As far as I know, yes this is !

I have a new tool. The computer business has been dying for some time and this year I think i can declare it properly dead.
Which is a bugger when it's how I've made my living for the last 25 years.

So my workshop - already home to 4 3d printers, now has a new denizen.

It's a 40 watt, water cooled co2 laser cutter/engraver.
It'll cut: acrylic, wood, leather and probably other stuff.
It'll engrave pretty much everything except direct metal.
And i do mean 'everything'.
I'm still in the testing and learning phase - but so far have engraved: slate, ceramics, glass, wood, leather and a stone I got from the garden !

It still needs some additional modifications - but on the whole, I'm seriously impressed.

I did try a diode laser setup - but in all honestly they're just very slow toys.

So far, leather wise I've been playing with some stuff from my mates old sofa.
done a bunch of different sized fingerloops. Cutting 5 in about 20 seconds, including the end holes - is pretty impressive.

You will notice that the logo on the pouch is not quite centred. That's down to me and inkscape still not being friends. We never will be, but I will beat it into submission !
I also used too much power on the engraving, so in parts it went all the way through lol
Won't effect pouch, but not what I was aiming at.

Just getting the cap paul jpg to the point where I could do anything with it was fairly time consuming.

Hoping that with custom slings, 3d printed bits and pieces and laser engraved goods - I can start a whole new revunue stream.

Between turning 50, a lack of work and the diabetes diagnosis earlier in the year, 2019 has truly sucked.
Here's hoping this is where it starts to improve :-)

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Awesome! I'll be following this with interest :D

looking for ideas for leather goods I can make, any suggestions welcome :-)

I've been collecting leather for a few years - so many types and colours available.

Just need some inspiration :-)

Wow, that qould be awesome.   I have yet to ever try a cap paul sling. Always liked that design. Just never got around to trying one.  For using leather, you could probably cut belts, knife sheaths. Now, didn't Thomas come up with a 1 piece leather sling??

Did you ever get your updated clay press mold fixed? Never saw an update

vetryan15 wrote on Sep 15^th, 2019 at 2:50pm:

Now, didn't Thomas come up with a 1 piece leather sling??

I have one! C_A wouldn't like it though. Basically a flat pouch  ;D

I have one of thomas's one piece slings, good sling.
Only issue is the finger loop is very small. Guess he has slim fingers :-)

There is an inherent problem with the built in hinge on the clay moulds.
Basically the only one out in the wild, broke after about 8 glandes.
Up till that point he was having fun
Currently trying to work out a way use a metal hinge.
Incorporating it into the printed parts is proving 'tricky' to put it mildly.

Because of the orientation you need to print the moulds at, there is a definite issue. Printing in an orientation trhat makes the hinges much stronger, results in an inaccurate glande shape - really awful.
Given that they are not cheap and will be sent around the world, decided to put them on hold until I can fix the hinge issue.

The rolling moulds are still very much available :-)

Now wondering if there's a way to somehow combine laser cut 4mm acrylic with a metal hinge and 3d printed mould. Or some sort of weird chimera style mould anyway :-)

Maybe a standard press with different sized drop in glande moulds.
The 4mm acrylic is incredibly strong.
That would make the initial press more expensive, but subsequent 'drop in' mould pairs would be cheaper.
Once I've got a bunch of other stuff out of the way and dialled in, Ill serously go back to the press moulds. 

But yeah, until I can guarentee you'll get -at least - many hundreds of glandes from the press without it breaking, it's on hold.

That pouch with a logo looks awesome!  Let us know when those are ready for sale.  I'd buy one.  :)

Curious Aardvark wrote on Sep 15^th, 2019 at 1:18pm:

Between turning 50, a lack of work and the diabetes diagnosis earlier in the year, 2019 has truly sucked. Here's hoping this is where it starts to improve :-)

Sorry to hear that. You might consider giving Keto a shot.  We have a very popular doctor here in Houston named Dr. Steven Hotze that has reversed type 2 diabetes in many patients in a similar manner.

When I went on Keto my chronic high blood pressure went from 150/100 to 115/70 in a matter of a few months. It's amazing.

Anyway, yes, not a great year for you, but on the other hand you did get a laser robot that makes primitive weapons which is just plain cool.   [smiley=thumbup.gif]

As far as designing sling stuff, if you ever make a lever type press for making concrete ammo I would be all over that. Something where you could compress it harder than could be done by hand, end up with a more consistent product and make it faster has always been a dream of mine but I lack the skills to make it. I imagine if the clay one is giving you trouble a concrete one is out of the question for now, but a man can dream.

A few more ideas: targets cut from thick rubber. These already exist but are not optimized for slingers. "Sling quivers" or pouches to hold ammo with personalized engravings, arm guards, finger tabs, thumb rings (all archery related), 3d printed slingshots etc.

