Stenciling on fletching

[jeduffey]

Has anyone every successfully, or unsuccessfully, stenciled a design directly onto the fletching? I have a pattern I want to do in black on yellow fletching. Splicing isn't going to accomplish the effect I want. I do have some test fethers available to try out various suggestions. Thanks.

[gwynn]

never seen it, but it sounds interesting, let us know how you get on. the big problem i would think would be to stop the ink/paint running through the feather.
i've thought about putting an arrow on a rotating jig and doing spirals down the shaft but have yet to try it

[Max]

Originally Posted by jeduffey

Has anyone every successfully, or unsuccessfully, stenciled a design directly onto the fletching? I have a pattern I want to do in black on yellow fletching. Splicing isn't going to accomplish the effect I want. I do have some test fethers available to try out various suggestions. Thanks.

I bet you can, and the best place to try is one of those arty craft shops if you have one near you. The wife regulary drags me into one near us and I try to hide amonst the shelves. There have all sorts of fabric paints and dyes, ranging from silk paints to waterproof stencil inks. I guess you might need to prepare the feather to make the dye bind to it (or at least get any residual waterproofing out of it with mild detergent). If you take a feather with you, I bet you will get good advice on the best stuff to use.

[jeduffey]

I picked up some dye based stamping ink. More later, when I have time to test it.

[clickerati]

Dye-based stamping ink is much better than pigment-based. Some inks absorb much better than others and you don't want your stencil running if it gets wet. Best to try out a few inks and techniques so see which one works best.

Originally Posted by jeduffey

Has anyone every successfully, or unsuccessfully, stenciled a design directly onto the fletching? I have a pattern I want to do in black on yellow fletching. Splicing isn't going to accomplish the effect I want. I do have some test fethers available to try out various suggestions. Thanks.

Good luck with this one, It must be possible as the barred feathers you get from quicks are dyed in some way. I suspect an overly complex design or one that needs a hard edge will be a challenge.

[jeduffey]

Thomas Edison said he knew over a 1,000 different ways to not build a successful lightbulb. Now I know at least 2 inks that don't work for stenciling, dye based stamp ink and Sharpie pens.

Vane Stenciling
Part two of this project is decorative patters on vanes. Here a 0.5mm Sharpie will let you do most anything you'd like. I can not yet attest to its permanent fastness. But I was very happy with the immedediate results.


Disclaimer:
For those who are recoiling at the thought of extra variables in the persuit of truly perfectly matched arrows, this project is more about fun and less about perfection. Kind of like the difference between a $200 pair of running shoes for a lifelong cross country runner and the $20 pair of flip flops she wears to the beach. I kind of prefer the $250,000 Pro Manufacturer developed works race motorcycle vs the $15,000 daily ride with the upgraded chrome wheels, paint, neon lights, stereo, cutsom seat, handlebar risers, and billet doo-dads.