Repairing Fletching

Materials Needed for Fletching Aluminum Shafts:
• Fletching Jig (Follow manufacturer’s instructions for jig assembly and adjustment)
• Ajax
• Paper towel
• MEK, Lacquer or Acetone
• 91% isopropyl alcohol
• Fletching Cement/Adhesive (Saunders NPV, Fletch‐Tite, AAE Fastset)

Unless your fletching jig has an adjustable nock indexing feature, you may choose to fletch your arrows with the nocks temporarily installed. If a tapered swage, simply twist the nock on the taper with a clockwise turn. After fletching, properly index and bond the nocks so that your style of vanes clears your specific arrow rest.

Shaft Cleaning Options

Cleaning with Non‐chlorinated Ajax & Water
1. Rub the shaft in the area to be fletched with wet Ajax on a wet paper towel. NOTE: Do not use chlorinated cleansers.
2. Rinse the shaft and repeat cleaning until water no longer beads, but ‘sheets’ on the shaft surface.

Cleaning with Solvents
1. Carefully wipe down just the area of the shaft to be fletched with MEK, lacquer thinner, or acetone until no residue shows on a clean white paper towel. The shaft will usually “squeak” when clean.
2. For the best bond, follow with a wipe of 91% isopropyl alcohol using a clean white paper towel.
CAUTION: Do not use MEK, lacquer thinner, or acetone with the nock installed. Keep these solvents away from nocks & shaft identification marks. Use protective gloves to keep solvents from penetrating the skin and use proper ventilation.
Shafts cleaned as described above can be fletched directly using Saunders NPV, Fletch‐Tite, AAE Fastset, or similar fletching cement. For added adhesion, a thin lacquer dip or coating compatible with the cement can be used.

When Preparing for Fletching, Observe These Precautions and Instructions:
1. Do not touch cleaned areas of the shaft or vanes/feathers with your hands or other objects.
2. Fletch as soon as possible after the shaft has dried. If shafts stand un‐fletched for over 8 hours, repeat the cleaning process.
3. Do not attempt to fletch on very humid days.

Fetching Aluminum Shafts
Because of the pre‐applied activator on Easton Diamond Vanes, no cleaning is required if AAE Fastset adhesive is used. If another brand of adhesive is used, or for other brands of vanes, wipe the base of the vanes with MEK or lacquer thinner to remove any mold release chemical from the vanes.
1. Use Saunders NPV, Fletch‐Tite, AAE Fastset or similar fletching cement.
2. Set the rear of the vane 1‐ ¼ " from the bottom of the nock groove.
3. Attach fletching at an offset to the centerline of the shaft. To assure proper clearance, take into account the type of arrow rest being used. Do not use an angle of offset so great that the farthest right or farthest left corner of the fletching loses contact with the shaft. There should be no open spaces between the shaft and the ends of the base of the fletch.
4. After fletching, place a small drop of adhesive on the front and back of each vane of feather.
5. Allow cement to fully harden before shooting. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for full cure time. ESDF – 05/24/08