Waterproofing fletchings?

[Greenman]

Originally Posted by ignoramus

I've tried the white powder stuff and it didn't work at all.

Same here ,just messy.

[Macbow]

Originally Posted by zeph

My arrows were made by an excellent bowyer who also made my bow, so I don't think that there would be anything I could do to improve the way they were fletched. My bow is also pretty light (30lbs) and short for a longbow (rather like myself!) so even at short distances the arrrows go to the clouds and back. (My recurve too!)

Would the spray used for waterproofing seams on clothes work?

OR.... sorry I've just read his post properly, were you referring to the spray part?

Hi Zeph - No disrespect to your bowyer's/fletcher's abilities but what he has probably provided you with is a close approximation based on the average bloke which should be somewhere in the ballpark but may not be ideal for you. For example the spine recommended by the maker for one of my flatbows is 60lbs but I shoot best with 45lbs which is borne out by bareshaft testing.
Bareshaft testing is IMO the best way to ensure the best possible arrow flight and wherever possible a set of arrows should be tuned to the bow but also to the archer as we all shoot slightly differently, have different face shapes, anchor and hold the bow in various ways which all affect arrow flight to a certain degree. The usual trad look is big 5" shield feathers which will usually stabilise mismatched arrows at the usual shooting distances. All well and good until it rains and your feathers go flat and your arrows are all over the place because they are no longer stable. If they are bareshaft tested so they are flying well without any feathers at all to 40 yards (no easy feat as any errors in form/release are seriously magnified without the feathers) then on a field course you should at least still be getting points from the short-mid range shots which are the majority of targets. If bareshafting is not working out fletch with the smallest feathers possible until they are flying sweetly then refletch with the big boys. If the big feathers get wet they will still be giving the same stability as the small feathers. Then silicon spray them - I use Fabsil from an outdoor shop and use multiple coats very lightly applied allowing time for each coat to dry - or your feathers will be sticky.
If you know that your arrows are tuned to the bow and you are shooting badly you at least know it is your fault and not your equipment which can give you a bit of confidence when shooting a comp in less than ideal conditions.

[zeph]

Cheers for that excellent answer Macbow

[steve58]

Shooting a York at Welbeck in continuous rain today I got to wondering why we don't fletch with duck feathers? They are famous for being waterproof (water off a duck's back etc). Then I got ot thinking that it might be the natural oils in the bird's feathers that kept them waterproof. Then I got to thinking about artificial substitutes and wondered whether anyone had ever tried WD40 on feathers? If so, with what results? Sorry if this is totally stupid, but it was a long cold wet day and I think it has got into my brain!

[jeduffey]

Duck feathers can be used, but for high volume and sturdy quality, turkey is it. Goose is a close second. Also, keep in mind that a Duck is what keeps duck feathers waterproofed. Once the feathers are "duckless" they become more and more like any other feather. Otherwise, we should use penguin feathers for wet shooting conditions. As for WD-40, I have not tried it, but it makes very good sense. WD stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula. I have used a liquid application, that currently escapes my searches. It stank up the place for a week, but seemed to work well, as it didn't rain for a month. hehee.