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Arrows
Part 3 of 8

Next tack a piece of coarse sandpaper, or better still, emery or carborundum cloth (coarse) to the top of a table or workbench, and holding the clamp as shown in Figure 59, at right angles to the abrasive cloth, grind down the rest of the stem, rubbing lengthwise, until only a very thin strip is left for holding the vane. If a sanding disk is available, the stems may be ground off on it. All that will be needed is a rest which permits holding the clamp at right angles to the disk. See Figure 115.

It will be noted that one side of the stem that is left will be thicker than the other. This is as it should be, as it will help to set the feather with its curve correctly on the shaft. See Figure 60.

All the vanes on an arrow must be from feathers from the same side of the bird. A set of matched target arrows should also be all from one side of a bird.

If you have white feathers as well as gray, cut one white one to every two of the gray ones. This white feather will be the cock feather on the arrow, that is, the feathers that are fastened at right angles to the nock. See Figure 61. The other two are called hen feathers.





After the feathers are all ground down properly, take a thin shears, and, laying the feather down on the bench, hollow side up, cut off the surplus stem as shown in Figure 62.