ago. Tired of air bubbles, dip tubes etc. I tape them off, spray a coat of primer, then to coat with whatever color I want, then clear coat over top of that. Works better, far cheaper to but spray paint than Bohning paint, and you dont have to but a bunch just to fil a dip tube.

A light sanding with some steel wool in between coats smotths out any raised grain,allow a day or two to fully dry between coats. For cresting, I use Testers model paints, then clear coat over that with a coat of water based poly. Once that is dry, a couple more coats of either the Home Depot wood floor finish( cant remember the rand name of it, but its not minwax) or Ive used Minwax wipe on poly in a oil base,I think it has a better look than water based.

The Home Depot product your talking about is Parks wood floor finish.  It is all I use as well.

Killz 2 thinned with water and wiped on with a sponge gave an awesome look.  They just received their first dip of clear by Steve, and I think I just found a new product to add to the lineup.  What I like is that the grain shows thru but the white color is still there...in abundance.

i like spliced feathers too.

Nice Chad. Way to go on the splice. That is how I learned it 15 or more years ago.  Lots of work but not to hard once you get the hang of it.

Gator,be have buddy.  

thanks chuck,hope to see you at the bunny stomp or kazoo , have a good new year.

I just got off the phone with Chad, and him explaining it seems not to difficult to do, and the look is so much better than a butt splice.  I'm gonna start the new year off tomorrow morning by making it my mission to learn how to do this.

Careful where you tread grasshopper, arrow making is addictive. OH! you already know that.
Geeeze what am I saying.
Tear it up Mike, I will be needing some arrows soon.   :p  
and I am sure you will figure it out just fine.
I will be at both Chad

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL.

Couldn't wait till tomorrow.  Just went to the shop and figured it out.  So easy a Vines could do it!!!  I will email pics to someone who can post it for me.  I don't know how to do it from an iPod yet.

Brother, you have got to clean the lens on that camera...





Heading out now.  Happy New Year to everyone!

It's the shop, not the lens.    

glad you got it mike,thats something your kids can even help you with and you will have them done in no time.looking forward to seeing the finished arrows.

Thank you For giving a few minutes of your time.  I really liked hearing about the cutthroat you caught.

QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Vines:
Thank you For giving a few minutes of your time.  I really liked hearing about the cutthroat you caught.

Who caught a cutthroat and where? Chad?


Nice job on the splice by the way

no problem im happy i could help you out!have a good and safe new year and i will see you in kalamazoo.

Well, this has been a ton of fun and I have learned a lot from Mike.  I think they are pretty good for my first attempt!

The diluted Kilz is just the look I wanted:




The shafts are Douglas Fir footed with African Blackwood.  I made them to match my Ebony and Myrtle TallTines longbow to kill a big black bear up at Stickflingers this spring.  With that in mind, I still have not decided on the 4 Fletch pattern that will steer theses babies.  What do you guys think?

I really like the spliced feather for looks, but I know the Scollick cut banana will give me the most broadhead control.

What do you guys think?