Antler Scales On Multiplex Frame

I still have lots of antler material and decided to try using it as scales for a Panther frame.

I started out with 18 mm multiplex, but thinned it down to 16 mm for a better balance.

Then, I cut of two slices from a thick antler part, sawed them out to fit the frame and glued them on. Then, the usual rasp, file and sanding job. Brown ink and linseed oil for the antique finish.

I am blown away by the look and feel of this slingshot, an instant favorite shooter now! The thick handle with the lower part beeing even thicker gives a fantastic grip.

Hammer grip, thumb+index support grip, flats, tubes, a very versatile frame indeed.

Poor man's scope

PMS = Poor Man's Scope!

I did it, just made a frame with an adjustable length of aluminum tube as a sight. The tube is adjustable in 2 ways, vertical and horizontal. It does not even make the frame much more bulky, and the contraption can be disassembled quickly.

Aiming works real well, you can easily center down the length of the tube. In theory, this should deliver reproducable shots as long as you use a fixed anchor point (e.g. the corner of your mouth.

It is too dark to shoot, will do that tomorrow! Can't wait.

Jack Sparrow's Slingshot Pistol

I recently watched "Pirates Of The Carribean" again, and I got an idea.

I made a slingshot pistol that looks like a pirate's weapon!

Simple, robust lock and trigger were called for, so a nice push-up system with a metal hinge was installed. The stock design is following flintlock pistol shapes from the 17th/18th century, and of course the pistol had to look antique.

So I used coffee brown ink to dye the multiplex and the round "barrel" rod, then sanded it lightly and oiled it with linseed oil.

I installed a neo magnet to hold (steel) balls in place, but it works with leas just as well.

It is very powerful (three layers of TB gold per side) and also really accurate.


Go hit 'em, Jacky boy!


PS: I filmed the making steps and may upload a how-to video in case enough people want to see it. I am not sure as I already have a how-to for a sling-x-bow.

Handheld Slingshot Ballista

As announced, I made a handheld inswinger "ballista" slingshot, to find out if it brings additional power.

I made a really wide fork and attached little "plattforms" to the fork ends. Then I added a lever on each side, which can swing inside of the fork. I also installed a stopper that I covered with some black tube, so that the returining lever will be cushioned some.

I attached short pieces of Thera Gold to the shorter end of the lever, and a normal hunter band set to the longer tip ends. I used 8 mm aluminum tube as "axis" for low friction.

It works, and actually I get about 20% more speed than from a conventional frame!

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbNdk4_aIok

It's fun.

Jörg

"The Edge" - new Phoenix variation

Hello,

lots of people asked me if i had a design for a boardcut that has no curves, just edges. Obviously straight cuts are easier for people than curves.

OK, I designed a variation of the Phoenix. No curves! Rounding is easy, too. The attachment is old but unusual, I used it on my Carbon fiber slingshot and also on a steel frame I shot in Alverton. My bands lived forever! I think the design is responsible for this, in part.

I laminated scrap wood to it to make the palm swell, looked nice but the color was very bleak. So I inked it, this time in maize yellow. After sanding and linseed oiling, I think it is quite pleasing. Attached some light training bands.

A public domain design, pdf can be found in the related thread at www.slingshotforum.com!

Jörg's latest toys

Here is a video about them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_pBk-j01S8

"Commodus" - Carved from Karelyan Birch

The shop where I buy my exotic wood added a piece of imperfect birch to my shipment, for free.



I decided to make a slingshot from it, what else! It is carved from one piece. Finihed it in oil to highlight the grain. I think it came out pretty good!

The fork is narrow, but that is hardly relevant, as my stickshot clearly demonstrated.

I named it "Commodus", because it reminds me on the wooden sword from "Gladiator". You know, the old gladiatar got it from Cesar as a sign that he was released from slavedom.

The Stickshot - Video

Here is the video:

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

Enjoy!

Why does it shoot?

I guess because sheer willpower makes the ball not hitting the stick and/or not entangling itself in the pouch.

