Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

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Duncan McHarg
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Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#1 Post by Duncan McHarg » Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:49 pm

G'day all,
This is my first post, as I've just discovered this site (and I like what I see :biggrin: ).

Some years ago I worked out how to lay out helical fletching armed with just a texta or a blunt, soft lead pencil. The latter is more traditional, but I used the texta for clarity in the photos. It does wipe off with metho.

But you do need to have the feathers ready first, so lets do that:

I've bought whole smooth duck feathers from a fishing tackle shop in the past (for making fly's), and the one's in this tutorial are some of these, but the shop in question no longer stocks them, hence the ones I've laid out as examples are all the same colour, with no different cock feather. Not the norm. Hopefully you can find a shop that does; or road kill birds (not because you swerved, but because they were already there); or chooks (done that and they work).

Anyway, onwards...


1. Make sure all three feathers are from the same wing so that they will behave the same on the shaft and in flight.
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Hmmm. Having some trouble with up loading the pics (it says they are too big but they're only 70-80kb) so I'll break it up into several posts. Pt.2 below

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#2 Post by Duncan McHarg » Sat Jan 18, 2014 6:43 pm

Pt.2
2. Holding the quill steady in one hand, grip the vane of the feather between thumb and forefinger (a little longer than you want. We can cut it shorter later on, but we can't make it longer :biggrin: ). Pull out and down. If all goes to plan, the vane will peel off the quill with a tiny film holding it all together. Practice on some unwanted feathers first or, lacking that, the thin vane on the other side of the quill (the thin ones could be kept for flight arrows).
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Now you can see the shape coming together...
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3. Work out how much space you need for your fingers at the nock end.
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And holding the fletch in place, mark both ends on to the shaft . You will notice that I'm using the shadow cast to give a perfectly straight line to aim at. It's easiest if you make the first pair at right angles to the string slot. I'm using an incomplete shaft for the demonstration.
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4. Now comes the amazing (well I think so) bit of geometry. Roll the arrow so that the dots you just made are *just* above the horizon; the finest of lines of shaft visible underneath the dots. This is where a sharp pointed pencil wouldn't work, for more than one reason as you will see. Look at the size dots I'm producing and aim for that. Now place two more dots *just* above the other horizon..
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And again a third time, then roll the shaft from dot pair to dot pair double checking that they all match.
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5. Place the leading end of the fletch against one side of the lower dot, not over it. Don't forget if it's the cock feather.
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I used a dot of super glue and tweezers, and waited until it was dry. I then put a bead of glue along the underside of the feather and pulled it firmly up to just touch the other side of the top dot. I suggest dry running this process to see which sides of the dots the feather likes to bend towards most; bottom left & top right, or bottom right and top left. Also some suggest the rougher under side of the feather is better to present to the air. Up to you.
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Ta Da
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Last part next.

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#3 Post by bigbob » Sat Jan 18, 2014 7:47 pm

Looks like a great idea for those without a fletching jig. thanks for posting
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#4 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:16 pm

Welcome to Ozbow Duncan. That is interesting. I look forward to the next part.

One thing about using feathers from dead birds; I believe it may only be legal in Victoria if I remember correctly from a thread on here some time ago now.

Jeff

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#5 Post by Duncan McHarg » Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:29 pm

The Last part.
This is what the fletch looks like from end on.
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And here is one I made (a few years) earlier...
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I've bound both ends with thread, the leading end being the most important, I feel, as I shoot off my finger ( with a leather wrap, but even still; the thought of a fletch coming loose and burying itself into it...)

So that's it. It's quite quick to do, they work, and no particular equipment necessary. Enjoy.

Oh, and the shafts I use are from $3 packs of 20 bamboo tomato stakes, of which about 1/3 are the correct spine; But that's another story...

Cheers
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#6 Post by Duncan McHarg » Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:39 pm

Listen to Jeff about the 'dead bird feathers'. I don't want anyone getting in trouble. Most people should know someone with, at least, chickens! The complete arrow at the end of my tute. is fletched with them. If someone has ducks, even better.

Cheers
Duncan

Thanks for the welcome

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#7 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:51 pm

The finished arrow looks great mate. That bow you are shooting looks good. Did you make it also?

