I just finished purdhasing some dacron line off of e-bay. Here's the info on it.


200 Feet 3/32 Double Dacron
Antenna Rope

- Good for 250 Pounds of Stress
- Does not Stretch
- UV Resistant - Does not Rot in the Sun!!!
- You can untie the rope with your fingers!!
- Great for hanging G5RV's and Dipoles
I hung my first dipole using cord from drapes. It lasted less than 4 months!! I replaced it with Double Dacron over 20 years ago. Its still there and I can still untie with my fingers.


I've been wanting to try some of this stuff for sling cords for some time, and finialy got around to ordering some. I think that being 3/32 inch thick and 250 lbs test with no stretch it should make for a very fast and responsive sling. The first sling I plan to make will have a small split pocket pouch, as small as can be used with about golf ball sized stones.
If anyone is interested in the results, I'll post them.


WalkingBird

Because inquiring minds want to know.

I am interested Walkingbird. I never thought to use the bow line like that. About how much did the 200 feet cost on ebay if i may ask. Do you think you could braid it to make a pouch, but just an idea.

Ok kinda off topic but if you braid like 5 strands does this make the wieght that it can hold 5 times more?  i was wondering this because i want to hang a hammock up in the back yard but i dont wanna use thick rope because it takes away from the hammocks coolness
just curious
Sean

Depends on the kind of line you use, Sean.  Braiding strengthens a line a lot, perhaps not five times, but probably more, if you think about it.  Is this hammock homemade or did you buy it?  Because if you bought it, it should come with line strong enough to take anyone's weight.
  I didn't know dacron was that strong or durable.  I'm sure it would make a good sling.

we bought the hammock but it came with I bolts to screw into the trees if thats what you wanted to do but my dad went all tree hugger on me and said i couldnt screw them into the tree because it might damage the tree.  it came with chains not rope though.
Sean

WalkingBird,

Just Lary Bray used the sling with the cords made of braided dacron during his GR attempt. Should work pretty well :)

Jurek

Dacron is a Dupont polyester derivative (actually pet, but who is keeping track...) And should be plenty strong. The most important thing with most plastics is the construction, rather than the chemistry though, so you really need to assess each sample individually (or by intended use). "Antenna cord" sounds like pretty tough stuff - Dacron drapery cord often has a soft braid over a fibre fill and is _not_... As for braids, the "slacker" the braid, the higher the % of the original strength you preserve.

If you want to do your trees a favour, find some nylon or poly seatbelt-type webbing and use that to make slings (;D) that you wrap around the trunks and tie your ropes to.

- Matthias (wishing he had trees for his hammock - oh man I wish I had trees...)

Give us some feed back on how it works out!!

I have always loved hammocks.  I'd prefer to sleep in a hammock with a tarp as a cover than any other way.

Well, here's the scoop.

Gun, the Dacron line cost me $15 with shipping for 200 ft. Seemed like a fair price.

Sean, I no braider to speak of, but I guess that a five strand brain would give you somewhat less than five times the strength, because with rope in general doubling the amount will not double the strength. That is why most modern bow strings are a series of individual lines, so you get the most strength for the least weight. I think if I were to hang a hamock that some sort of flat strap would be better. This stuff is only 3/32 inch thick. That means you have only to abraid through 3/32 and you have severly degraded the ability of the braid to hold.

Jurek, I was not awear of it being used by Larry. "There's nothing new under the sun" I wonder how he liked using it.

David_T, I'll be sure to post my findings. As you might guess my biggest concern is for abraiding through the cord with the craggy rocks to be found here. The lighter weight of the line might help here. First thing I'll do is try and cut throught it by abraiding it on the coner of a brick to see how it holds up, after that it's sling building time. I may have to switch from using a toggle to a leather finger strap; I don't want that thin line to be able to cut into my hand between the fingers. Fatter line is not a problem here. But I don't yet know about something this thin.

And for those who are into braiding, doing a search on dacron on e-bay will reveal some really bright and interesting colors. One who can braid could probably make some outstanding looking slings.


WalkingBird

I don't like braiding man-made fibres as much as natural ones.  They twist and spin and muck up the braid more, and they cling to each other a bit more, so braiding cleanly is more difficult.  And natural fibres are very strong.

WalkingBird,


Quote:

... I may have to switch from using a toggle to a leather finger strap; I don't want that thin line to be able to cut into my hand between the fingers. Fatter line is not a problem here. But I don't yet know about something this thin.

Thin release cord makes a little problem with the griping too. Of course, it is possible to use some ingenious big knot on the ending but  I like better to use a additional short piece of a thicker cord conected to the thin one. You needn't to resign the toggle, if you do the same with the retention cord.

I also use the sling with the thin (~ 1 mm, 0.04") cords. The thicker cord pieces on the endings make my griping more reliable.

A sling with very thin cords more tends to twisting during the windups, so keeping a proper pouch orientation is a bit more difficult. Besides, if you release a stone when the cords are twisted together, you may wear them out easy, despite their durability and for sure, that shot will be poor.

From my experience, thin cords give some range profit, epecially for longer slings and lighter projectiles but they make the sling less unfailing.

Jurek

You'll have to post some pictures for us.  You can email them to me if you want me to host them for you.  

