<div>Greetings,</div>
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<div>To answer some questions and observations regarding the use of Tool Dip on uhmw heads...</div>
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<div>Before I begin, a little about me. Some of y'all already know me, either in person or through the various lists. I am from northern An Tir, mundanely Vancouver BC. I've been a very active archer and CA for 10 years. Twice Kingdom Protector of An Tir (like your Royal Huntsman, but combat archery) I have been referred to as one of the most picky, particular, obsessive people when it comes to rules, and the construction of my arrows, to the point of measuring out the tape that goes onto each head. I have constantly trying to find improvements that I can work into my arrows that are safe, and reduce the amount of maintenance required. Yes, there are quicker ways of building a CA arrow, but the proof is in how long they last, and the ease of reworking them when required.</div>
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<div>I did a test batch of 30+ arrows last year, before the side wraps were required. Those arrows were in use at Gulf, and saw use in 6 more wars last season. No damage was noticed to the coating. Upon dis assembly (for reworking heads for the sidewraps) the tape under the coating was in perfect condition.</div>
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<div>I am using PlastiDip. I have not decided to go the expense of the UV stabilised formulation, but I still expect to get 4+ years out of the heads as they are. I am dipping indoors, with stable temperatures. I tried it outside on a sunny day, but the clouds came, temps dropped, and the rubber just clumped and sloughed off the head. The last batch I did (200+ arrows) I thinned the dip a bit, so the strapping tape down the backside of the blunt would be "visible". Not thin enough to see the tape, but you can tell that there is tape there.</div>
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<div>I am running 1" of _good quality_ closed cell foam for padding, not blue camp mats. This is twice the minimum required in An Tir. The foam is taped down with 3M strapping tape, and the side wrap added after. I do pay more for the good foam and tape, but what good is saving a few cents per arrow if you have to re-pad or tape your arrows every 2 years?</div>
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<div>For my sidewraps, I am using an EPDM / Neoprene blended gasket material, backed in pressure sensitive adhesive. 1/8" thick is more than required on a Lu Shan supplied blunt. The PlastiDip does compress the sidewrap on curing, so the extra thickness is nice come inspection time; you can still feel that it's there. The solvents in the dip appear to attack the adhesive on the sidewrap, so I throw a wrap of electrical tape around it to protect the ends.</div>
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<div>I dip my heads and the first 1/2" of the shaft in the PlastiDip, and hang by the apd to cure. The ambient temperature is important, as if you're too cold, the rubber will just clump and slough off the head. To thin or too warm, and you only get a thin coating on the sides, and thicker on the face. Cure-to-packing time is about 4 hours, but I like overnight to ensure I don't get one big mass of arrows (trust me on that one!)</div>
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<div>One concern I had when starting this project was how hard the heads would come out. It has been pointed out that the durometer of the PlastiDip is higher than the Santoprene in a Baldar. That may be true, but this is a coating perhaps 1mm (0.04") thick on top of 1/2" - 1" of foam. I can compress my heads under thumb pressure by more than 1/2", can't do that with a Baldar!</div>
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<div>True, the dip does not stick to UHMW, and may not stick to some tapes. That is acceptable, as it is not used as an assembly component; it is purely cosmetic and serves to protect the foam and tape underneath from damage. I had to remove theh coating from last year's samples, and it was tricky at first. I could not simply peel it off, I had to slice it along it's length, then peel it off like a banana. The tape and foam underneath were unaffected by the coating.</div>
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<div>In my early testing, I tried to damage the coating by whipping the head against the unprotected edge of my helm. No damage occurred. Same results using concrete walls, trees, opposing fighters...</div>
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<div>I brought 200 of them to Gulf Wars. It appeared that all the marshallate was happy with them, Sigfried (DSMCA) gave me his approval for them (not sure if that's an official approval, or just "I'm okay with it" )</div>
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<div>Yes, it adds cost. Yes, it adds time. Will the heads last longer than duct / electrical tape, most certainly. Do they look good? Yes.</div>
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<div>Time to get back to work...</div>
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<div>William Arwemakere</div>
<div> - Arrowslayer</div>
<div> - Widowmaker</div>
<div> - Baconeater</div>
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