# Naturally on Cloud 9



## BaneofSmallGame (Sep 22, 2010)

The weekend came and I needed by slingshot fix so I decided to make yet another natural yesterday.

This beauty came from a pretty rugged fork with a quite a few knots and branch snubs. Yet, my knife and 4 in hand rasp made quick work of it in about 30 minutes. Probably my fastest effort yet, that is before I spent a considerable amount of time going down the line of sandpaper grits, before it was so smooth it could pass without a finish to it.

Also, for the first time, I took a little time with my file to create a full groove for attaching, whether I do OTT, gypsy tabs, or Smitty's tabs for tube attachment it will work for everything. And I think it really completes the look of the fork.

Alright enough of my blabbering here, I finished it with 4 thin coats of linseed oil throughout the day Saturday, and though there isn't all that much grain, I decided to go no further to preserve the light silky angelic look. Honestly, this sling has a great satin shine as though it was dropped from the heavens!









Here it is, up in the clouds (snow) showing off it's fine figure and the palm swell that I tried to bring out, almost Torsten style, by carving out the back end so it swells nicely into the palm....



















As you can see it is sort of propped up in an arch because of the palm swell affect, it is extremely comfortable in hand.










Here it is again on a cloud and in my hand:

http://i1115.photobu...e_/CIMG0366.jpg

http://i1115.photobu...e_/CIMG0359.jpg

Hope you liked it I know I do and thanks for looking.....I look forward to your comments...

Heaven knows what she'll wear for bands, at this point it is a toss up but I'm in no hurry to get out and shoot as it's approaching negatives now, I'll take my time and give it a fitting set of bands.

Cheers - John


----------



## Dan the Slingshot Man (Nov 21, 2010)

that's a very pretty fork


----------



## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Wow, Gib! You're getting not only faster, but better too! That's a real nice one Dude!


----------



## Botus (Dec 3, 2010)

Beautiful work in a staggeringly quick amount of time, respect is due!


----------



## Qucifer (Dec 27, 2010)

Very cool fork. What rubber setup is this one going to run?

Q


----------



## BaneofSmallGame (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks for the kind comments everyone!

I guess I did do it quite fast, the wood chips were really flying on this one as I made decisions while I went along on how it would turn out....

Q, I'm not exactly sure yet, but as I said, I won't be doing much shooting in this weather so I have some time to make a decision....


> ...whether I do OTT, gypsy tabs, or Smitty's tabs for tube attachment it will work for everything
> .........Heaven knows what she'll wear for bands, at this point it is a toss up but I'm in no hurry to get out and shoot as it's approaching negatives now, I'll take my time and give it a fitting set of bands.


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

Nice!! I like the one little natural dark dot on the end of the handle.


----------



## philly (Jun 13, 2010)

Very nice John, I really like the knots they give it alot of character. Good work.
Philly


----------



## BaneofSmallGame (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks Ray and Phil!

I liked the knots too, I think they compliment the rather bland grain quite nicely. They provide the touch of character it needed.

Well, I said I'm a slingshotaholic and I wasn't lying, I made another today out of a similar wood that was far uglier and knotted to start. It took a bit more work but I think I finished it pretty well. I'm giving it a similar silky finish with the wiped linseed oil, so look for that one tomorrow. You could say they are related, except the next one is even more ergonomic....









Cheers - John


----------



## mxred91 (Aug 8, 2010)

Nice work John. The grooves look perfect.


----------



## jmplsnt (Jan 1, 2010)

Another superior effort John. I like them all but this one is a good solid effort and I am certain that when you find the ideal elastic for it you'll have (yet) another fine addition to the arsenal. Great work and I like the snowy/cloudy backdrop.


----------



## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

That is a nice one for sure! Looks comfy.


----------



## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

John, one of the best naturals, your getting lots of praises for your job


----------



## HOE (Nov 13, 2010)

What a beauty!


----------



## GreyOwl (Oct 21, 2010)

Really nice one, John. Proportions are well balanced.
If you don't use it, you know what to do!!! Hehe


----------



## BaneofSmallGame (Sep 22, 2010)

Thank you so much MX, Jmp, Ray, Irfan, Hoe, and Phil.....it is always great to hear from everyone, it keeps me going.

@Jmp, it is certainly another good edition to my arsenal, I'm not 100% I've found the right elastic for it yet, but it works well at least for now.

@Phil....what would you be implying by those statements?......









