Fletching



The Fletching skill involves the making of bows and arrows. The products of this skill are primarily used in the Ranged skill. It also provides material with relatively high alchemy prices, so its products are often used to train Magic as well.

At higher Fletching levels, the skill can be trained without losing any coins, although a decent amount of working capital is very useful. A general rule of thumb for fletchers is to wait until you hear 3 "plucks" of the log being stringed to know when you're done. This is an especially helpful tip for those who tend to be multitasking on other things when fletching. The plucking noise only applies to unstrung bows being strung though. Generally, however, each 5 logs that are fletched result in one plucking sound. Since 14 is the number most commonly used for fletching (14 of one type of log, 14 bowstrings), around 3 plucks are needed. Of course, if you are just cutting the logs with your knife then all you need to do is wait until you do not hear any more animation of the cutting to check back on your character.

Bows
To fletch bows, a player must use a knife on a log to whittle a short bow or long bow of that wood. Then, bow string must be attached to the unstrung bow. Bows, especially Yew longbows and Magic longbows, are frequently high alched as a means of income or magic xp.

Players may now gain twice the normal experience per log that is made into a bow (u) with the new Sacred clay fletching knife that is awarded through the minigame, Stealing Creation, it costs 20 points to obtain. However, the knife will disintegrate after 500 uses.

Crossbows
To make a crossbow, the player must first use a knife with a log to make a Crossbow stock. Then, the player needs to add some crossbow limbs (Made via Smithing). Finally, the player must string it with a Crossbow string.

Arrows
To fletch regular arrows, use a knife on logs to create arrow shafts. Each log yields 15 arrow shafts. Add feathers and arrow heads.

Achey logs can be whittled into Ogre arrow shafts. Each achey log yields between 2 and 6 arrow shafts. Four feathers are needed for each shaft. The shafts may be tipped with wolf bone arrow heads or with nails. Ogre shafts tipped with nails are called "brutals" and are especially useful for killing Zogres. Any type of metal may be used for the nails.

The following table shows experience per item made, although 15 items are made at a time.

1Broad arrows can be made after buying the knowledge with Slayer reward points.

Bolts
Bolts are made by using a metal bar at an anvil while you have a hammer in your inventory. This grants smithing experience. The bolts created in this process are unfinished and still require fletching (they need feathers). This part provides the fletching experience. Bolts are also the fastest way of xp and you will not lose much money also great combined with Smithing

The following table shows experience per item made and per 10 items made (the amount made per metal bar).


 * Broad bolts may be made after buying the knowledge with Slayer reward points.

Darts
You can fletch darts by adding feathers to a smithed dart, noted that finishing Tourist Trap Quest is needed for making these.

Level advancement
See the Fletching training article for a detailed guide on training the Fletching skill.

Fletching in the correct environment
A one-click bank can provide a minor advantage while fletching. These bank chests are at Castle Wars, the Soul Wars lobby, the Culinaromancer's Chest in Lumbridge castle cellar, the Duel Arena, the island of Neitiznot, and Shantay Pass.

At Yanille's bank in world 132, there was a player made fletching guild where people could fletch and talk. The population of the bank has since gone down because of the Unbalanced Trade Removal update on 2 January 2008 which has made it harder to trade supplies for longbows or sell longbows which used to be a popular method of training fletching very quickly.

Fletching at one-click banks at minigames is also a very good idea so if you get bored, you can have something to do right away to get away from fletching.

Fletching through the Grand Exchange
To make a profit by fletching, buy flax (now gp each) and yew logs (now  gp each) in the Grand Exchange. Make yew longbows, spinning the flax at whatever wheel you like. The cost to make is, and they sell for. They are in demand now and will sell. You will make gp per bow. A slightly less profitable method is buying yew logs and bow strings straight from the Grand Exchange making only  coins.

Time
It takes not very long to train Fletching up 99. The advise is, from 70 to 99 make Yew longbow (u) and then string them. Selling them in G.E, makeing a small profit from when you buy Yew logs and bow strings. If you want to make more money, make your one bow strings by flax.

Bronze arrows
First mine the necessary ore for bronze bars in the lumbridge swamp near the mining tutor.Then head north for the Lumbridge Furnace and make bronze bars. Bank your bars if you think you will not have sufficient space. Kill chickens in the Chicken Coop north of the Cow Fields. Get sufficient feathers. Cut as amny logs as you can on your way to varrock(might also use the canoe to edgeville then use the agility shortcut to the Grand Exchange. Cut trees there). Use a knife on the Logs to make shafts. add feathers to it. Use the Varrock anvil to make arrow heads. The put them together and sell them at the ge.

Iron Arrows
Mine iron ore near the champions guild in the Varrock Western Mine. Go to the Lumbridge Furnace and make iron bars.Kill chickens in the Chicken Coop north of the Cow Fields. Get sufficient feathers. Cut as many logs as you can on your way to varrock(might also use the canoe to edgeville then use the agility shortcut to the Grand Exchange. Cut trees there). Use a knife on the Logs to make shafts. add feathers to it. Use the Varrock anvil to make arrow heads. The put them together and sell them at the ge.

Steel Arrows
Mine iron ore and coal in the Edgeville dungeon Non-Wilderness Mine(use brass key, it's faster). If you do not have a brass key, on your way out, save a slot for a key. Run south and then east of the hobgoblins. Then, right before you enter the Hill Giants Area, go into a small cavern sticking out on you map filled with zombies. The zombies are guarding the brass key( Low level Fletchers like Fletch Pures, Beware!). Take the key and next to the Hill Giants, climb up a ladder. You will end up in a small room. exit room(this cannot be done without the brass key) and head for the barbarian village(for those using the canoe. Otherwise walk to lumbridge.). Use the canoe to get to lumbridge.Go to the Lumbridge Furnace and make iron bars.Kill chickens in the Chicken Coop north of the Cow Fields. Get sufficient feathers. Cut as many logs as you can on your way to varrock(might also use the canoe to edgeville then use the agility shortcut to the Grand Exchange. Cut trees there). Use a knife on the Logs to make shafts. add feathers to it. Use the Varrock anvil to make arrow heads. The put them together and sell them at the ge. repeat steps with the brass key.

River Lum
River lum, starting in the deep wilderness and down lumbridge, is the Main Fletching/Trading route. This 'River Fletch' is very helpful, so train your woodcutting before you attempt this!

Temporary boosts

 * You can drink Orange spicy stew for a boost of 6, but this can also lower it by 6.
 * A Fletching potion will raise your fletching by 3.
 * A Fletching skillcape will raise your fletching by 1 when operated.

99 Fletching
Once a player has reached level 99 Fletching, Hickton in Catherby will sell the Fletching cape for 99,000 coins.

Trivia

 * When Jagex updated the chat filter at one time, which broke the communication from Classic to RS2, "fletching" was accidentally censored in chat (because it resembled the word "felching").
 * When the string-x feature was added, it actually made fletching slower since the string-x was slower what players could manually do (since the feature is automatically used and cannot be disabled). However, most players consider this a worthy trade-off since it made fletching less physically tiring on their fingers.
 * 34 People have 200M XP in fletching, the 3rd most for any skill.
 * As of August 01, 2009, 76,029 players have 99 fletching, making it the 3rd most popular 99 skill.