Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Firecracker launcher - finished!
Finished the firecracker launcher today.
More rubber, front handle, and a stirrup made from an old aluminum pipe. Ready for action!
More rubber, front handle, and a stirrup made from an old aluminum pipe. Ready for action!
Shooting dynamite sticks
OK, not quite...
...but some nice firecrackers!
Type II explosives, legal to fire in Germany only from the 31st of December until the 1st of January.
I made myself a slingshot for these nice crackers three years ago, but this year it has to be a launcher.
So I made a typical in-liner, chambered for the largest legal firecrackers you can buy here (23 mm diameter, filled with black powder).
The firecrackers are loaded into the breech, winchester style.
The built-in storm lighter helps keeping things under control, under time pressure.
It works fine.
Will increase the rubber some and also put in a steel piece to protect the wood from the burning fuse. Video on the 31st.
...but some nice firecrackers!
Type II explosives, legal to fire in Germany only from the 31st of December until the 1st of January.
I made myself a slingshot for these nice crackers three years ago, but this year it has to be a launcher.
So I made a typical in-liner, chambered for the largest legal firecrackers you can buy here (23 mm diameter, filled with black powder).
The firecrackers are loaded into the breech, winchester style.
The built-in storm lighter helps keeping things under control, under time pressure.
It works fine.
Will increase the rubber some and also put in a steel piece to protect the wood from the burning fuse. Video on the 31st.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Homemade Assegai
I bought 10 cheaply made bayonets from Russia a few years back. The whole set was maybe 100 Euros. OK blades, but the handles are miserable. They probably all fit on an AK 47, but none of the designs is authentic.
Amongst them was this:
(in comparison with my Cold Steel Hold Out II, 4" blade).
A huge bayonet, the sharpened part of the blade is 36 cm (about 14"). The handle is short and edgy, making this a very unbalanced weapon. So I decided to exhange the handle against a nice 30 mm beech rod! This way I can fire it from my witch beheader bazooka.
I cut off the pommel and removed the scales. Then I cut a slot into the beech rod and fitted the blade in. Secured it with wood screws through the original holes, and also wrapped it with poly string (double constrictor knot). Rock solid.
Then I smeared on some epoxy putty and filed it down after it had hardened.
Last step: sanding it and oiling it with linseed!
Now it is a much more dangerous weapon, really a home made assegai short stabbing spear. And it fits nicely into the witch beheader!
BTW, the cat loves linseed oil, too...
Amongst them was this:
(in comparison with my Cold Steel Hold Out II, 4" blade).
A huge bayonet, the sharpened part of the blade is 36 cm (about 14"). The handle is short and edgy, making this a very unbalanced weapon. So I decided to exhange the handle against a nice 30 mm beech rod! This way I can fire it from my witch beheader bazooka.
I cut off the pommel and removed the scales. Then I cut a slot into the beech rod and fitted the blade in. Secured it with wood screws through the original holes, and also wrapped it with poly string (double constrictor knot). Rock solid.
Then I smeared on some epoxy putty and filed it down after it had hardened.
Last step: sanding it and oiling it with linseed!
Now it is a much more dangerous weapon, really a home made assegai short stabbing spear. And it fits nicely into the witch beheader!
BTW, the cat loves linseed oil, too...
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas present!
I always wanted to have the Armcross Leopro.
Read a review about it here
A reverse bow, very compact, and delivered complete with scope, back pack and accessories. It was designed in Russia, but made in Germany. The sole reason why I did not pick it up earlier was the price - 1599 Euros, about 2080 dollars. I guess others thought it was too expensive, too - the company went out of business, probably some time ago.
The Leopro got cheaper and cheaper - now was the time to go for it! My wife (on my not so subtle hints) bought it for 580 Euros, about 750 dollars. Brand new, with all the bells and whistles.
