Willeke,
Thank you for your comments. Yes, I believe that, if I find something on the web or in this forum, and think it worth sharing, I should spare others the work of finding it themselves. Although sometimes I do get lazy.
Since you requested it, here is a scan of three of my braided slings, showing the finger loop and release knot as well as the pocket.
The top sling is my FIRST sling. Made exactly according to
Dan Bollinger's instructions
, starting with six 110-inch strands of #18 nylon twine (mason's line), ending with a 24-inch sling. I had no idea how to tie off the end, so it's just a mess of overhand knots. I still have to re-tighten those knots every few throws. With this I made my dog very happy, because he loves to chase a tennis ball. He will chase a stick, but he will drop the stick promptly if I pull out a ball and a sling. And he drops the stick because he is interested in the ball, not because he needs to run for cover!
I accidentally shot the ball right at him once ... I was afraid I was going to hurt him, but he caught it in his teeth and pranced back to me, as if to say "Look, I caught it! I am GOOD!"
The middle sling is my fifth. I had experimented with heavier strings, and with more strings, and neither worked well (mostly because of my lack of experience). I tried making a sling with the four-strand round braid, and my braiding was so crooked that the sling would not hold a ball; when it was put under tension, it twisted and dumped the ball out of the pocket. This sling also uses the four-strand round braid, but I was more careful and it is straight. It is 27 inches long. The pocket is the same as my first sling. The finger loop is a six-strand flat braid instead of a three-cord braid, so it is more comfortable on my finger. By this time I had learned how to whip the end of a cord. This sling has been used as much as my first sling, but I remembered to wash it before scanning it.
The bottom sling is my eighth and (so far) last braided sling. I found the Federacion Balear de Tir de Fona web site, and their
instructions on how to make a sling
. I don't read Catalan, but I understand pictures! The only thing I did not do was put a leather cover on the pocket cords. Sv's braided sling is much better looking than mine, I think. I have a LOT of work to do, to become a good braider or weaver.