Okay everyone time for an update, I got her banded up and ready to go this afternoon with some 18-42 tubing and a really nice flat pouch courtesy of a deal with E-Shot. I decided after a little though to go pretty simple with the tab attachment Smitty style which I had never tried before. I just cut the part of an old belt that has holes for fastening in a tab length and shape, all pre-made and ready with holes for my tubes. I figured that this must work because Smitty is the Chinese tube man, so it has to work for him ,and it will work for me.

I kind of like them because they give a similar look to gypsy tabs, yet I have to find a better looking method of attachment that I can still take off and go to OTT, etc. with ease. Anyway, so I strapped up using constrictor knots with cotton drop line string both tab and pouch, I have to say I'm getting better at my knots and I'm starting to like them more for attachment.....

The bands seem like they have quite a bit of snap as I have them single and similar to Dgui's length . No shooting today though, as it is about -12 degrees outside......


















Yes this is pictured in my right hand, as I am looking to give right handed shooting a go, as I think I started out wrong this fall. I am both right handed and left eye dominant, so this seems to be the best combination for me. I've only been shooting for about 5 months so it will be worth it to switch before it is too late, at least in the long run....



























Thanks for looking, I look forward to hearing from you.....

All the best - John


----------



## GreyOwl (Oct 21, 2010)

Sorry John, you're right, I've forgotten to pm you my adress!


----------



## BaneofSmallGame (Sep 22, 2010)

Little update, these Chinese tubes are an absolute blast to shoot! So simple, so smooth, and such a light draw with some zip.....

I'm going to have to make a steel ball order after all, because a lot of my new elastics for target shooting are so fun to shoot, yet don't go well with stones (it's a shame because they are free)









Cheers - John


----------



## HOE (Nov 13, 2010)

The leather for the 'Spain style' looks so solid. But it can be shortened a little bit to get a better draw length.


----------



## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

That looks good in your hand John.


----------



## jmplsnt (Jan 1, 2010)

DH is right; it does look great in the hand. You know, it would require a lot less of my already almost-too-short chains to attach to this style than a full-arc gypsy tab........hmmmm........


----------



## BaneofSmallGame (Sep 22, 2010)

> The leather for the 'Spain style' looks so solid. But it can be shortened a little bit to get a better draw length.


Yes Hoe, the leather is nice and strong from an old thick leather belt, and I have no need to shorten as the tubes are so short they are perfect back to my anchor, and anymore draw length will max them out each time and decrease the band life.

It really is nice in the hand DH and Jmp, actually both ways around too!

And Jmp I would highly suggest giving this style a go on at least one frame, it is definitely practical, and there is no doubt band length is saved. Plus if you attach them with a couple #64s like I did, then if you don't like them you can just pop them off the frame and go back to your style. When you have some spare time at home, or out on a hitch, give it a go......it's another versatile attachment method to have up your sleeve.

Plus, it still doesn't stray away from you scrounged material shooters, and a cost of almost nil......my tabs were from an old belt









Cheers - John


----------



## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

Nice Osage fork you have there.


----------



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Very nice looking fork you have there!
When you attach Chinese tubes you might try using a little piece of scrap tube instead of string to join at the tab and the pouch. Just put the scrap piece on the tube (I use long, pointy tweezers and just force them open) make the loop through the pouch or tab, run the end of the tube back through the little piece and you're done. It looks sano and holds up great. I've probably got a thousand shots on this attachment method.







Good work, as always!


----------



## jmplsnt (Jan 1, 2010)

I have yet to purchase a single square centimeter of leather or wood for a slingshot. The only materials I buy are floss and superglue with the exception of my gang moulds in a long-ago time. I'll be giving this a go on the boat as we have a perfect hole punch out there I don't have at home, though I should buy one the next time I go to town and this method of yours will require some perfectly-punched holes to function correctly.


----------



## Xidoo (Aug 14, 2010)

John,
I are you sure this is a natural and not a natural extention of your arm?? Looks great and I got the feeling that shoots way too good. Congratulations you are a great craftsman. Saludos.


----------



## smitty (Dec 17, 2009)

Looks like a real nice shooter. I enjoy using leather tabs of different kinds to attach rubber to a slingshot. There is just something about it that seems better for tubes than shooting by passing the rubber over the top. I guess I enjoy all different kinds of attachments because it is more fun to experiment with different things. One of the things I like most about leather tabs is they can be made for very quick change of tubes by using a loop and peg with a snug fitted hole in the leather. Like the tube could be tied with a loop at the end, pulled through the leather tab and a peg slipped into the loop. Pull it all tight and you shoot all day, but if you want to change rubber...pull the peg and remove the rubber. It does cause some premature wear at the hole, so if longer life is wanted a rubber sleeve should be used where the rubber contacts the rubber. All I do though is keep an eye on any signs of wear.


----------

