We all made slingshots in childhood. First you find a suitable branch on a tree, break it off and catch the elastic “from underpants”. Such stag beetles were not powerful and very primitive, but this was enough for us. We will make a compact and sufficiently strong steel slingshot, it can be a good entertainment for you.
As I said, the basis for the slingshot is not wood, but steel. I took a thick red-hot wire a few millimeters thick (3-4). She is very tough and giving her the desired shape is not so simple. In the figures you see how to make a slingshot from a straight bar, step by step. In this case, only two tools were used - a hammer and pliers. At the bend, the cylindrical wire may break, but to prevent this from happening, you need to heat the bent place until it is red with something, for example, a gas burner or “kitchen gas”.
The photo shows what happened. In order to make it more comfortable to hold the slingshot, wrap the lower part with electrical tape or, make a wooden handle.
If the slingshot is powerful, then the hand will tire when shooting, and considerable pressure from the thin handle unpleasantly presses. This is partially solved by focus, thanks to him, it is better to aim, the hand almost does not shake, and there will be no strong “dents” to remain after the hunt.
All potential energy is stored in a rubber band that we pull before we shoot. In the modern world there are countless materials that are great for slingshots. You can buy a good and high-quality tourniquet at a pharmacy, yes, don’t be surprised, they sell various medical supplies that we can use as a tourniquet. Here is a listing of those that are best suited for our purposes:
Martens Bandage (Medical Rubber Bandage)
Pezzer's catheter
Latex surgical rubber
Also, some use basketball rubber, rubber from a gas mask or a diving suit - all this also shows excellent results when shooting. My goal was not a super powerful slingshot, so I used the rubber that fishermen use to catch on the donka. There is still an option to buy already sold harnesses for slingshots. We remember that everything does not last forever and sooner or later the tourniquet will break and it will be necessary to change it, so do not overload it much.
It is very important to fix the elastic well on the slingshot so that it is convenient to shoot, and it will not break. We will do this with a thin tube.(If you have a catheter, then just pull it on the horns, after processing them). The horns came out thick for my tube
(for me, this is insulation from a thick wire) and in order to pull it by me the ends were filed, do not overdo it, you need to make a diameter at which the insulation is pushed with force and holds tight without additional fasteners. It is also possible to make it an abrasive stone, we make smooth edges so that the rubber does not tear. String two pieces long a few centimeters at the ends. For greater reliability, you can pre-apply a little glue.
And we put the tourniquet (in my case, a combination of several thin rubber bands) into the other, the remaining end and fix it well with a thin wire or kapron thread, so that the sharp ends do not stick out.
A pocket slingshot is not a bow and we need to make a special saddle, which is also called a skin, into which the launched projectile will be put. It can be made from any suitable fabric, but the best choice is undoubtedly thick skin. I took such an old Soviet radio from the case. Cutting the skin with scissors is difficult, but real. In the picture below you see what about the shape of our heels (another name). We make small holes, and then they can expand and completely break.
It is also convenient to shoot from nylon skins, which do not come apart when singed (backpack straps are usually made of such material). To attach the throwing rubber, push one end through the hole and carefully tie this thing with kapron thread.
As with every weapons This type of training requires a lot of training to hit the target clearly. It’s not so easy to hit the target for long distances, and you have to practice a lot, then muscle memory will gradually develop. For beginners, you can make a simple sight from a thin wire, that's how it looks. And do not forget to wear glasses (or rather a mask)), otherwise the shell will suddenly ricochet.
How to shoot? These are standard small pebbles that always lie underfoot, nuts, mountain ash, it will not fly so far and hit the target hard, and the best shells are metal balls (bearings). These balls have an ideal form for firing from this type of weapon, have a lot of weight, as a result of which the projectile flies very far, with enough energy applied to it. As a shell, almost anything is used, and this is a huge plus slingshot.
Photo of the finished slingshot:
Video: