I really appreciate slings made of purely natural fibres, as I think it helps to feel more connected with the 'roots' of slinging, however there is one significant flaw that stands in the way of using them frequently... the 'tassel'
Within an hour of slinging, the ends of my release cords had deteriorated to such an extent, that it rendered them useless until repair. They were braided from loose sisal fibre.
This tells me that I must be doing something wrong, as I am sure ancient slingers must have found a 'remedy' to this problem.
I know release knots could be employed, but I want to find a remedy for smooth cords. + historical accounts talk about the "cracking" of slings
Any insights?

walter wrote on Aug 29^th, 2020 at 12:22am:

Perhaps, if it weren't for the fact that strong, thick fibres like sisal make for very uncomfortable release knots. I believe smooth cords to be a lot more versatile, in that one can throw really light or really heavy ammo equally well. I don't think a release knot can provide the same flexibility, all in one sling.

I sometimes mix in some horse hair at the end. This increases durability significantly.

Teg wrote on Aug 29^th, 2020 at 3:48am:

Very interesting, that certainly seems like a great solution.
I wonder how human or goat hair would fare, or even quills?

Archaic Arms wrote on Aug 29^th, 2020 at 12:21pm:


Give a Matthew Walker knot a try. It won't come loose when the ends of the fibers get short, or at least mine haven't.

Captain_Twine wrote on Aug 30^th, 2020 at 12:38pm:


Interesting! I was thinking of backsplicing the braid, this seems much faster and easier. Thanks for sharing!

By the way a drop of superglue on sewing is what I used last time, even this can't survive forever...

Sarosh wrote on Aug 30^th, 2020 at 3:16pm:


No problem! Thank you; I'm glad I could contribute.

Here's a more step-by-step explanation of what I did:

You start with a braid as normal. (fig. 1)

When you reach the point where you want to begin to end the cord, you snip one half of each grouping of thread, and looping the remaining end into where the snipped end would go, in sequence. (figs. 2-5)

Continue braiding as normal. (fig. 6)

When one of the loops becomes too small to braid (in this case the white), send the largest loop (in this case the red) through it, and pull tight. (fig. 7)

I hope this helps!

IronGoober wrote on Aug 30^th, 2020 at 12:41am:

Thanks for the suggestion!
Do you do the 2-strand or 4-strand version?
The 4-strand version looks like it would make for a very functional and aesthetically pleasing release-knot as well.