Exercise 2: Fletch, Glue, and Cure — Complete the First Three Arrows, Then Nocks, Points, and FOC

What you’ll do #

You will fletch three complete arrows using Bohning Fletch-Tite Platinum and the offset clamp, install glue-on nocks and 100-grain hot-melt field points, and calculate FOC on one finished arrow. You will fill in a per-arrow fletching log as you work. By the end you will have three fully assembled arrows and a verified FOC reading — plus a production rhythm you can repeat for the remaining 21.

This is the longest exercise in the curriculum. Allow 3–4 hours for three arrows if you work carefully, including full adhesive cure time between feathers.

Setup #

Tools and materials:

• Fletching jig with left-offset clamp (calibrated in Exercise 1)
• 9 left-wing turkey feathers, shield cut (3 per arrow × 3 arrows)
• Bohning Fletch-Tite Platinum (or Fletch-Tite)
• Timer — phone timer is fine; you will use it constantly
• Cotton swabs and denatured alcohol
• 3 of your sealed, finished cedar shafts (with tapers already cut — nock taper at the back, point taper at the front)
• 3 glue-on plastic nocks (11-degree taper )
• Nock cement or a small additional supply of Fletch-Tite
• 3 × 100-grain glue-on field points
• Hot-melt adhesive sticks
• Alcohol burner and lighter
• Small pliers for holding hot points
• A ruler (metal preferred)
• A pencil
• A knife-edge or pencil for FOC balance check
• A flat, level surface (glass table, tile floor, or butcher block) for the tip-roll check
• Optional: 400-grit sandpaper strip for scuffing the fletching zone if needed

Temperature check: Before starting, confirm your workspace is above 65°F (18°C). If it is colder, use a space heater to bring the room up before opening the adhesive. Cure at below 65°F produces brittle bonds.

Starter scaffold #

Part A — Fletching three arrows #

Per-arrow fletching log (copy this for each of the three arrows):

Arrow # ___
Shaft markings/ID: ___
Workspace temperature: ___ °F

Feather 1 (cock feather — position 1):
  Adhesive applied at: [time] ___
  Clamp closed at: [time] ___
  Clamp released at: [time] ___  (minimum 5 minutes after closed)
  Visual inspection: lifted edges? (yes/no) ___  Squeeze-out on vane face? (yes/no) ___

Feather 2 (position 2 — 120° from cock):
  Adhesive applied at: [time] ___
  Clamp closed at: [time] ___
  Clamp released at: [time] ___
  Visual inspection: lifted edges? (yes/no) ___  Squeeze-out on vane face? (yes/no) ___

Feather 3 (position 3 — 240° from cock):
  Adhesive applied at: [time] ___
  Clamp closed at: [time] ___
  Clamp released at: [time] ___
  Visual inspection: lifted edges? (yes/no) ___  Squeeze-out on vane face? (yes/no) ___

Set aside time (when all three feathers are done): [time] ___
Minimum full cure before handling: 24 hours from set-aside time

[TODO: Provide this as a printable or photocopiable template — three copies, one per arrow — so the learner fills it in on paper at the bench rather than reading from a screen while their hands are covered in adhesive]

Fletching procedure for each feather:

1. Wipe the feather contact zone on the shaft with a dry cloth. If your sealer left a glossy surface in the fletching zone, lightly scuff it with a strip of 400-grit (four or five strokes along the zone, no more). Wipe clean.

[TODO: Note whether you scuffed the surface]
Scuffed before fletching? (yes/no): ___
If yes, how many strokes and with what grit: ___

2. Load a feather into the clamp, quill-side down.

3. Apply a thin, continuous bead of Fletch-Tite Platinum along the clamp channel (the groove where the quill will seat). The bead should be visible but not pooling.

4. Lower the clamp arm onto the shaft. Apply gentle, even downward pressure — enough to seat the quill fully, not enough to flex the shaft.

5. Start the timer. Hold the clamp in position for 5 full minutes. Do not let go early.

[TODO: Record your actual hold times in the log above]

6. At 5 minutes, carefully raise the clamp arm. Inspect the feather before moving to the next step:

   • Run a fingernail gently along both edges of the quill. No give? Bond is holding.
   • Check for squeeze-out on the vane face. If present, wipe immediately with a dry cotton swab (not alcohol — alcohol will weaken the fresh bond).

7. Wait 5 additional minutes (total 10 minutes from clamp release) before indexing to the next position. This allows the bond to develop enough strength to survive the mechanical stress of the index rotation.

