ARROW WRAP INSTALLATION & REMOVAL GUIDE
STEP #1 - PREPARE ARROW OR BOLT SHAFT.
Use a Scotch-Brite pad (or equivalent) and rough up the outer surface of the arrow shaft in the area where you wish to install the arrow wrap
STEP #2 -CLEAN THE ARROW OR BOLT SHAFT.
Apply your preferred cleaning agent to a paper towel, we suggest 99% isopropyl alcohol for most situations. In some situation where a stronger solvent is needed, like cleaning woven carbon shafts such as the Factor Reaper SL's; we suggest Denatured Alcohol (Methyl Hydrate) followed up by 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to remove any residue. We caution against using acetone, as this harsh solvent can eat away at the resins that bind your carbon shafts together - potentially compromising the structural integrity. Now, proceed to vigorously clean the arrow shaft in the area you wish to install the arrow wrap. Keep cleaning the arrow shaft until there is absolutely ZERO carbon residue remaining on the shaft. Once you are sure that the arrow shaft is completely clean, we suggest using a fresh piece of paper towel with your chosen cleaning agent, and doing one final vigorous clean on the shaft to perform a “white glove test” to ensure the shaft is completely free of any carbon residue. It is crucial the shaft is 100% free of residue before wrap installation to ensure the best wrap adhesion to the arrow shaft, which as a result, will keep your vanes from ripping off easily. Since vanes are being installed onto the arrow wrap; vane adhesion is only as strong as the wrap adhesion to the arrow shaft.
STEP #3 - TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP ARROW OR BOLT SHAFT CLEAN.
Refrain from touching the freshly cleaned arrow shaft with bare hands where you intend to install the arrow wrap. Take all precautions to keep the freshly cleaned area free from any dirt, oils, or debris.
STEP #4 - PREPARE TO INSTALL ARROW WRAP.
Find a soft/slightly spongey surface like a magazine, mouse pad, note pad, or equivalent. Now, peel off an arrow wrap and try your best to keep it clean by refraining from touching the adhesive “sticky” side of the wrap with your fingers or any other dirt/debris. Place the arrow wrap on the surface mentioned above adhesive or “sticky” side up.
STEP #5 - APPLY WRAP TO ARROW OR BOLT SHAFT.
Grab the arrow shaft and align it parallel to the arrow wrap. We suggest starting with the arrow shaft on the side closest to you, but everyone has their preferred methods of installation. First, get the arrow shaft very close, then, align the end of the shaft with the end of the wrap. We suggest leaving a 1/8" gap from the wrap to the back end of the shaft, as this gives you a way to check the nock end for small cracks or splits that could cause damage to your bow if shot; or worst case, serious injury to the user. Now, align the length of the arrow shaft with the length of the wrap. This needs to be done very accurately to ensure the arrow wrap is installed straight on the shaft. To do this, without physically touching the shaft to the wrap, slightly roll the shaft towards the wrap; aligning the horizon of the shaft with the nearest edge of the arrow wrap. You want the horizon of the arrow shaft to visually “touch” along the whole length of wrap without any gap on one end or the other. If you do notice a gap, adjust the arrow shaft slightly until any gap is eliminated and the shaft and wrap are perfectly parallel to one another. Once the shaft and wrap are perfectly aligned, keeping constant downward pressure on the arrow shaft, slowly roll the shaft onto the wrap. As you roll the arrow shaft onto the wrap, start to push the wrap onto the shaft with a stroking motion, while simultaneously rolling the arrow shaft. Continue to do this until the wrap is fully adhered to the full circumference of the arrow shaft. As a final precaution, run your thumb down the seam of the wrap to be sure it has fully adhered back onto itself.
STEP #6 - APPLY HEAT TO ARROW WRAP.
For maximum adhesion - use a hair dryer, or a heat gun on low setting, and blow heat back and forth along the length of the wrap while slowly spinning the shaft to apply heat evenly to the whole arrow wrap. Apply heat until the wrap is slightly warm to the touch, but not so hot that you cannot hold onto it with your bare hands. While the wrap is warm, again, firmly grip the arrow wrap and push it onto the arrow shaft by stroking your hand up and down the length of the wrap while spinning the shaft and applying firm constant pressure. Be sure to run your thumb along the seam again where the wrap overlaps itself, to ensure good wrap adhesion.
STEP #7 - TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP ARROW WRAP CLEAN.
Refrain from touching the arrow wrap with your bare hands where you intend to install your fletchings, and take all precautions to keep the wrap free from any dirt, oils, or debris. If you feel the wrap needs to be cleaned, sparingly apply 99% isopropyl alcohol to a paper towel and very lightly run it over the arrow wrap. Refrain from scrubbing the arrow wrap with the alcohol soaked paper towel as this will cause the ink to lift off of the arrow wrap. (Although we suggest you do not touch the arrow wrap with your bare hands, if you happen to do so, we suggest against cleaning the arrow wrap. Even though it is a good practise to keep your bare hands off of the arrow wrap before fletching, we are confident you will still get good vane adhesion, as long as your hands are not dirty, oily, or covered in debris.)
STEP #8 - GLUEING VANES TO THE ARROW WRAP & PRESERVING GRAPHIC IMAGE.
When glueing vanes onto an arrow shaft using a cyanoacrylate adhesive (super glue), less is more. In fact, there is a point where, when too much is used, you get diminishing returns; the bond is not as strong as if you had used less. So with this in mind, try to use as little as possible to cover the full surface area of the base of the vane to prevent large amounts of glue from squeezing out during install. This is especially true when using a graphic arrow wrap, as cyanoacrylate adhesives contain harsh solvents that eat away and lift the ink from the wrap, which can ruin the image on your wrap. But, no matter what, it is always common during vane installation to have excess glue that will squeeze out along the edges of the base of the vane, no matter how careful you are. When this happens, we suggest the removal of this excess glue be done with a cotton swab (Q-tip) or an equivalent. Using a clean cotton swab, slowly/lightly run the cotton swab along the base of the vane while slowly spinning the cotton swab in your finger tips. This presents a clean and fresh side of the cotton swab along the whole length the vane, allowing the cotton swab to “pick up” the excess glue and not smear it. If too much glue was used and you notice the image is getting lifted off your arrow wrap while attempting to remove the excess glue, apply less pressure on the wrap with the cotton swab while removing the excess glue. This trick, along with using less glue in the future, should preserve the image on your arrow wrap and prevent the ink from being lifted from the vinyl. Please refrain from “scrubbing” “smearing” or “smudging” the glue on the arrow wrap during the removal of the excess glue, as again, this can lift the ink from the vinyl arrow wrap, ruining the graphic image.
STEP # 9 - ARROW WRAP REMOVAL.
For easy arrow wrap removal, submerge the entirety of the arrow wrap covered shaft into boiling hot water for 10-15 seconds. The arrow wrap at this point should easily peel off of the arrow shaft. Once completely removed from the shaft, there may be some residue leftover from from the adhesive on the arrow wrap. Using 99% isopropyl alcohol on paper towel, wipe the shaft until it is clean and free of any adhesive residue. You are now ready to install another arrow wrap.