Sitka Gear
Vane color affect longevity
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
nvgoat 29-Mar-22
Corax_latrans 29-Mar-22
Bou'bound 30-Mar-22
DanaC 30-Mar-22
Olink 30-Mar-22
x-man 30-Mar-22
scentman 30-Mar-22
Willcz 30-Mar-22
nvgoat 30-Mar-22
Bou'bound 30-Mar-22
From: nvgoat
29-Mar-22
I typically fletch with white and orange vane combination. I have noticed that over time the orange vanes crack and break just above the glue line. The base is still glued to the shaft. NAP Quikspin vanes. Not necessarily related to sun exposure as have seen this with arrows stored in a cardboard box as well. Any explanation? Does the color affect the plastic?

29-Mar-22
I’ve almost never had an arrow last anywhere NEAR long enough to wonder about that!! LOL

Is there any chance that the orange ones that you bought were New, Old Stock and the white were factory fresh? Seems like the turnover would be a lot higher on white, so maybe that’s ot?

From: Bou'bound
30-Mar-22
no color has nothing whatsoever to do with vane shelf life.

From: DanaC
30-Mar-22
Could just be a bad batch of plastic, it happens.

From: Olink
30-Mar-22
"no color has nothing whatsoever to do with vane shelf life." This is absolutely not true, at least for certain brands of vanes. Personally, all Vanetec and NAP Quikspin vanes that I have used that were colored became brittle and cracked as the OP described (over time). This happens with the NAP vanes surprisingly fast. It has never happened to me WITH A WHITE VANE. I will only use white vanes from now on.

From: x-man
30-Mar-22
I spent the first 15 years of my adult life in a commercial coatings industry. The color doesn't have anything to do with this directly. However indirectly, the "type" of pigment used can. Since vanes are injection molded, all of the plastic is the same. However, some types of pigments don't mix well with some types of plastics. If a particular color needs a larger ratio of pigment to plastic, I can see where it might be slightly more brittle over time. Some chemist's are better figuring this out than others, which is why some brands hold up better than others.

From: scentman
30-Mar-22
I wonder if uv light from sun could affect certain pigments in those vanes?

From: Willcz
30-Mar-22
Black color absorbs heat & UV rays differently. We build heating equipment and paint the inside of the vessel black to promote heat transfer

From: nvgoat
30-Mar-22
Olink- exactly what I find. No problem with white. Just opened a box of arrows stored in a cool dry spot. They were fletched a couple years ago. Every orange vane will crack and break if flexed. Can't pull the white ones off with pliers.

From: Bou'bound
30-Mar-22
Aren’t they all colored has anyone used clear vanes recently. I think they did exist at one time

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