# theraband gold timelife



## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

Hi !
I use theraband gold since few days , simple band but over 50/80shot it begin to crak :/ . I ve change it 3 time , its the cause of a simple band, double are much resistant ?


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## stelug (Feb 6, 2010)

mae be you stretch them too much? Usually mines lasts way over 200 shots


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## Gib (Sep 21, 2010)

depends on a few things, Are you cutting them with a heavy taper? If so you will not get many shots out of it.

I use 1 strip theraband gold each side for my target shooting bandsets and they often last over 500 shots. I do not taper them and I cut them at 2cm x 20cm.

cheers


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

im using a tapered double bandset from gamekeeper john and its well around 500 shots. i have only shot marbles with it .


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## Aras (Apr 2, 2011)

at what points do they brake? (I mean at the pouch, at the forks or somewhere else) I had only one band break since I have started slingshot shooting.


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

i use 25cm , tapered 1.5 to pouch and 2.5 cm to fork , and it broke alway @ 1 cm side pouch, it begin like a needel hole ... and i cut m band with a rolling cutter.


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## bulljunk (Jul 9, 2011)

What size ammo are you using?


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

It can also be that the fork tips are not smooth enough! -- Tex


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

I cut my TBG to 3/4" straight strips with 8" from pouch tie to fork tie. With a 30" draw I kept record of two sets of bands. One set broke at 1325 shots and the other at almost 1350. I have several other sets of 3/4" TBG and they are giving good life, although I'm not recording every shot on paper this time.

Cheers,
Northerner


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

Tex-Shooter said:


> It can also be that the fork tips are not smooth enough! -- Tex


no it is smooth and its cut on the pouch !
thanks tex


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

Northerner said:


> I cut my TBG to 3/4" straight strips with 8" from pouch tie to fork tie. With a 30" draw I kept record of two sets of bands. One set broke at 1325 shots and the other at almost 1350. I have several other sets of 3/4" TBG and they are giving good life, although I'm not recording every shot on paper this time.
> 
> Cheers,
> Northerner


have you cm mesure please


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## Aras (Apr 2, 2011)

hmmm.... what do you use for attaching pouches? what ammo are you shooting?


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

http://boutsdechiffons.logipatch.com/cm_inches.htm its ok ^^


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

i use bicycle inner tube and clay ammo 10mm+/- but its not the problem i post a photo tomoroow


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## Aras (Apr 2, 2011)

maybe your pouch is too small for those balls? I have no idea otherwise


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## Hit and run (May 14, 2011)

Please answer this: What is your drawlength divided by the active length of the rubber?

Clay ammo of 10 mm weights under 1 gram, probably even half that, which is too light for those bands imo. Those holes are likely a sign of excess speed. Get some ammo weighting something like 2-3 gram and see if you still get only 50-80 shots out of a band-set. If you do then read on.

If it tears between the pouch and the pouch-tie, then you don't stretch the TBG enough when tying.
If it tears between the pouch-tie and the fork-tie, then either the fork has something resembling a sharp edge [can be on the back; could be what you use to tie the rubber to the fork; could be your fingernail.] OR you stretch the bands too much. OR the latex is old.
If it tears directly at the pouch-tie then use something else to tie the pouch to the bands.
Another way to get early tearing is by using a dull or chipped blade when cutting the bands.


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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Gregor-Y said:


> It can also be that the fork tips are not smooth enough! -- Tex


no it is smooth and its cut on the pouch !
thanks tex
[/quote]

It is hard to tell but in looking at your avatar picture, it almost looks like the bands are not pulled over the top of the slingshot. I don't know if it would have an effect on longevity of the bands.

Are you pulling the bands back like this? Over the top of the forks?


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

see where the tbg is crak , hum ive buy this on the non-ofiicial website and for attractive price ...


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Gregor-Y said:


> I cut my TBG to 3/4" straight strips with 8" from pouch tie to fork tie. With a 30" draw I kept record of two sets of bands. One set broke at 1325 shots and the other at almost 1350. I have several other sets of 3/4" TBG and they are giving good life, although I'm not recording every shot on paper this time.
> 
> Cheers,
> Northerner


have you cm mesure please








[/quote]

1" = approx 2.54 cm

My bands are cut 1.9 cm wide and measure 20 cm from pouch tie to fork tie. My draw length is 76cm.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Make sure your rotor cutter does not have knicks in the blade...


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

bullseyeben! said:


> Make sure your rotor cutter does not have knicks in the blade...


lol it is brand new


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Those holes are in the middle of the bands, not so much at the edges. So I doubt it is your cutter. Also, the tears are not at the pouch, so the pouch tie is probably not the problem. They are not near the forks, so the fork ties are not the problem.

A couple of things spring to mind. (1) The bands may be hitting something as they fly forward ... as was suggested by others. It could be your finger nail, it could be an edge on your slingshot, back or front. You seem to be pulling the bands back against the fork ties, rather than over the top of the fork. If that is the case then it may be that the bands are hitting the top of the fork at high speed and that is causing the tears. (2) It could be that you are over stressing the bands. This problem might be because the bands are too short for your draw length and you are pulling them near their maximum each time ... that will certainly shorten band life. Or it could be that you are using ammo that is much too light, so the bands are retracting at a very high rate of speed ... sort of like repeated dry firing.

All of these suggestions have been made by others. I have just tried to organize them a bit.

Of course there is a third possibility ... you may just have a bad set of latex. It may be that the bands have thin spots or even pits before you put them on. Examine your fresh latex very carefully ... use a magnifying glass if possible. Hold the latex up in front of a window or very strong light and stretch it. That should show you any weak spots. If the stretched latex does not look very uniform, then it is a poor batch of latex.

When you figure it out, please do let us know, as we will all benefit.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

tyvm Charles , its a very nice analyse. So i am in the 2nd problem, i use to light ammo. I look now for the band quality. please wait


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

ok I inspected the whole band and there are small bubbles along the entire length but it is barely visible ... it is the size of the holes, I'm very angry against my supplier. I'm going to write on.
Thanks Charlie


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## Gregor-Y (Aug 10, 2011)

macro photo of the band ...


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

Gregor-Y said:


> macro photo of the band ...


theres your answer mate


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Gregor-Y said:


> ok I inspected the whole band and there are small bubbles along the entire length but it is barely visible ... it is the size of the holes, I'm very angry against my supplier. I'm going to write on.
> Thanks Charlie


I am very sorry you got a bad batch, Gregor-Y. Latex that is cheap is usually cheap for a reason. And latex sold for exercise bands need not be as perfect as we need for slingshots. That is why it is better to pay a little more and buy from a reputable source. I do not use latex bands myself, but I have just recently bought some Alliance 105 rubber bands. These are circular bands, about 13 cm long, or 26 cm when cut for use on a slingshot; they are about 1.6 cm wide. They are not the hottest bands available, but they seem to work well and are pretty cheap. If you would like, just pm me your mailing address, and I will send you a few in the mail and you can try them. I have been shooting 11mm lead balls with a set for a couple of days, and they show no serious signs of wear. Several of the fellows on the list have been using the longer 107 rubber bands, which are the same only a bit longer ... about 18 cm, 36 cm when cut in half for use on the slingshot. I am happy to send a few of these as well ... some of the fellows are doubling over the longer bands part way to make "tapered bands" ... actually just bands that are doubled for part of their length. But they seem to be quite hot and give high velocity. Anyway, do not be discouraged; and let me know if you would like me to send some 105s and 107s.

Cheers ... Charles


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