# Synthetic Pouch Help Request



## beaker83 (Apr 24, 2016)

Hello,

Totally new to slingshots. I'm a vegan so I don't want to use any kind of animal hide for a pouch but I'm kind of striking out on finding synthetic pouches that I can purchase. I realize that synthetic is probably inferior to leather for functionality in this sport but I'm willing to accept that. I have seen the posts on here about making my own dacron pouch (and contacted the person who makes them about buying some from him-no luck there) but seeing as how I haven't shot a slingshot since I was a kid I wouldn't be able to self diagnose whether I made a lousy pouch or not. I will definitely look into doing that once I've got some shooting time under my belt. Does anyone know whether there are non-leather pouches available for purchase somewhere? And other than that, what other materials besides dacron might be good for making a pouch (if it comes down to that for me). Thanks in advance!


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## Metropolicity (Aug 22, 2013)

A lot of my Chinese shooters show up with a type of synthetic leather that feels a lot like pressed felt. If you feel that adverse to it, consider using some preloved leather goods and chop them up for pouch leather, it's better to honour the animal's skin than to let it go to waste.


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

*Member of the forum Wingshooter makes pouch's with Dacron fish line..You may have to contact him...*

*Welcome to the forum.....~AKAOldmiser*


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## beaker83 (Apr 24, 2016)

Metropolicity, I will check that out. Thank you!

Oldmiser, Wingshooter is who I contacted and he said he doesn't do anything with slingshots anymore. Thanks for the welcome!


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

http://slingshotforum.com/gallery/image/23578-nylon-pouch/

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/7495-non-leather-pouch-materials/


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

I have made a couple of David-And-Goliath style slings from paracord. The smallest of these had a pouch about the size of a slingshot pouch and actually had a nice pocket to it. You can find many vids online for weaving those.

Also good old Gorrila-Tape slit partially and folded over itself into four layers and then trimmed and punched can make a functional pouch until then.

I honor animals differently, but I respect your decision.


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

There are some here who make nylon braided pouches, I forget who...am sure posts will denote the sources. Braided nylon pouches are tactile and serve well from what I've read on this forum...many swear by them. You might learn to braid your own, I think there are youtube vids on that subject.

I tried ordinary inner tube and it worked pretty well. It's a little slicker than leather (suede side out, shiny side next to ammo). You can get old but good servicable inntertube rubber free at any place that changes tires. Also, I swear by inntertube (truck innertube is thicker and lasts a very long time) targets. I make various sized disks and hang them with wire to a cross bar of 1/2" steel rod so they twirl when hit. Truck innertube just doesn't want to wear out. I make the disks with a 1 inch by 1 inch tab on the top with two holes to hang with copper #12 wire to the cross bar. I made silhouette targets of half sized rabbits and squirrels as well out of innertube, that way you can shoot rubber all day without taking a life.

If you decide to try innertube rubber for pouches, you might want to keep your fingers clean and not greasy and wash the pouch with a cotton ball of alcohol before each session to keep it clean and tactile. I've used innertube pouches to much success.

The Germans use a synthetic material on the Rambones made by Joerg Sprave (the slingshot channel on youtube, the guy is hilariously inventive). Bill Hays did a run down on the Rambone hammer grip slingshot and didn't particulary like the pouch as opposed to leather.

I've never bought leather for pouches...I use my wife's cast off shoes and boots. A worker ditched a pair of leather shoes the other day when we finished the brick work and roof of my wood kitchen, I've got them on my bench for salvaged leather for pouches. I agree with Metro... if you use cast off leather items it's not promoting use of animal products at all, in fact, saving a bit of land fill space if you think about it. Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry anyway, you don't eat it..and buying leather does not promote meat sales. So you're safe from the animal products therefore, as a Vegan. I would limit this to steel balls and not rocks or other ammo with corners and snags.

Several posters tried straight flat bands with NO pouch at all.. placing the steel balls in the rubber band itself, marking with a marker a dot on the band for center. I don't think it would contribute to undue wear although I haven't tried it. Just use a continuous band. You might spray it with a little Armorall or similar protectant so skin oil doesn't degrade the latex in the band...but don't use too much of it, it's slick and the band may discharge before you are ready, sending a ball errantly into something or someone you'd rather it didn't hit.

Since the pouch is essentially dead space and dead weight, slowing down and not contributing to velocity/power, using the band itself to house the ammo gives you a little more umph, more elastic,..and less dead mass to rob efficiency. Flat bands of course are used for this as opposed to tubes.

NYLON WEBBING POUCH. Treefork above linked to one I made from ordinary nylon hard finish webbing I gleaned from a discarded backpack. I melted the part using a Bic butane lighter where I cut rounded ends to seal the nylon fibers and used a pencil type electronics soldering iron to punch the holes, fusing the nylon as it went through so it could not fray. This webbing pouch worked fine actually. There are thick and thin nylon webbing, go for the hard finish thinner type. It was an experiment that worked.


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