15 replies to this topic

[Sharkman]

I have some 3/8" re-bar in the garage and time on my hands. Has anyone ever tried to build with re-bar? Any thoughts you'd like to share? I was thinking that I'd wrap the handle with 550 cord. It's pretty abrasive so I'm obviously concerned about how to protect the bands.

[Sean]

Neat idea, how hard would it be to bend? Might have to take it to a grinding wheel to smooth off the forks?

[Sharkman]

Unfortunately I don't have a grinder. Dip coat? I was thinking of putting it in a vise, heating it a little and then bending it. Maybe vise grips for the tight bends??

[Charles]

Rebar is very, very tough stuff. If it were me, I would copy the technique of some others on this forum. Make a nice wood handle. Drill a couple of holes to take the rebar at your desired fork angle. Epoxy a couple of chunks of the rebar into your handle. At the fork tips, either: coat them with epoxy putty or auto body filler, which you can then sand smooth; or drill a couple of other small pieces of wood and epoxy them to the ends of the rebar forks, and then sand the wood tips smooth.

Just a suggestion.

Cheers ...... Charles

[Imperial]

rebar is very poreous, if you do heat it up , let it cool on its own. if you dip it in anything to cool it down , you will weaken its integrity. the liquid will leave small holes in it , one good hit in that cooled area will cut it in a smooth break line in that spot .

[cedar hunter]

Charles, on 04 February 2012 - 12:08 AM, said:

Rebar is very, very tough stuff. If it were me, I would copy the technique of some others on this forum. Make a nice wood handle. Drill a couple of holes to take the rebar at your desired fork angle. Epoxy a couple of chunks of the rebar into your handle. At the fork tips, either: coat them with epoxy putty or auto body filler, which you can then sand smooth; or drill a couple of other small pieces of wood and epoxy them to the ends of the rebar forks, and then sand the wood tips smooth.

Just a suggestion.

Cheers ...... Charles

[newconvert]

from years and years of working around this stuff i have to ask why would you want to make an ss out of rebar? its butt ugly, is not rust resistant, you could tool it smooth enough with some elbow grease to take away some of the ugly factor, but than you would have to coat the metal, rebar is always seen in a pile of rust on job sites. its not that rebar is so tough, but its steel and moderately thick in diameters below the 1/2 size it is easily bent in a conduit bender, but there are many ways to bend it, most commonly insert a piece into a rigid steel piece if conduit (rigid not emt) park your truck on the rebar, use the leverage/fulcrum and simply pick up the rigid conduit, bends easily when you use this cheat. but??????? why rebar

[cheese]

newconvert, on 04 February 2012 - 08:17 AM, said:

from years and years of working around this stuff i have to ask why would you want to make an ss out of rebar? its butt ugly, is not rust resistant, you could tool it smooth enough with some elbow grease to take away some of the ugly factor, but than you would have to coat the metal, rebar is always seen in a pile of rust on job sites. its not that rebar is so tough, but its steel and moderately thick in diameters below the 1/2 size it is easily bent in a conduit bender, but there are many ways to bend it, most commonly insert a piece into a rigid steel piece if conduit (rigid not emt) park your truck on the rebar, use the leverage/fulcrum and simply pick up the rigid conduit, bends easily when you use this cheat. but??????? why rebar

cuz thats what he has.

[newconvert]

cheese, on 04 February 2012 - 12:06 PM, said:

newconvert, on 04 February 2012 - 08:17 AM, said:

from years and years of working around this stuff i have to ask why would you want to make an ss out of rebar? its butt ugly, is not rust resistant, you could tool it smooth enough with some elbow grease to take away some of the ugly factor, but than you would have to coat the metal, rebar is always seen in a pile of rust on job sites. its not that rebar is so tough, but its steel and moderately thick in diameters below the 1/2 size it is easily bent in a conduit bender, but there are many ways to bend it, most commonly insert a piece into a rigid steel piece if conduit (rigid not emt) park your truck on the rebar, use the leverage/fulcrum and simply pick up the rigid conduit, bends easily when you use this cheat. but??????? why rebar

cuz thats what he has.

no, i do understand that, but that does not change my response, everything i said is based on using it. there is a reason why it is so widely used, but always buried in concrete.

[cheese]

newconvert, on 04 February 2012 - 01:48 PM, said:

cheese, on 04 February 2012 - 12:06 PM, said:

newconvert, on 04 February 2012 - 08:17 AM, said:

from years and years of working around this stuff i have to ask why would you want to make an ss out of rebar? its butt ugly, is not rust resistant, you could tool it smooth enough with some elbow grease to take away some of the ugly factor, but than you would have to coat the metal, rebar is always seen in a pile of rust on job sites. its not that rebar is so tough, but its steel and moderately thick in diameters below the 1/2 size it is easily bent in a conduit bender, but there are many ways to bend it, most commonly insert a piece into a rigid steel piece if conduit (rigid not emt) park your truck on the rebar, use the leverage/fulcrum and simply pick up the rigid conduit, bends easily when you use this cheat. but??????? why rebar

cuz thats what he has.

no, i do understand that, but that does not change my response, everything i said is based on using it. there is a reason why it is so widely used, but always buried in concrete.

if you understand that why did you ask "but??????? why rebar"

[Sharkman]

Sorry, family obligations prevented me from replying sooner. I think it's a fair question. Cheese had it partially right - "it's what I have". But there's more. I've built slingshots for both of the sons over the years. Then we moved into manufactured "hunting" slingshots and finally, they moved out. So recently I started looking at slingshots from a differnt angle. I've been having a blast building and shooting for the past few months. Although I haven't built anything I'd be willing to share yet,I'm learning a lot. I've never built a slingshot out of any type of rod material before but would like to. So now comes the comment from Cheese. Re-bar is what I've got. So, all I might learn is that I really don't ever want to attempt to build one from re-bar. But I gotta give it a shot. Long story but it's in my genes. My Grandfather was a perpetual tinker. Example - a neighbor once had an old rusty 50 gal drum behind his garage. My Grandpa looked at it and saw - - a snow plow for his garden tractor. He made it work. "Redneck inginuity"? I guess, if you accept the fact that rednecks could live in Wisconsin.

Edited by Sharkman, 05 February 2012 - 11:05 PM.

[MeatMechanic]

Redneck racing run what ya brung . I make stuff out of anything I find driving down the road walking thru the woods trash day , I just like to make stuff from found stuff . MM

[Dayhiker]

MeatMechanic, on 06 February 2012 - 08:05 AM, said:

Redneck racing run what ya brung . I make stuff out of anything I find driving down the road walking thru the woods trash day , I just like to make stuff from found stuff . MM

I do too. It's a sort of religious calling.

[Sharkman]

I think it's the challenge. I guess I've always been like that. Last summer I bought a single speed fat tired Schwin bicycle. My buddy just about fainted laughing at it. I told him that now I'd ride it through the burning gates of he-- just to look him in the eye and tell him to kiss my a--. I think it's a big part of what attracts me to building slingshots.

[Karok01]

yeah....rebar....you're gonna need a solid steel bench mounted bending jig and a torch and a lot of elbow grease. Other than that, covering the forks is as simple as finding the right stretchy black tape, or a plasti-dip. Cheers!

[catfishjdr]

What size rebar? im a union metal worker by trade maybe i can give you same helpful info.