# What's In Your Cargo Pocket



## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

*I was always tempted to buy a figure 8 shooter online but never did. Eventually I ordered a descender ring from Ali-Express ($7) but it just laid around for months. Then an idea came thru last spring for a 1632 figure 8 ring shooter using small stainless eye bolts and the rem welded to the handle as a palm swell. It took a while to scrape up money for machine shop services.*

*I have a big hand problem - my preference is small metal frames but my hands spread large and my fingers are long. When I brace and pinch a flat metal frame, a big hollow forms in my palm - a flat frame can twist and I have the scars to prove it. I need some kind of palm swell to fill that space.*

*I'm happy with the spendy results, it was worth doing. It's very comfortable to hold and shoot and when it's swallowed up in my hand, there's no way it can twist. The arc fits in the deep fold of my palm and at the right angle no less - bonus!*

*The eye bolts are perp to the frame and parallel with the tube set trajectory - the small loops travel over the eyes in a relatively easy launch path. I suppose I could file and shape for days but it has a utilitarian DNA so this is as far as I go. However, this project inspired other frame ideas using radii and circles.*

*A shout out to Brian at Micar Fabrication for drill, tap, and tig. *


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## joeroberts.jr27 (Nov 13, 2017)

Tidy that mate.

Sent from my Lenovo A7600-F using Tapatalk


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## Royleonard (Jun 30, 2017)

Great exploration of ideas to fill needs.I like your style and your results.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

I have not seen this before . Nice !


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## SlingNerd (Mar 15, 2017)

Nailed it.


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

Great looking shoot, Monkeynipples!

Innovation, functionality and good looks.

Is that a bead-blast finish? Looks really tool-ish.


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

KawKan said:


> Great looking shoot, Monkeynipples!
> 
> Innovation, functionality and good looks.
> 
> Is that a bead-blast finish? Looks really tool-ish.


*Thanks Ray. Yes bead blast, had to sand a lot first bc anodizing can hide myriad little flaws. I was going to clear coat it but not sure, can always blast it again if it gets mungy. *


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

AeM - nice one that - really nice thinking.


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## AaronMB (May 1, 2013)

Yes! That is slick.


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## MIsling (Sep 7, 2017)

Very unique! I like it a lot.

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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Awesome looking


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## SlingNerd (Mar 15, 2017)

Feel like you should Dub it, AeM.


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## Ibojoe (Mar 13, 2016)

That was a good idea and a great outcome! Smart thinkin!!


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## Abenso (Apr 28, 2017)

I really like the ring as a palm swell. Killer!

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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

I am a big fan of ring shooters and I really like this one!! I would turn the open slots on the rings toward the target side and close the gap with a small piece of tubing. If you are not careful the tube can slide down into the slot and pop loose when you re aiming.


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Very well done my friend...Enjoy....Oh what's in my cargo pocket you ask........Lint

akaOldmiser


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

SlingNerd said:


> Feel like you should Dub it, AeM.


*While working on it, I called it The Ladybug bc it reminded me of that little wind-up toy.*


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## devils son in law (Sep 2, 2014)

That's a really cool twist to a basic figure 8 shooter! Too bad you don't have the resources to weld aluminum and tap small diameter forks. I love it!


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## AustinPlinker (May 18, 2017)

Ingenious design. Wow!


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> I am a big fan of ring shooters and I really like this one!! I would turn the open slots on the rings toward the target side and close the gap with a small piece of tubing. If you are not careful the tube can slide down into the slot and pop loose when you re aiming.


*I'm careful about the loop position before each shot GG, but I agree with you for a different reason. Two, maybe three out of ten times, the left (top) tube will get trapped in that gap upon retraction - i.e., the middle of the tube, not the loop, is trying to get back inside the gap after the shot is completed. 70% of the time the tube set will snap back normally and not try to wedge itself in that left hand eye bolt. I haven't figured out why yet, any ideas?*


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

devils son in law said:


> That's a really cool twist to a basic figure 8 shooter! Too bad you don't have the resources to weld aluminum and tap small diameter forks. I love it!


