Fletching size?

[leonwood]

So I am making some flight arrows from different woods to slowly get a feel for them and see what they do with my bows.
I made some 27 inch grain barreled shafts from ipe, poc and german spruce., barreled just slightly front of center. Average weight around 280 grains, nothing spectacular yet but I need to start somewhere
Now I only have turkey feathers and I read they are the worst for flight so I want to make some rawhide fletching instead, what would be an accceptable size for those?

[JNystrom]

I personally use 25-28mm x 6-8mm fletches, from the backside of turkey feathers. The really narrow part that gets always thrown away. The main idea is to use something stiff, but thin. From a common turkey/goose feather you can find spots where the feathers are thinner, so try those.
Later...try them all! Some prefer peacock feathers(?), those turkey backside's, vellum(rawhide), some razor blades....

With the fletching you can start from bigger fletching and then trim them down more and more, if the arrow still fly well.

[leonwood]

Thanks! Ik cut some thin rawhide at 25x9 mm and will go from there!

[avcase]

I have made vanes from a very fine rawhide (vellum) with a thickness of about 0.020" (0.5mm). As general starting point, I made the vanes about the same height as the arrow shaft is thick near the nock.  So this is usually just under 1/4" high, and a bit over 1" long. The one problem I had with this type of vane is that it tends to curl and warp when in contact with moisture or high humidity.

Alan

[leonwood]

I have made vanes from a very fine rawhide (vellum) with a thickness of about 0.020" (0.5mm). As general starting point, I made the vanes about the same height as the arrow shaft is thick near the nock.  So this is usually just under 1/4" high, and a bit over 1" long. The one problem I had with this type of vane is that it tends to curl and warp when in contact with moisture or high humidity.

Alan

Thanks that is really good info! Funny that I initially think the vanes I made are small but actually they are huge
Will buy some vellum for drums, they sell them here in those thicknesses.