My newest 5 gallon bucket HDPE slingshot. Shoots great and I love the colors. What do you guys think? I’m having as much fun making them as I am shooting them. I’ve always been a maker. I love being outside camping and doing the whole bushcraft thing so I made a canvas backpack, and a canvas tent. So I just like making things now making slingshots is getting addicting as is shooting them. Thanks for looking guys.
Fresh out of the oven
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Looks good! Nice frame
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Very nicely done !
What is your HDPE bucket processing method ?
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What is your HDPE bucket processing method ?
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Very nice!! :target:
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I like what you got there, I too would also like to know your process.
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Speaking of down pat, what's up with @Makopat......haven't seen him posting lately and sure hope he's okay ?
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Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words
For this batch I cut the bucket into strips about a quarter inch less than from the bottom to top edge of my pan and stacked them vertically and filled up the pan.my pan is about 8 1/2" x8 1/2" I spaced out the grey strips between the pink somewhat sporadic. I preheat my small toaster of cracked to 450. In order to keep my temp close to 400 I have to keep it at 450. I installed a digital temp gauge to be able to monitor the temp fairly precise. Once heated I put in the pan and keep an eye on the melt, at about 15 minutes I spin the pan 180 because it is not as hot closer to the front so I do that to keep it evenly melting. I don't mess with popping bubbles till the end. After about a half hour I start checking with a metal poker to see if it is melting top to bottom. I also spin it 180 again. I spin about every 15 mins. And check for the melt by looks, once it's melted top to bottom I pull it out and pop bubbles quickly put it back it till the top lays flat again, I pull it out at this point and quickly use a metal tool inserted all the way to the bottom of the pan and drag it through the melt to creat my pattern and put it back it the oven till it lays flat again. I pull it out of the oven and set it on my bottom board that I use for clamping. I leave it sit and pop any bubbles that rise. Once the top starts to slightly harden I place another board cut just slightly smaller than my pan on top and clamp to an even pressure with a clamp on each corner. I let it sit clamped in front of a fan for a few hours then it's cooled and I can remove it from the pan. I haven't had any problems with it sticking to the pan or the boards ( my boards are the particle board shelf material used in make cheap shelves, that's just what I had laying around so that's what I use and it works good. I haven't had any major defects using this method the worst I get is a crater from a popped bubble at the end but it gets planes out anyway.
Maybe I will have to make a video to show my process. Let me know if you have any questions I didn't cover here.
For this batch I cut the bucket into strips about a quarter inch less than from the bottom to top edge of my pan and stacked them vertically and filled up the pan.my pan is about 8 1/2" x8 1/2" I spaced out the grey strips between the pink somewhat sporadic. I preheat my small toaster of cracked to 450. In order to keep my temp close to 400 I have to keep it at 450. I installed a digital temp gauge to be able to monitor the temp fairly precise. Once heated I put in the pan and keep an eye on the melt, at about 15 minutes I spin the pan 180 because it is not as hot closer to the front so I do that to keep it evenly melting. I don't mess with popping bubbles till the end. After about a half hour I start checking with a metal poker to see if it is melting top to bottom. I also spin it 180 again. I spin about every 15 mins. And check for the melt by looks, once it's melted top to bottom I pull it out and pop bubbles quickly put it back it till the top lays flat again, I pull it out at this point and quickly use a metal tool inserted all the way to the bottom of the pan and drag it through the melt to creat my pattern and put it back it the oven till it lays flat again. I pull it out of the oven and set it on my bottom board that I use for clamping. I leave it sit and pop any bubbles that rise. Once the top starts to slightly harden I place another board cut just slightly smaller than my pan on top and clamp to an even pressure with a clamp on each corner. I let it sit clamped in front of a fan for a few hours then it's cooled and I can remove it from the pan. I haven't had any problems with it sticking to the pan or the boards ( my boards are the particle board shelf material used in make cheap shelves, that's just what I had laying around so that's what I use and it works good. I haven't had any major defects using this method the worst I get is a crater from a popped bubble at the end but it gets planes out anyway.
Maybe I will have to make a video to show my process. Let me know if you have any questions I didn't cover here.
I got the pink buckets from Walmart, they don't always have them though. At least at my local Walmart. Thanks I appreciate that. I will keep that in mind.
He just posted yesterday about the Tennessee dealio
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If you have any little bubbles in it after you plain it Ive melted plastic to fill the void, or used liquid nails/ JB weld, or epoxy resin. Metal buffing compound/ turtle wax for cars takes out scratch marks and polishes it. I use this as a final step before clear coating. Milk jugs, icecream buckets,hydrogen peroxide jugs any thing that is hdpe #2 can be used. I use sharp scissors and cut the plastic into small pieces about the size of a 50 cent piece.I keep these thinner materials separate from the thicker material because the melting points are different. Ive heard that the screw off top of soda bottles are hdpe but im not sure. The top of the milk jugs are hdpe. Like any hdpe make sure they are clean of the glue from the label is off the containers. You make yours using the same process I do.
There is also LDPE low density poly ethiline. Its not has hard/ durable. Ive never messed with it but it might be worth experimenting with. I wonder if it has a little give like the bone grip slingshots?
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There is also LDPE low density poly ethiline. Its not has hard/ durable. Ive never messed with it but it might be worth experimenting with. I wonder if it has a little give like the bone grip slingshots?
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I'll have to look it up and watch it.
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