anyone care to educate me on the bitz dial o fletch helical clamp?

[earlmarne]

well I am attempting to move in a more self sufficient direction with my archery gear.
picked up a bitzenburger dial o fletch with r helical clamp and nock indexer.
I am still waiting on my new bow so I have yet to fletch any arrows but I have been playing with setting it up.
First off the clamp was very ruff in its cast,lots of burrs and such so I smoothed it out.
When I set it as I have read online to no light being seen from front to back between shaft and clamp I believe it will be too severe of an off set. when I throw a vane in there the only way I can make it seat on the shaft without edges bending up is to clamp the vane so as to have it out of the clamp a ways.In doing so I question how much helical the clamp is imparting on my vane.
How far should the seat of the vane be sticking out of the clamp?
Is it normal that the very far tip of the clamp not touch the shaft?
Any help would be much appreciated,thank you

[RadSav]

I always set mine with the vane in the clamp.  Usually make sure I get as much helical as possible while making sure the vane makes proper contact with the shaft back to front.  Usually when the tip of the clamp touches the shaft it's because you have too much pressure against the nock end of the arrow.  When that happens in certain index positions you push the nock out of the "V" in the indexer.  So I try to push the shaft down into the center of the indexer while I'm placing the fletch/clamp in place.  Then release the clamp, wait a second or two and then release my pressure on the shaft.  The magnets should allow things to balance out that way.

It's a great fletching jig.  While not as easy as some to get just right I think in the long run you will grow to appreciate it.

Glue sticks to those clamps very easily.  It's a good investment to buy the Bohning foil clamp tape.  It will last for decades and you will never have to scape your clamps ever again!

[724wd]

my feathers are usually about an 1/8" out of the clamp.  they can be difficult to get initially set, but once it's there, you don't have to move it!   

[earlmarne]

Thanks guys.
I am going to pick up some more flex fletch 360s this week and screw around with some of my old beeman ics hunters bn they seem the same diameter as my carnivores.
I think I am going to order up the zenith kit also.I dont like the way the V in the indexer holds the arrow.I think the zenith set up makes to where can remove the nock n the indexer will slide into the shaft itself.
So am I under the correct impression that I can play around with the settings and dry fit with a vane and as long as my vane seats evenly through the whole vane I am good to go?
RadSav,I will pick up some of that foil clamp tape here this week,that should help a ton in the clean up department.