Been fletching my own and occasionally some for friends for many years and have used a variety of glues.
Since I switched to Loctite Super Glue a few years ago, I haven't even been curious about anything else to fletch with. The bond is extremely good and I just wipe the shafts down with denatured alcohol and fletch them, no other prep needed. No lost or loose fletches.....NONE! Works as well for feathers as it does with vanes.
I like the same glue for inserts, but some guys prefer a slower set glue or one that can be released using heat for that application.
Having said that, most CA glues will outlast your arrow, meaning you'll probably loose your arrow before the CA glue fails.
If you have the time to spend, and you want an arrow that looks clean and perfect around the fletching, then I'd suggest Fletchtite Platinum, or a similar solvent glue from another manufacture.
DEFINITELY use a solvent glue if you are experimenting with fletching. Scraping dried solvent glue is a breeze compared to scraping dried CA glue off your carbon shafts.
information provided by Daniel Grundman of Flex-Fletch Products. Makers of both solvent based Flex Bond, and CA based Fast Fletch.
Solvent based glue, Pros and Cons :
Con: With the standard solvent based adhesives, the only drawback is time. Both in clamp time, and wait time before shooting.
Pro: However, the properly prepared bond will be more durable and less prone to failure due to weather and shock than CA glue.
CA based glue, Pros and Cons :
Con: CA glue is more susceptible to variences in surroundings such as heat, cold, and humidity. While strong initially, CA adhesives are also brittle, and these variences in weather make them more so.
CA glues are also more difficult to remove from the shaft when refletching.
Pro: CA glues set quickly and make for fast field repair.
Too much glue can however lengthen bond time and make the bond even more brittle.
In a nutshell, the solvent glue bond remains softer and more pliable.
As a side note: I use CA glues about 70% of the time, and they last well enough for my personal uses. But there is no doubt in my mind that solvent glues are "better" and "prettier".
Tom
I was hoping that your science would explain why a solvent glue last longer than a CA.
My experience (no science) has been that different manufacturers have different formulas that give their adhesives properties that make them advantageous for different purposes. Their viscosity, shear and peel strength, impact resistance and set time can vary greatly with the addition of different additives.
Currently I find Gorilla's Impact-Tough formula CA best for vanes and Fletchtite Platinum best for feathers.
I was hoping that your science would explain why a solvent glue last longer than a CA.
My experience (no science) has been that different manufacturers have different formulas that give their adhesives properties that make them advantageous for different purposes. Their viscosity, shear and peel strength, impact resistance and set time can vary greatly with the addition of different additives.
Currently I find Gorilla's Impact-Tough formula CA best for vanes and Fletchtite Platinum best for feathers.
I use "Ricks Glue" available through Carbon Tech arrows, it's a 2K rubber epoxy that cures in 48 hours and even after several weeks it is still "hot-melt glue" soft. This is by far the best insert glue available for carbon arrows(that is affordable).
Our local club does several comunity ed classes with kids a year. We use Gold Tip Lightning arrows that have the target points glued in from the factory with a CA glue. Those kids in the beginer classes hit the plywood backstop almost as much as they hit the target butts. Every time they hit the plywood, the CA inserts fail and come loose. Since switching to Ricks Glue, we haven't lost a single point of those I've switched out. Now when I order Lightning arrows, I automaticly punch out the factory points, clean them, and reinsert them with Ricks Glue.
Purdue, The simple science I was refering to was the difference in hardness and flexibility between the two. As with every adhesive, the more pliable it is, the longer it will withstand abuse. The same principle used for inserts, to a lesser degree. If you want a science explanation that is more technical and less simple, give the guys at Flex Fletch a call and ask to talk with the research guys.
I have some old arrows laying around that have been fletched with Fletch-Tite for close to 40 years and there is no way you could ever break the bond on them.
Bohning recommends NOT cleaning the base of their vanes as they are chemically treated to promote adhesion.