*Thank you Jake. Way back in the day, I enrolled in a welding lab at a community college every semester for 18 years. I was an amateur and a hobbyist, but for $54 a semester, I had access to a full on machine shop and welding lab to make anything I wanted - no assignments, just show the instructors drawings of what I planned to make. It was open all day 'til 10 PM and 'til 2 PM on Saturday, and not a dirt floor operation either - rather a place where welders obtained their 2 year state welding certification. Corporations donated truck loads of thick plate that was piled high in the yard for them to practice with, and I used a fair share as well. * 

*I saw some amazing things. To show off, a couple of instructors would cut a soda can in half, then heli-arc it back together with perfect continuous micro beads ... by hand. I never became a very good welder, but thanks to grinders, I was able to make a ton of stuff. Those were some good times. *


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## Ukprelude (Apr 17, 2016)

Awsome little shooter 

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## mostho (Mar 28, 2017)

Fantastic evolution of this fgure 8 shooter. The palm swell other than avoiding any other waste is terrific!
man you hitted the nail badly with this one!

:bowdown:


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:


> Grandpa Grumpy said:
> 
> 
> > I am a big fan of ring shooters and I really like this one!! I would turn the open slots on the rings toward the target side and close the gap with a small piece of tubing. If you are not careful the tube can slide down into the slot and pop loose when you re aiming.
> ...


Try a little piece of tubing to close the gap. It will stop the tubes from forcing themselves through the gap. I think you can see what I mean in this photo. You can still change tubes without removing the small pieces.

http://slingshotforum.com/gallery/image/22824-black-walnut-ring-shooter-2/


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:
> 
> 
> > Grandpa Grumpy said:
> ...


I forgot to mention next time you might try making the gap in the rings a little smaller. Really stretch the tubes thin and slip them in - the tube pieces will protect the tubes from damage as you slip them in.


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## SlingNerd (Mar 15, 2017)

Let me just say that for a thread where you asked what we have in our pants this has become a super interesting read. :naughty:

I totally agree with Mostho, AeM. The fact that you solved your flat frame problem and simultaneously erased all the waste that comes with making a figure 8 shooter was a stroke of genius.

And "The Ladybug" is a fine name. Maybe a coat of red Plasti-Dip?

If you don't mind, I'm curious as to what the labor put you back.


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## mostho (Mar 28, 2017)

I’d leave ad is bead blasted with just some anti skid. No paracord. Pure as is


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> Grandpa Grumpy said:
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> 
> > Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:
> ...


*Thank you GG. That walnut ringer is a handful of beauty. Did you use any glue or epoxy to help anchor the hooks? I have blue Loctite standing by if the lock nuts aren't enough but I'm guessing the shock of 1632 isn't enough to defeat them. I'm still baffled as to why the occasional retraction misbehaves - maybe it's caused by a slight variation in cant or angle. * :iono: *I'll try turning the eye bolts around and using small tube pieces as gates.*


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

AeM -m there is a little Dankung-esque frame in one of the photos - which one is that?


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

SlingNerd said:


> Let me just say that for a thread where you asked what we have in our pants this has become a super interesting read. :naughty:
> 
> I totally agree with Mostho, AeM. The fact that you solved your flat frame problem and simultaneously erased all the waste that comes with making a figure 8 shooter was a stroke of genius.
> 
> ...


*All I'll admit to is it was north of fiddy bux.*



*I enjoy yours and everyone's flattering comments, who wouldn't. However I don't take personal credit for this idea. We don't create any of our ideas - they come thru us but not from us. This speaks to the magic of consciousness - we are merely conduits for a most gracious higher power, and I'm content with that role.*


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

mattwalt said:


> AeM -m there is a little Dankung-esque frame in one of the photos - which one is that?


*Hi Matt, that is a modified General II (G2) from Dankung. Northerner introduced me to it a couple of years ago. The elegance of the design is compelling, but it's a 'flatter' and I have to add a bolt on amp foot from ebay to stabilize it.*



http://www.dankung.com/Gcontent/general-stainless-steel-dankung-hunting-slingshot-ii_1233


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Its particularly good looking naked. Don't realise whats under the wrap. Saw the palm swell idea in an earlier forum post - very cool.


