Video review: 2 genuine "Baumstamm" slingshots

Baumstamm, a world reknown slingshot maker from Germany, recently sent me 2 of his handmade beauties. Amazing products! I was most excited about his wristbands, woven from colorful paracord. These bands are so sturdy that they actually hold the slingshot for you, you can relax your fingers and there is practically no shaking. I love them!

One is a multiplex boardcut, in black, and the other one is natural fork.

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnvlNt-LZfg

The Cougar meets Desert Ironwood

I found another small piece of desert ironwood when I cleaned up the shop today.

Could not resist, I had to do something with it!

So I made a grip for the Cougar. Had to change the metal outline a bit, as the wood was not wide enough for the full grip. But it came out really nice!

This is a one-of-three-hundred Limited Edition Cougar now.

Video no. 100: Bullpup-Sling-X-Bow!

Have worked some more on the Sling-X-Bow concept. It worked well, but the original one was very loooong, not exactly compact. So I designed a bullpup version!

The shoulder rest is now very close to the pouch release, and the hand grip/trigger is canted so it does not colide with the sliding fork. Also, I simplified the release, no more rollers and only one moving arm. This works great!

I used a simple iron sighting system for now, which really is good enough for shooting distances up to 20 meters. The BOM (bill of materials) is about 10 Euros (13 dollars) for this thing.

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l8Ql2r26gE

The Massive

After all these laminates and wood slingshots, I wanted to make another clean, heavy and pure stainless steel slingshot.

It came out nice, the palm swell works!

The Slingshot News Magazine is online!

As announced some time ago, I have added another format to The Slingshot Channel.

From now on, I will pick about ten different, interesting new stories from the forums, and present them in a video.

Every community needs a newspaper, and this is my small contribution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPViGeS2HRc

If you think I have missed anything (I am sure that is the case), let me know. Also, if you feel that you have seen something that MUST BE in the next issue, send me a message.

Best regards from Germany (currently a loud, drunk country, thanks to soccer).

More fun with the Sling-X-Bow

It was such a nice day, I decided to shoot with my crossbow some more.

Drove a 16 mm lead ball through 2 cat food cans and right into a third! All of them filled with water.

Used three Thera Gold strips per side, 50% stronger than hunterbands.

Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOMpQjdsosQ

Video: Fast reloading, no more handslaps

Have found a simple, yet effective way to reduce the dreaded handlslapping. I simply use a really weak, thin rubber strip (single strand of Thera Tube Tan), tied around my wrist, and attached to the pouch.

This means you loose a tiny bit of power, but it is not measurable.

It really works!

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaHOxcflc7I

Slim Forky: Sunken for 2,000 years

Life is about balance.

After presenting a brutal, ugly, frightening slingshot crossbow today, I needed to make its counterpart.

A humble, basic, pleasing frame.

I chose moor oak for the wooden part, sunken for 2000 years in airless depths. It got resurrected, and then turned into a slingshot!

The wood is very dark, and also very lightweight. I had to strengthen it with stainless steel to give it back the sturdyness it once had. 12 mm!

The wood "skin" has 2 mm walls, that is all.

I left the handle a bit rectangular towards the end (the "butt"). I like it that way! I will shoot it in the index+thumb-on-the-fork style.

The polished steel and the dark wood are very pleasing to my eyes. It is very smooth. Again, the wood is natural, no staining, no coating.

How do you like it?

Sling-X-Bow vs. Ballistic Gelatin

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOd6r2x-j7I

Unbelievable, the .63" (16 mm) lead ball went through the cat food can filled with water, then on through 40 cm of ballistic gelatine...

As a bonus, I also fired some other crossbows and the boncrushers through the gel.

Enjoy!

Sling-X-Bow now with stock and scope!

Have done it - I converted an old rifle stock for the slingshot crossbow, and I also attached a scope.

I strengthened the barrel by adding to more "rails", as the 3 stripes of Thera Gold per side bent the single steel tube slightly upwards. Now everything is OK!

Used a training band to adjust the scope and to test the accuracy - 10 meters, it shoots hole in hole in hole.

It is really long for a crossbow, but I love it!

Will do a video tomorrow, already prepared the ballistic gelatin...

Here is the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCqotybf7y8

A slingshot at the golf club

Have been at the Gevelsberg "Gut Berge" golf club today and shot golf balls with my Poseidon slingshot, from their driving range.

I was accompanied by Steffen Bents, the resident golf pro. A great guy!

He was a bit sceptical, but you could see his jaw dropping when I made my first shot. Even though the range is very much uphill, I got to about 190 yards!

With his "longest" club, he did a little more than I could, but he said that he was completely surprised by the power of the slingshot.

Will upload the video soon!

Jörg

Slingshot Beauty Contest - Be a Juror and Win a Cougar!

I made a total of six slingshots in my "Beauty" line.