Here you can see it with the back pack, ready to go:
And here you can see me, right next to the christmas tree, unpacking my new toy:
Tuned it in already - lost three of the four bolts that came with it. Two went over the mat and disappeared into the muddy lawn. One went through the mat (obviously too thin) and got deformed by the stone wall behind it. Oh well, gotta order some more after christmas.
The power is very good (307 fps with a 425 gr bolt), actually a bit on the high side for my taste - at that kind of speed, bolts break often and early. I actually would prefer it to be a bit weaker, maybe 290 fps. That would be powerful enough for target shooting and the occasional Zombie skull :)
Big downside is that you need a cocking aid (basically a length of string with a little claw, in a pulley fashion). Impossible to cock this baby with bare hands. That is very common for modern, powerful compound crossbows, though - a high price you have to pay for compactness and performance.
Now I have to replicate the design and make a rubber powered variant - less powerful (this thing is beast), but even more compact and far less expensive. I may even make a tutorial.
Here are some more pics from the christmas party - early in the day, my niece and her loverboy had to go to his parents, too.
Read a review about it here
A reverse bow, very compact, and delivered complete with scope, back pack and accessories. It was designed in Russia, but made in Germany. The sole reason why I did not pick it up earlier was the price - 1599 Euros, about 2080 dollars. I guess others thought it was too expensive, too - the company went out of business, probably some time ago.
The Leopro got cheaper and cheaper - now was the time to go for it! My wife (on my not so subtle hints) bought it for 580 Euros, about 750 dollars. Brand new, with all the bells and whistles.
Here you can see it with the back pack, ready to go:
And here you can see me, right next to the christmas tree, unpacking my new toy:
Tuned it in already - lost three of the four bolts that came with it. Two went over the mat and disappeared into the muddy lawn. One went through the mat (obviously too thin) and got deformed by the stone wall behind it. Oh well, gotta order some more after christmas.
The power is very good (307 fps with a 425 gr bolt), actually a bit on the high side for my taste - at that kind of speed, bolts break often and early. I actually would prefer it to be a bit weaker, maybe 290 fps. That would be powerful enough for target shooting and the occasional Zombie skull :)
Big downside is that you need a cocking aid (basically a length of string with a little claw, in a pulley fashion). Impossible to cock this baby with bare hands. That is very common for modern, powerful compound crossbows, though - a high price you have to pay for compactness and performance.
Now I have to replicate the design and make a rubber powered variant - less powerful (this thing is beast), but even more compact and far less expensive. I may even make a tutorial.
Here are some more pics from the christmas party - early in the day, my niece and her loverboy had to go to his parents, too.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
9" Nail shooter!
This is in continuance with my Chu-Ko-Nu based design line. This time, it is bigger than the pencil shooter, but a lot smaller than the chest mounted spear launcher.
The ammo is - nine inch (23 cm) nails. Those are cheap, about 8 Euro-cents a pop (10 Euros for 120 of them). Of course you have to cut of the head, done in about one minute.
The repeating action is done by pressing the butt against the chest and pulling back with both arms, like in a rowing machine. This is needed as you need a lot of draw force to throw the heavy nails - each weighs 76 gramms (1276 gr). The magazine fits ten of them.
With a bit of extra effort, you can very easily enhance the tip by sharpening it. I even hardened the tip of this one.
It works great. I may add more rubber soon, but already this is very effective. Like a Chu-Ko-Nu, but more compact and with a trigger!
Video will follow shortly!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Parody!
Found this really hilarious parody about me. The guy covered so much...
voice... baldness... safety glasses... shirt... intro... posing... apple... even the cat. My wife and me have been laughing for a long time.
voice... baldness... safety glasses... shirt... intro... posing... apple... even the cat. My wife and me have been laughing for a long time.
Monday, December 17, 2012
"Witch Hunters" project update
The film team just left... after three exhausting, but fun days.
