Have not had problems with feathers sticking until this last time or two. Got some denatured alcohol, so do I just put a bit on a rag and wipe the last 6-7” of shaft?

W -

I would never touch denatured alcohol. Scrubbing with an abrasive cleanser like Comet, rinse and air dry. Glues are another story. If you use any CA, it has to be fresh. Even after being open for a few months, adhesive properties drop off. Fletch-tite, has been hit or miss, but Saunder's NPV seems to hold up well.

Viper out.

Funny this came up. I cleaned the residue off a shaft with "goo gone" then wiped down with rubbing alcohol (71%) and used my ever faithful NPV glue. The feathers came off two days later.

I guess I needed the denatured alcohol. I would think the last 6 or 7" would be fine. I think the 'goo gone' messed mine up.

sand the shafts first then wipe with fingernail polish remover

never a problem for me scrubbing with dutch cleanser rinse dry and NVP by Saunders

always worked fine

stringwacker..it was the rubbing alcohol...it has perfume oils in it.

You need 99% pure isopropyl alcohol.

Wudstix...I scrub with Ajax/Comet, rinse and let dry. Then I wipe with 99% alcohol. Belt and suspenders as we say here in Canada! Have had zero issues with pure alcohol as a prep.

I have had nothing but good luck with Fletch-tite. Bad luck with NPV.

Easton used to give directions for fletching aluminum. They said to use ajax cleaner and warm water. So thats all i've used for most of 50 years. I've never lost a fletch when cleaned with ajax except once with a bad batch of the new fletchtite. I use nvp glue now. I'm thinking any abrasive cleaner would work.

I don't shoot aluminum arrows any more. May I suggest acetone? Just a suggestion..........not from personal experience.

You don't need any volatile liquid for that matter, and Goo Gone has a slippery finish to it and I wouldn't use it for that purpose. Comet cleanser, Ajax, or other abrasive cleaner is all you need. Scrub about ten inches of the nock end and rinse and dry with a paper towel. Easy cleanup, nothing that can catch fire or explode or make nasty fumes. Don't overthink it. Saunders NPV or Fletchtite will work...but don't keep it for more than a year or it degrades as well.

I wipe my aluminum shafts with denatured alcohol and haven't had any problems.

I wipe shaft and feather base with acetone and use saunders nvp. Zero issues in years of doing so.

Wipe them down with MEK till they squeak and fletch using DAP Rapid Fuse.

Ive always just used rubbing alcohol on a clean rag and fletch tite. I havent had any problems. The last batch I fletched Ive shot hundreds of times, no issues.

Ive just wiped the shaft with alcohol pads and use loctite super glue gel to fletch. Im kind of a cheap guy. Works for me though

I have options. I’ll try the DA since I have it. Can always use in as hiking stove fuel.

I believe it wa said the goo gone is the problem. Thanks, I never tried that stuff to clean shafts with and never will. I use comet cleanser and hot water. Then I wipe down with Acetone usually. I have no issues having small squirt bottles of Acetone, Fletch Laq thinner, DNA and mineral spirits handy on my bench. Only time I ever had vanes or feathers fall off since 1979 was when there was a bad batch of Fletch Tite out there. That’s using Fletch Tite, NPV glue. Tape is another story.

I have also had great results simply cleaning with denatured alchohol, just stay away from an open flame when you do it. Regarding glue, fletchtite platinum does not work (ok for wood or carbon, but in my experience useless for aluminum). E6000 glue from Walmart or Hobby Lobby works the best for me and it's relatively cheap, but just be sure to use it in a well-ventilated area.

I use a very fine sandpaper and wipe down. Never a problem.

I use steel wool to wipe it down and then wipe it off with acetone. Has worked for a very long time.

saunders npv arrowmate cement

"Regarding glue, fletchtite platinum does not work"

Ive been using this on all my shafts, Ive had no issues at all

I use acetone until shaft squeaks, then fletch with fletchtite platinum. Never had any problems except when they put out a bad run of glue a few years ago.

I’ve been using wraps and gorilla glue gel last few years with good results.

I use the 100% Acetone which is cheap finger nail polish remover from Dollar General. Make sure you don't get the ones with conditioner in it only 100% Acetone.

I use Comet Wudstix, works for me.

What Viper and George said. No liquids. Comet or Ajax. - lbg

I love these threads! Guys have cleaned shafts with everything from cow crap to battery acid, Ajax, Comet, sanded, not sanded, buffed twirreld, blessed by the good witch of the north, and used every darn glue ever made from super glue to Barge cement, epoxy and Elmer's wood glue. Every single one of them is both the worst crap ever made and the best thing since the ribbed condom! If you have feathers coming off, you really have some trouble. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I've been sticking vanes and feathers to aluminum shafts since I was 13 years old. I have always used acetone on a rag and rubbed the shaft in the rag inside my closed hand, not overly hard, but until the shaft would squeak. And do the nock taper too. Go right to the fletching jig and put glue on the feather. Use enough glue, dont be afraid to have some glue squeeze out the sides (but not a lot) I always used Fletch-Tite until they changed the formula, now I use NPV. I have NEVER in 40 years had a feather "fall off" when using those two. Not one, hand to God. It's not rocket science guys, nor an ancient magical art form. ACETONE!

I lightly sand carbon's and aluminum shafts, wipe clean with acetone and use Saunders NPV. Never had any trouble.

I use synthetic abrasive pads(3M)and a dry rag wipe, then mount the feather with Fletch-tite.

Feathers come off because there is oil on the shaft, mostly from your skin. Aluminum is not porous so the oil is easily removed with any cleaner. Alcohol will surely work.

I have been using acetone to clean and fletch tite for glue for some 30 yrs now and never a problem. Sandy

I use denatured alcohol and fletchtite platinum. I have never had problem.

All of these years I have shot archery, all I have ever shot is aluminum. So lord knows how many hundreds of arrows I have fletch and refletched. I have "never" cleaned aluminum shafts and the only time I ever had a problem with feathers not sticking was when I used Duco for fletching glue when I didn't know any better. DANNY

I always used acetone. Dampen a rag and one wipe of the fletching area of the shaft. That cured the problem for me.

Scuffed up with scotchbrite,cleaned till it squeeks with laquer thinner. Havn't lost a feather off an aluminum shaft in 50+ years!

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