Vanes Stopped Sticking....HELP

[Colo4x4XJ]

Hey everyone, lately Ive been having trouble getting my vanes to stick to my arrow shafts. Over the last two years Ive had zero issues with Loctite Control (the red and black bottle) but the other day I managed to loose a vane on almost every one of my arrows while shooting. Even my hunting arrows that had been scrutinized before last falls archery season had the vanes fall off, the glue so brittle its like there wasnt any glue to begin with. I figured this had to do with the colder temps making the glue brittle so I switched to Bohning Fletchtite Platinum. Now I cant even get the arrow out of my jig before vanes start peeling off. I know that when Fletchtite sets up its pretty good and I know it takes 24 hours for the glue to cure. For every one arrow that successfully comes out of the jig, three more have problems. Ive experimented with using different amounts of glue and still nothing. Arrow wraps, bare shafts it doesnt matter. The shafts get scrubbed with Comet and then wiped with denatured alcohol as part of the preparation. Ive been told that the vanes need to be wiped with alcohol too but also that they have a special coating that helps the glue adhere to the shaft and alcohol strips that off.

Any and all advice is welcome. Ive wasted too many brand new vanes and wraps for this problem to continue. For reference my jig is a Bohning Tower, Axis shafts, both Blazer and Fusion vanes

Thanks in advance

 

[5MilesBack]

My absolute favorite glue for vanes is AAE Maxbond, I've never had a vane come off using it. I even have some arrows with the original vanes I put on them 7 years ago using Maxbond and if I take pliers to them, the vanes tear but the glue still holds. And I don't do squat for prep......wipe the shaft clean and glue them on. I use Quickspin vanes for the most part.

 

[SHTF]

Man thats a tough one. So is it the Vanes or the shaft that the glue isnt sticking too? When I do arrows for customers at my local shop I always dip and wipe then in Alcohol to make sure all foreign substances are cleaned off. Maybe try a new bottle of fletching glue. You have 3 things that are variable here. The Vanes, The arrows and the Glue one of them or a combo of 2 is what is causing it. When Ive seen this in the past its 1. Bad batch of glue 2. Oils on the shafts causing them to not stick and Ive seen where the arrow fletcher isnt using a bead of the glue on the vanes. Causing the Fletching to come off with the smallest contact.

My Money is on a bad batch of the glue. Hope that helps.

 

[RosinBag]

Loctite can sensitive to cold also. If the glue is cold when applied it doesn't seem to work as well.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I'm guessing bad glue also.

 

[Colo4x4XJ]

Thank you for the quick responses! Ive gone back and looked at the the failed arrows and it appears that the glue is sticking to the vane but not the shaft. I guess that means the shaft preparation could be better. Both the Loctite and Fletchtite are fairly new glues but I understand they could be bad. Not a big deal with Loctite because Home Depot is right down the road but a new tube of fletchtite being bad chaps my ass. The nearest place that sells archery equipment is a pharmacy/general store 30 miles away with an "archery section" consisting of a few odds and ends.
Any other glue recommendations?
Would it be a good idea to lightly sand the shaft before scrubbing it?
Is wiping the vanes with alcohol a good idea?

 

[SDHNTR]

My bet is bad glue too. Any cyanoacrylyte glue only has a useable shelf life of a few months. And Fletchtite is only good if you have LOTS of time to wait. No thanks.

I too use AAE Maxbond and think it is great. Never have a problem. I use Ajax or Comet powder to clean my arrows and then rinse with hot water and dry with a paper towel.

 

[SHTF]

Ive never sanded down shafts and Ive done a lot of arrows. (I work part time and am a staff shooter at Quick Draw Archery in Highlands Ranch Colorado) I just dip it in alcohol and wipe it down good. If I am redoing Fletching then I I have zip strip tool I use and my pocket knife to make sure I am getting all the old glue off. Make sure when your bonding the fletch to the shaft. (That sounds bad ) your using a bead of glue in the groove of the fletch. Common mistake I see a lot with folks doing their own arrows is not filling that groove up on the fletch that bonds to the arrow. Wiping the fletch groove with alcohol cant hurt it but really isn't necessary if its coming right out of the new package. My money is on on bad prep or the glue. If your using new fletching I cant see that being an issue.

 

[squeekieslayer]

1) light sand paper on shaft
2) acetone, rub the shaft till black no longer comes off... do not touch that area at all after this step.
3) acetone, rub the base of the vane... you will feel when you get the "slick" layer off, the color will come off on the paper towel and it gets tacky feeling.
4) glue... honestly, I use fletchtite platinum but have used all different types and never had a problem.

also, make sure that your clamp is holding the base of the fletch in direct contact along the whole length of the fletch and on both sides. Also, make sure you get real acetone. I had a buddy buy fingernail polish remover because it was a smaller bottle... problem is there is all sorts of fragrance and moisturizers and it wont work the same.

I have NEVER had a fletch fail with this system on tons of different shafts with many different brands of fletchings.

 

[Colo4x4XJ]

Thank you again for all the input. I scrubbed my arrow shafts with a brand new scrubby and Comet then rinsed in hot water. Then I donned rubber gloves and used acetone and cleaned the fletches and shaft (there wasnt any black or color coming off) and let them dry. I handled them entirely with gloved hands just to be sure. Went ahead and glued two arrows and still had the same results. Must be the glue I guess...

 

[Tilzbow]

With Fletchtite I wait a minimum of 15 minutes per vane and 30 is preferred. I fletch a dozen arrows over the course of a few days and don't hurry the process. I do make certain the fletching jig is aligned properly if using my Bitzenburger but that's not necessary with the Arizona EZ Fletch Mini I'm currently using with Blazers.

I use wraps with Blazers, don't clean the vanes and I've never had a problem with vanes falling off. Over the last 25 years of using Fletchtite products I've never had a bad batch of glue that I can remember and I've fletched on aluminum, wood, carbon with and without wraps....

 

[fulldraw1972]

Maybe try zing primer and zing glue. Its what I will be using this year. Have heard nothing but good about the stuff. You can order it from Lancaster archery.

 

[doverpack12]

The zing primer works great. I found the zing glue to be a little too thick for my personal preferance. Instead I prefer goat tuff and have not had a problem.

 

[SDHNTR]

Most vane manufacturers will tell you not to clean the base, FYI.

 

[Lukem]

I've always just scraped the old vanes/glue/wraps/residue/etc off with a knife and haven't had adhesion issues with Blazers (yeah an anomaly if you read the internets) and AAE Fastset Gel with Platinum over the front and rear of each vane. The only time I'll pull a vane off is a severe direct hit from another arrow (arrow through the vane) and about half the time the vane will stay fletched to the arrow. I'm not so sure that all of the cleaning, etc isn't detrimental. I know I'm not being a great deal of help with my post here, but don't over think it. Try a different glue, glue the front and back down, and be careful about what you wipe on the arrow and vane, many of those "residues"/cleaners can inhibit adhesives.

 

[Muledeernv]

I use scotch Brite on the shafts to take the shinny ness off before I glue. I have been using 3m super glue on mine and haven't had any problems

 

[Colo4x4XJ]

Thanks everyone for the input!! I figured scraping the shafts was a given. I bought a 5 pack of hooked blades for a utility knife for 30 cents. Works just like a zip strip but much much cheaper

 

[Brandon Pattison]

There's typically oil on razor blade knife bades. I use denatured alcohol for prep including the wrap prior to glue with a paper towel. Never sanded nor used Comet. Never an issue except non-Bohning wraps.