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General >> Project Goliath - The History of The Sling >> Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
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Message started by wanderer on Dec 31st, 2009 at 4:22pm

Title: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by wanderer on Dec 31st, 2009 at 4:22pm
No this isn't spam. It's a book I've been looking for for some time originally published in 1960, which has quite lengthy discussions on the sling, and in particular a detailed description of how to throw with it.

http://books.google.com/books?id=kHYSxgNoKHoC&lpg=PA22&dq=sling%20science&lr=&as_brr=1&pg=PA25#v=onepage&q=sling%20science&f=false

The book was, I believe, referenced in Dohrenwendt's paper on the sling. The above is a link to Google books, but it has been republished recently.

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by Thearos on Jan 1st, 2010 at 1:44pm
Figure-8, right ?

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by timann on Jan 1st, 2010 at 2:38pm
That was surprisingly good good info of slings and slinging, and a nice descripion of figure8.  My family has always had a lot of older books, I could have wished that one was among them when I was a youth and did hopeless attempts at slinging.
timann

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by Fundibularius on Jan 1st, 2010 at 3:10pm
Dto. Great find!

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by Thearos on Jan 1st, 2010 at 5:09pm
Strongly discourages any attempt at helicopter !

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by Aussie on Jan 1st, 2010 at 5:15pm

Thearos wrote on Jan 1st, 2010 at 1:44pm:
Figure-8, right ?


Right, long before that particular name was coined. The author calls it a "tennis serve", just like Mark Weaver did when he originally demonstrated it.

This has to be the earliest printed reference to the style. Lyn Ballard's article appeared in Mother Earth News in May-June, 1985. Is anything known about the author of the particular article?

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by Thearos on Jan 1st, 2010 at 5:58pm
I find the sling a bit fussy-- with sewing the pouch edges, sewing the pouch, whipping the separate cord-- with a lot of adjusting, etc. How long would it take to make this sling ?

I dreamt of a very, very simple sling: take a length of cord, tie both ends together-- this will make the end of the release cord. At the other end, tie a loop-- this will make the retention cord. Measure where you want the pouch to be, and tie off the cord. Split pouch.

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by wanderer on Jan 2nd, 2010 at 8:55am

Thearos wrote on Jan 1st, 2010 at 1:44pm:
Figure-8, right ?


Yes. It does look like a pretty definitive figure-8 (although for sure someone is going to disagree with that ;)), and as Aussie mentioned there was the key term 'Tennis serve' in the chapter, so maybe this is in some way a source for the method. Of course there's no clue where the author of the book picked up the technique.

The author was writing under a pseudonym, and he also wrote a set of novels/adventures for chlidren which were all popular in the U.S. in the early 60's. I havn't found anything more about him. There must be people around here who remember reading the books though.

I agree the sling seems quite a laborious design.

Title: Re: Book: Rick Brant's Science Projects
Post by David Morningstar on Jan 2nd, 2010 at 9:53am

Superb stuff! What a great find  8-)

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