primitive sealer

[Bearded.Jake]

Hello all,

I have a couple questions with regards to a primitive sealer like a pitch/fat mixture.  Historically speaking, among the indigenous tribes, would something like this have been used or not bothered with on arrows? 

If it was used, would it be applied before fletching? Or after fletching, below the fletching only?  Applying it before seems like you would have issues with fletching if you are using glue on the feathers.

Also, the only pitch grease mixture ive made was quite sticky despite having a high percentage of grease. would you just keep adding fat until its not sticky enough to affect shooting? (I used it on one bow and I did use heat to apply it)

I also have one unrelated question: I have made probably less than 10 dogwood arrows, and on several I have had issues with warping even though they were well seasoned and heat straightened. (i may have done some green straightening too) On some, I will go to correct the warp and over bend it and it stays completely bent the other way, as if it we sopping wet.  Is this normal for dogwood? All I can this is maybe i scraped them down too narrow in spots and they arent uniformly tapered enough.

Thanks for any shared knowledge. Sorry if some of this info might be common knowledge or easy to find but I cant seem to find answers to these particular questions anywhere.

[Pat B]

I make a pitch varnish from hard, brittle pitch dissolved in denatured alcohol. Not completely primitive but it works. I use it on sinew wrapped heads and self nocks and have sealed shoot shafts with it. As far as fletching, if you tie the fletching on it shouldn't matter.
 Are you sure your shafting is well seasoned? Do you temper them after you straighten? I do this by going over the whole shaft from tip to tip with heat, rotating the shaft as I go. Be careful when you get to the far end because what moisture is in the shaft will come out as steam and will burn you. While the shaft is hot re-straighten it and lay it down on a flat surface until completely cool. You can always go back and straighten the shafts that bend. At least a year seasoning and two is better to be sure the shafts are well seasoned and should remain straight.

[Bearded.Jake]

Thanks Pat!

I cant say for sure, but I think I had my shafts for a couple years before getting around to making arrows.
Although, I didn't really know that amount of time seasoning was preferred for arrow shafts. That kind of changes my plan for the bundles I just cut this past fall. :/

I would say my straightening methods are pretty haphazard though and haven't been tempering the whole shaft. Ill definitely try this on my next ones. I do tie fletching on just at the ends, but not wrapping the whole thing.

The pitch "tincture" sounds cool. might have to look into that one day too.

Thanks again!

[Pat B]

With the pitch varnish(tincture) be sure you use hard, brittle pitch so the sealer will come out hard. If not it will stay sticky.