The weapons performed well, in spite of the cold, cold weather (not great for rubber based weapons). The beheading arrows cut deep into the targets (completely slicing the melons, cabbages and so on), but I do not think they would really chop an entire head off. I mean they would cut the throat, slicing the wind pipe and carotis for sure, but the head would stay on. Room for improvement I guess. More heft is needed.
The heavy spike ("Moby Dick") was most effective. It went all the way through the thickest part of a [b]frozen[/b] turkey, then on deep into the wooden back rest, and toppled over the tree trunk it was sitting on. Scary.
The burning was really fun... three mannequin puppets, dressed up as witches, were doused in alcohol, then set a on fire with the burning arrow. It clearly worked! The pyrotechnic guy then opened the gas valves, and fed 35 kg of propane gas into the fire. A solid 12 feet high flame wall was the result - pure fun.
The guys will now do the editing (hours of footage will have to be condensed into about 4 to 6 minutes), and then Paramount will have some change requests for sure, as they financed the whole thing. This will be a promotional piece for the movie, of course! I do hope the piece will be up on my channel before christmas - I can't wait!
The weapons performed well, in spite of the cold, cold weather (not great for rubber based weapons). The beheading arrows cut deep into the targets (completely slicing the melons, cabbages and so on), but I do not think they would really chop an entire head off. I mean they would cut the throat, slicing the wind pipe and carotis for sure, but the head would stay on. Room for improvement I guess. More heft is needed.
The heavy spike ("Moby Dick") was most effective. It went all the way through the thickest part of a [b]frozen[/b] turkey, then on deep into the wooden back rest, and toppled over the tree trunk it was sitting on. Scary.
The burning was really fun... three mannequin puppets, dressed up as witches, were doused in alcohol, then set a on fire with the burning arrow. It clearly worked! The pyrotechnic guy then opened the gas valves, and fed 35 kg of propane gas into the fire. A solid 12 feet high flame wall was the result - pure fun.
The guys will now do the editing (hours of footage will have to be condensed into about 4 to 6 minutes), and then Paramount will have some change requests for sure, as they financed the whole thing. This will be a promotional piece for the movie, of course! I do hope the piece will be up on my channel before christmas - I can't wait!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Number 8!
The popular FieldSports Channel recently compiled a ranking for the biggest hunting/shooting/fishing channels on youtube.
The Slingshot Channel came out at number eight! Amazing, if you keep in mind how narrow my specialty niche is.
See the list at fieldsportschannel.tv
I am really happy about this - I never expected THIS kind of attention. Have to pop a cork tonite.
The Slingshot Channel came out at number eight! Amazing, if you keep in mind how narrow my specialty niche is.
See the list at fieldsportschannel.tv
I am really happy about this - I never expected THIS kind of attention. Have to pop a cork tonite.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Hunting witches with the slingshot?
I love that fairy tale ever since my mother read it to me when I was a
(small) boy. It has everything - desparation, betrayal, drama,
cannibalism, fire and murder.
Read about it on wikipedia
The new Paramount movie "Hansel and Gretel - witch hunters" will soon make it's debut in theaters around the world.
Great plot - the children that killed the witch, 15 years later. Now they make a living doing what they learned back then - hunting witches. In Germany.
Look at the weapons - multi shot crossbows, steampunkish shotguns, even a gatling gun! Not historically fitting, but who cares - witches are fictional as well.
And look at how they kill witches - beheading them, or burning them down. Inspiring.
So I am thinking about designing rubber based weapons that could be useful for witch hunting. Hmmm. I have a few ideas already...
Read about it on wikipedia
The new Paramount movie "Hansel and Gretel - witch hunters" will soon make it's debut in theaters around the world.
Great plot - the children that killed the witch, 15 years later. Now they make a living doing what they learned back then - hunting witches. In Germany.
Look at the weapons - multi shot crossbows, steampunkish shotguns, even a gatling gun! Not historically fitting, but who cares - witches are fictional as well.