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:


> Grandpa Grumpy said:
> 
> 
> > Grandpa Grumpy said:
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I use 3/16" X 2" eye bolts and sink the whole 2" into the forks and epoxy them in place. I follow Henry's tutorial when I make my ringshooters.


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## S.C.Daniel (Nov 7, 2017)

I've thought about making one from a Figure 8, but have never got around to the build. Maybe someday.


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Nice work buddy! I like the sand blasted look... no glare. Nice and small with high durability. Enjoy!


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## S.C.Daniel (Nov 7, 2017)

Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:


> *I was always tempted to buy a figure 8 shooter online but never did. Eventually I ordered a descender ring from Ali-Express ($7) but it just laid around for months. Then an idea came thru last spring for a 1632 figure 8 ring shooter using small stainless eye bolts and the rem welded to the handle as a palm swell. It took a while to scrape up money for machine shop services.*
> 
> *I have a big hand problem - my preference is small metal frames but my hands spread large and my fingers are long. When I brace and pinch a flat metal frame, a big hollow forms in my palm - a flat frame can twist and I have the scars to prove it. I need some kind of palm swell to fill that space.*
> 
> ...


Ever since I fell in love with the PFS, I have craved small slingshots. I read up on the Ring Shooters that Squirrel made, liked the idea and made several. I love them. I had always liked the Slingshots made out of a Figure Eight, and you solved the dilemma of how I want to make one... I even have an old Figure 8 laying around somewhere...

QUESTION: Did you have the holes drilled and tapped, or just fill them with Epoxy? I may try one with Epoxy. I also have BIG hands, and the weld would help greatly. Sounds like a plan.


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

*Yes, drill and tap at a local machine shop ... I have blue Loctite standing by but not needed so far bc I use light tubes.*

*If I were doing it again, I would shape the rear of the rem to fit the handle better before welding - difficult to do after it's welded.*

*Good luck with your build - be sure to post it as there are many fans of ring shooters here.*


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## mostho (Mar 28, 2017)

Alfred E. Monkeynipples said:


> *I was always tempted to buy a figure 8 shooter online but never did. Eventually I ordered a descender ring from Ali-Express ($7) but it just laid around for months. Then an idea came thru last spring for a 1632 figure 8 ring shooter using small stainless eye bolts and the rem welded to the handle as a palm swell. It took a while to scrape up money for machine shop services.*
> 
> *I have a big hand problem - my preference is small metal frames but my hands spread large and my fingers are long. When I brace and pinch a flat metal frame, a big hollow forms in my palm - a flat frame can twist and I have the scars to prove it. I need some kind of palm swell to fill that space.*
> 
> ...


each time I see this topic each time I still seat admired.


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## enzo61 (Apr 12, 2018)

Alfred E.M.

Congratulations excellent work, very beautiful aluminum slingshot.

What diameter and length of rubber bands you used???

Thank you............Enzo


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## HappyGilmore (Jul 9, 2015)

Ive had a siimalar thought about one of those figure 8 rings but the use of the extra piece for a palm swell is genious...really inspired.

Great work!


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

enzo61 said:


> Alfred E.M.
> 
> Congratulations excellent work, very beautiful aluminum slingshot.
> 
> ...


*Thank you. The tubing is 1632 from Dankung - 6 inch single length and 1 inch loops - very snappy, great for small ammo.*


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## Reed Lukens (Aug 16, 2020)

Back to the future Ward 🧚‍♂️
This is a great older thread by Alfred E.M. 
🤠Great memories🤠


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

God bless you Ward . You're missed here .


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## Sandstorm (Apr 5, 2021)

Ward and I weren’t really friends up until close to the end, but I believe he had great faith and some knowledge of the universe. I think he’s in a good place. Maybe even reading our comments and shaking his head at most of them 😂. His passing wasn’t without pain though, for those of us left behind. He pops up into my mind occasionally, when I become still.


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