Joined
·
10,906 Posts
I just described my Altoid Tin Mutant Ninja II. Here I will tell you about my Altoid Tin OTF.
I decided to make another Altoid slingshot, but with a different design. I wanted to try one with an Outside The Forks band arrangement, but with the same tie-free technique at fork tips and pouch. I decided to make the handle from a scrap piece of oak plank, but with a pinky hole. I cut the forks with essentially square fork tips so they could be slotted and the bands run around outside the forks. Here are the parts for my Altoid OTF.
![]()
The handle was inlet so that the forks sit flush. To attach the forks to the handle, I opted to just use a 1/4 inch bolt with a slotted head and a nut and washer. Here it is assembled, front and back.
![]()
![]()
Note that the extra bit at the ends of the bands will wrap around the outside of the forks to help prevent chaffing. Here it is under draw.
![]()
And here it is disassembled and stored in its Altoid tin.
![]()
Both the Altoid Mutant Ninja II and the Altoid OTF are free of the usual ties at forks and pouch. If a band breaks at the pouch, it is an easy matter to shorten the bands, melt new holes with a hot nail, and reassemble. If a band breaks at the forks, it is a simple matter to shorten the bands and reattach them ... the match stick attachment with slots is one of the easiest. So no extra material is needed for ties.
I hope to encourage those of you who have not yet entered the Altoid Tin Build Off to do so. You have one week left. These two slingshots illustrate a basic strategy:
Take a design that you like, and scale it so that the forks will fit into an altoid tin. Cut the forks from sheet aluminum or steel. Make a seperate handle from scrap wood, using a bolt and nut for assembly.
So, no more excuses ... Build an Altoid tin shooter ... trust me, it is fun!
Cheers ...... Charles
I decided to make another Altoid slingshot, but with a different design. I wanted to try one with an Outside The Forks band arrangement, but with the same tie-free technique at fork tips and pouch. I decided to make the handle from a scrap piece of oak plank, but with a pinky hole. I cut the forks with essentially square fork tips so they could be slotted and the bands run around outside the forks. Here are the parts for my Altoid OTF.
The handle was inlet so that the forks sit flush. To attach the forks to the handle, I opted to just use a 1/4 inch bolt with a slotted head and a nut and washer. Here it is assembled, front and back.
Note that the extra bit at the ends of the bands will wrap around the outside of the forks to help prevent chaffing. Here it is under draw.
And here it is disassembled and stored in its Altoid tin.
Both the Altoid Mutant Ninja II and the Altoid OTF are free of the usual ties at forks and pouch. If a band breaks at the pouch, it is an easy matter to shorten the bands, melt new holes with a hot nail, and reassemble. If a band breaks at the forks, it is a simple matter to shorten the bands and reattach them ... the match stick attachment with slots is one of the easiest. So no extra material is needed for ties.
I hope to encourage those of you who have not yet entered the Altoid Tin Build Off to do so. You have one week left. These two slingshots illustrate a basic strategy:
Take a design that you like, and scale it so that the forks will fit into an altoid tin. Cut the forks from sheet aluminum or steel. Make a seperate handle from scrap wood, using a bolt and nut for assembly.
So, no more excuses ... Build an Altoid tin shooter ... trust me, it is fun!
Cheers ...... Charles
