anyone ever considered or tried wax finish on wood arrows?  I figure if they get scratched up you can just touch it up. Thoughts?

I have used car wax (cheap Turtle Shell) on the shafts not as a finish itself, but over the poly to ease pulling from targets and provide a little extra wear protection.    I shoot into hay bales at home, and they are surprisingly (at least to me) abrasive on my woodies.  It seems to do okay.  Can't yet tell how often I may have to reapply.

I read somewhere that regular bar soap could be rubbed on a rag, then rubbed onto the arrow shaft to ease pulling from foam targets.  Soap may work for sled runners, but my personal experiences with soap as a lubricant (working rubber or foam grips onto wooden or metal handles) have been that it had the opposite effect - heating it with friction then letting it cool or dry set it up like glue.  I wasn't willing to try it on my arrows, but it may work?

I've finished a couple of selfbows with melted paraffin wax...very smooth finish.

I have used gunstock wax with good results

DDave

I have not personally tried to give a bare shaft  a wax finish, as I would imagine that would interfere in the fletching process. I have, like has been said, buffed beeswax over the first 15 inches of arrows with both waterbased and oil based finishes.

If you were to attempt wax finishing arrows I would suggest fletching onto bare shaft and gluing on nocks and points first before rubbing in a wax compound, which would necessitate working it in between each fletching. I've made softened wax rub for woodworking by melting beeswax and choice oils together for hand finishing, but I would not attempt it on an arrow.  Then also, like you said, reapplication would be necessary from both use and hot temperatures. More trouble than it's worth in my opinion, but maybe someone more experienced could give a better explanation or suggestion.

I knew an old LB guy who capped dipped, ran a band of red paint around shaft then just waxed the unfinished part. He was making stumping and rabbit arrows. Not made to last, moisture and will get in the unfinished part.

I've done it and, as Nockbroke said, you'd be well advised to put on the fletching, nocks and points before waxing.

When I did it I used a couple of coats of soft wax (furniture wax) and then several coats of carnauba wax over the top. This gave a very smooth and shiny finish. It did last though. I did this on a set of target arrows and the friction from the butts wore the finish off faster than I liked.

Changed to coating with TruOil to start and then wax over the top.

I have used  BUTCHERS WAX  for many years ! It is available in Hardware stores and come in a can similar to Car wax and you put it on with a rag .  I use it on my hunting arrows POC or Poplar AFTER the arrow is finished I usually use Laquer on my arrows for finish.    Put it on let it sit a bit then wipe it off with a clean cotton cloth.
  I also use this on my hunting bows instead of cammo or paint.   My bows are almoost always of a dark wood finish and I apply the Butchers Wax to the bow  just like waxing a car, leave it on till it dries to a haze then let it be !  It will dull the bow and make it non-reflective   without ruining the finish . ALso preserves the bow in bad weather and helps it to absorb the punishment when its dropped ( never hunted with a bow I did not drop some time along the way )

Recently I notices my woodies were getting the finish worn off of the point end about 12-15" up I just scuffed them and dipped them to about the 15" mark. They look as good as new. Just let them dry a full day before use.