Every now and then someone new asks,  "How do I make a sling? I can't find any suitable leather." That's often the hard part. In this modern synthetic age, good leather is often hard to find. But don't despair you can make a top notch sling from old seat belting material which can be had for free from just about any car wecker or repairer. In fact though I still send out my Aussie Pouches I don't use one myself very often and prefer slings made this way.

Here is a completed seatbelt sling

Step 2.

Fold the end of the piece into an "M" shape and hold in place with a rubber band.

Step 5.

Now comes the critical part. Using strong thread bind the end of the belting material so it forms a very firm constriction which does not allow the ball on the end of the cord to pull out. The easiest way to do this is to use a piece of string around 10-12 inches long so it's long enough to get a good grip of, and tie a series of simple overhand knots on either side, pulling each one tight. You can form two layers of binding this way. You should go around the constriction at least 8-10 times. (If you know how to do whipping you can conceal the ends of the string very easily in the groove which makes a very neat finish.) I also like to coat the entire surface of the constriction with superglue which strengthens it and eliminates any possibility of unravelling.

Step 6.

Repeat the exact same process on the other end of the pouch material. Once complete pull on the cords until the ball end or knot comes up against the constriction on each end. It often partially disappears into the valley formed by the material and looks quite neat.  Now test your sling by stepping on the pouch and pulling on the cords as hard as you can to be sure they won't pull out.

Step 7.
Form your release knot and retention loop and the job is complete. With a bit of practise it takes less than 15 minutes for the whole job.

Notes.
The material as shown in the photos is ordinary seat belting which is a trifle stiff to work with but very strong. The cord is cheap synthetic material of some kind I got from a $2 shop. Motor mower pull-start cord is very strong but a touch hard on delicate fingers and a little hard to tie. Paracord is less longlasting but ties well and feels very nice in the hand.

You can also use this method with ordinary webbing of the type used for back pack straps. I like 2" wide material but you can use narrower which also forms very easily but may not be wide enough for tennis balls.

Tie down strap is very soft and pliable and forms a beautifully cupped pouch for tennis balls but may not last too well with abrasive stones. With a tennis ball it shows no wear after thousands of shots.


Good luck and please let me know if you make one.

Aussie

Here is a tie down strap version which I made some time ago. (Sorry fuzzy picture)

melliphile wrote on May 26^th, 2009 at 9:10am:


With tennis balls it shows NO wear. Only the release cord wears with time as I use Fig.8 almost exclusively and it strikes the ground. With stones there will be some surface abrasion but even then the material itself is quite strong. Anyhow replacement is free and takes around 15 minutes to make a new sling, so why worry.

Aussie wrote on May 26^th, 2009 at 8:36am:

Great!, thank you. The idea of the “M” is brilliant. I had tried to use this material sometimes but I was never obtaining acceptable results. This system seems very interesting to me.

So simple and easy, yet effective.  Good stuff, Aussie!  Thanks.  I have to try this one.  You could do this with a lot of different materials.

off to the wreckers!