My wife poking into my business said I left out the most important detail. I clamped the arrows to the table leaving about a foot sticking out and worked from the nock end. She reminded me that I accused her of not being steady enough and was forced to use the vise.

Many thanks for the detailed reply, Larry. I'll keep the tip about using spar varnish in mind.

I draw lines on the shaft 120 degrees, just like a three fletch, I take full length feathers and with my feather book thin the quill and trim about 1/8th to 3/16" of the feathers off of the quill on the tail end and the lead end. I coat the shaft with finish like spar varnish. I tie the nock end with a three or four wrap, then just like a normal fletch counter clockwise left wing or clockwise right wing wrapping the feathers down about one wrap per quarter inch, which goes through the feather and secures the quill tightly to the shaft, targeting the next adjacent 120 degree line, finishing with three or four wraps on the trimmed end. Of course you must wrap in the same direction as you want the feather to go. . I end up with a rather hard spinning helical. If the start up wrap is nail knot tight, it all can be adjusted as you go with no slipping. I found that spar varnish if it is applied a bit thick with a foam brush makes an excellent feather glue for wood shafts. It will take a day or so to dry. I have done some with super glue as well, but for some damn reason, every time I use that that quick drying runny superglue I get it on my fingers, as soon as I get on my fingers my nose itches. An embarrassing pose to say the least. It dries instantly between my nose and mustache hairs and my fingers. I tried hot melt, that was a disaster.

Thank you once again for your replies.

Orion, this is going to be a small gathering of archers. I am told there will be four stands. Two for compound bows at 50 metres and two for Olympic recurve at 70 metres. A couple of friends and I will do our own thing. If the wind is blowing from left to right, we will move to the right of the FITA crowd and vice versa.

As far as I know aerial archery with flu-flu fletching has never been tried in India and this could well be the first instance. Hence, the targets (plastic bottles partially filled with small stones, balloons, frisbees or cardboard-n-foam discs, tin cans, etc.) are going to be thrown up by hand. We will not be shooting for distance on aerial targets.

We will also be shooting at moving targets on the ground but that doesn't worry me the way the aerial ones do.

Sailor, how long are your 4-fletch fletchings? Are your spiral wraps done with one or two feathers and what would be the approximate distance traveled?

Larry, your method sounds interesting. Were these three 6" uncut feathers wrapped one behind the other (in-line) or were they wrapped the same way as the commonly seen two full length feather spiral wraps?

Thanks Chuck.

With my equipment these go around 80 yards. Remember....that is good for ...maybe...35 yards kill shot.

I have been using these as heads.

Shadows make it appear other than 3 blade.

I use to make a lot of spiral thread wrapped with three 6" uncut feathers. I found that method to be more predictable in flight than the full length wrap arounds.

My 4 fletch flu flus fly about 80 yards when shot at an angle for maximum distance and the spiral ones less.

I can tell you this. None of the flu-flu configurations will carry 150 yards. 75 yards is closer to the max. I can't visualize the shooting format you describe, but if you're going to need to shoot 150-200 yards, take some standard fletch arrows with you.

Since apparently none of us has specifically measured how far our various concoctions fly, might be a good idea for you to make up a few arrows of each and try them out to see how they fly for you.

Many thanks for the replies.

Orion, I may get the opportunity to try aerial archery at a cricket ground next month. The diameter of the ground may be anything between 150 to 164 yards. There will be other archers doing their FITA thing at 50 and 70 metres but there is no telling where the shooting line will be. I need to be sure my arrows stay within the ground's boundaries and that is what prompted my questions.

Aromakr, could you give me an approximate distance traveled by your single spiral wrap arrows with the bow angle at approximately 45*?

Chuck, keeping the limitations mentioned in the first paragraph in mind, could you suggest the number of flu-flu feathers and their respective lengths I should try?

I have a dozen wooden shafts and two dozen full length feathers to play with.

I have tested many and suggest you do the same. I launched arrows at geese flying past the decoys. They were great, right up till they fell out of the sky. That's what kicked me into test mode. There is a huge difference. Find what it is and fit it to your need. Simply shoot the arrow at maybe 45 degrees and pace off where you find it. Huge difference.

You can wrap them in either direction, however one way the feather will lean into the wind and the other towards the nock, the arrow will go farther towards the nock. I agree with Orion, I've never tested them either. I still use the spiral wrap, but only use one feather, and left wing as that's what I normally use on my regular fletching.

Bob

Interesting questions. I don't think I know the answer to any of them. I seldom make spiral wrap flu-flus anymore, but I seem to remember wrapping them counterclockwise, just because that was the most comfortable to do it. I also used left wing feathers because that's what I had. Really don't think direction of wrap makes any difference.

I've made six-fletch flu-flus, but more recently have switched to 4-fletch, using untrimmed feathers about 5 inches long . Six slows the arrow marginally faster than four, but I couldn't say how much. If memory serves, a double wrap spiral slows the arrow even more than a six fletch.

To arrive at the precise percentage differences you're looking for would require some testing. I just never found it necessary. All of my combinations work for me and I select the feather combination I want with a general recognition that one will go slightly farther than the other and so on.