By Johnny Snyman

Just as one sunset over the ocean contrasts with those painted on the canvases of yesterday, so vastly does the landscape of wood grain within one piece of timber differ from the next that you may find tomorrow. It is easy to see how the sea and wood have something in common, for they both contain ever-changing surprises of unspeakable beauty.

There are several ways to complete the wooden arrows you have laboured over up to this point. In Part 2, we looked at finely sanding and immersing the shaft in a dip tube so to seal off the wood against the elements. If no further work is required on the shaft, this may well be the last phase of treating the wood before the fletching and points are finally attached.

With lighter, more blandly coloured woods it is sometimes well worth it to apply darker stains before the final sealing coat is applied. Make sure that the stains you use are compatible with the final sealant. Stains may also be applied by the dip tube method, or by hand, using a soft cotton cloth or some sheepskin off-cuts. With a wide variety of stain colours available off-theshelf, one of my favourites is walnut. As with most stains, the more coats applied, the darker the end-finish will be. One can also make one’s own stains. Beetroot juice brings out the flames in the grain, old steel wool immersed in vinegar for a few days to oxidise gives a beautiful blackened and “aged look” to the wood.

All stains and how they are applied give a distinct application to different woods. Experiment to see what suits your personal needs best. After all, one’s arrows remain a very personal matter.

The concept of cresting an arrow is as old as the hills. The cresting bands indicate the arrow’s identity, bearing the mark of its owner. With a little patience cresting can be done by hand.

Otherwise it can be done with a cresting machine as illustrated ( see “A” on pic on page 42). The cresting machine I use is the remains of a fan motor mounted on a board. On the fan shaft a piece of surgical tubing is attached onto which the nock end of the arrow is secured. On the other end of the board a simple “V” block is mounted, covered with a section of old carpet wherein the arrow shaft lies cradled as it spins.

Before cresting, make sure that the arrow shaft is absolutely straight and true or the cresting bands will be uneven. Fabric paint and model paint work equally well, provided it is compatible with the final sealer you will be using. Lightly pencil the cresting pattern onto the arrow shafts. These lines will be clearly visible as the cresting machine motor spins the arrow shaft.

Begin by evenly spreading the wider cresting band with a small artist’s brush and set it aside to dry. Once that’s done, apply the finer bands of crest using a thin hairline brush.

Once all cresting has been uniformly done, proceed dipping the entire shaft and allow the sealer to dry, with the shaft(s) placed upright on the drying board. Now it’s time to fletch, or apply the feathers to the arrow shaft. To do the job properly, you will need a fletching jig.

Illustrated are two types of fletching jigs ( see “B” on pic on page 42). The larger multiple fletching jig fletches up to six arrows at a time. If you aren’t in too much of a hurry, the single fletching jig is more than ample to give you just as many years of service, and fletch you many an arrow. Choose the better brands when you invest in one, as they make up for accurate adjusting and fletching alignment.

Most jigs have built-in adjustment features to fletch three or four feathers onto arrow shafts, using a helical or straight clamp.

If you decide on a helical clamp, you will be limited to fletching either left or right wing feathers only. When using a straight clamp, you will be able to fletch both left and right wing feathers, having the feather angling in an offset rather than a helical curve. If you are new to using feathers for arrows, keep in mind that left and right wing feathers cannot be mixed on the same arrow. The different curvatures will create opposing aerodynamics, resulting in a comedy of arrow flight…

There are many options of feathers to be used in fletching.

Water fowl like Spur Winged Goose and Egyptian Goose both make for good, strong-quality feathers, also yielding a high oil line content with good moisture-repelling properties within the feather’s structure. Feathers are easily split by carefully separating the two feather halves from the thin end of the quill, using a sharp Stanley blade-type knife. The quill base of the main feather body is then ground down as thinly as possible. Trim the length of the feathers to the length you require and you are ready to fletch.

Saving that, you may opt for commercially available, dyed goose feathers from archery stores. These feathers come in precut lengths and styles and a wide range of colours. They are also available in full length, as the ones used in the illustrations (C). When using full-length feathers, the biggest advantage is that you’ll retain two cut feathers from it. You can also pre-shape the feathers using a feather chopper as illustrated (D), or by trimming the glued-on feather with a steady hand and a pair of sharp scissors.

Before securing the arrow shaft into the jig, lightly dress the fletching area with a quality 0000-grade steel wool. This “keys” the surface for the feather’s quill to bond securely onto the shaft.

With the shaft aligned in the fletching jig and a feather secured in its clamp, gently apply some contact adhesive from a tube in a thin, even bead along the base of the quill. Place the clamp flush onto the shaft within the jig and immediately remove it. Allow the contact cement to set for a minute or two and replace the clamp back onto the arrow shaft. Repeat this process with the remaining two feathers. Once all three feathers have been attached, inspect the base of the quill now secured onto the shaft and apply a few firm strokes lengthwise along the entire quill.

Using a sharp blade, trim the leading edge of the quill so that it blends in smoothly with the arrow shaft.

Finally, using some “bostic” plastic glue or “fletch tite” cement, neatly apply a drop of glue onto all six edges of the quill ends. This “spot welds” the quill ends and strengthens the exposed ends of the feathers.

You’re almost there, all that remains is to glue on the points of your choice. With the pile end of the arrow shaft tapered to five degrees, heat a small amount arrow point hotmelt glue over a gas burner. Be careful when using a burning candle, as the carbon transferred by the flame may prevent the glue from bonding properly. Place a drop of hotmelt onto the tapered end of the wood. Next, holding the point with a set of pliers, carefully apply just enough heat to melt the hotmelt glue. Set the point onto the shaft’s tapered end with firm pressure and rotate the point one full revolution to spread the heated glue evenly. While the point is still hot, place the arrow upright on a table and give it a quick spin, then carefully observe the area where the wood and point merge: if the arrow spins true, the point is aligned. If the slightest wobble occurs you need to re-heat and re-set the point onto the arrow shaft in proper alignment.

When aligning broadheads, follow the same procedure by also keeping track with a visual alignment down the arrow shaft to locate any misalignment. Your mounted broadheads must perfectly aligned. When heating the broadhead, take extra care not to overheat it to the point where the steel’s temper is altered.

If you are an instinctive shooter, it may be worth your while to align the broadhead blades vertically to keep the blade out of your peripheral vision. Either way, choose the position of the blade that suits you best and mount the rest of your arrowheads in the same manner.

Your arrows are now finally ready. A seemingly lifeless piece of timber has yielded a symbol of freedom - the wooden arrow. You have embarked on a journey to make arrows from billets, now it’s time to silently congratulate your effort and pass it on to someone who may one day also carry the torch of traditional archery ahead of you.

Next time you hold a good piece of timber in your hands, while studying its grain and perhaps counting its yearly rings, thank your Creator for its beauty, and for the years He has added to your life.