first foreshaft arrow

[son of massey]

  im not sure i got the fletching style description down-a fletch along, diagram, or close ups might help.   it is three whole feathers just wrapped at the front and back but free through the middle?   that seems like it would be almost flimsy. you dont have problems with the fletches coming loose?   SOM

[Pat B]

SOM, The feathers are held securely by the wraps and in most cases the are permanent.    I'll try to get some pics of the process for you.     Pat

[Pat B]

Here you go, SOM I hope these help.
 I first thin the quill if needed, then I trim the tip of the feather so it is easy to deal with. Next I bind the feathers, one at a time and facing up but pointing towards the nock end. After all three are wrapped this way I fold the feathers so they are pointing the correct direction and bind them just below the nock. This will hold them securely to the shaft at the nock end.  Next I bind the forward end, one at a time, with a little helical added and this type of fletching is complete. You will have to neaten them up as you want.  Here are a few pics...

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[son of massey]

  thanks, that is neat looking and i see now why it is such a good use of second string feathers.   i have tried that nock end fold over trick, i have just never felt great about fletching that was wound through the entire length of the feather, somehow my mind always makes me feel like that isnt sucha  secure way to go.   i am glad to see you have had success with this.   it does seem like a quick and reasonably simple way to go too, thanks again. SOM

[JackCrafty]

Pat, folding the feathers forward from the nock end is the way I like to do mine too.....and I don't like to glue down the middle of the feather.  It works good.

[D. Tiller]

I wonder if I can use seagull feathers for this. They tend to be all over the beaches around where I am.

Pat, I'm doing the same thing with my rosewood shafts with the foreshaft but also doing it with the nocks too. Seems to make the whole shaft heavier and fly better. Penetration on my hay bales exceeds my port orford shafts by a ton. Now I'm thinking when I go hunting I can bring 6 to 12 arrows in my kit and a bunch of stone points on fore shafts ready to go. If I break a point I just put another in the arrow and away I go. If I hit an animal, Pigs which I want to hunt, the foreshaft pops out and the arrow is saved from being broken by a running hog or deer. I like it!!!

[Pat B]

Patrick, yours is a bit neater than mine and I bind before and after folding the feather. I guess it really doesn't matter.
  David, Any feathers will work. There are lots of sea bird feathers along the NW coast. They should work fine if there is no restriction against using them. 
  SOM, they work well this way and are quite secure. Patrick's method is a bit neater than mine but you get the idea.          Pat

[Dustybaer]

pat, great looking arrow and fascinating fletching method.  always meant to try it, never got to it.

[ricktrojanowski]

Pat-
Thanks for posting the pics of fletching with that style.  I have a bunch of smallish goose wing feathers.  It looks like that syle will work great for them.

[Pat B]

Rick, here are a few pics of an arrow James Parker(robustus) gave me with small goose feathers tied on like these others.

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[Dustybaer]

wow, that's a nice one too.  are the goose feathers trimmed or is that the natural shape?

[Pat B]

Marius, that is the natural shape. A little thinning of the quill is all.    Pat

[Dustybaer]

thanks for sharing pat, this thread is very inspiring.

[brownhillboy]

Cool arrow Pat!  I put some cane shafts on my Christmas list for the wife.  If I get them, I hope I can turn some out as nice as that!

[Mechslasher]

i'm not sure what species of cane that is.  bernie gave them to me.