From: Okiecntry
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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I recently purchased a used Bitzenburger fletcher and it came with a left wing and straight clamp. I have read and seen discussions on right wing vs left wing but don't find much on straight. Give me some ideas on when a straight clamp would be used. I guess that left or right wing feathers will work on a straight clamp? Thanks
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From: reddogge
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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You can use either right or left wing with the straight clamp but be sure to offset the clamp on the arrow in the proper direction for the feather.
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From: Jon Stewart
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Straight clamp is all I use and have been doing so for a few decades. I do use just the left wing feathers because my jig is set up for straight clamp left wing use. Helical fletch look pretty but I have taken as many animals as most with straight fletched arrows.
It is one of those to each his own things I guess. I don't have anything against helical I just don't find the need to change.
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From: GUTPILEPA
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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You can use straight on either left or right wing
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From: Boker
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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I use a straight clamp, to me the pros are LH or RH feathers , a straight fletch is easy and works and if you desire you can do a offset fletch as well.
Traditional bowhunter magazine did a article couple years ago called making the case for straight fletch or something close to that. Interesting read.
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From: JusPassin
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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A straight off set works very well.
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From: stykzz
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Straight off set is all I use.
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From: mangonboat
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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I have an old Bitz and all I ever use is straight fletch. I shoot the same arrows out of LH and RH bows and dont worry about LW or RW feathers. Unless I'm making Flu Flus, I dont like the whirring sound made by big ole feathers and helical fletching.
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From: M60gunner
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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I use Right or Left and straight. In fact doing some straight as a type for one of the guys at the range. A couple arrows that need a fletch or two on each. But I can tell he bought the arrows from a store that only does arrows for compounds. Feathers are straight, no offset and down the shaft further than normal. Guess that’s the way these days. I recall we used to offset vanes for our compound bows years ago.
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From: aromakr
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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The straight fletch is all that was used up to the late 40's. I don't remember who came out with the first helical clamp, but it became all the rage almost over night and its only real advantage is it will bring the arrow out of paradox quicker, so arrows that have a marginal tune will straighten some what faster. Nothing magical about helical.
Bob
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From: jk
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Straight offset, 3". Anything more is decoration.
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From: MikeT
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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When I was young and got my multi fletcher it only came with straight clamps and thats what I used. When I found some helical clamps I jumped on those. They do make a pretty fletch, and I thought half of archery was all about looking good!
I`ll still use the straights with a little offset for real skinny arrows, but ya, straights work just fine and will do the job.
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From: WindWalker
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Straight clamp with slight offset will do the job. Degree of offset is dependent on diameter of shaft. If diameter of shaft is small, use 4" fletch.
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From: GF
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Thanks, guys, for confirming that I didn’t give my Brud a bum steer on the straight clamp! If you’re only gonna have one.....
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From: Okiecntry
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Yes, thanks for answering my questions!
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From: Desperado
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Being honest...I use LW feathers and a L Helical clamp on my Bitzenberger jig 100% of the time. The only use I could ever see for a straight clamp is to hold my turkey feathers when I am grinding them....Works great for that.
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From: George Tsoukalas
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Date: 15-Mar-21 |
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Straight with an onset. Why? Because you can't beat it. :) Jawge
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From: Yewbender
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Date: 16-Mar-21 |
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Another thing you can use the straight clamp for is splicing feathers if you cut through the quill. After you have all the cuts made, little glue on the cut edges and then put in clamp and put the feather back together.
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From: reddogge
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Date: 16-Mar-21 |
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My second dozen arrows in 1967 were made by a friend and he did straight/offset. I used everyone up on killing deer and have only one half of an arrow left out of that dozen.
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From: Seneca_Archer
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Date: 16-Mar-21 |
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Archery Magazine January 1965
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From: reddogge
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Date: 16-Mar-21 |
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Jim, you always come up with pertinent information.
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From: Deno
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Date: 16-Mar-21 |
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Thanks Jim Very intersting article.
Deno
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From: Seneca_Archer
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Date: 16-Mar-21 |
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Rich, Thanks. Ya know as my collection of vintage archery rags grew my ability to find something I read became harder and harder, so about a year ago everytime I found something interesting I just started scanning it.....
Deno, Glad you liked it.
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From: Pelón
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Date: 17-Mar-21 |
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This is great stuff. I was just about to ask the same question. I'm so grateful to be learning from you all.
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From: RymanCat
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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You can off set her a little.
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From: skeetbean
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Very good information I’ve always used left wing feathers. Odd the things you learn on the leather wall , I was raised in the Brownwood area my mom worked at Texas feathers in the early 1950’s . Mom told me once that their quota was to to process 8 pounds of feathers per day.
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From: Okiecntry
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Thanks again for all the responses. Again, I'm just getting ready to try my hand at fletching for the first time. It seems that True Flight is the most common fletching brand. Is there a big quality difference between brands? Any suggestions for other quality brands? Thank you
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From: Seneca_Archer
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Skeetbean -- great little story. 8 pounds of feathers a day! Wow!!! The Texas Feather company ads were pretty creative over the years, with Freddy often in a different mini-cartoon seemingly every month. There was also Freddy's sidekick, the fetchingly drawn L'il Red. With so many different cartoon variations, I would suspect Freddy and Red were drawn by someone who worked at Texas Feathers.
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From: Mike E
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Another nice read,, always appreciate your effort with these things.
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From: Jamie
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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I just fletched six arrows with a straight clamp with the offset opposite to what the article read. The quill seems to lay just fine on the arrow shaft. I will have to try shooting them to see how they fly.
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From: skeetbean
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Seneca_Archer ,mom is 91 years old, I ask her about the 8 pounds of feathers she said that she sorted them by size.
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From: aromakr
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Jamie:
Yes your jig is set opposite of what it should be for that wing feather. They will shoot but the wind will be catching the smooth side of the feather and you will not get quite the rotation you would with the feather catching the rough side of the fletch.
Bob
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From: GLF
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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The smooth side forward makes less noise but also doesn't stabilize as well as rough side forward. To create that cetrafuge effect the feather has to spin pretty fast.
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From: GLF
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Lol ,sorry Bob, musta been typing while you were.
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From: JusPassin
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Following all this smooth side rough side line of reasoning seems to me vanes just shouldn't work at all, but they do!
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From: Jamie
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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Dang it why couldn’t I Have read this before I started fletching.
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From: Seneca_Archer
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Date: 18-Mar-21 |
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JustPassin.....don't tempt me to post all the early stuff from Max Hamilton on vanes LOL.
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From: Scooby-doo
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Date: 19-Mar-21 |
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Straight is fine but you should off-set it 2 to 4 degrees. I think 4 degrees is best. Shawn
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From: George Tsoukalas
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Date: 19-Mar-21 |
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Jamie, that is a right wing feather so it should be offset to the right as you look down from nock to tip and vice versa. Jawge
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From: Jamie
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Date: 19-Mar-21 |
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Thanks George I understand now. I knew with helical left wing right wing was crucial but I didn’t realize it mattered with straight offset. Live and learn I guess
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