old school fletching question

[Crappie Luck]

Back in the day we used to spine aluminum arrows. If I recall, the chocolate chip cookie feather went on the spine.

For the last 20 years, I've been buying packaged arrows with the feathers or vains already installed. Occasionally, I would replace a torn vain or change them out.

Now I've bought a 1/2 doz blank arrows and I'm fix'n to apply my new fletchings.

Questions:

1. Do we still Spine carbon arrows like we did the old Aumn, ones?
2. Does the chocolate chip cookie feather go on the spine?

I'm shooting a whisker biscuit so I can turn the nock if I have to in order to "Spine" an arrow on the rest. But I prefer all my fletchings and arrows to nock the same so I don't have to think about that when I'm hunting.

Thanks,
roger

 

[kentuckylakebuck]

crappie, some people spine em now days and some dont, i would bet most dont even know what your talking about? i personally spine my bare shafts through paper and turn them or index them 1/4 turns until i get a bullet hole then mark the top and either put my chocolate chip cookie feather on that line or spilt the line if im 4 fletching??

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Most people do not index fletchings to the head any more and fewer do not find the spine and line the chocolate chip cookie vane up to it—heck, most don't even have a clue how or what it is anyway as previously mentioned. With the advances in today's archery equipment, compared to the old school technology of the 80's where you had to do everything to get decent flight, doing it will have negligible results. However, it will not hurt but that is one of things in tuning that exceeds most people's ability to shoot—in other words, most people will not see a significant change, if any at all. People like some of these Pro level shooters still do it, but they to have strive for a hyper-accuracy that the average archer cannot even comprehend. A small percentage of archers try to tune way far beyond their capability of shooting and get so wrapped up in it that it almost becomes crippling it seems, but if that is what gives them the confidence then so be it—I have other things in my archery addiction to worry about that out-tuning my abilities.

 

[Crappie Luck]

Yea, I think I might be applying old school problems to new tech.

When you spine your arrows, do you turn them until the spine is up (parallel with the string) so that it properly fishtails left and right? I guess with the new rests, you could apply the chocolate chip cookie feather wherever you prefer it it as long as the arrows are spined correctly and consistently.

The old TM hunter rests, I spined them upside down with the spine and my chocolate chip cookie feather facing down. With the biscuit, I guess it wouldn't matter as long as they were all the same.

But the spine should still be up or down, lined up with the string, correct?

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Correct, if you are going to do it then have the spine on a vertical plane—most people that do it, have the spine up and in-line with the chocolate chip cookie arrow.

 

[Crappie Luck]

Most people do not index fletchings to the head any more and fewer do not find the spine and line the chocolate chip cookie vane up to it—heck, most don't even have a clue how or what it is anyway as previously mentioned. With the advances in today's archery equipment, compared to the old school technology of the 80's where you had to do everything to get decent flight, doing it will have negligible results. However, it will not hurt but that is one of things in tuning that exceeds most people's ability to shoot—in other words, most people will not see a significant change, if any at all. People like some of these Pro level shooters still do it, but they to have strive for a hyper-accuracy that the average archer cannot even comprehend. A small percentage of archers try to tune way far beyond their capability of shooting and get so wrapped up in it that it almost becomes crippling it seems, but if that is what gives them the confidence then so be it—I have other things in my archery addiction to worry about that out-tuning my abilities.

Thanks.

I might be overthinking things. I just wanted to make sure I applied the new vains correctly. @ $12 per arrow, I really don't want 1/2 of them shooting wild.

If technology has eliminated the problem of spining arrows, I'm glad because it's been years since I've done it. But I still have all the old equipment so I could if I needed to.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Most people do not index fletchings to the head any more and fewer do not find the spine and line the chocolate chip cookie vane up to it—heck, most don't even have a clue how or what it is anyway as previously mentioned. With the advances in today's archery equipment, compared to the old school technology of the 80's where you had to do everything to get decent flight, doing it will have negligible results. However, it will not hurt but that is one of things in tuning that exceeds most people's ability to shoot—in other words, most people will not see a significant change, if any at all. People like some of these Pro level shooters still do it, but they to have strive for a hyper-accuracy that the average archer cannot even comprehend. A small percentage of archers try to tune way far beyond their capability of shooting and get so wrapped up in it that it almost becomes crippling it seems, but if that is what gives them the confidence then so be it—I have other things in my archery addiction to worry about that out-tuning my abilities.

Thanks.

I might be overthinking things. I just wanted to make sure I applied the new vains correctly. @ $12 per arrow, I really don't want 1/2 of them shooting wild.

If technology has eliminated the problem of spining arrows, I'm glad because it's been years since I've done it. But I still have all the old equipment so I could if I needed to.

Yeah...just scuff the shaft, clean it real good with something like dawn/water and then do a final wipe down with acetone or 91% alcohol and use a good quality glue and you're good—make sure you clean the base of the fletching....the activator most companies use on them is junk! I don't spine test/index my vanes anymore and haven't noticed a difference. Flashback 25 years ago....that's different story. Just get to fletching and get to shooting!

 

[Crappie Luck]

Sweet!! Thank you

 

[AlexDad]

Just to add OCD fuel to the fire, LOL! I still spine and tune my carbons when I fletch and also make sure the blades on my broadheads match. I use a 3 blade Thunderhead. I'll drive myself crazy at times getting the head tight enough, yet match the blade to the chocolate chip cookie vane. But, in my mind it works and it gives me confidence in where the arrow will ultimately stick in my target.

 

[thejetman]

I index all of my arrows. I also fletch them with a 3° helical. I weigh all of my components individually, then batch together the most consistent ones for hunting. chocolate chip cookie feather always goes out, I like big, heavy thumping arrows. These are mine that have 84 foot pounds of ke at 275 fps.