# Tribute To Flippinout Slingshots



## Gardengroove (Feb 13, 2012)

Hello everybody. This is my first post here, so a quick introduction of myself. I'm 27 years old and i come from Bavaria in Germany. Currently I am studying mechanical engineering which i will finish in March next year. I got my first slingshot (a natural fork banded with office rubber) from my grandpa when I was a kid. As I was writing this I thought it had to be somewhere because I knew I never gave it away. So after fishing in my box with leftovers from my youth I finally found it

















The rubber is literally falling apart. No wonder because it lay in the box for about 20 years. The next slingshot I got as a birthday gift when I was around 12 years old. It was a Barnett Cobra banded with tubes. I remember having great fun with it. I had great luck that my dad is a versatile craftsman and that he taught me a lot. I learnt the fundamentals of woodworking and he told me how to operate the tools in our workshop. As time moved on I made my own creations like garden furniture, small tables and benches. Later on I invested in an attachment for my Stihl chainsaw so I can mill my own boards (I have a small forest). For me it is most pleasing when I can do the whole process from the living tree to the finished woodwork by myself.

This is my first work of milling own wood (plum tree) and laminating stripes to make a solid board. That board has no finish on it because I don't know yet what to make out of it
















So as I cleaned up our workshop in winter I found some "scrap" leftovers of plum and put it aside. I've already browsed alot on this forum and read a lot about slingshots and all the different methods of how you guys build them. When I watched the gallery I got stuck at Nathan Master's masterpieces. I found his "Axiom" and "Omega" were so aesthetic that I immediately fell in love with that design. I emailed Nathan and told him that I wanted to try to build a copy of his design for myself. As I already imagined he could have his concerns about this, we agreed to the following I want to make clear to everybody:

- The design belongs to Nathan Masters
- I do not reproduce his designs for profit
- I do not represent my work as an "Axiom" "FlippinOut" or otherwise
- This rebuild based on the "Axiom" is only a challenge for myself to learn new techniques and imrove on laminating an finishing

Why is this important? As I said I am going to be an engineer I am fully aware what it means when you "steal" an idea, reproduce a patent etc. I don't distinguish between industrial and artificial design here. Patents are a superb tool for research and inspiration though. To be honest if I ever made an invention and i would see a company reproducing my idea I would sue them. Enough said, back to the topic.

Here are some pictures of my building process (took 20+ hours to complete)

1. Cutting plum-leftovers with bench saw to equal measurements / Aluminum core already cut out with jigsaw and roughly filed








2. Laminating the wood stripes together with wood glue + transferring core shape to the boards








3. Sawing out








4. Laminating boards to core with epoxy glue / picking palmswell (ebony)














5. Edges rounded and surface sanded to 240 grit / Notice the crack on the right - front surfaces were not perfectly parallel -> filled the crack with mixture of sawdust and superglue














6. Final sanding up to 600 grit - 3 days in linseed oil bath and letting it dry outside








7. Tried to finish with "shellack" we had at home - looks very nice on restored furniture also makes a durable surface and a deep shine - It turned out to be a very difficult job, in my opinion better for flat large surfaces (it's also called "French polish") - not too happy with that - next time i try waxing and buffing.. Banded up with TB Gold one layer








Back view, cracks are visible - this is also the reason I had to use a stiff core








I like how bulky it turned out (I shortened the handle to fit my hand)






























This is my setup:
TB Gold 1 layer: 21cm(8.2") x 23mm(0.9") x 18mm(0.7")
I am shooting 8mm stellballs, and I guess this doesn' fit because I get handslap also when flipping. I will try larger ammo and different bandsets to figure it out.
What do you guys think? Pouch too big? Bands too long?
By the way the slingshot shoots really nice, after a few days of shooting I can hit a tin can at a distance of 10 meters every 3-4 times.








Soo far I hope you liked it and if you've got some tipps on reducing handslaps just tell me.

Cheers, Simon.


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## mattardel (May 27, 2011)

That slingshot is FANTASTIC! Definitely the BEST first try I've ever seen. What really stunned me was how accurately you cut out each part of the laminate - they were exactly the same! I always have to sand down quite a bit to get them equal, however I'm using a jigsaw where's I take it you're using a bandsaw. It looks just awesome. As for the bands, they're a little wide just trim them to 3/4 straight cut and you should be fine. Keep shooting an great work!


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## Jim Williams (Jul 6, 2011)

That has turned out very well indeed, thanks for sharing the process with us.

As for hand slaps, try using a lighter material for your pouch, heavier ammo and you could also try tying your pouch with twine instead of rubber strips.


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## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

that is an incredible slingshot and it is one of the best that i have seen on this forum if that is ur first one you have great potential and you are evidently a great craftsman i am very very impressed.


