# how to cut theraband blue for bands?



## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i have never tried to cut bands before and i got a few colours but i want to start with blue because its my weakest.. any idea of what size to cut them at?
i want to try to waste as little as possible.. i have an idea of how to cut the gold.. but not blue. but i do know that i can make blue super powerful


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Not sure how thick the blue is. But I would do 1 inch tapered down to 3/4 of an inch about 9 inches long (before tying and attaching) probably two layers on each side. Of course it also depends on the frame.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i guess if i just made a bunch of tapered strips then i could just add more if i needed more pull.. maybe ill do that now before i cook dinner.


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

9mm down to 5 mm good taper only need one cut 23 cm long


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

mckee said:


> 9mm down to 5 mm good taper only need one cut 23 cm long


This guy probably knows better than I do. I never used blue. Thanks mckee!


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## Tom in Kingman AZ (Jul 31, 2011)

I believe torsten has a video on this on his you tube channel.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

ok thanks guys.. i cut 9 inch at 1 inch to 3/4 inch taper.. made six strips.. messed up one.. so i got 5.. now i gotta make more to even out and then start testing..


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Torsten's formula for TBBlue(butterfly) 20mm x 10mm x29cm(length) doubled. He uses a 5mm long pigskin or kangaroo leather pouch and 8mm steel ball @340fps


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

mr.joel said:


> Torsten's formula for TBBlue(butterfly) 20mm x 10mm x29cm(length) doubled. He uses a 5mm long pigskin or kangaroo leather pouch and 8mm steel ball @340fps


i will try cutting those today at some point. thank you.


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## monoaminooxidase (Jun 20, 2011)

That's right, but Torsten cuts his bands for extreme high speed shooting, and he states they only last 40 shots when shot full butterfly.
I'm still experimenting with bands myself, but I suppose you could either do a light bandset which is easy to draw, or layer it until you have as much latex as you would have using tbgold - but then why not use gold from the start?
I guess there are pages over pages discussing this topic on this forum alone, but looking them all up and reading them and evaluating and comparing them and finding what suites me best and - I'm always putting this off....


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i am only using blue because they are my weakest bands and i am still learning to cut bands and make bandsets.. i figure i could make all the mistakes i am going to make with blue so i can keep all the black and gold for when i know what i am doing.


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## TacticalHuntingSurvivalist (Jun 11, 2011)

I am lso gonna make blue bands but I need a template for a pouch something with not lots of holes :/


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## monoaminooxidase (Jun 20, 2011)

It's not that hard, unless you want to go for it and make high performance bands from the start. I prefer something that shoots hard enough to kill a can and will last me for a long time. Also, I like the feeling of a single band better than layered bands - I still have some blue and green though, gonna make those subsonic bands eventually, and just to have a little variety...

A rotary cutter and a cutting mat are needed though, attaching the bands is easy - especially if you follow instructions by someone who knows what he's doing







: 




My 2 cents: don't use a wooden or plastic ruler, the rotary cutter will cut chips from it...
If you mess up the attachment you can just reattach.


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

No, they won't last so long, but perhaps more than 40 shots? You could also use .31 lead instead of 8mm steel, would be slower but likely increase band life. It would be smart to bring two rigs when you go out shooting though, while thy don't last so long they are a breeze to shoot and easier to make than with TBG, a trade off like everything else.


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## monoaminooxidase (Jun 20, 2011)

Heh, okay, I'll have to admit I'm talking about things I only know in theory. I will make super fast bands, they sure sound like a lot of fun. But I do not feel safe testing them in my backyard, my housemates already told me to be careful after I had some ricochets with tbg. All I usually do is plinking, don't need 140 fps for that.
Bands and pouches, what to use for what range/performance/ammo, that's where my knowledge in both theory and experience is... rudimentary.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Still waiting for me next lot of.gold so I rigd this one today 2 layers straight cut 1" x7".. works great with 9 - 12mm


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Do you get much more longevity cutting them straight? I bet you do, but at a small power loss, but everything is a compromise!


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

I have and do taper, but for my every day sort of shooting at about 20 metres, straight cut 2 layers is a great comprise with thinner bands.. I can pop 10mm steel through corigate iron...


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

bullseyeben! said:


> I have and do taper, but for my every day sort of shooting at about 20 metres, straight cut 2 layers is a great comprise with thinner bands.. I can pop 10mm steel through corigate iron...


amazing.. i just bought a self healing mat because the first cuts were a bit bunk.. and today i bought another rotary cutter just in case.. i found it at the corner store and it was only 0.99$
so i will cut more blue tonight and make some bands.. 
should i use blue strips to attach the bands?


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

To be honest I often tie off with a softer or thinner band: gold bands I like to tie with black, black with blue so on, some may not think it makes much difference, but I feel the bands are most stressed and encounter most friction at the pouch tie off, so it makes sense to me that bands being shot will wear slower when in contact with a softer rubber...


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

thanks ben! ( technically i am a ben too) 
i will try to mange this stuff today.. i cut a bunch more last night


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Good stuff benj lol, the cut with your cutter is very important, small knicks.in the rotary blade can mean huge loss of band life, mainly pouch end.. so when I cut bands I cut a lot.. then with a duller blade I do many a pouch...
Always use a clean, Sharp rotor blade for good band life...


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

It's great stuff for lighter bullets especially. There's more to life than THG...


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

bullseyeben! said:


> I often tie off with a softer or thinner band


I don't know if there is anything to it, but I have was tying double tapered TBBlack off with the same and they did keep breaking off at the tie in short order. I will try some straight, or perhaps less tapered bands tied off with a thinner rubber to try and squeeze some more life out of them.


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