# Theraband Gold Nicks



## kingmurphy (May 16, 2012)

_hi _

_im Alex and ive been making slingshots for about 6 months and ive been using thera band gold straight cut bands (made by myslef and bought from ebay) and ive noticed that after a few hundred shots they get little nicks and slowly it widens till it snaps off,so i have to cut all the bands on it down to the same lenth of where it snaped off thus taking away power so is there anyway you counter this or attach the snaped bit back on because its 5 pound per band set and at 14 with no job this hobby can get quite expensive when your making 2 a week thanks for reading and for any replies and sorry for the spelling _

*Alex H*


----------



## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

kingmurphy said:


> _hi _
> 
> _im Alex and ive been making slingshots for about 6 months and ive been using thera band gold straight cut bands (made by myslef and bought from ebay) and ive noticed that after a few hundred shots they get little nicks and slowly it widens till it snaps off,so i have to cut all the bands on it down to the same lenth of where it snaped off thus taking away power so is there anyway you counter this or attach the snaped bit back on because its 5 pound per band set and at 14 with no job this hobby can get quite expensive when your making 2 a week thanks for reading and for any replies and sorry for the spelling _
> 
> *Alex H*


Take a look at what Dankung has to offer.

http://www.dankung.c...gshot-c-71.html

They will ship direct to you. My last purchase took less than two weeks to Texas and was only about US$20.00 for 20 meters of 1842 tubes. That works out to less than US$1.00 per bandset for me.


----------



## pgandy (Aug 15, 2011)

Bands can get expensive and at 2/week- WOW! There are several things that you can try to reduce your problem. Opt for less power, at least for general shooting by making your bands longer. That way they stretch less. Store your slingshot and all rubber out of the sun light. Make sure that you have smooth, clean cuts when making the band set. Apply some type of UV protecting material to the bands such aw Armor All or 303’s Aerospace Protectant. I also put talc on mine. Theraband is expensive for me too as it all has to be imported and is a leading cause that I went to Chinese thin tubes, 2040, 1842, and 1745. TBB is a favourite of mine and I enjoy the way TB flat bands shoot in general, but I declare I get considerably more mileage out of the tube bands. I get sufficient energy for me at 12 fpe with tubes and can go higher. I do better with TBB at 15 fpe and a higher price. You might also consider chain bands.


----------



## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Another tube convert here, I would rather shoot as make bands. You do loose some power but it is worth it to me, I shoot mostly looped 18/42s and they seem to last forever compared to flats. Chris


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Personally, I am a fan of office rubber bands. I use Alliance and Sparco 105s or 107s. Others have posted about similar rubber bands available in the UK. These flat bands require no cutting, except to cut them in half. They have a relatively light pull. They will not give you the speed of Theraband, but they will give ample speed for targets or for hunting. They handle very heavy ammo well. They have a very good life span.

I also like braided bands made from #64 or #32 office rubber bands. These are very cheap and again readily available. They require no cutting at all. If one breaks in a braid, it is a trivial matter to replace the one rubber band that breaks ... not like having to chuck a whole length of Theraband. And with braids, you can easily increase or decrease the length of the braid, and you can experiment with tapers just by doubling up some of the bands in the braids.

Use the search function on this forum ... search for "office bands", "Alliance", "Sparco", "braids", and "chains". You will find lots of things to consider.

Cheers ....... Charles


----------



## kingmurphy (May 16, 2012)

thanks guys all really helpful answers ive had a look at the tubular bands sets and willl try and purchase one of them but until i get one im poping down to staples and im going to try charles's rubber band chain i bought a sling with tubes on a few weeks back but never realised you could purchase them in bulk thanks again

Alex H


----------



## All Buns Glazing (Apr 22, 2012)

Alex, +1 here to office rubber bands. Personally I haven't tried chained rubber bands, but I often use the thick long bands (often referred to as 107s). I use Esselte Superior 106 bands because that's what I can get in Australia and they're about $7.50 for ... lots.

Sure, I'm using TBG too, but these office rubber bands are great if all you're doing is casual plinking and you're having problems affording the TBG, which is understandable!


----------



## pgandy (Aug 15, 2011)

Kingmurphy maybe this will give you some ideas. I have 3 sets of 105s that I got from Henry in Panama. I put one set on and shot and shot it before retiring it. It was no powerhouse but was a good practice band that wouldn't die.
http://slingshotforum.com/topic/16047-esselte-superior-106-office-bands-australian-available-rubber-bands/


----------



## Jim Williams (Jul 6, 2011)

Hi King Murphy!

Can I ask what ammo you are using? And what size pouch you are using?


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Around 500 shots is normal give or take depending on elongation factor( 5x for TBG) In my opinion and I emphasize opinion, TBG is one of the top performers second to natural pure latex.( The type used in original flat medical bands) At $25 for 6 yards of TBG ,not to bad. "TEX" can supply the other.


----------



## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

photos would help us answer your questions. how are you cutting them? if using a rotary cutter is the tbg getting little folds in front of the rotary cutter as you're cutting them? if the cut is not clean you will develop tears earlier. tubes work well, they last a long time. i usually get around 900-1000 shots to a set of tbg. shooting ammo that is too light will also shorten band life.


----------



## kingmurphy (May 16, 2012)

thanks guys will try the rubber bands for plinking but im gonna have to have a look at something stronger for when i go hunting ocasionally and to answer jims question its double thera band gold thats got a 1 inch high 2 inch wide leather pouch the ones i made myself are really light but strong and the ones i bought are a lot heavier yet the same dimensions and im shooting 12 mm marbles for practice and 12mm steel balls for hunting rodents with 16mm for large rabbits and ill post some pictures in a few secs ill just have to take some and the cuts are always clean i dont put them on other wise because i once had one witch was nicked when cut and it snapped back onto my face(lots of blood and a few brusies) i use a rotary cuter and all the bought ones where perfect but once ive used all my theraband ill go staight onto doubled up bands thanks

Alex H


----------