Shoots great, you can make it in no time. Butterfly style of course, very accurate.

BTW the groove in the stick is because this is my draw strength test stick. I put my scales ring around the stick, secured by the groove, then I draw with a a length of string and a pouch that contains a steel ball. This way I can find out my maximum draw weight. I can do about 65 lbs (30kg), surprisingly low. I can draw out my 70 lbs bow with absolute ease, and I question if the 70 lbs are really based on an honest manufacturer spec.

I recommend testing your personal draw max this way, it helps finding the right band strength when you want the maximum power.

Jörg

"The Viking"

The first one with the wood shipment... stabilized golden buckeye burlwood.

I bent a 16 aluminum tube, added a threaded rod, drilled out the wood handle and glued everything in. I closed the opened handle with the original wedge I cut out beforehand.

A simple, humble, yet beautiful and comfortable slingshot! The perspex soaking makes the handle watertight and strong, can be polished to a high sheen.

Hope you like it!

Two new videos: "Classroom Warfare" and "Hand Howitzer"

"Classroom Warfare":

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

"Hand Howitzer":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Xdr7qNuV8

Blackthorn Natural

Have cut a nice fork from a thorntree that I can't identify. It still has leaves, so it can't be blackthorn.

Anyway, properly microwaved it and turned it into a semi ergo today. It has a palm swell where needed and it also has grooves for thumb and index finger. What I like is that even though it is heavily sculpted, it still looks like it could have been grown that way.

It was really bone white and the grain was hard to see, therefore I used my ink dying method to bring it out. I used dark brown ink.

Worked really well. This needs some cleanup in the grooves (polishing paste revealed by the photo flash), and poly coating. But otherwise it came out good.

Here is a little video about how I made it:

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

Three crazy slingshots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2e5vJ5V4No

"The Eagle" - Butterfly shooter for tubes, with rollers

Had these rollers lying around, from a DIY shopping spree a while back. They are really cheap, originally for rope of course.

I also had some aluminum tube with just the right diameter to serve as axis - so I decided to do a variation of my 4x4 design, but in wood, and for tubes.

The design came out really well. It gives me about 22 cm of a draw extension, ideal for the task as it is easy to load a ball into the pouch and it does allow full butterfly.

This is really powerful, especially with heavy lead balls!

It is also not so hard to make, I consider making a tutorial video soon.

Antler and Multiplex

I still have lots of antler left from my ebay purchase. No good forks anymore, so I had to take a different route.

Made the most simple, yet very effective frame, simply by sawing a few parts off and mounting them on a piece of 12 mm multiplex.

I used a dark brown finishing oil so the wood matches the antler.

Full length steel screws go through both the handle and the fork arms, I secured them with epoxy so they don't come loose and closed the holes with epoxy clay.

Antler gives a wonderful grip. The only thing I did is to file in a groove for my thumb, other than that it is perfect.

This is a very comfortable slingshot, and very strong. I put on three layers of TB Gold per side.

Desk Top Slingshot Cannon

OK, as you may know I am planning to make a petanque ball shooting carriage mounted slingshot cannon. The goal is to shoot the 3" (8cm) (800 gramm heavy) steel ball with 70 m/s, almost 2000 Joules of energy.

So I wanted to do it like the Mythbusters and started out with a 1:10 model of it. This means the ammo has got to be 8mm steel as the petanque ball is 80 mm steel.

I have to say that working on such small mechanisms is not easy, in fact it is a lot easier to work big size. I am not totally happy with the precision of the job, but it is functional, even dangerously so. It fires 8 mm steel balls through a few layers of tough cardboard (moving boxes).

I have changed the lock mechanism, made it more sturdy by adding two more lock arms on the opposite side. This gives the lock arm much less play.

Have completed the model weapon now, including a second winch to adjust the shooting angle. This needs some finishing work and is ready to sit on my desk!

The "real" version will be almost 4 meters in total length.