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## Gardengroove (Feb 13, 2012)

@Mattardel: I have no bandsaw, every cutout was made with my jigsaw. I traced the shape of the core onto the two boards and then sawed it out carefully. Just take your time. The closer you cut (I cut so that the lines were barely sightable on the cutout) the less sanding work you have to do. And I also had to equal the cutouts and core after laminating, but not too much. There's also the chance of cutting of too much which would be disappointing








For the board cut outs I used a special jigsaw blade for narrow curves. These are not expensive and do a great job.
Oh yes, a bandsaw would be nice. I definitely gonna buy one some time. Thanks, I will try 19mm straight cut bands.


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## orcrender (Sep 11, 2010)

Great work!


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## Gardengroove (Feb 13, 2012)

@Berkshire bred: It's actually my second one... I tried first with multiplex, then made some modifications: shorter handle, bigger bulkier palmswell, wider waist.. fits better for me. I am glad you like it. Hopefully I will come up with my own design one day.


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## akmslingshots (Mar 2, 2012)

that's awesome, there is something special about mixing the metal with wood and you nailed it there


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## flippinout (Jul 16, 2010)

great work and a beautiful slingshot. I look forward to seeing many more of your creations.


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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Beautiful! Well done.


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## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

Ya need to be proud of your execution. Looks fab.


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## torsten (Feb 9, 2010)

Really great work!!!
Especially I like the wood after the oil finish!

Regards
Torsten


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## polecat (May 17, 2011)

quality work you definatly have it thanks for posting
polecat


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Nice work and welcome to the forum.


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## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

Aren't you glad you listened to your dad now?


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Well, if that was your first project,you are going to be one **** of an Engineer! That is one special piece of work. To almost mirror the type of workmanship we are used to seeing from Nathan - ( Flippinout ) speaks volumes about your potential-AWESOME! Flatband


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

very nice work indeed!


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## Jesus Freak (Dec 31, 2011)

WOW that is some great craftsmanship!


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## philly (Jun 13, 2010)

Nicely done Bud, excellent finish.
Philly


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Nice work Simon. As for the handslaps, try moving up to 9.5mm (3/8") steel or lead ammo.

Cheers,
Northerner


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## Chepo69 (May 1, 2010)

Excelent tribute!

I liked very much


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## Jaxter (Jan 23, 2012)

That is one awesome slingshot. By the way for designing your own slingshot you can try using inkscape which is a free program you can download and it is great for designing your own slingshots. Hope that helps and well done for a first slingshot


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## Karok01 (Jan 26, 2012)

Wow! That is definitely professional quality. Grats!


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## Blue Danube (Sep 24, 2011)

Well Done!


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Hey, thats one sexy frame!
Awesome job











> This is my setup:
> TB Gold 1 layer: 21cm(8.2") x 23mm(0.9") x 18mm(0.7")
> I am shooting 8mm stellballs, and I guess this doesn' fit because I get handslap also when flipping. I will try larger ammo and different bandsets to figure it out.
> What do you guys think? Pouch too big? Bands too long?


Try 15mm strips of TBG with 8mm steel, and as for pouch width. I personally make mine 3mm wider than my ammo (I.E if i'm using 8mm steel balls, i cut my leather 11mm wide)
Some people like it, some don't.
It's about what works well for you


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Cool, good job!

But AFAIK, it is hard to clone or make a exact copy of Flippinpout slingshots. Nathan has his own secrets


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## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

Beautiful work!!!!

Bill


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## filipino_saltik (Oct 7, 2011)

your amount of respect for nathan and the sport was unpararel ,, from me and my small part of the world hands down







. you are a very fine addition to our comunity, keep if up, speaking from the botom of my slingshot heart..


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## ralle1 (Jan 31, 2012)

very nice you can be proud of yourself


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## kifcool59 (Feb 13, 2012)

SUPERBE!!!


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## Gardengroove (Feb 13, 2012)

I am very glad that you guys liked my work











Danny0663 said:


> That is one awesome slingshot. By the way for designing your own slingshot you can try using inkscape which is a free program you can download and it is great for designing your own slingshots. Hope that helps and well done for a first slingshot


Hey Jaxter, Good point but I already got a student's version of Autodesk Inventor so there's no need for this. Next project will be developed soon, already have something in my mind.

Cheers, Simon


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

filipino_saltik said:


> your amount of respect for nathan and the sport was unpararel ,, from me and my small part of the world hands down
> 
> 
> 
> ...


your a nice guy!


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

that looks awesome!


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## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

What everyone else has said.... X2!


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## Incomudro (Jan 12, 2012)

Beautiful slingshot!
Looks like a cross between a Flippinout and a Performance Catapult.
You've already entered into the top tier of builders that I've seen on this site.


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## Bob Fionda (Apr 6, 2011)

Your work was excellent, thanks for sharing pics and congrats. Bob


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## tokSick (Jan 25, 2012)

Beautiful slingshot.


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