TIGHT NOCKS

[grumpy]

#6602

The nocks on my carbon arrows are too tight for the string. I know I can heat them up a little and adjust, but what is the best way to heat them up. That is; hot enough to adjust without melting them. I DO know not to stick them in the campfire. Boiling water? Hair dryer? Lighter? Propane torch?

[jpc]

#52939

Adjusting nock

I use to prepare a hold of the desired thickness to enlarge

A clamp to tighten

pit noch in boiling water two or three seconds

and without waiting I put them under cold tap water without removing the hold or stop tighten the clamp

So plastic spacing remains permanently :idea::roll::idea:

[Doc Nock]

#52991

almost seems easier to just reserve sthring to fit nock you like.

Different nocks have different throat size, don’t they?

I have several type nocks for that purpose and I know GT’s had some scare some time back with ears breaking on release,

I have a small metal file that is the right size and one pass in either direction inside the ears and I get perfect nock fit…

I’ve read and believe the boiling water is likely the safest and most permanent…

With carbons, they’re so easy to remove, I just pull and throw away ones that get loose or too loose with time and find ones that fit, reserve or file…

Different strokes for different folks…whatever works and fills you with confidence is the key to better shooting!

[David Coulter]

#53481

Grump & Doc, similar, but here’s my way. I have a few pieces of silver solder that I bend over at one end and squeezed together. I hold the nock in boiling or near boiling water, as I turn the flame off, for about a count to ten. Pull it out and push in the piece of solder and put it down to cool and start the next one. Works well, does not seem to bother the feathers if the arrows are already fletched. Have fun. dwc

[Lydell Newell]

#54245

grumpy wrote: The nocks on my carbon arrows are too tight for the string. I know I can heat them up a little and adjust, but what is the best way to heat them up. That is; hot enough to adjust without melting them. I DO know not to stick them in the campfire. Boiling water? Hair dryer? Lighter? Propane torch?

i use a drill bit to mine

[Doc Nock]

#54252

dnewell63 wrote: i use a drill bit to mine

That opens up the hole at the bottom… (throat?)

I got into it with a string maker once till we got our terms straightened out… I like the nock to fit snug enough I can turn a EFOC arrow downward and it won’t fall off but a light tap of the string and…it’s GONE!

He likes it to slide on the hole at the bottom on the serving, thinking that was what I meant…NOT!

If the ears are snug, I’ve proven to my own satisfaction there is an audible TINK on release as the ears snap off the string.

I want it just snug enough to not fall off lest I bump it. I did learn from others smarter then me (lotsa them) that when you draw back, the looser nock fit can slide down changing your nocking point on release, so I now use tied on nocks…one above, one below the nock! Stops that!

[bruc]

#58252

I heat the nock with the hot water that others have described. But for the spreader, I use a piece of leather that is approximately an eight of an inch or a little less in thickness. To add width to the spreader I added 2 or three plies of electrician tape until I got the proper width. Takes a bit of experimenting, but once you get the right number of plies of tape, it ends up being fairly consistent. I can do about 3 or 4 arrows on the piece of leather at the same time. I think anything would work for the spreader, I only used the leather, as it was the first thing I found that was close to being the right thickness. Leave them on overnight.

Bruce

[ACLSRN]

#61715

I have done this technique for the past 40 yrs with good success. It’s fast and easy…

I simply boil some water as others have stated and insert the nock of the arrow into the water for approx 2 seconds. Immediately – I nock the arrow onto my bowstring and push and pull the arrow on and off the string to ‘stretch’ the nock open more if need. After doing this approx 8-10 times I allow the nocks to cool or run them under cold water for 30 secs to ‘set them up’ – and then later retest again for fit.

I once read that if a nock fits properly – it should stay ON the string unless the string is ‘slapped’ pretty hard by your hand – and then – should simply pop off. If they don’t – then simply repeat the procedure until they fit as desired.

This has always worked for me. Just be careful NOT to overheat the plastic by leaving the nocks IN the boiling water for to long of a time.

[codger]

#17612

ive always just used a small file. i file them out until i get the required fit. i’ve been doing that for forty years.

the same file works well for sharpening broad heads then i hit them with a stone to get a razor edge.

[Stephen Graf]

#17697

Sand paper works better than a file, imho.

But making the string / serving fit the nock is the best choice.

I always have the opposite problem. My nocks are usually way loose unless I use really thick serving on the string.

[Lcamp319]

#21337

Had the same problem of poor arrow flight due to too tight of nock. I read paper by O.L. Adcock, “Tuning Longbows and Recurves”. In the section, “Thoughts on Strings”, he states on string break strength “The rule of thumb is a 5:1 ratio in string strength to bow draw weight. A 250 pound test string is adequate for a 50# bow. That’s about 6 strands of Dacron.” The article goes on. To sum up, I shoot 50# longbows. I now use a 12 strand Flemish string served with #4 serving material. Nocks on carbon arrows fit perfect, they snap on lightly, fall off with a tap on string and shoot beautifully. I also pad the loops to 14 or 16 strands just for fun and to protect against wear. I have been shooting 12 Dacron strands on 50# bows for about 15 years. NEVER had a problem.

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