Chris

Chris
  I'll be glad to send some photos as soon as I get some time to get a sling or two done. I have received the dacron and it sits on my desk even as I write this so in the next week or two I should have something for you.

Yurek
  Thanks for the good idea of using heaver cord at the ends, I may try it, but it looks as though it may work well with just the dacron. Don't know yet but I'll be sure to post.


WalkingBird

It's taken me a while , but here is the results of trying out the dacron line.

I'm pleased with the performance of the dacron, on the overall, I'd say for me it is worth the cost to purchase the line. The line is somewhat flatish, not perfectly round, has practicly no stretch. There is a little stretch, but that is due to the braid and not the material.

http://www.slinging.org/images/DSCN0628.jpg

Here you can see the line is two piece, and outer sheath and an inner core. The inner core is also braided, but not as tightly. This stuff melts very much like nylon. The lack of stretch makes it necessary to "mushroom" the end when melting it, this will help to hold the knot. (I use only a half hitch to tie the line to the pouch.) There is no problem with the line being too thin.

http://www.slinging.org/images/DSCN0630.jpg

Here is the hank of Dacron with a smaller hank of 1/8" nylon. It gives some idea of the size.

http://www.slinging.org/images/DSCN0661.jpg

This image again gives some idea of the size of the dacron. (The knot is a half hitch, but loosely tied)

http://www.slinging.org/images/DSCN0635.jpg

This is one of the slings made from the dacron. Iv'e had no problem with line twist. The stuff is not to limp nor to stiff. It's easly rolled up and put is an pocket, and yet does not tangle up very much, a nice trait to be sure.

http://www.slinging.org/images/DSCN0653.jpg

I love the looks of the bradided slings, but for an easly made sling, this is all you really need, leather, some cord, and a bit of dowel.

http://www.slinging.org/images/DSCN0672.jpg

Here are my two first dacron line slings. The longer one is 34" long and the shorter is 27" long. I like the shorter more, but they both work well. The longer I've found needs a stone of more exact size, to large and it takes too much effort to work well, to small and it's not heavy enough to get good flight. The shorter sling is more forgiving of stone weight variation. These slings make quite a bit of string noise, they really cut throught the air. I would not want to have to hunt with it. The dacron seems to be somewhat less resistant to abration than nylon, but not overly so. It may be due to lack of stretch.

Bottom line.
I would buy this stuff again. I'm gona make more slings from it, it seems fast, and is easy to work with. It's not perfect, but If I were to try inventing a cord just for making slings this stuff is what I'd be shooting for, (or maybe slinging for).  8)

Hope this is some help to someone.

WalkingBird

Looks good. How well do you like the wooden handles? Do you like them better than finger loop and why?

Gun

Thanks. Well I've always used a toggle on my slings. I've tried using a wrist strap years ago, but did not like it. The toggle works well for me, I get no finger strain using it. The toggles are 3/8" dowels and about 1 and 3/4" inch long. They cross my middle and ring finger in use. I haven't seen anyone else using them which suprises me abit seeing how easy they are to make and use.

WalkingBird

I think the dowel idea is super!   BUT I wasn't smart & coordinated enough to keep my middle fingers crooked around the dowel at the same time I released the knot with my forefinger and thumb.

I pitched the whole sling a couple times, so gave up on the dowel. :-[

mgreenfield

mgreenfield
   
   I hear you, don't feel bad, most people throw the whole sling a time or two, but after that they are able to work it pretty well. We do alot more complex tasts everyday, (like driving for example), and it becomes second nature to us. My release technique is thumb only, the rest of the hand maintains the same position. Anyway it's cool that you have at least given it a try.

WalkingBird

I'll have to give the dowel idea a try next time I have to make a sling.

In lieu of a concho style grip with relax trigger release.........using a 3/4 inch dowel with carved finger grips and leather thong release works well also as it is close to the style that many already use.

The toggle has an advantage from an "OSHA" safety standpoint.   If the free end of your sling gets tangled in something bad, you can drop the toggle and get away.  A finger or wrist loop could drag you into the hazard.

A toggled sling is also probably faster to put into action.

Finally, the retained cord on a toggled sling is probably easier to keep in a set location.  It's pinched between two finger joints.  This should give more consistent slinging.

I think I'll try the toggle again & see if I can master it.

mgreenfield

yeah i might try it. All i would have to do is tighting the loop on the dowel. No big modifcatin to my sling

mgreenfield & Gun

Good luck trying the toggle on your slings. Hope you like it. I think that you notice a marked difference in the amount of finger strain.

WalkingBird

MG......you now have me rather involuntarily envisioning Don Quixote attacking windmills with his sling....only to get one caught in it's blades and I watch him flailing around and around.....OSHA's never around when you need 'em!


lol?   :)

I got a toggle on the retained cord to work fine this time.  My toggles are 1.5" of 3/16" wood dowel.  I hold the toggle right at the base of my ring & bird fingers &  let the retained cord exit my hand between those fingers.   It may be giving me a little extra snap even.  No clue why this might be.   Thanx the suggestion again.  mgreenfield

cool, I still haven't got a 3/8 dowel but know i see there is some extra range so i will get right on it.