And look at how they kill witches - beheading them, or burning them down. Inspiring.
So I am thinking about designing rubber based weapons that could be useful for witch hunting. Hmmm. I have a few ideas already...
Monday, November 26, 2012
Bolt for the Stink Master
It shoots very accurately and hard - penetrates a thick catalogue all the way to the hilt.
Stink Master 2000!
Stink bombs are standard issue items for naughty boys all over the world. These little glass containers are filled with chemicals designed to disgust. They smell so bad that usually, who ever throws them has to run away, too.
Based on an idea from a commenter,I added a new dimension to stink bombs - a specifically designed launcher, what else!
The "Stink Master 2000" is a breech loading pump action slingshot crossbow that can shoot a stink bomb 80 to 100 meters far - well outside of the reach of the smell. It allows the anonymous and stealthy usage of the fearsome objects.
Flying at 90 miles per hour, the stinky projectiles can also be shot with good accuracy... see for yourself.
As a bonus, a new version of the poison injecting arrow is shown. This time, it comes as a tip for full size arrows. See how cherry juice is ejected with tremendous pressure on impact of the heavy arrow!
Based on an idea from a commenter,I added a new dimension to stink bombs - a specifically designed launcher, what else!
The "Stink Master 2000" is a breech loading pump action slingshot crossbow that can shoot a stink bomb 80 to 100 meters far - well outside of the reach of the smell. It allows the anonymous and stealthy usage of the fearsome objects.
Flying at 90 miles per hour, the stinky projectiles can also be shot with good accuracy... see for yourself.
As a bonus, a new version of the poison injecting arrow is shown. This time, it comes as a tip for full size arrows. See how cherry juice is ejected with tremendous pressure on impact of the heavy arrow!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
New Thera Band Gold - An Improvement!
OK, here is some Chrony result.
6 degrees Celsius, so no records are to be expected.
12 kg draw weight on both bands,
2,8 x 1,8 x 23 cm two bands per side old TBG
3,8 x 2,4 x 23 cm two bands per side new TBG
15 mm steel:
old TBG 64-68 m/s
new TBG 67-71 m/s
16 mm lead:
old TBG 54 - 57 m/s
new TBG 56 - 59 m/s
Conclusion:
The new TBG is slightly better than the old type (yipeee).
But of course you have to cut wider stripes (or use more layers) to get to the same draw weight.
6 degrees Celsius, so no records are to be expected.
12 kg draw weight on both bands,
2,8 x 1,8 x 23 cm two bands per side old TBG
3,8 x 2,4 x 23 cm two bands per side new TBG
15 mm steel:
old TBG 64-68 m/s
new TBG 67-71 m/s
16 mm lead:
old TBG 54 - 57 m/s
new TBG 56 - 59 m/s
Conclusion:
The new TBG is slightly better than the old type (yipeee).
But of course you have to cut wider stripes (or use more layers) to get to the same draw weight.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thera Band Gold - Is the new type any good?
The new formula Thera Band Gold arrived today.
It can be recognized easily, as it is 12,4 cm wide rather than the previous 13,8 cm.
I tested it immediately (but not with the chrony as it is darlk already).
The new type is also thinner (0,67mm vs. the old 0,89mm). But the new type clearly is more dense, with 0,958 g/cm3 vs. 0,828 g/cm3 of the old type.
I then tested the draw weights.
Interesting: The new type can be stretched to factor 7 (600%), the old one ends at 6,5 (550%).
The average draw weight of the new type compared to the old is 74%.
What does this mean?
Well, it is quite clear.
A new formula has been used, simply because the density of the new rubber is 16% higher. Also you can see that it stretches 8% more.
The new rubber is less wide and less thick, so you have to use more rubber to achieve the same draw weight. Use the factor 1,35 for cutting the new bands. So if you used to cut 3cm (fork) x 2 cm (pouch), now you should cut 4 cm x 2,7 cm.
