FireBolts - excessive glue

[Thunder]

Picked up 6 Excal-boxed FireBolts from Bow Hunter Supersore online and find that the glue job on the fletching is super sloppy
I asked BHS if THEY fletched these bolts, or Excal or even Easton ... replied Excal does.

Anyone experienced anything similar? I expected a better product touting accuracy claims.
I could try to scrape off some of the lumps and bumps between flething then sand them - a bit leary of solvent use here, in case it loosens the fletching.

[gerald strine]

Easton makes and fetches the fire bolts not Excal

[cevans]

I think that its machine produced, as its def. not hand produced as there is too much glue on the firebolt.

[dsal]

Found the same on one batch.

[Thunder]

I also received a PM from another member in the US who got a similar box of 6 Excal Firebolts.
He ended up receiving 6 replacements from Excal and a shipping lable to return the others.
May be the thing to do in my case, here in Canada.

[WTB]

I received the four Firebolts with the initial purchase, then I purchased a set of six (the only difference, vane color). Just like everyobne else that has tried the Firebolts has had similar consistancy problems.

This weekend I removed all 4" fletchings and refletched with 2" blazers with the new right helical x bolt mini E-Z Fletcher.

With several sharp razor blades/scrapers and 300-600 grit sand paper and about 30+ minutes per arrow I finally removed all the "EXCESS" glue. Right now, after all the prep and refletching, 10 arrows weight 254gr and 4 arrows weigh 256gr. So far the first four that I have "shot in" have been spot on. Before I removed all the glues, there was as much as .005 gr. difference in weights, plus, with all the excess glue/glue bumps and bubbles the areodynamics has to be affected. Some of the "glue bumps/bubble was so big that, upon close inspection one could see how it affected the way that the arrow sat on the rail.

Since the scraping and light sanding takes the shine/slick off the arrow, I coat the entire arrow with a high speed boat wax and polish the shafts

At first look, after you remove the vanes, it looks like Easton put a thick clear coat over the whole top half of the arrow, when infact it is excess glue.

I do believe that the Easton PowerBolt/Firebolt is a fine Arrow and would like to purchase just shafts.

[cevans]

If you take a sharp knife, strip the vane off the arrow without taking any carbon off,,then take a rag soaked with acetone and wrap the shaft for about 20 min where the glue is,,you can take a sharp knife and gently work the glue right off the shaft without removing any carbon whatsoever. the rub the shaft down with the acetone rag again, and refine your gentle scraping with the knife and you will have a totally clean shaft prepped for fletching. works great for me. I use a bitzenburger,,and with the vane loaded in the jig,,I also wipe the vane down, before applying glue as well as you will sometimes not have a clean vane no matter how its packaged. the vane will stick to the arrow forever. I also tip the front and rear of the vane after its on the arrow,,for durablity and have never had a vane rip off no matter what. They will all shoot the same. Practice is the key to the right application of glue.. the more you fletch,,the better you get.

[Thunder]

I don't own any fletching gear, just want what I paid for .. well-made accurate bolts.
If the glue guy was asleep at the wheel, why should the end user get stuck with the results?

[blackjack]

mate here in australia we have the same problem but l notice horton bolts in the shops are near to perfect very very tidy the glue job is ah..regards frank

[End of the road]

I have a poorly glued batch as well. Glue was dripping down the sides, a real bad job. At about $50 a box for arrows I have to agree with Thunder that you should be able to expect a clean, well made arrow. I don't want to have to rebuild them before they are ever shot. Excal told me that the arrows were fine but gave me a return authorization and told me I had to return the arrows first, at my expense, for inspection. I have not yet sent it back because the size makes the freight pretty expensive for a maybe warranty exchange. I suppose it is sort of foolish but they sit unused in their box in my closet. If true, I wonder why Excal sent that guy in the States the arrows first plus a shipping label to return the bad stuff while others here in Canada have to return them first for inspection?

[NewGuy]

You guys should try calling excalibur, you will more than likely be taken care of. Post some pics and let us decide I could show you some sloppy ones i made