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ9keWOP2To

"Hex Box" - No Handslaps, guaranteed

OK, following the "Cutlass" and the "Shield", now I completed my first 100% efficient no-handslaps slingshot.

The frame of the slingshot is made from thin 6mm plywood, now very stable due to the hexagonal construction. It is a box now, completely shielding the entire hand.

The handle is made from round rod and there is a long M8 screw that runs through the whole slingshot. The "forks" are M8 screws as well, forming the cores for the round 20 mm wood rods.

Due to the thin wood, it weighs about 450 gramms only.

It may look strange, but it is a very good shooter.

Now my wife wants a new bird house for the garden :-)

Cannon in action: The video

Too cold for destruction videos, but here is the cannon on action anyway.


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

Winch Operated Slingshot Cannon: Tripod Update

Have finished the tripod today, minus the paint job.

Looks pretty good! Full and free motion, and the weapon can be detached just by lifting it out.

It has beeing snowing since yesterday noon, and we are buried in snow. It is also freezing cold. So no destruction video yet!

You can see a pic of my snow covered car.

And last not least, my 18 yr. old niece Julia, who lives with us, in a nice Zombie parody during our christmas feast. I think the greed is genuine! The bird smelled and tasted heavenly.

(She is really quite pretty normally...)

Hand Howitzer 30mm steel shooter

The slingshot I designed for Hogancastings (at no charge as always) is small, but very strong. I christened it "The Hand Howitzer".

The name bears a challenge.

Can a slingshot with such a low fork shoot 30mm monster steel balls, weighing 120 gramms (1920 gr)?

Of course.

Pete sent me a few samples, here is the one in bronze. Looks like solid gold to me.

Two layers of TB black per side, each layer is 14 cm x 5 cm x 20 cm.

The impact is huge.

Winch Operated Slingshot Cannon

Took me 10 hours, but now it works!

I wanted to make a REALLY powerful slingshot crossbow. But of course there is only so much draw weight you can handle, and even the push-out forks have their limits. So I had to incorporate a winch.

So I used an entirely new concept. The entire trigger/lock part slides between two 40mmx20mm wooden rails. The winch rolls up a mountaineer type rope wich draws out the band. A rubber powered arm locks the winch every 45 degrees of turning (8 positions on a full turn) Trigger and lock have aluminum tubes glued into the wood so the force is evenly distributed and the screws do not wear out the wood.

The force vector of this slingshot is entirely straight, there is NO fork height at all. This makes the weapon incredibly strong.

I had little time to shoot it as it is dark, but it has a ton of power with the first test bands (20cm x 14cm x 7cm Thera Gold per side). A child can operate the winch, and there is much potential for even stronger bands.

A fantastic new toy!

Here is a short video, it was too dark for more shooting... stay tuned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHVQ27a-ric

Jörg

Video: Four new shooters

I did a short video, presenting four of my recently made slingshots.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuAi30DgswY

Jörg

Neanderthal Shooter

OK, I do know that Neanderthals did not have rubber... but what if?

Took the antler I picked up on ebay a few days ago and sawed a huge fork off.

Then I cut out the rough outline, with a monstrous palm swell.

I had to leave some of the outer material intact in order to maintain stability.

Attached a set of bands from Bill Herriman.

It shoots well, is very comfortable in the hand. And it has this Flintstones look!

Flechettes - the video!

Here it is - my new sling-x-bow for shooting Sabaca's really cool darts.

It works really good, and has that sniper-like look I borrowed from .50 Browning rifles.

I used 11 mm plywood for the outer two layers and an inner layer of 18 mm plywood, with the trigger/lock part left out. This results in a nice, thick stock that is very comfortable.

It is equipped with Thera Band Gold, 1,5 times hunterband strength. Even in this cold weather it shoots pretty hard.

The lock is slotted so it is easy to notch the flechette into it. One moving part is enough for the entire trigger and lock.

You load it by stomping on the fork and pulling the flechette upwards. Easy and not dangerous.

This is fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI8hpf6KNyk

Jörg