I want to find out the most popular style, so I am conducting a weeklong inquiry.

If you want to have a chance to win a "Limited Edition Cougar", just leave your vote as a comment to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TpAeNsTuBU

Thanks!

Jörg

Full power slingshot crossbow

OK, it was time for this.

Took the trigger part from my slingshot pistol and eliminated the two problems I had with it:

1. The low power (I simply gave it 87 cm draw length)

2. The dangerous and awkward loading (I added a sliding fork, so you can load it easily and cock it when you are ready to fire).

This is technically and legally a crossbow now, so you have to be 18 to own it in Germany (no problem here - sigh...).

It is a great shooter! I am amazed by its accuracy. I may add a good sighting system.

Thos would probably be a fairly good Zombie weapon. Silent, accurate, and powerful enough for skull penetration. Add a pointed steel rod or a bayonet to the front of the "barrel" and you have a spear as well.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOduqZyBrhU

Slingshot Pistol

Made this a while ago, a simple slingshot pistol. It has ball bearings in the release part, though.

Threw it into some corner after I hit my thumb loading it, but now that it has healed I dug it up again. You just have to use weak bands, otherwise loading is dangerous.

Because of the very short draw length, it is weak anyway. But precise, and fun to shoot!

Huge Golf Ball Shooter "Poseidon"

Now that the outdoors swimming season has started, I made a "maritim" inspired slingshot.

I laminated aluminum plates (stepping board) onto the Multiplex (birch plywood) frame! This reminds me on a pool ladder. It also makes the frame pretty much unbreakable, I guess.

Oh, and Poseidon loves golfing... that is why I made the frame real big, I designed it to chuck golf balls from it. Which I do in the video, at 160 km/h (over 100 mp/h).

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOdJlkpmDe4

"Direct Touch" Pouch Design

I have been playing with pouches, too.

This time I am not so much after power (imagine that!), but I want precision. Releasing the pouch evenly is important for that.

When I fooled around with the shotgun pouch, I found that if you cut real large holes into the pouch, left and right to the center, then it allows you to directly grip the ball instead of the leather. The ball is locked very firmly into the hole, much like in a double cupped pouch.

You pinch the leather in front of the ball and pull right against the smooth steel surface. SO you can hold on very tight, and when you release, the smooth surfaces of the ball will ensure a very even motion flow.

This works really good.

I think you should try it!

Cocobolo design - the video

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVEJlDZ-im0

Enjoy!

Jörg

Cocobolo spike

Guess what... made one more today!

I think I forgot how it is to spend a lazy free day...

But I got this piece of Cocobolo and I just had to make a frame from it.

It is a variation of my "Double T" model, but this time, the over-the-top crossbars are Cocobolo, too. Of course there is the usual "heart of steel" - that is why I cut the Cocobolo rods in the middle, hollowed them out, then filled them with epoxy and laminated them to the frame. This will last forever.

The grip is absolutely gorgeous, it is so smooth that you can see your mirror image in it. The smoothness is just unbelievable. The shape is also really comfortable to hold!

I like it.

"3 Pillars Of Destruction" - The Strongest Slingshot

Have made a How-To video again, this time with only one thing in the focus:

POWER.

So I had to make a metal slingshot, but without welding - therefore, heavy bolts and nuts have been used. It had to be the "W" design as this is simply the most efficient frame I ever encountered (thanks to Bill Herriman again, who pointed this out to me some time ago).

I followed Dan's "core" idea and removed the fancy things a power slingshot does not need - no rotating handle, no hinges, straight forward.

The slingshot came out great!

I glued the grip and fork tubes over the threaded bolts, which holds 110%.

In the time the glue needed to harden, I quickly made a "Mini W". You actually hold it with two fingers against the fork and with the middle finger around the grip. Not bad! Could even make it smaller.

The picture with both slingshots also shows the ammo I used in the video (which will come up later), 18 mm hex nuts (41 gramms), bonecrushers (70 gramms) , and 30 mm steel balls (120 gramms). In comparison, I added a 3/8th (9.5 mm) steel ball...

I am shooting it with two strips of Thera Black per side, 14cm x 6cm x 20cm.

And here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGtVGjajQxU

Hammer Grip Style Slingshot: How To Make It

People want more How-to videos. Many youtubers want me to present how to's about wooden slingshots. Of course I took the challenge, and designed a frame much like the Phoenix because I love shooting it.

I had to use Multiplex because the fork is low, but the fork arms are long.

I treated the frame with wood stain, then polished everything to a high shine. This feels great in the hand!

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Go5JDVWEIY

Jörg

Shocking: Are Safety Glasses Useless?

Wanted to do a video today about how important it is to wear safety glasses. So I bought a styrofoam head (for wigs) and simulated a broken off fork arm. I used a raw egg to simulate the eye, which is a very vulnerable organ so the egg shell is probably more sturdy, but anyway.

