Once my sealing coat of varnish is dry I rub it back well with steel wool. I then mark the length I want my capping colour to be. I use masking tape and news paper to protect the parts of the shaft I don't want paint on. Now I spray the shafts, allowing each coat to dry before rubbing it back with steel wool and applying the next. Don't rub the final coat back though. Once the top coat is dry I remove the tape and news paper and I am ready for the next step.
HINT: No matter what colour you want to paint your cap, always use a base coat of white. This allows you to cover the shaft with one or two top coats. Without the white base coat you may need four or five coats, especially if you are using a light colour. When you do this the capping will end up being too thick.
Cresting
The Crest is a series of coloured bands usually painted on an arrow just forward of the feathers. In the past the crest was mostly used to identify the owner of an arrow. Today its use is more to make an arrow look better. I feel a crest adds some of that "Character" I mentioned at the start.
To crest a shaft you will need some type of machine to spin it while you apply the paint. There are commercial ones available but most people make their own using an old sewing machine motor or the like placed on a board with some form of V-block to support the shaft. A piece of rubber hose can be used to connect the drive shaft of the motor to the arrow shaft or a small chuck, designed specifically for this purpose, can be purchased from your traditional archery dealer.
It doesn't really matter what type of machine you use so long as it spins the shaft at a reasonable speed. I have even seen an electric drill used. However it is important that the shaft spins true, without any wobble. If the shaft wobbles the cresting lines will not be a uniform thickness around the shaft.
To paint on your crest you will need good quality brushes. The finer you want your lines the finer your brush will need to be. I use a water based acrylic paint for my cresting. It comes in a wide range of colours and is available from most hobby shops. Once you have your machine, brushes and paint you can go ahead and create your own personal crest. It's a good idea to put a thin crest line on the shaft where the capping paint ends. This assists in covering up any irregularities at this point and also looks good.
