Sealing the Shafts
Firstly I sand the shafts with 320 grit sandpaper. This gives them a nice smooth surface ready for sealing with the finish of your choice. The finish you choose will depend on the type of look you want; natural wood or stained, crown or cap colour with a crest etc.
In America there is an archery company by the name of Bohning, which supplies a full range of compatible lacquers and glues solely for use on arrows. To my knowledge their products are unavailable here in Australia. We must therefore improvise. There are a number of products available but I will tell you what I have found to work well for me and how I go about using them.
After sanding the shafts I seal them by applying a coat of clear varnish (Estapol or similar). I take a piece of clean cotton cloth, soak it with varnish and then rub it up and down the shaft until it has a nice even coat and then let it dry. Some varnishes may need to be thinned which is something you will have to decide for yourself. If I wanted to stain my shafts I would do that prior to applying the varnish.
I nearly always have a coloured cap or crown (painted area at the nock end of the arrow) and crest on my arrows, so after sealing them I am ready for this step. If you don't wish to do this you would simply apply the finishing coats of varnish.
