# Basic Tubing Technical Q



## Fubared (Jan 30, 2015)

Hi everyone!

I'm working on a line of slingshots and have everything in place except for my elastic tubing. Now I've spent the past two weeks on the phone with rubber companies to no avail because I lack the technical data & knowledge they require to pick out a product. I'm not looking for a name brand to buy from with this post, i'm really just looking for basic technical info. (These will be for sale, so I'm being very cautious and crossing all my T's every step of the way really trying to make sure I udnerstand whats going on.)

So my question for you folks is pretty basic:* What's your preferred TUBING for slingshots?*

Again, not name brand or model, stuff like

what's the actual material you prefer they be made of?

what's the ideal Durometer for them?

what's worth actually buying as a customer?

*Considerations:*

Slingshot / Purpose:

Recreation.

traditional hardwood Y frame, 6-7" tall

for very very inexperienced 18+ shooters.

*Things that are NOT important or desired:*

High velocities

*Things that ARE important & desired:*

Common or easily sourced material

Wholesale purchases-Not retail, bulk buying, around 100ft at a time

Model of the slingshot I will be building


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Here is a whole forum dedicated to that very thing . http://slingshotforum.com/forum/93-slingshot-bands-and-tubes/

Or you can read this one started by yourself . http://slingshotforum.com/topic/41312-help-understanding-tubing-a-best-question/#entry511606


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

latex tubing,pure latex tubing


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## Marbles (Jan 23, 2010)

I second what bigron said ! !


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## Aefr (Jul 20, 2014)

Latex


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## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

I'm a little confused about the pouch in your model; how's that work?

Also out of curiosity, do you have a method for attaching the tubes to the forks? There are several different ways to do it, and even some big name slingshot manufacturers have made mistakes in tube attachment that have resulted in bad injuries and big lawsuits.

Is there some reason you want to use tubes instead of bands?

I only ask that because with bands you can modify width and taper easier for an individual shooter's desires and still only make one bulk purchase of a single material.


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## Fubared (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks very much for the replies everyone!


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## Fubared (Jan 30, 2015)

why do my quotes never work? ...oh well

Also out of curiosity, do you have a method for attaching the tubes to the forks? There are several different ways to do it, and even some big name slingshot manufacturers have made mistakes in tube attachment that have resulted in bad injuries and big lawsuits.

Is there some reason you want to use tubes instead of bands?

I only ask that because with bands you can modify width and taper easier for an individual shooter's desires and still only make one bulk purchase of a single material.

Thanks for the heads up! It's definitely a real concern of mine. I'm using tubing because that's what the image calls for, I'm just the one making replicas of it.

But about the real concern here, making sure that those tubes don't slip or come undone. I have not looked up many mounting methods as of just yet. I'm tackling this one step at a time. I had thought of doing a knot, ball in tube, then another knot so it's in there and not going anywhere, with a standard hole in the fork.

But I found this video here on the forums and thought about doing something like that if it means no breaks int he tubing. I'm not sure though, i'm brand new to slingshots and have a lot more research to do on the options.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Fubared said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm working on a line of slingshots and have everything in place except for my elastic tubing. Now I've spent the past two weeks on the phone with rubber companies to no avail because* I lack the technical data & knowledge they require to pick out a product.* I'm not looking for a name brand to buy from with this post, i'm really just looking for basic technical info. (These will be for sale, so I'm being very cautious and crossing all my T's every step of the way really trying to make sure I udnerstand whats going on.)


Fubared,

I have a serious question and no disrespect at all intended. You are wanting to get into slingshot manufacturing and you know nothing about it. Taking other folks ideas is fine, but it is *YOU* in the end that are responsible for the manufacturing of these. After many months of testing I have recently decided on my preferred tube sets and ammo weights, with *my goals *in mind.

If you notice .. just about every person on this and other sling forums has their likes and dislikes because just about everyone has a different goal in mind or may have physical issues that cause them to use one band set compared to another. Some folks hunt all the time, some folks cut cans, some folks make slingshots that shoot through 3/4" sheet rock ;- ) There is no one size that fits all.

That is why almost everyone rants and raves about the crud that is available in box stores. Most are sling shots that kind of work, most have a pull that can cause a double hernia, and a pouch that is big enough to put your mother-in-law in !

That is why every slingshot vendor on these forums offers choices in tubes, flats, pouches, and I could go on and on.

if I was going for the general public, I gave you a latex vendor that I use, and I told you a size that I personally think most would feel comfortable to shoot (1/16id x 1/16w x 3/16od). Not the fastest but more than enough to have a good time to shoot ammo maybe to about the 85 -130+gr weight (I don't know just guessing from some past experience).

I would go to a few sling shot events and talk to the guys and maybe do some shooting so as you can get a feel for what *YOU* like and go from there.

Please don't take what I said as flaming you, I just want you to realize there is not a set answer, it is a feel thing !

wll


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## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

Fubared, you might also want to look some into pouch attachments.

The image that you are following (assuming that is the graphic in the first post) has a pouch attachment that will not work.

The pouch attachment in that image is actually closer to an attachment for a slingbow than for a slingshot.


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