# Hrawkeye with Paua Shell Inserts - Build Log



## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

As a few of you have already seen, yesterday I had my first go at making some Paua Shell inserts for use in a slingshot frame.

Now I show you what they are going to be used for. I'll do my best to describe each step of the build process. If you have any questions about any step, tool or technique I have used, please feel free to ask.

Here we go:

*Step 1*

As with pretty much any slingshot I build, I start with a paper template. In this instance it is a slightly modified Hrawkeye design with the addition of index marks for drilling. You can find the original Hrawkeye patter in the Templates section of the forum should you be so inclined to have a go at making one yourself.

For this build I have decided to go with some Australian Red Gum timber.










*Step 2*

As the Red Gum I have is only rough hewn, it needed a quick clean up on the belt sander. A minute or two with an 80 grit belt yields a workable blank.










*Step 3*

The paper template is trimmed to size and glued to the timber. I just use a cheap glue stick for this, works fine.










*Step 4*

Flick on the power to the bandsaw and begin roughing out the shape. You can see here that I have made a few relief cuts in the tighter curves. This helps a lot when trying to manuvure the saw around the outline.










*Step 5*

All done with the basic roughing. I never try and go too close to the outline as it's much easier and accurate to do this during the next step.










*Step 6*

To lazy to set up my WASP sander or find where I put my set of sleeveless drums, I used some cheap sanding drums in a drill press to finish the curves. A 1/2" for the finger grooves and a 1" for the fork gap and handle. Always try and do this with the job flat on the table to ensure you get nice square sides. Flipping the piece over periodically also helps to ensure a consistent finish.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

*Step 7*

With the inside curves done it's over to the disc sander to square up the fork tips and finish rounding the bottom of the handle.










*Step 8*

Time for some drilling. Pro tip: Never try and drill a hole to final size in one go if you want a nice flush finish. Here I started with a 2mm drill bit and drilled a pilot hole for each location. I then went on to use a 3mm bit for the rest, followed by an 8, then 10mm drill for the lanyard hole.










*Step 9*

With my slingshot shaped to final dimensions and holes drilled it was time to hit the belt sander again. Sanding off the template and bringing the front and back to a nice smooth finish. A 120 grit belt was used for this.










*Step 10*

Here we make the cavity for the inserts to sit into. Using a dead centre in the mill chuck I aligned the job / table using the hole I had previously drilled. Locking the table in place I then changed over to a 20mm slot drill to form the recess.

Taking very light cuts I slowly bought it to depth, checking with the insert during each cut. Another reason for the hole in the middle was to be able to poke a nail up from underneath to remove the insert each time.










*Step 11*

One side done. As you can see I have set it a little lower than the fave of the slingshot. This is because I will be doing some more sanding to the face in a couple of steps. If I end up sanding too much off the fave and the insert now sits proud, I can always take a little more off the back of the insert.










*Step 12*

Taking a quick look at how the final product will look.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

*Step 13*

Using some 3mm Silver Solder rod, I cut four pins to go in the handle. As these are not structural pins I used a drop or two of CA glue to make sure they stay put before pressing them into place. As you can see, they stick out a little bit, you'll see why in a second.










*Step 14*

Back to the belt sander and the pins are sanded flush with the face of the slingshot.










*Step 15*

The above step is repeated, this time using some 10mm aluminium tube to create the insert for the lanyard hole. Once again, it is sanded flush.










*Step 16*

Now I break out the nosiest tool in the shop, the router, and route the edges. Whenever routing hardwoods, always do it in a couple of passes, eventually bringing it to final depth. This will help eliminate scorching or tearing of the wood. As hard as I try, I have still not mastered the art of routing hardwoods without some scorching. It's a good idea to always practice on some scrap or off cuts first to get the speed right. Stupid me however, rushed into it and as you can see there is a fair bit of scorching in the tight areas where I was going slow. Don't stress too hard about a bit of scorching though as it's easily fixed.










*Step 17*

A couple of minutes with some 120 grit paper and the above scorch marks are easily removed and the entire slingshot is smoothed out.










*Step 18*

Here's where I am at the moment, pretty much all done except for some more sanding and the obligatory bath in linseed oil. I will sand now with some 240 grit, then place the frame, without inserts, into the oil bath overnight. This will really pop the colour as well as raise the grain which will require re sanding. I'll sand it all again, going up to 400 or 600 grit, depends on how I feel, I hate sanding. It will then go in for another linseed bath. Once that is dry I will give it a good rub over with 000 steel wool then a final buff with either carnauba or bees wax to bring up a nice shine.

Thanks for watching and please, any questions, just ask.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Great work mate, looking forward to it finished and buffed... I really need a router and drill press...says my dremmel lol...


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## PorkChopSling (Jan 17, 2013)

Wow Hrawk, that looks amazing, and thank you for the build log super helpful.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Here's how she looks all oiled up:


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## All Buns Glazing (Apr 22, 2012)

That's so sexy it's borderline metrosexual. Super cool, like Fonzy.


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

looking delicous ! the color did pop out with the blo . them inserts are gonna pop out like a beacon against that coloring .


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

All Buns Glazing said:


> That's so sexy it's borderline metrosexual. Super cool, like Fonzy.


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Sweeeet ... looks great so far


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## All Buns Glazing (Apr 22, 2012)

Hrawk said:


> All Buns Glazing said:
> 
> 
> > That's so sexy it's borderline metrosexual. Super cool, like Fonzy.


Aaaayyyyyyy, ooyyee goortta fawk hitt!


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

that is a very beautiful shooter as usual great work from the maestro :bouncy: :shocked:


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Great job! Thanks for the build detail.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Thanks for the build log, I found some things I did not know.

Great looking shooter, I wish you many good shots!

jazz


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

She darkened up quite nicely overnight.

Time for more sanding, another dunk in the oil, epoxy the inserts in and give it a good wax and polish.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

How well does the epoxy hold on the oiled wood? Do you have to let the BLO harden up first?

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Charles said:


> How well does the epoxy hold on the oiled wood? Do you have to let the BLO harden up first?
> 
> Cheers ..... Charles


Good question and my answer falls into the "I don't really know" category.

My plan is to clean up the bottom of the recess with a bit of acetone to give a better bond.

It really doesn't need to be very strong at all, as the inserts are quite a tight press fit. I can't tap them out at all and need to shove something through the hole to remove them.


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## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

Very nice post Hrawk. Thanks for taking the time to share. The grain is really gorgeous on that one and the inserts are pimp dude. Thumbs up.


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## Quercusuber (Nov 10, 2011)

Amazing tutorial!!!! :bowdown:

You are a master of build logs, as of slingshots too 

I only wish one day to see you making a natural ...from your hands, it would turn out to be some kind of masterpiece!!!

Cheers ...Q


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Quercusuber said:


> Amazing tutorial!!!! :bowdown:
> 
> You are a master of build logs, as of slingshots too
> 
> ...


I did make a 'natural' once. That's enough.


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## Quercusuber (Nov 10, 2011)

Hrawk said:


> Quercusuber said:
> 
> 
> > Amazing tutorial!!!! :bowdown:
> ...


...and indeed you've made!!!!! AWESOME one!!!

Cheers ...Q


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## BrokenPins (Feb 10, 2013)

This is perhaps the best build log / set of instructions I've ever seen. Nice work dude, and that sling is a gem. Love abalone / pearl inlays, lifelong guitarist so I take them for granted but wow that's looking great.

Thumbs up from this guy.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Finished product can be seen in this thread here :

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/22697-mahi-whakairo/


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