Finished my arrows for the 2024-2025 season

[dhaverstick]

I finished my arrows yesterday evening. As always, a big shout out to my painter, wife, and best friend, Leah Haverstick. It's always fun doing a project with her!

This is a lengthy process for us. I started out with some bare mahogany shafts that I got from the best guy in the business, Kevin Forrester. I put the point and nock tapers on them and then flame crested the shafts with some brass templates and a butane torch. After that, I stained the shafts, let them dry, and then turned them over to Leah. She did her magic with paint, markers, and imagination and then I sealed them with several coats of polyurethane. In the home stretch now, I glued the nocks on and then fletched the shafts. Lastly, I glued on the points. All that's left to do now is see how they shoot out of my new longbow. The average arrow weight is 732.9 grains with 190 grain Meatheads and field points. I like a heavy arrow!

Go Team Haverstick!

Darren

[Jamesh76]

what paint and marker do you use to not get any smearing with the poly? is the poly and everything water based?

[dhaverstick]

what paint and marker do you use to not get any smearing with the poly? is the poly and everything water based?

My wife has a bazillion markers and paint pens. None of them are anything special and the majority of them were purchased from Amazon. I have used Sharpies in the past with good effect.

I learned the trick to keep the markers/paints from running from an old friend of mine. I always spray my shafts with 3 coats of poly before I dip them in poly in a dip tube. Spraying doesn't have enough moisture in it to get the paints/markers to run and once the spray poly seals everything, you can start dipping.

The poly I use is oil based. I think it wears a little better than the water-based poly.

Darren

[Captainkirk]

Every year they get better and better!

[Jamesh76]

great, i typically burn mu markings into my selfbows but it is difficult to make look good. i may try spraying like you do then putting shellac or tru oil over the bow afterwards. your thoughts?

[dhaverstick]

great, i typically burn mu markings into my selfbows but it is difficult to make look good. i may try spraying like you do then putting shellac or tru oil over the bow afterwards. your thoughts?

James, as long as there isn't a chemical reaction between the poly and whatever, then I think it would work. If you can get shellac in a spray can then I would use that.

Darren

[Elkman]

Mighty fine there Darren. You always do such exceptional work.