[lucifer93]

Peter at Hogancastings was kind enough to send me a Scallops in bronze invented by Dan zdp-189 this week. It's a cracking slingshot for target shooting and hunting but i would have to wrap it in tape to stop the shine if i was to ever go hunting with it. This is one of my favorites in my growing slingshot collection so don't hang about and order one soon before they are all gone. I also made this today stained in Ebony and waxed to a nice shine, both are great shooters and will be hours of good fun

 

[USASlingshot]

That looks like bill hays shooter

 

[lucifer93]

Yes it's inspired by Bills but NO it's made by me and shaped to fit my hand. First i got the pencils out and started sketching when i was happy with the design i cut it out and spent a couple of hours sanding and shaping it. My images are not copyrighted and anyone that wants to use them please do

 

[Bill Hays]

Looks like it'll be a lot of fun to shoot... I know the ones that are my original designs and made, that are just like that, are.
One thing though... I'm not upset you copied a design of mine, I pretty much expect it... but some on here get a little more than upset when people do... especially the bit about "My images are not copyrighted and anyone that wants to use them please do".... when your images are based on other people's ideas and or products, that are in current production, in the first place... it can rub some the wrong way real quick.

Once we get the the pricing info from the Hogan's you might want to check out getting one of those in Aluminum. They're a joy to behold.

 

[lucifer93]

Thanks Bill i didn't mean to rub people up the wrong way, i am a Tattoo Artist by trade so i draw for a living. I didn't mean by my images are not copyrighted so copy them to hurt people making slingshots. I just meant that with a saw and some sand paper go on and have a go at making one yourself because it's fun. Thanks for your kind words

 

[Bill Hays]

You just need to understand, I don't make a living or even a substantial amount of money off of designing and or making slingshots, but this particular design is licensed to a company that does.... that's all.

 

[ZDP-189]

Lucifer, thanks for the plug!

Skipping on from the issue of Bill's design and the fact your slingshot above was made for profit, I think you've done well to reproduce it so accurately. However, I would encourage you to look through Bill's catapults, many of which are conveniently shown on his avatar and notice that you've reproduced the shape of his G10 and metal slingshots in wood. Whereas, his wooden frames are made of stabilised cross-ply and have a rigid G10 core, pins and still the web is deliberately wider. Ebony is a strong hardwood, but it is given to cracking along the grain, such as where your web is narrowest. I recommend you focus on making designs that are engineered to be made as unlaminated wooden board cuts. There are many such non-commercial designs out there that would suit. Tex-Shooter for example has shown an ideal wooden board cut fork, beautifully sculpted and declared copyright free. I have also published two designs for wooden board cuts that people may wish to copy: Mu and Gamma.

 

[Chepo69]

Having that ability to trace what scares me in the future we will show my good Lucifer.

Meanwhile have fun like amusement park dwarf with that pair.Congratulations!

 

[Bill Hays]

Oh, okay... I see you're actually trying to sell that slingshot now...
I would recommend against that. The wood looks like it's not a laminate and your center, above where the thumb groove is, is pretty small looking. So if it's not a laminate, it may be able to be broken without to much effort. IF that breaks while you're pulling back on the bands, you may get a pretty good chunk of wood in your face.
If you are selling it, then you may put the eye out of your customer... and they may think I'm to blame in some way because you more or less copied one of my designs.

 

[ZDP-189]

Oh, okay... I see you're actually trying to sell that slingshot now...
I would recommend against that. The wood looks like it's not a laminate and your center, above where the thumb groove is, is pretty small looking. So if it's not a laminate, it may be able to be broken without to much effort. IF that breaks while you're pulling back on the bands, you may get a pretty good chunk of wood in your face.
If you are selling it, then you may put the eye out of your customer... and they may think I'm to blame in some way because you more or less copied one of my designs.

That's what I was saying, Bill. I think you and I pretty much made it clear that our designs are engineered for specific materials and I for one stress-test each individual slingshot that leaves my shop and that we disclaim all liability for unauthorised reproductions. Although I hope for the best that the wooden Scallops works out well for him, I would warn him to be wary of both these slingshots made in wood and would strongly discourage him against selling them. In a way, it's not unlike the reproduction Chinese slingshots that were meant to be made in 6mm stainless steel rather than chromed zinc.

