Welcome, Jake. Yes, I second that stain/poly is fine for wood arrows. After all they’re not intended to last decades. If you’re making arrows only occasionally, its a cheap and easy way to go, though I’ve never gotten a satisfactory spray or paint-on finish; you need a dip tube. And if you move to the stage (aka addiction) where the arrow-building process becomes a joy in itself, you have far more options with analine (water-based) dyes, a dip tube and gasket laquor. With stains you’re limited to various shades of dark to light to enhance the natural wood grain. With dyes the sky’s the limit for colors and combos, and a tiny bit goes a long way so it’s not expensive. A dip tube is cheap and last forever and a can of gasket laquor lasts for countless dozen arrows. And both the dye and the laquor dry almost immediately. If you want to check any of this out, google Archery Past, Dave Doran, who sells it all and will be happy to discuss the options with you on the phone. You can get this stuff at most full-service trad archery suppliers, but I like Dave’s deep experience and friendly personal touch. He’s usually at Kalamazoo but has been under the weather so I’m not sure about this year/month.
