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Apache Style Phragmites Arrows

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coyote pup:
Hey Pat, Awesome build-along as always. Question: What is (or was) the purpose of the "puff" feathers? Decorative only?

hawkbow:
An Apache scout friend of mine said the fluff feather was so you could tell which white eyes you had already shot in low light conditions ;D ;) Hawk

JackCrafty:
Thanks Frank, Trapper.

Cowboy, yeah, loosing them is half the fun ;D.....but I think I'll loose more by giving these away than by shooting them.  ;)  Want one?

Bob, I cheat on the tapers....I sand them on something long and flat....and they are not exact, the foreshafts vary slightly from eachother in diameter and shape.

Coyote, I don't really know what the puff feathers are for.  I assume, since they appear on so many NA arrows, they must have some sort of spiritual significance.

Or maybe Hawk has discovered the correct answer?  ;D

Diligence:
Those look great.  Two questions:
1. why soak the feathers before fletching? ...just found the reason in your primitive arrow post...thanks
2. What is it that you are rubbing on the shaft, just below the nock, prior to fletching?  Glue or water?

Thanks for the education!

D

JackCrafty:
D, I soak the feathers (actually, I just dip them for 10 seconds) so they will expand.  They shrink as they dry and pull themselves tight against the shaft.  They also become less brittle when wet...which is useful when pulling and aligning the quill with pliers (or your teeth).  ;)

I dab fish glue on the shaft before applying sinew.

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