[smitty]

The use of the leather for attaching rubber bands, by Nick and jmplsnt, kept me thinking this weekend. I have shot through three different sets of flat-bands this weekend, all broke at the pouch. I take a lot of care to tie them to last too. Even used rubber to tie some at the pouch, but it usually ends up the same. After a few hundred shots the band breaks. When I thought of someones' child getting a slingshot from me to shoot and then coming into the house crying, because the bands broke within a few days of getting the slingshot, bothered me.
The information Nick and jmplsnt supplied for using leather to tie on rubber bands seemed like something that could be used to adapt tubes to a flat-band slingshots safely and provide an alternative for shooting with the same slingshot. Then, while making up a new center hole pouch the light came on. I haven't shot with it yet, but it seems very promising to me.
I'm wondering what the folks here think about this. Just remember my technique is a bit sloppy, but I learned from the first fork tip and did the second one better.

 

[Dayhiker]

Smitty, I don't see the advantage over just drilling through the groove in the fork, like you were doing before.

 

[smitty]

I think the leather will be easier on the rubber than the wood and the position of the tube for over the top seems like it is better too. If I would use a peg below the leather, through the loop in the tube it would be super fast to change tubes also. I'm not sure if it is better than a hole in the fork, but it is something to experiment with. The main reason I am interested in using the leather, is a way to use tubes on a regular flat-band slingshot, by just having an attachment for mounting tubes without having to modify it, with no way to turn back. Drilling a hole through a collector fork would be terrible.

 

[Dayhiker]

Drilling a hole through a collector fork would be terrible.

For sure!

. . . I will be watching your experiments in this vein closely, thanks for sharing them.

 

[Bill Hays]

Smitty, I'd just camfer the hole through the fork on both sides. Picture a conical counter sink.... then use a cone shaped grinding bit to finish up.

 

[joseph_curwen]

I find this clever

 

[mr.joel]

I liked the leather draped over the flats like the first one Smitty made. Why drill, chamfer, etc., when these are unnecessary modifications? The leather tab setup looks far more efficient as well as keeping the rubber on the same plane as when you shoot flats, but perhaps not as efficient?

 

[whipcrackdeadbunny]

This is all very nice, I see nothing wrong with it, but how does it help the bands at the pouch not break?

 

[smitty]

This is a way to go ahead and use chinese style tubes instead of flat-bands. It was the flat-bands that were breaking at the pouch. I am just trying to explore ways to use small diameter tubes on slingshots that were designed to use flat-bands, without any perment modifications. These tubes have plenty of performance for me, I don't need the extra that flats are said to have and I get tired of my flats breaking during almost every long shooting session.
Also, a forum is here for the free exchange of information and ideas. I am simply putting this out so it can be explored by many and lessen the time to arrive at a decision based upon experience. All through the march of man, some have said "why?" and the responce is always..."because it is there to explore". I am just exploring possabilities that come to mind with the help of my friends here on the forum.

 

[whipcrackdeadbunny]

This is a way to go ahead and use chinese style tubes instead of flat-bands. It was the flat-bands that were breaking at the pouch. I am just trying to explore ways to use small diameter tubes on slingshots that were designed to use flat-bands, without any perment modifications. These tubes have plenty of performance for me, I don't need the extra that flats are said to have and I get tired of my flats breaking during almost every long shooting session.
Also, a forum is here for the free exchange of information and ideas. I am simply putting this out so it can be explored by many and lessen the time to arrive at a decision based upon experience. All through the march of man, some have said "why?" and the responce is always..."because it is there to explore". I am just exploring possabilities that come to mind with the help of my friends here on the forum.

That's a very good answer.

 

[NightKnight]

This is a way to go ahead and use chinese style tubes instead of flat-bands. It was the flat-bands that were breaking at the pouch. I am just trying to explore ways to use small diameter tubes on slingshots that were designed to use flat-bands, without any perment modifications. These tubes have plenty of performance for me, I don't need the extra that flats are said to have and I get tired of my flats breaking during almost every long shooting session.
Also, a forum is here for the free exchange of information and ideas. I am simply putting this out so it can be explored by many and lessen the time to arrive at a decision based upon experience. All through the march of man, some have said "why?" and the responce is always..."because it is there to explore". I am just exploring possabilities that come to mind with the help of my friends here on the forum.

That's a very good answer.
[/quote]
+1

 

[Brooklyn00003]

Did you try attacing tubes over the top just like flatbands? How long did they last for you? For me they lasted maybe 20 shots like that

 

[smitty]

Oh yeah, I have attached them just like flats and have had pretty good luck with them lasting. I wrap them with rubber bands, not string. The only thing I don't like is I have to pay more attention to pulling them over the top than I would like. When shooting with the leather yesterday they were great and recovered very well for the next shot. I think someone like Geko would find it nice for speed shooting too. The tubes kinda stood out ready for reload. Very seldom did I have to untwist or untangle them. I only shot a few hundred rounds though, so that is just a quick look at the attachment.
Hope a few others decide to give it a try and help me to decide if it is worth it. So far I like it, but I always like something when it is new and then end up going back to standard after a while.

 

[Paul]

Smitty,

We're waiting for the results.
Besides, I want to see how it goes. I'd like to try it myself.

Paul

 

[Sam]

Interesting, you strike me as very resourceful and ingenious Smitty! What kinda improvement are you seeing?

 

[whipcrackdeadbunny]

Very seldom did I have to untwist or untangle them.
[/quote]

This has been annoying me so much recently, I am testing my square bands compared to my flats, in comparison, there is almost no rapid fire on the flats. Something I noticed on the squares, was that they catch and tear on the ammo, they last longer than flats but they get very tender; I don't use tubes, but do they suffer with this kind of tearing?

 

[smitty]

I shot with it more this morning and noticed some wear on the rubber right at the leather hole. I just took those tubes out and lubed the hole with some wax to lessen the rubbing. Baumstaam suggested I try it with the hole facing the shooter, so I am going to try it if this lubrication doesn't help. Another thing to try would be to just run the tubing through the loop, but I was trying for something similar to over the top.
Maybe silicone grease would be a better lube, but I don't have any...yet.

 

[whipcrackdeadbunny]

Could you tie the tubes over the top, with elastic around the fork? like you would tie on flats but with tubes. I like the leather strops, but I was thinking this might be even simpler.

 

[smitty]

You can, and so far it is the best way I have used. Flatband suggested I use that method and looks like there just might be no better way to do it.

 

[jephroux]

BIG WORDS
BY A EVEN BIGER MAN
way to go smitt man!!!!!!!!!

a forum is here for the free exchange of information and ideas. I am simply putting this out so it can be explored by many and lessen the time to arrive at a decision based upon experience. All through the march of man, some have said "why?" and the responce is always..."because it is there to explore". I am just exploring possabilities that come to mind with the help of my friends here on the forum.