Jeff

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#8 Post by Duncan McHarg » Sat Jan 18, 2014 9:01 pm

Yes Jeff, It's elm and pulls 30 odd #, and I probably made it 8-10 years ago. I had made a much better 45# elm following that (0 string follow), but unfortunately it went missing. Need to have another go. A few years before that I was given the set of the Trad. Bowyers Bibles. Devoured them. Now there's a 4th; Hmmm.

Good night all,
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#9 Post by yeoman » Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:43 am

Welcome to Ozbow, Duncan. Fantastic first post!

How'd you learn this technique?

Any which way you came about it: it's a great idea and one I might have to use myself.

We're always happy to see bows people have made too.

Dave
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#10 Post by Duncan McHarg » Sun Jan 19, 2014 8:18 am

G'day Dave,
15+ years ago, I wanted to make my own arrows, and I was having trouble fletching evenly and couldn't afford a fletching jig. I was trying to get the hang of placing pencil dots at thirds around the shaft, when I discovered that when I'd got it right, there was this tiny line of shaft visible just past the dots on both sides. After that it was just a matter of seeing what size dot was best and the rest is quite easy. You can re-fletch in the field with a pencil :biggrin:

Give it a go. It's really satisfying.

Cheers
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#11 Post by woody » Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:05 pm

Duncan,
Looking down the arrow from back to front, which way should you angle left wing feathers ?
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#12 Post by Duncan McHarg » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:08 pm

G'day Woody,
I've been thinking about that, and looking at the end-on photo of my yellow demo fletch, I'm coming to the conclusion that it would be better for that feather to go anti- clockwise (viewed from the nock) . In other words, the feather shown would then scoop along it's top edge, instead of folding over, increasing the effective area of the fletch (the passing air may push up the scooped top edge making it flatter on an anti- clockwise orientation, more sq. cms, verses pushing it down on a clockwise orient. reducing sq. cms). These are all in reference to my feather and photo.
Looking at my first photo again (all three feathers together), I think they might be lefties. In which case I should swap sides on the dots based on what I just said :biggrin: This would also put the rough side of the fletch into the wind

Also, if you don't want as much twist, you can make smaller dots; you just have to remember to increase the amount of shaft you can see past each dot; instead of 1 hair's width, 2,3,4,5 etc hairs width. Basically you're working from over the top of the very centre of my dot placement (zero twist) out to the edge (the twist visible in my pics), which is quite a fast spin.

Cheers
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#13 Post by woody » Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:46 pm

Duncan,
The reason I asked you the question, is that it matters very much which side of the feather is angled into.... to face the air flow.

Every primary flight feather from a birds wing is an engineering marvel of millions of years of evolution.

Each flight feather has a firm and a soft side....push a feather side ways, right side and then left side, with your index finger and you will see this is so.

When fletching an arrow it is the firm side that works best facing into the air flow, if you face the soft side into the air flow it wont give you half as much air resistance as the stiff side will.

The feathers from each wing are mirror opposites of each other, this is why commercial fletching jigs with helical twist clamps are made in right wing and left wing versions.

Each type is built to present the best side of the feather ( the strongest side ) to provide the best air resistance and guidance.

Left wing feathers should be angled to the left and right wing feathers should be angled to the right, when viewed from the back of the arrow.

On a bird, this works to give an easier upstroke of the wing and then a stronger down stroke. The soft side is employed upwards and the firm side downwards.

We did not invent velcro, birds did. If you looks real close at a feather you will see a hook and loop closure system that has been around millions of years before any man ever thought of it.

The best way to think of how a feather works is to imagine each feather working like a set of venetion blinds. On a wings up stroke, the blind is open, and it closes on the down stoke.

The feathers natural hook and loop system in its barbicles is what makes this work.

When we present a feather for arrow fletching, it is best the feather ("venetian blind") is placed on the arrow in the "closed" position.
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#14 Post by Duncan McHarg » Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:40 pm

G'day Woody,
Makes perfect sense, and is what we'd get if I swapped sides on the dots with my yellow demo fletch. And yes, I've looked closely at the barbicles and the way they interlock. They are beautifully amazing.

