Very nice work, great to see others making bent metal rod slingshots. Don't want to blow my trumpet here, but this is how I make my large 8 mm stainless steel rod slingshots, if ever:
Fluted sections of wood (beech wood or other hard woods) fit well between the U-shaped grip section, and make for a practical method using small fluted wood blocks to attach flat bands safely (see images). For those of you with a router, this should be quite straightforward, but my drill method shown in the video works very well too. You do not need two flat band grooves: this is how I did it initially for safety.
Pushing the concept further, you can heat bend sections PVC to create simple homemade flat band clamps (image). Just fold over the band end prior to placing them between these clamps.
I have a 25 mm space between the fixed large rod bender pin and that of the rod bender lever, and use a combination of bending dies that came with the rod bender (link below) to achieve shorter lengths between bends for the purpose of narrower forks. This is essential if you wish to make an 8 mm stainless steel rod "pinch-grip" type metal rod slingshot for tubes (see image).
Smaller "Dankung" designs are possible (mini slingshot image), and 6 mm stainless steel rod is fine for those. I strongly recommend making a jig attached to the rod bender block in order to mark off the required bending angles, as shown in the video. Patience and accuracy are needed for a nice final outcome.
Metal rod slingshots are a bit tedious to make, but well worth the effort: always wear safety gloves and glasses when doing this, because the forces involved are quite high. I purchased my rod bender from the US via Amazon:
BAC Industries | Manufacturers of Light Industrial Products World Wide..
Money well spent for any enthusiastic slingshot maker.