Is it more powerful? It should, just by looking at the data. More dense, longer max. elongation. But the chrony will speak the truth.
It can be recognized easily, as it is 12,4 cm wide rather than the previous 13,8 cm.
I tested it immediately (but not with the chrony as it is darlk already).
The new type is also thinner (0,67mm vs. the old 0,89mm). But the new type clearly is more dense, with 0,958 g/cm3 vs. 0,828 g/cm3 of the old type.
I then tested the draw weights.
Interesting: The new type can be stretched to factor 7 (600%), the old one ends at 6,5 (550%).
The average draw weight of the new type compared to the old is 74%.
What does this mean?
Well, it is quite clear.
A new formula has been used, simply because the density of the new rubber is 16% higher. Also you can see that it stretches 8% more.
The new rubber is less wide and less thick, so you have to use more rubber to achieve the same draw weight. Use the factor 1,35 for cutting the new bands. So if you used to cut 3cm (fork) x 2 cm (pouch), now you should cut 4 cm x 2,7 cm.
Is it more powerful? It should, just by looking at the data. More dense, longer max. elongation. But the chrony will speak the truth.
Biological warfare?
Well, kind of :)
One of the commenters suggested I use stink bombs as ammo... I think that is a great idea!
So I ordered some samples. Basically they come in two variants:
a) the "mild" red type, weighing 2,6 gramms (41,6 grain)
b) the "double ought" type, weighing 3 gramms (48 grain)
I am thinking about a small "pump action" type weapon that allows you to throw a "carpet" of stink bombs very quickly (hahahahahahaaaaa).
Should be fun.
One of the commenters suggested I use stink bombs as ammo... I think that is a great idea!
So I ordered some samples. Basically they come in two variants:
a) the "mild" red type, weighing 2,6 gramms (41,6 grain)
b) the "double ought" type, weighing 3 gramms (48 grain)
I am thinking about a small "pump action" type weapon that allows you to throw a "carpet" of stink bombs very quickly (hahahahahahaaaaa).
Monday, November 19, 2012
Full Size Poison Arrow
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Poison Arrow, Version 2.0
The syringe based poison arrow looked nice, but I haven't been satisfied with the amount of liquid it ejects when it hits the target. The pressure of the liquid that is squeezed through the thin needle is too high, it does not allow a quick enough discharge.
So I made my own "syringe" arrow!
I heat shrinked and glued on a piece of aluminum tube (7mm outer, 6mm inner diameter) onto one of the commercial bolts. Then I turned the tip from massive aluminum.
The tip is hollow until about 18mm from the tip (3mm longitudinal hole), at which point four 2mm holes are drilled through the tip. The rear part of the tip is turned down to fit precisely into the aluminum tube. It is now the plunger! A bit of epoxy at the back of the "plunger" makes it fitting 100%.
The four holes 18mm behind the tip are covered with a rubber band. If you fill the syringe with liquid, it does not leak.
The idea is that if the tip penetrates the flesh of an attacker, the rubber ring is shifted back by the tissue, opening the four holes. The inertia of the bolt pushes it forwards, pressing down on the plunger - and the poison is injected into the opponent.
So I made my own "syringe" arrow!
I heat shrinked and glued on a piece of aluminum tube (7mm outer, 6mm inner diameter) onto one of the commercial bolts. Then I turned the tip from massive aluminum.
The tip is hollow until about 18mm from the tip (3mm longitudinal hole), at which point four 2mm holes are drilled through the tip. The rear part of the tip is turned down to fit precisely into the aluminum tube. It is now the plunger! A bit of epoxy at the back of the "plunger" makes it fitting 100%.
The four holes 18mm behind the tip are covered with a rubber band. If you fill the syringe with liquid, it does not leak.
The idea is that if the tip penetrates the flesh of an attacker, the rubber ring is shifted back by the tissue, opening the four holes. The inertia of the bolt pushes it forwards, pressing down on the plunger - and the poison is injected into the opponent.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Spy Pistols!