 

[USASlingshot]

I like how it's made but since the risk factors r high it doesn't sound safe for anyone

 

[lucifer93]

I like how it's made but since the risk factors r high it doesn't sound safe for anyone

Birch plywood applicationsCoated special birch plywood is typically used as a ready-to-install component e.g.:

• Panels in concrete formwork systems
• Floors, walls and roofs in transport vehicles
• Container floors,
• Floors subjected to heavy wear in various buildings and factories,
• Scaffolding materials

Birch plywood is used as a structural material in special applications e.g.:

• Wind turbine blades
• Insulation boxes for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers

Smooth surface and accurate thickness combined with the durability of the material makes birch plywood a favourable material for many special end uses e.g.:

• Die-cutting boards
• Supporting structure for parquet
• Playground equipment
• Furniture
• Signs and fences for demanding outdoor advertising
• Musical instruments
• Sports equipment

 

[lucifer93]

Oh, okay... I see you're actually trying to sell that slingshot now...
I would recommend against that. The wood looks like it's not a laminate and your center, above where the thumb groove is, is pretty small looking. So if it's not a laminate, it may be able to be broken without to much effort. IF that breaks while you're pulling back on the bands, you may get a pretty good chunk of wood in your face.
If you are selling it, then you may put the eye out of your customer... and they may think I'm to blame in some way because you more or less copied one of my designs.

That's what I was saying, Bill. I think you and I pretty much made it clear that our designs are engineered for specific materials and I for one stress-test each individual slingshot that leaves my shop and that we disclaim all liability for unauthorised reproductions. Although I hope for the best that the wooden Scallops works out well for him, I would warn him to be wary of both these slingshots made in wood and would strongly discourage him against selling them. In a way, it's not unlike the reproduction Chinese slingshots that were meant to be made in 6mm stainless steel rather than chromed zinc.
[/quote]

I have been shooting with both slingshots this morning with no problems with safety. I will send them both to you Dan and you can test them for yourself

 

[ZDP-189]

Nah, as for the wooden scallops replica, I leave the responsibility for safety up to you. I wish you all the best with that. You'll probably end up shooting the brass scallops instead; the weeight makes it a very stable fork.

You've given me an idea though; I should do a blog article on strain and impact testing.

 

[Bill Hays]

That's a good idea Dan.
The prototypes of all my designs and different materials went through stress tests to check out whether they'd be suitable for a slingshot.
The tests I did in order are:

1) The throw against the concrete slab test... if it breaks, fractures or dents to badly... it's not used
2) The ball-peen hammer, round end to the forks and center test... scarring and flaking is acceptable but breakage is not.
3) The side pressure test. Simply put the handle in a vise and put a piece of re-bar sideways through the forks... and check for lateral/twist stability.

EVERY solely straight grained wood slingshot design failed by the second test.
Unsupported Dymondwood failed by test 2.
Some cheaper grade plywoods like birch and the like were ok but not great.
Thick Oak laminates were acceptable in strength.
G10 and micarta cored Dymondwood were acceptable.
G10, and various micartas passed with no problem.
The few steel slingshots I've made... I didn't even test.

Anyway there's a basic guideline I used in my designs.
Oh one other thing, when buying my materials, like the multiplexes... I always take a small section of each and test it. Because not all are uniform in strength, even though to the eye they look alike.

 

[ZDP-189]

There's always the knifemaker's test: the buffer flings it round the room and doesn't break you probably tempered it right. No, don't try this at home boys and girls.

 

[lucifer93]

I am a Englishman born and bred, so slingshots or catapults go hand in hand with other English school boy past times like the playing of conkers. Conkers make a great FREE slingshot ammo too. I was the Conker champion at school why because i cheated and used to harden my conkers with secrect tecniques past down from fathers to sons with the promise of never passing on the secrets to anybody but your own children LOL. The same is used in the strengthening and hardening of slingshots. I love this forum but some people take themselves far too seriously sometimes LOLZ

Conkers
Conkers or conker is a game traditionally played mostly by children in Britain, Ireland and some former British colonies using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees - the name conker is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself. The game is played by two players, each with a conker threaded onto a piece of string: they take turns striking each other's conker until one breaks.

Hardening conkersThe hardest conkers usually win. Hardening conkers is often done by keeping them for a year (aged conkers are called laggies in many areas or seasoners in Ireland and Liverpool), baking them briefly, soaking or boiling in vinegar, or painting with clear nail varnish. Such hardening is, however, usually regarded as cheating. At the British Junior Conkers Championships on the Isle of Wight in October 2005, contestants were banned from bringing their own conkers due to fears that they might harden them. The Campaign For Real Conkers claimed this was an example of over-regulation which was causing a drop in interest in the game. In the World Conker Championship contestants are also restricted to using the conkers provided.

One factor affecting the strength of a conker is the shape of the hole. A clean cylindrical hole is stronger, as it has no notches or chips that can begin a crack or split

 

[ZDP-189]

Drill hole in top. Pick out inside through hole till totally hollow. Refil with 3-Ton epoxy. Through drill. Pray your mates never find out.

 

[JoergS]

Lucifer, I think you need to find your own style. If you want to have success as a commercial seller, that is really necessary.

The originals are just too cheap, at least for now.

Come on, it is not that hard. You are a very good craftsman, but you need to use your imagination, too. I am sure you can do it.

Jörg