Cheers
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#15 Post by yeoman » Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:48 pm

I had a thought. If you want less twist, you don't need smaller dots. What you do is lay one end of the fletch on the dot, and the other end beside the dot. Putting both ends on both dots'd give a straight fletch.
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#16 Post by Duncan McHarg » Wed Jan 22, 2014 9:34 pm

Or half and half eg.
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This way the fletch is centred on the marks and therefor the thirds, which you start by putting the first one at 90 deg to the string nock. Or it could just be I have some latent OCD that wants it all to be even :lol:

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#17 Post by yeoman » Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:51 am

Exactly.

I reckon you should write this up as a short article for Primitive Archer magazine. You might get a free subscription out of it.
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#18 Post by Gringa Bows » Thu Jan 23, 2014 8:18 am

Good job on both bows and arrows Duncan,welcome to Ozbow :biggrin:

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#19 Post by Duncan McHarg » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:32 pm

yeoman wrote:Exactly.

I reckon you should write this up as a short article for Primitive Archer magazine. You might get a free subscription out of it.
Hmmm.

DM

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#20 Post by Nephew » Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:18 pm

Great to see some folk are still keeping the old hand fletching skills alive! Well done and welcome to Ozbow, mate.
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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#21 Post by Duncan McHarg » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:46 pm

Thanks for the welcome Nephew.
I've also done non-glued fletching (still using my dot method), sequentially catching the front, then rear, ends of the feathers with linen thread rubbed with bees-wax and pine resin (2:1 mix, the same as I use on the threads I make for sewing boots and shoes), but the gymnastics I go through with my fingers; I didn't want to try demonstrating and explaining that :biggrin:

Cheers
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#22 Post by Afro » Fri Jan 24, 2014 8:01 am

That's a great idea, Duncan. :smile: Welcome to the forum mate.
I used to do the same, only I just drew a straight line and used a pin, to hold the front of the flight, to one side of the line and pinned the rear of the feather, to the other side of the line. That method was quicker than using a fletching jig, as I could attach all three feathers quickly and put the arrow aside, till the glue dried.

P. S. Nice self bow. :smile:
Cheers :)

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#23 Post by Duncan McHarg » Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:39 am

Thanks for the welcome Afro.
I use bamboo stakes for my shafts, so I'd need to drill holes in them to use pins, otherwise they'd split :sad: . Not an issue with the timber ones .

Cheers
Duncan

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Re: Laying out perfect helical fletching with just a texta.

#24 Post by Duncan McHarg » Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:47 pm

Hmm, Just re-read my post from Thursday (about tied on fletches) and wondered if I gave the impression of "tie one fletch (fl) at the front then the same fl at the back, then the second fl at the front then the same fl at the back ......". *No* :surprised:

Pre-cut the leading ends of the 3 fl's, three slightly different lengths. Give the rear of each fletch a long strip of the quill film to give you something to pull on when you get to that stage.

If I remember correctly, having the feathers damp gives them a little bit of stretch helping to get them tight to the shaft.

Starting with the leading end of the fl's, do a lead in binding on the shaft for, say, 8-10 turns, then trap the longest fl (lets say the cock feather) next to it's dot with 1 or 2 turns.

Then place the second longest fl next to it's dot and trap it with 1-2 turns.... etc. When all are bound in place, pull the end of the thread back under 4 or so turns. This works vastly better than knots. You can then melt resin or some such, carefully (don't want to singe the fl ), to glue the binding and fl's.

Double check the length of the fl's at the nock end (remembering to leave extra past the binding to grab), then working back from the nock end, bind 8-10 turns, grip your chosen fl, lining it up on the other side of it's dot, 2-3 turns of thread, next fl, same deal, and so on, until you've bound the three fl's all the way to the barbs. Resin glue as above.

When an arrow smacks into it's target, there is a lot of inertia the fletching goes under, and can cause the bindings to move. I've had the rear ones shift forward causing the fletches to bulge away from the shaft. This is one of the reasons I'm recommending melting resin on the bindings. Another thing a number of peoples have done through the ages (including 'Otzi' the Ice man) is bind a fine thread around the shaft, through the base of the barbicles, for the length of the fletching. See below. I've also tried to show the staggered fl ends (trim them flush, especially the leading end do they can't snag your finger), and the ends of the bindings going back under.
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So I have gone and explained it after all. I should probably shut up and have some lunch.

Cheers
Duncan

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