How do we install points?
Necessary tools are the following: Pliers, amber colored Hot Melt, small torch and small container of water.

Ignite torch, hold stick of Hot Melt in flame to melt slightly and put a small pea sized gob on point taper. Then take pliers and grasp point. Caution: Do not heat broadheads too long as this can change the temper of steel. If, using point with oil on it, remove this oil with the flame, including inside ferrule. Field Points and some Blunts usually, have oil on them to protect from rusting. Broadheads seldom have this oil coating. Hold point in flame to heat. All it takes is 15-20 seconds of holding point in torch flame.

Now, with the arrow in one hand and heated point/pliers in other, insert point taper into point while pushing the arrow and rotating it to seat sand spread hot melt, thoroughly. Some excess hot melt should now, be forced out of point. Wipe off with scrap rag. Caution: This could be hot! Be careful! Immediately, spin arrow on its point tip watching the area where the point/shaft meet for any wobble. If none, then dipped point in the water. If, there is wobble this needs to be corrected. As long as the point is still hot, a little correction is needed in one direction or the other, while resting the point tip of some surface. As soon as the arrow/points spins true and straight immerse point in water to cool and set the hot melt joint.

Modifying Great Northern Quivers
We use a simple modification on our Great Northern Quivers to keep the fletching end of arrows from sticking out in front of bow. Take the bottom arm and bend it to a 90-degree angle. Now, the bottom strap will attach to the side of bow, instead of the back. This will bring the arrows back inside the strung bow profile, which makes it much easier to maneuver through brush and tight spots. Also, the upper arm may need to be bent slightly to conform to the angle of the bow where it is mounted. When mounting the quiver to your bow the straps should come off the bottom of bracket, not the top.


Note: The quiver on right is unmodified. One on left has modifications done to both arms.


Note how the arrows stick out in front of limbs on the top bow and where the modifications place the arrows on the bottom bow.

Silencing Techniques
For best silencing, we find that silencers need to be, positioned much closer to the string/limb contact point. Usually, 8” - 9” works best for us. Some bows require two pair of silencers, others one and some need none, like straight, limbed longbows with B-50, Dacron strings.

The use of non-stretch type string materials, i.e. fastflite, Dynaflite, 450+, dyneema, 452, etc. may require additional padding on recurves to get the desired quietness. We use ordinary wool yarn, by wrapping it around the string starting at the bottom corner of loop. Continue wrapping around string loop and down string several inches until past the limb contact area. Simply, tuck in the end of yarn into a couple of the twisted strands. We used to put moleskin on the limbs in the string grooves to prevent string slap noise, but now prefer the yarn wrapping method.




The following are examples of how we silence our bows.


My Thunderhorn Heart Stopper TD longbows and the silencing method used on each. The front bow has a fastflite string and one full pair of cat whisker silencers tied on via a simple overhand knot, so they slide up and down the string, to achieve the best effect. The back bow has a 452 string with one pair of wool puffs split in half, and slipped in between twisted strands. These can slide to achieve best effect.


This is Rob’s Black Widow MA-II and the silencing method used. 452 string with yarn wrap on ends and one pair of cat whiskers split in half and loop over string. They are placed at 8” and 9” from string/limb contact point. This is the quietest combination we have found for Black Widow recurve bows.


My Assenheimer TD, with 452 string and silencer method used. One pair of cat whiskers tied onto string with simple overhand knot, positioned at 9” from limb/string contact point. These bows need very little silencing, to be very quiet.


My Bob Lee Thunderbolt, with 12 strand B-50 string and silencer method used. One wool puff split in half and slipped between twisted strands, positioned at 8” from limb/string contact point. Usually, very little silencing is needed on bows using B-50 strings.

A Sunset Hill straight limbed longbow, with B-50 string. No silencing method should be needed on these type bows.

Why do we use 60/120 4 fletch, instead of the more common 90 or 75/105 4 fletch?

Why do we use cock feather in 3 fletch, instead of the more common cock feather out 3 fletch?
Simply put, it is all about fletching clearance, improved flight and the ability to use lower nocking points. Lowering the back end of an arrow on the string brings the front end higher, creating increased trajectory. It is best explained, by the use of the following pictures.


Note how the bottom feathers in this 90 degree 4 fletch are positioned in relationship to the shelf. The bottom right feather will strike the shelf, while going through paradox, causing a bump/kick up off the shelf. To eliminate this most archers have to raise their nocking point until this kick up disappears.


Note how the feathers are positioned with our 60/120 4 fletch in relationship to the shelf. There no longer are any feathers striking the shelf, while the arrow goes through paradox. Therefore, one can use a lower nocking point. For many years, I used the common 90 degree four fletch and had excellent results. My nock point usually was quite high, like 3/4 “ above square, or more. When, my good friend Roger Rothhaar told me about the 60/120 degree four fletch many years ago, I had to try it. Wow, was I surprised! I was able to lower my nocking point over 1/4 “, which gave me more trajectory without having to raise my point of aim. The best part though, was improved flight.


Note how the bottom hen feather is positioned in the common, cock feather out 3 fletch. This bottom, hen feather will strike the shelf, while going through paradox, causing a bump/kick up off the shelf. To eliminate this most archers have to raise their nocking point until this kick up disappears.


Now note how the feather positions have changed in the cock feather in 3 fletch. The bottom hen feather now sits out and away from the shelf. There no longer is any feather striking the shelf, while the arrow goes through paradox. Therefore, one can use a lower nocking point. Over the years, I did not like the way the common cock feather out 3 fletch flew off my bows, because the nocking point had to be so high to eliminate the bump/kick up when the hen feather struck the shelf. Most of the time, my nocking point had to be set near 1” above square. I first saw about using cock feather in Jack Howard’s, The Bowhunting Catalog. He had taken high-speed photographs of arrows going through paradox when shot with the cock feather out method and the cock feather in method. Along, with his explanation of the merits of using cock feather in and the pictures it was clear as a bell which method was better. Naturally, I had to try this. Again, I was amazed at the results. Arrow flight had improved so much and my nocking point was lowered nearly 1/2 “, which gave me increased trajectory without having to raise my point of aim.

Ok, so if you have read all this and now wonder how we do it, bear with me for just a little longer. The cock feather in is simple to accomplish. Nothing special needs to be done while fletching your arrows. Instead, of nocking the arrow the normal, common cock feather out way, just rotate nock 180 degrees and put on string.

The 60/120 degree 4 fletch alignment is done during fletching with the three fletch jig. Install two-hen feather and two cock feathers. The following instructions are for right-handed shooters. If you are left-handed, you will do the opposite for the hen feather position, only. First, put on the cock feather. Then rotate the nock indicator of your jig to the left (counter-clockwise) and install a hen feather. This is where if, you are left-handed, you will need to rotate the nock indicator of your jig right (clockwise). Now remove shaft from jig, rotate 180 degrees and return to jig. Put on another feather. Finally, turn the nock indicator back to the cock feather position and install another feather. Wholla!