Photo courtesy of Peter Dekker ref. https://www.manchuarchery.org/arrows

A Better Way to Fletch Long Feathers: Gauging Interest in a New Jig

Fletching jigs for long feathers have always been an awkward gap in the traditional archery toolkit. You can find tools to cut feathers to historically accurate lengths, but finding a jig that can actually clamp, align, and hold those same feathers while they set is a different problem entirely. For many archers working with Manchu-style or other long-feather traditions, the answer has simply been to lay fletching by hand.

We've been thinking about whether that has to be the case. A jig capable of handling feathers as long as the longest we sell would fill a genuine gap in what's available, and we're curious whether that gap matters to you. If you make your own arrows and work with long feathers, we'd welcome hearing about your experience. If there's enough interest, this moves from idea to development. [Contact us] to let us know.

Ring Decoration: Metallic Coatings and Carved Patterns for Polymer Rings

What Ring Decoration Involves

Ring decoration has always been available for our sterling silver and titanium rings, where patterns are physically carved into the metal surface. The same service now extends to our polymer rings at a significantly more accessible price point.

The process works in two stages. First, we apply a metallic color coat over the base polymer. That alone produces a clean, striking result, and it's a perfectly complete finish on its own. For that single-coat look, we recommend starting with a black base polymer, since the neutral tone tends to make metallic colors read more vividly.

The second stage, if you want it, is carving. We cut the same patterns into coated polymer rings that we offer on metal, and the effect is quite different: the carving removes the top coat in those areas, revealing the base polymer color underneath. The contrast between the metallic surface and the exposed base color is the visual payoff.

The carved patterns display particularly well on our Ottoman and Chinese Spur ring styles, though they can be applied to any ring in our lineup.

Wall-Mounted Bow Display: No Drilling Required

Designed Around the Bows, Not the Wall

Asiatic bows tend to be beautiful objects. The recurve geometry, the grain in the wood, the precision of the construction. Leaning them in a corner or hanging them on a utility peg doesn't do them justice. Our wall-mounted bow display was designed with one goal: to showcase the bow without compromising the wall it hangs on.

The display uses large 3M Command Strips, which means no drilling, no anchors, and no patching when you move or redecorate. Each package includes two wall mounts, two accent covers in your choice of color, and two Command Strips.

Installation:

Choose your location and lightly mark where each mount will go. Clean both spots thoroughly to ensure maximum adhesion.
Examine the adhesive strip. One side is labeled "Wall," the other reads "Command" with a downward-pointing arrow on the pull tab.
Peel the "Command" side and press it onto the back of the wall mount, with the pull tab pointing down toward the dovetail slot so the accent cover will conceal it.
Peel the "Wall" side and firmly press the mount against your marked spot.
Slide the accent cover into the dovetail slot.
Repeat for the second mount.

To remove: slide off the accent cover, grasp the pull tab, and pull straight down parallel to the wall until the adhesive releases. A fresh Command Strip lets you reinstall elsewhere. No wall damage.

Rugged Polymer: A Genuine Durability Upgrade

What Changed and Why It Matters

Our standard polymer rings have always been a capable, affordable option, but durability under sustained or heavy use has been their natural ceiling. Rugged polymer addresses that directly, with roughly three times the fatigue life of the standard material at no additional cost.

That figure comes from controlled fatigue testing: sample rings subjected to stress cycles intentionally designed to exceed their fatigue limit, run until failure. Rugged polymer rings reached failure at approximately 2.9 times the cycle count of standard polymer rings under identical conditions. None of the real-world testers we sent them to reported any failures at all, which is the more meaningful data point for most archers.

Understanding the Draw Weight Question

A common question is what draw weight rugged polymer is suited for. A broad guideline is bows 60 lbs and under, but that answer comes with important context.

Different ring designs experience very different stresses in use. A smaller ring with greater cross-sectional area and a different load distribution handles force differently than a larger, thinner one. Our Byzantine ring, for example, is one of our smallest designs, and one of our testers ran it at 100 lb draws without any problems. That's beyond what we would have suggested, and it held up.

The practical takeaway: if you're shooting heavier draws, shooting frequently, or you want extra durability for a decorated ring, rugged polymer is an easy choice. It's available now by selecting it from the color options on any of our standard polymer ring styles.