Slide the feather down to the bottom of the arm while keeping the white base seated. At this point only the back half of the feather will be in place. Put your thumb on the back of the feather to hold it into place. At this time, make sure the entire feather is seated to the white base. The amount of glue seems to be a problem with all fletching tools.
Most people apply too much.
All that is required is a light film between your vane and arrow shaft. Any more, the glue will be squeezed out, leaving you with an unsightly fletch and glue all over your fletching tool. Do a few tests on an old arrow shaft to determine just the right amount. After releasing the spring lock pin, which closed the arms up and around the arrow shaft, it is sometimes necessary to apply pressure to the arm by hand to be able to replace the top cap. We suggest squeezing the arms in the center which will insure even alignment of the fletching arms along the arrow shaft.