Advice on a fletching vise

[rockint]

I am new to fletching my own arrows and when I was at bass pro I saw the Bitzenburger fletching tool and I decided to get it. Well maybe this tool was not machined right but sometimes I get a helical and sometimes I do not. I have marked on the vise where to put the fletching so I know they are going in the same place everytime but when I line up the shaft the top and the bottom of the vise touch the shaft and where the fletching is does not. Therefore I am getting fletchings that I can pull off with little effort.

I guess what I am asking is do I have a bad vise and need to get another one or is there a better one on the market that some of you experienced fletcher's like to use?

PS I am using the bohning archery fletch tite platinnum glue is that the problem as well?

Any help would be much appreciated!!!

[bowhuntntxn]

you should be able to adjust the location of where the clamp places the vane on the shaft. Also, if you are fletching different size arrows, this has to be adjusted for each size. Bitz is probably the best jig on the market today, so the chance of it being machined wrong are slim. Try playing around with it before putting any glue on the vane, and once you get it where it looks right tighten everything down, and glue a vane on. The glue you are using should be fine, and make sure your arrow shafts are clean before fletching. You will get it soon, just a learning curve involved.

[rockint]

Do you have any methods for cleaning the shafts? I am using bohning little red hand tool that has a blade on the end of it. Thanks for the input. The top of the vise and the bottom touch but they do not where the vane goes no matter how I adjust it. I also just noticed I am using the carbon express maxima 350 and they have a little aluminum band right before the nock, maybe i should not be setting the clap on to that during measurement????

[aggie2000tx]

You do have to leave the vane sticking out of the jig a little bit. I need to fletch some arrows tonight and I will be sure and take pics and post them.

[rockint]

Thanks Toby that would be great. There has to be something that I am missing on the alignment. Must just be my lack of experience and the learning curve

[Smart]

You do have to leave the vane sticking out of the jig a little bit. I need to fletch some arrows tonight and I will be sure and take pics and post them.

I am very interested in this too Toby.....Fay has a lot better things to do than to refletch all these blazer's I'm knocking off.

[shotgunsmitty]

I've never used the Bitz, but I know a lot of folks here have good luck with it and that it's a very good jig. Personally, I like my Arizona EZ, gets the whole arrow done at the same time, but don't think for a minute that you've got a bad product....well, except for the glue.

The only good use I've found for it is a doorstop, and it doesn't make a very good one of those, even. I've tried using it on carbon, aluminum, Duravanes, AND BLAZERS (that are made by Bohning). I can't get it to work no matter what I try...I've left arrows in my fletcher for four hours and the glue just won't hold. I've tried a lot, I've tried a little, I think I'd have better luck with a bottle of Elmer's.

Now, bear in mind, this is only my experience with it and by no means constitutes complete failure of the product. Only that smitty thinks it sucks. I like to use superglue gel, but when I can't get ahold of that, then for a quarter a tube I can usually find some superglue at wally world.

Good luck with it, and for sure, I'd like to see the pics, too.

[bowhuntntxn]

the clamp should go in front of the bulldog collar. that will be holding the back of the jig off the arrow. To clean the shafts I would suggest a green scrubbie pad and then wipe clean with denatured alcohol.

[aggie2000tx]

I will be sure and post pics. I have the Bitz and have had it for a while now. Great jig in my opinion.

[rockint]

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Let me know if you all can tell me what I am doing wrong

[WCB]

I havle not used the a Blitz jig but use the Arizona EZ with Platinum glue and have no problems.
That's all I know...

[Smart]

The only thing I can see wrong with it is that you are not working on my arrows....

[rockint]

The only thing I can see wrong with it is that you are not working on my arrows....

Send them on I will experiment on my arrows

[bowhuntntxn]

move the clamp forward, and clear the collar. then move the vane back if you want to. take a picture straight on looking at the jig, and try to show how the vane sits on the shaft. I am gonna say you might need to align the front/back of the vane with the knobs behind the clamps, after you clear the collar.

[bowhuntntxn]

Jason, before you ask:

Bitzenberger jig, Blazer vanes, and Beyond Bond glue are the best. HA HA HA