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Fire?
Apr 27^th, 2018 at 10:07pm

So I remember seeing (and reading) sources showing the sling can throw incendiary ammunition, especially fire pots with staff slings. I'm aware of the modern slingers making videos of slinging fireworks.

I also remember seeing rocks would be heated from some source only to be slung and set something wooden on fire.

Assuming this could be true: how exactly would it be done; is there a certain type of sling, or was it even done at all? I imagine a natural fiber sling would receive a lot of heat damage if not protected by leather sewing.

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NooneOfConsequence

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Re: Fire?
Reply #1 - Apr 27^th, 2018 at 10:28pm

A lot of the ancient incendiaries were based on naphtha. If it’s kept in a breakable container, then any exposure to fire would set it off after it breaks. A coal ember could be thrown with it or the fire can be thrown separately if the naphtha isn’t thrown near a fire to begin with.

There are other chemistry tricks you can do too: nitrates and strong acids, calcium oxide plus water... anything exothermic is a candidate.

It sounds like a dangerous thing to try in real life though unless you’re throwing somewhere very wet and the area is well controlled.

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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Sarosh Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Posts: 1144	Re: Fire? Reply #2 - Apr 28^th, 2018 at 1:53am what NooneOfConsequence said. plus https://web.archive.org/web/20151004154156/http://slinging.org/index.php?page=in... probably leather pouch instead of natural fiber or split pouch.
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TheJackinati Senior Member Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 314 Australia Gender:	Re: Fire? Reply #3 - Apr 28^th, 2018 at 2:09am Caesar makes mention of clay slingstones from the Nervii that were heated in campfires and slung into his campsite. Caesar was obviously not amused by this.
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woodssj Senior Member Offline That lake isn't going to fill itself, y'know... Posts: 302 'Round & about, Here and there Gender:	Re: Fire? Reply #4 - Apr 28^th, 2018 at 2:25am Red Hot Rocks slung into lakes have a tendency to explode. Just be aware, and send them a ways away from where you are. But it's still safer than slinging them on the ground, which might have something flammable on it..
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vetryan15 Slinging.org Moderator Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 1913 Northern Maine Gender:	Re: Fire? Reply #5 - Apr 28^th, 2018 at 11:12am Leather pouch would probably be best. But they also heated up clay glandes and threw em onto a thatched roof, while raiding towns. The thatched roof was highly flammable due to materials used.
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Drakolith

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Re: Fire?
Reply #6 - Apr 28^th, 2018 at 1:45pm

Could also make a Kevlar pouch, Kevlar is pretty heat resistant. I know of some good Kevlar cord on amazon if you want the link. If you’re wondering how they did it back then, I believe I remember reading that they would put a water soaked cloth between the stone and the pouch so that the pouch wouldn’t burn, but my mind might be making things up. I don’t know for sure.

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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8102	Re: Fire? Reply #7 - Apr 28^th, 2018 at 9:36pm They say some sling stones can penetrate the human body. While I've not tested this, imagine what a red hot sling stone inside of you would feel like? Then again, at least it would cauterize the wound...
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slingbadger

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Re: Fire?
Reply #8 - May 1^st, 2018 at 3:38pm

Olaus Magnus talked about a battle with incendiaries. It happened in 1521, between the armies of Christian II and the native Finns-" but, where there were no stones, which was seldom seen, they cast into the forts as forcible as they may, a piece of iron that is glowing red hot, which they put with a pair of tongs, into the sling. They will make such a violent wound and torture, that it can hardly ever or never cured with the help of the physician." Christian lost most of his men to this attack.

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« Last Edit: May 2^nd, 2018 at 6:31am by slingbadger »

The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th cent. science has been the discovery of human ignorance The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits.-Einstein I'm getting psychic as I get older. Or is that psychotic?

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slingbadger Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Don't Badger a Badger Posts: 3220 Akron NY Gender:	Re: Fire? Reply #9 - May 1^st, 2018 at 3:41pm the battle
Back to top	sling_002.jpg (375 KB \| 54 ) The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th cent. science has been the discovery of human ignorance The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits.-Einstein I'm getting psychic as I get older. Or is that psychotic? IP Logged

Kick Forum Moderation Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Fire? Reply #10 - May 1^st, 2018 at 3:45pm Using a staff sling would make sense. I would want that hot iron FAR away from my hands.
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NooneOfConsequence

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Re: Fire?
Reply #11 - May 1^st, 2018 at 8:21pm

It’s amazing how the simple solutions can work so well! I probably would have tried to come up with some complicated scheme, but holding metal in a fire sounds terrifyingly effective! I wonder why that wasn’t a more common technique... scarcity/cost of metal materials for ammo?

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8102	Re: Fire? Reply #12 - May 1^st, 2018 at 11:13pm Red hot iron....when a normal sucking chest wound just won't do.
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Kick Forum Moderation Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Fire? Reply #13 - May 2^nd, 2018 at 1:20am I'm still only a student nurse but I've already seen some nasty wounds that just refuse to heal and those were clean surgical ones. Getting hit with a hot piece of iron from a staff sling in the 1500s... I would be hoping it killed me outright because initially surviving it is too horrible to think about.
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