2009/11/27

Moore Experiments #3: Tiny Sling



The experiments have thus far led me to pursue two goals simultaneously. Goal One: To make slings built to sling particularly-sized spheres. Goal Two: To make a sturdy sling of near-negligible weight. With this sling, I'm half way to both goals. The innovation here is using the stays as part of the pouch. This is THE advantage of a woven sling, the contiguous threads yield a good hold within the pouch. The great thing about it here, is that it saved the weight and space of the rivets PLUS (and this is the best part) the stays themselves formed around the bearing making an excellently spherical pouch. I was in haste to finish this one and so I used staples to close the folds. Other than this tacky detail, it's perfect. Lighter, smaller, faster slings soon to come...stay tuned.


light is right
sling in the new year with
SlingMoore

2009/11/20

Nothing says, "I have no idea what to give you" better than the gift of a sling from slingmoore



Enough experiments, let me show you some proven designs. This sling's made from genuine leather, over six feet of paracord, including over 2 feet just for the knots, and of course wood for the stay and trigger. Not to mention months of design and testing have gone into making this sling pull off the one trick that every sling must know. The trick? It's the dual ability to fully cradle, and easily release. These two contradictory jobs live or die based on the pocket design. In addition to doing these jobs beautifully, a stiffer leather is employed here to add a snap to the opening. The rivets hold the cupped shape in both dimensions. The stay and trigger are wooden, allowing a light but secure hold. And of course the absolute best thing about it is... that nothing says "I have no idea what to buy you..." better than the gift of a sling.

Got Sling?
slingmoore@gmail.com

2009/11/17

Done with cotton twine

Maybe it's the low friction combination of cotton and steel, maybe cotton is just too stretchy, or maybe it's because I don't even know where the little bearing went but I'm done with cotton twine for now. I tried slinging the sling in the previous post into a dirt mound yesterday. I lost the ball, and I don't even know what happened. I didn't see where it hit, I'm not even sure I loosed it, it could have just fallen out. In any case, I think I'm done with cotton twine for awhile. I may still try a thread-sling made for a marble still, but later I think. It's time to focus on proven designs... the leather pouch always works, fits nearly anything and throws like a cannon. Slings still just $16.00 at SlingMoore all through Christmas, prices will go up after the new year, so this is a good time to get your sling on.

you can weave now, see you next time
Slingmoore


2009/11/16

Woven Slings...Moore Experiments


Nearly 70 feet of medium gauge cotton twine, a 3/4 inch ball bearing and an evening of weaving unweaving and reweaving and voila! Still experimenting with weaving slings to particularly-sized projectiles, in this case I had a carry-anywhere pocket-sling in mind, but... I am unsatisfied... it's still a lot of string... I am thinking about trying heavy gauge thread next. These experiments have produced some new knowledge however. I have learned that you must have 12 strands minimum, and I've obtained a feel for how long to make each of the strands in the pocket...the splitting is delicate and I've never been able to construct it correctly the first time... Next stop... a thread string that can hold a marble.

Not convinced about woven slings... still need to experiment some more.

Go to Moore Experiments #3:  Tiny Slings

till next time
Slingmoore

2009/11/06

Woven Sling Experiments



When I first started making slings, two pathways presented themselves: woven slings, and pouch slings. I researched both and it seemed to me that the woven slings were too size specific. In my experience coming across a rock is a rare event, let alone a rock that's the perfect size. So I still throw a pouch sling mostly because they're so versatile. But. I can't help just liking the way woven slings look, so I started experimenting with them. My first try was a denim pouch with hemp stays only. It was a 6 strand 3-plait weave: fun, but the weave was a draw-back, no advantage gained in weight or handling, purely aesthetic. So I started weaving the single split pouch. Wove one to fit a baseball, a ball bearing, and a golf ball. But still the weaving was very difficult to get to the exact right size even with the projectile right in front of me.


Then I had a revelation while I was teaching math one day. I was not limited to the one split design, I could split the weave multiple times if I liked. And so I did...This sling is the culmination of all that wandering. Made from burlap, it was woven from six, eleven foot strands. The draw (length from trigger to pouch) is 26" and woven in a herring-bone style. Pouch is specifically designed for golf-ball size projectiles, but the the four-split pouch weave will allow for a large range of projectile sizes, smaller and larger. This is my newest design, all of one material, and a great gift for that impossible-to-shop-for person.

2009/11/04

How little is too little to be a Little Slinger?




Top Five Ways to know it's too early for your child to be slinging...

5.  They have a near-uncontrollable desire to put the trigger bead in their mouth
4.  If the pouch was just a little bit bigger you could use it as a diaper
3.  They've been mistaken for a projectile more than once
2.  You still speak of their age using "months" as your unit of time.

and the number one way to know it's too early for you child to be slinging

1.  Their first throw was aimed at you...and didn't miss.

Sling Early... Sling Often
SlingMoore
slingmoore@gmail.com