What are the things I need to know when fashioning a sling?
I was trying to make a sling the other day to entertain my kids (yes this is a terrible idea) and although the finished product worked (sort of) it occurred to me that this, like all ancient handi-craft, is probably deceptively complicated and has some crisply defined right and wrong materials and methods associated with it. Case in point, our sling is made of para-chord and a leather pouch. It works okay but the release is unpredictable and sometimes fails altogether.
My questions are:
- what are the traditional/proper ways to stitch the elements together, what are the right materials?
- where if any are some resources on how to implement said sling safely and accurately?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/6977. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
I think you did just fine.
Key factors: You want the leather to be non flat, so the stone sits in in one place. This will get you far more consistent throws. You have in essence created the pocket by making the rim with the line. I think the common way is just to tie the line to the pocket material.
You can make a better pocket by getting the leather soaking wet and stretching over a stone a bit larger than your usual throwing stone.
Also: Put a pair of knots in the throwing string at the distance you hold it. This will allow you to get the strings the same length each time, which will also improve your consistency.
One ancient people noted for slinging would put a piece of bread in a shrub or tree. Their kids had to knock it out of the tree to eat it.
Also, few cultures have both slings and bows. Seem to be one or the other. I suspect that it's hard to get good with either.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/7575. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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