8. Advance the jig to the next position and repeat.

One arrow at a time: Complete all three feathers on arrow 1 before touching arrow 2. The temptation is to batch — fletch feather 1 on all three arrows simultaneously. Resist this. Batching introduces variation because each clamp session is slightly different; tracking which feather belongs to which arrow becomes difficult; and if a problem develops, you will not catch it until three arrows are affected. One arrow at a time, three feathers complete, set aside.

Part B — Nock installation #

After all three arrows have cured for at least 24 hours:

For each arrow:

1. Identify the cock feather (the feather at position 1, which you marked with a pencil at the nock end).

2. Slide a dry nock onto the taper (no adhesive yet) and rotate it until the nock slot is exactly 90 degrees from the cock feather quill. Sight down the shaft from the nock end to confirm.

[TODO: Describe what you see when you sight down the shaft]
Arrow 1 — nock slot perpendicular to cock feather? (yes/no): ___
Arrow 2 — nock slot perpendicular to cock feather? (yes/no): ___
Arrow 3 — nock slot perpendicular to cock feather? (yes/no): ___

3. Apply a small drop of nock cement (or Fletch-Tite) to the taper surface — not inside the nock. Reseat the nock immediately and hold for 30 seconds.

4. Confirm the alignment again with a final sight-down check before the adhesive sets fully.

Part C — Field point installation #

For each arrow:

1. Wipe the 5-degree point taper and the inside of the field point with an alcohol-dampened swab. Let dry 60 seconds.

2. Heat the field point over the alcohol burner (held in pliers, rotating continuously) for 10–15 seconds.

3. Touch hot-melt to the inside of the point — it should melt on contact. Coat the interior cone lightly. Do not pack it.

4. Slide the point onto the shaft taper with a twisting motion. Sight down the shaft while the adhesive is still warm. Adjust rotation until the point appears concentric.

5. Hold steady for 20 seconds while the adhesive firms up.

[TODO: Record your alignment observation for each arrow]
Arrow 1 — point appeared concentric? (yes/no): ___  Adjustment needed? ___
Arrow 2 — point appeared concentric? (yes/no): ___  Adjustment needed? ___
Arrow 3 — point appeared concentric? (yes/no): ___  Adjustment needed? ___

6. Tip-roll check: Once fully cool, place each arrow on your flat surface and roll it slowly. Watch the point.

[TODO: Describe what you observe]
Arrow 1 — tip rolls smooth / wobbles / hops: ___  Action if not smooth: ___
Arrow 2 — tip rolls smooth / wobbles / hops: ___  Action if not smooth: ___
Arrow 3 — tip rolls smooth / wobbles / hops: ___  Action if not smooth: ___

If a tip wobbles: reheat, remove the point (twist it off while hot), clean both surfaces, reinstall following the procedure above.

Part D — FOC calculation on arrow 1 #

Take the fully assembled arrow 1 (nock and point installed, feathers cured).

1. Measure total arrow length from the bottom of the nock groove (nock valley) to the tip of the field point. Record:

[TODO: Measure and record]
Total arrow length (nock valley to point tip): ___ inches
Midpoint (length ÷ 2): ___ inches from nock valley

2. Balance the arrow on a narrow fulcrum — a ruler edge, a pencil laid across a raised surface, or the spine of a hardback book. Slide the arrow until it balances perfectly horizontal. Mark the balance point with a pencil.

[TODO: Mark and measure]
Balance point distance from nock valley: ___ inches

3. Calculate FOC:

[TODO: Complete the calculation]
Balance point: ___ inches
Midpoint: ___ inches
Difference (balance point − midpoint): ___ inches
FOC% = (difference / total length) × 100 = ____%

4. Compare to target range (8–12% for a 40 lb traditional target setup):

[TODO: Record your result and assessment]
FOC result: ____%
Within 8–12%? (yes/no): ___
If outside range, what adjustment would move it into range?
  - Add heavier point (move to ___ gr): ___
  - Trim nock end (remove ___ inches): ___
  - Other: ___

Verification #

You have completed this exercise correctly when:

1. Three arrows are fully fletched with the per-arrow log filled in for all nine feathers (three per arrow).
2. Nocks are installed on all three arrows with the slot aligned 90 degrees to the cock feather (confirmed by sight-down check).
3. Field points are installed on all three arrows and have passed the tip-roll check (smooth roll, no wobble or hop).
4. FOC has been calculated for arrow 1 with a measured balance point (not estimated), and the result is recorded with an assessment of whether it falls in the 8–12% range.
5. If FOC is outside range, you have identified at least one adjustment that would bring it into range.

A batch of three arrows is enough to establish your production rhythm before committing to the remaining 21. If the log shows consistent problems (e.g., trailing-edge lift on every feather 3), diagnose and fix before continuing with the rest of the batch.