I used one string of Thera Tube and attached a pen to it, the pen simulates the fork arm. Of course it smashed the unprotected egg. But here comes the problem: It smashed the egg that was behind the safety glasses as well!

I recorded everything in super slo mo (1200 frames per second), and you can clearly see that the glasses yielded and smashed the egg.

I think it is time to reconsider the safety glasses type. We need solid goggles that have a large distance to the eye, and also that wrap around your head.

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrBpXPORRlo

Now some people will say that I am the sole cause for a slingshot ban. But people need to know the dangers. Proper eyeware is needed.

New design,plus Win a Cougar!

I made a new slingshot, a marriage of laminated exotic wood and stainless steel. I had a few small "pen blanks" left, cool wood that is meant for pen makers. 6 pieces cost 10 Euros.

So I made a block from four of these 20mm x 20mm blocks, from Amaranth, Amarello, Zebrano and Rosewood.

In order to highlight the beauty of the wood, I decided to make a very simple fork, from stainless steel of course.

I think it came out pretty good! Feels wonderful in my hand, maybe because the handle is just like a file grip, a tool I dearly love and use very often.

The new slingshot looks very simple, but it is well thought out. It can shoot a .38" (9,5mm) steel ball at almost 180 mp/h (79 meters per second), with a pull that is so easy even a pre-teen boy could draw it out. Pure efficiency.

Different bands are tested as well, showing that heavier bands only make sense for heavier ammo.

At the end of the video, you can find the details for another drawing - 2 "Cougar" slingshots will go to the lucky winner (drawing will happen on June 1st, 2010). Details in the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxn-VhivO3M

Jörg

Review: A+ Slingshots, Handmade in the USA

The Slingshot Channel tests the three fantastic models made by Perry Adkisson from out of California. The PS1, PS2 and PS3 models arrived with different band sets (all interchangeable). Therefore, the slingshots are tested with the Chrony. The strongest one shot a 15 mm steel ball at 69 m/s or 225 fps! That is almost 250 km/h.

Perry's website can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/site/aplusslingshots/

Here is the video review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcb_MUl89T4

The winners!

These are the lucky winners of the three Cougar drawing (May 18, 2010):

- caveman691957

- gregoryhyde561

- cooltunaphoto

I already sent a PM to the winners. If you are not amongst them, never mind, I will do more such drawings in the future - so stay tuned.

The last of the bronze

This is a quick reminder: One more day left! Will do the drawing tomorrow.

This is what I did with the last of the bronze and rosewood.

Made the penholder for my wife, she is in medical school and has to study all day long. May this little item sweeten her daily learning chores.

Also, I will do the drawing tomorrow, so last call for those who haven't left a comment on the video so far.

Win a "Cougar Limited Edition" slingshot!

Yes, that's right, in one week (May 18th, 2010) I will draw three winners...

This video has the details (at the end of it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV2oaNDPr3A

Remember that there are only 300 "Limiteds", so they may gain collector's value quickly. I will outift them with Thera Band Gold bands. I will pay for the shipping as well.

The participants of the East Coast Tournament will get a free Cougar anyway.

Good luck!

Jörg

Exotic wood & bronze

Hello,

after the trip to Alverton, I was eager to make another slingshot today.

I found a store where you can buy - fairly inexpensively - small wood blocks ment for pens. Some of them looked really cool, so I ordered a bunch of them.

Made a slingshot, in my favourite Compass design. But I used rosewood for the forks, amaranth and birds eye maple for the grip parts and birch for the bottom part. Came out great! No stain, no laquer, just polish.

I used bronze as the joints, and of course I put in a metal heart. It came out great!

For the "skeleton", I glued the parts together, but I do not trust glue very much so I secured everything with 3mm steel nails that keep the steel rods firmly in place.

This is a beautiful slingshot! Will finalize the polish job tomorrow and then do a video.

I actually think this may be my prettiest slingshot so far, I like it more than the Phoenix.

Regards

Jörg

The video: East Coast Slingshot Tournament

I have finished the video about the Alverton event.

Youtube oversteered my audio, I have to watch for that in the future. But it should still be interesting for you slingshot fanatics out there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQlPQEeJ97w

Greetings

Jörg

Interview with Jack Koehler

I just returned from the East Coast slingshot tournament (Alverton/PA). It was a blast! 45 shooters firing at all kinds of targets, at the same time, is really a great experience. Even though I did not win, I did fairly good. And my slingshot was the most powerful, hit with authority.

I have recorded a ton of video material, but the editing will take me a while. But the first one is finished and I have uploaded the "Alverton" video, an interview with Jack Koehler. Jack is the author of THE book about slingshots, and his "King Cat" is a fabulous weapon. Fiber optic sights, great arm brace, shiny and effective.

His book and his slingshot is presented. You can watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aTkHGUuOi0

Enjoy!

Jörg