Looking good CA! 
Sorry to hear it’s a rough year. 2017 was my really awful year. All you can do is embrace the reality of it and trust that the hard times will make you stronger in the end.

2015 for me. Keep on trucking. I'm thinking one of those medieval songs with the multiple slits to allow the pouch to open out would be a good test. A laser would be far more accurate than cutting so might end up with a better final result. I've been wanting to test one of those out.

concrete is actually much softer then clay. the larger particles make it flow much more easily than clay. It's also generally, much wetter.

Think about it - even realy stiff concrete will slump. stiff clay will just keep it's shape.

lol 150/100 - you think that's high blood pressure ?
mine was 200/110.
I spent a week after the international with people doing blood tests and blood pressue tests and then asking me: 'do you feel alright ?'
I felt fine. It's only since I've been taking the blood pressure medication that I've had any lightheadedness or dizzyness.
But my sister says it had the same effect on her. 

It's all down to the diabetes, which I've probably had for at least 5 years - possibly started nearer 10 years ago, I just did not know.
The thing that gets me is. I'm not grossly overweight, don't drink, smoke, do drugs, eat junk food or processed foods. I exercise regularly - I just have a buggered pancreas.
My last doctors visit was 13 years ago - and I'd actually lost a stone in weight in the intervening years.

Anyway, it is what it is - on the whole I'm a very positive person :-)

Right then - anyone know how to attach perspex to leather. I figure if I make a leather backing fob for a custom engraved perspex keyring - that's worth a llot more money than just a piece of perspex on a keyring.
those little metal keyring things - got 100 for 3p each. Not even from china.
I did try my goto glue, uhu all purpose. but it actually seems to eat the perspex and didn't stick to the leather anyway. Going to try pva next as that dries clear.
The thing is, you need the engraved part facing the leather - looks better and protect the engraving. So any gloue needs to dry clear.

The cap paul pouch needs a bit more work resizing. But as I've now got it as a fully noded vector file - that 'should' be fairly straightforward.
'should' lol

As far as your mediaval pouch kick, measure it, mark it  and use a model knife to cut the slits. 

Improving :-)

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Have you tried a leather cement?  I’ve had good luck with Fiebings brand. It seems to bond leather with almost anything.

  You will go down in slinging history!  And the good thing about bad years or even a string of bad years is that they end. 

Man, I've got to send in an order early next year for some of these. That Cap Paul is pretty nice, so I'd take a whole bunch and my friends will be happy.

They work great with Tennis Balls.

The 2 glues i use, e6000 and weldbond. Both are fantastic glues, and dry clear,  but looks a tiny bit glossy. Which onky if you look on certain sections, will you actually notice it

looks like a decent contact glue might be my best bet.
And leave a decent gap round the edges just for glue.

The uhu works well with leather to leather.
I guess I could just do an all leather fob, in a light coloured lether and engrave directly onto that.
I'll try a bunch of different thing :-)

But yes. First 3d printed sling pouch, first laser cut sling pouch.
Small bits of history - but mine own :-) 

CA- you can dunk the finger loop in a cup of water for a minute and jam something tapered in to stretch it to where it would fit you.
I often do work with a colleague who does laser cutting and engraving for me.
It's useful for making batches of items with logos for example.
Personalized items too.
Journal covers perhaps?
Collars?

yeah sorted out the leather engraving last night.
basically lowest power and pretty fast. That just takes off colouring - looks pretty good.
Any more power and you start removing actual leather :-)

Got the basic pouches up to five and 10 finger loops on an a4 size with almost no waste.

Collars ?
dog collars !
good idea :-)

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got the leather engraving dialled in. basically lowest power setting and quite fast. Just removes the coloured layer :-)
Surprisingly good contrast as well.
here's a sling for my mate who's space mad.
He also wants to come to guam in 2021.
So I said he has to learn to sling :-)

Now he has no excuse.

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That is sweet

Looks good CA!  One suggestion: that sharp corner on the inside of the V is a stress point. You might want to round it off to spread the stress out a little.

nah, been making these for a few years - never had an issue.
Also bear in mind this is leather, so doesn't have grain to tear along. Also not cut by scissors, burnt and sealed.

I can see your point - but these are meant almost exclusively for tennis balls anyway.
were you throwing 4lb lumps of lead - even then I doubt there'd ever be an issue.

Thinking about it, it is actually rounded anyway, for some reason stepper motors working together, never really do sharp right angles.
Plus with the way the pouches go together, that part is rarely stresed.

Previously for mass numbers I usually make these out of double denim (two pieces of denim glued crosswise with pva).
Again never been an issue.
Dunno how that stuff will cut - have to try it I guess :-)