These pistols are sweet.... small, powerful, versatile. See them shooting crazy ammo, like syringes... and see them skewering full cans of pineapple.
Here is the link to the pdf tutorial and blueprints... make sure that you are logged into my forum and google, plus turn off your popup blocker for my forum website.
http://theslingshotforum.forumotion.com/t2155-the-magnum-spy-pistol-tutorial
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Poison dart
Made the first "007" dart for my James Bond pistol.
I used four shashlik pins for the shaft. Sawed off the syringe thumb rest and glued in the four wooden pins. Looks good, fits well, seems to work! Have to do some tests soon.
2 ml is a lot of liquid... proper poison that is effective at that volume would not be hard to find. I'll test it with cherry juice, of course!
I used four shashlik pins for the shaft. Sawed off the syringe thumb rest and glued in the four wooden pins. Looks good, fits well, seems to work! Have to do some tests soon.
2 ml is a lot of liquid... proper poison that is effective at that volume would not be hard to find. I'll test it with cherry juice, of course!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
James Bond's Slingshot
As the new James Bond movie has been released recently, I thought it is time to make a "007" slingshot.
It has to be a pistol, and it has to be small of course. I settled for arrows as those can be poisoned and are therefore potentially lethal, even without great power. But if course it has to be powerful enough - not so easy with such a short draw length!
So I settled for the smallest arrow shooter I ever came up with, and did a few sketches. This is also a good example how my "blueprints" usually look like - I am really not a very good engineer.
I cut out four pieces, twice from 9mm Multiplex (plywood), and twice from a 3,5mm thick MDF backpanel from an old cupboard that was in the trash.
I then sawed out the slots for the string, and glued the thin MDF boards in so that they would hold the arrow perfectly well.
This makes a perfect "barrel" without the next-to-impossible task to drill a straight hole through the entire weapon.
Next, I sawed out the "fork". This is made to hold tubular bands, looped, with the knot-in-tube attachment method. The paired 5mm holes at both fork ends are for the paracord that will later hold the tubes. The larger holes to the left and right of the "barrel" are for the cocking device - this needs extremely strong bands, you can't draw those with your hands.
Next came the trigger/lock part. Sawed it out of Multiplex, thinned it down to 7mm. It always amazes me how strong that material is! It easily holds 115 lb draw force. Of course I stabilized it with screws so the layers won't come apart, and also I polished the sear so the string won't chafe badly later on.
This trigger is easy and works great. You just have to make sure the joint is in line with the string, then the construction does work even without any spring or rubber band - the draw weight alone keeps it in place.
After everything was functional, I made the cocking device - a fork that you push in from the muzzle, then you lean against a wall and press forward until the sear engages.
Then the rounding and the finishing - linseed oil. I banded it up with Thera Tube Silver, doubled of course. 115 lb draw.
It shoots fantastic! This only weighs 280 Gramms (0,6 lb), loaded including the rubber and arrow. It actually shoots as hard as my commercially made crossbow pistol - but it is much smaller. True James Bond style.
It is also very very accurate - thanks to the barrel that guides it perfectly well.
This may be the cutest little slingshot toy I made so far - I am really happy the way it came out.
It has to be a pistol, and it has to be small of course. I settled for arrows as those can be poisoned and are therefore potentially lethal, even without great power. But if course it has to be powerful enough - not so easy with such a short draw length!
So I settled for the smallest arrow shooter I ever came up with, and did a few sketches. This is also a good example how my "blueprints" usually look like - I am really not a very good engineer.
This makes a perfect "barrel" without the next-to-impossible task to drill a straight hole through the entire weapon.
After everything was functional, I made the cocking device - a fork that you push in from the muzzle, then you lean against a wall and press forward until the sear engages.
It is also very very accurate - thanks to the barrel that guides it perfectly well.
