Was activated over a week ago but have not yet had time to make a single post, swamped by life atm, but figure a proper introduction is at least in order now (thank you Joe for activating me). Will try to keep it semi-short; tend to drag text out...

My name is Filip and I'm from south-western Skåne in southern Sweden. How I got into slinging...

Well I have loved throwing rocks far/into the water at the ocean and at my grandmother's ever since I was a small child; just to hear the splash (simple mind) and simply because throwing is fun. Then saw some immigrant here in Sweden use a sling randomly at a protest. That + the David and Goliath story sat in the back of my mind... Then randomly saw a Youtube video one day a few months ago and from there went down the figurative online rabbit hole and decided to look up how to make one/ordered some paracord. Partly learned for nefarious reasons (just being honest here), partly for wanting to use it to hunt rabbits (maybe nefarious as well depending on who's asked) and partly because it just seemed plain fun.

I have now made 6 completed paracord-slings in total using both round- and flat braids, been pestering different people on Youtube for tips here and there over the past months (all have been cool about it though so the community seems great), and having never done braiding or anything paracord-related at all before would say that the improvement is a LOT between my first/last sling; currently waiting for more paracord to arrive to make more of them. Sling-making + music/interesting video = very relaxing.

Wanted to become a member partly to get tips on how to better make the slings (especially the transition to/from the pouch at this point and how to incorporate the extra strings better/smoother) and how to make custom ammunition with clay (have yet to try making that in the first place).

Actually found this forum trying to look up how to get consistant ammunition and there being an image of the 3D-printed custom glandrollers (RIP to CA; never knew you but with the impact left on here must have been a very cool person). Will be looking to either aquire one of those through contacts here in Sweden or get into 3D-printing too further down the line.

Still have ZERO accuracy with the throwing, have so far mostly practiced by the beach, so feel comfortable blaming small random rocks as ammo and extremely windy conditions so far for that, but can at least throw far now using both figure 8 and balearic style; both decently well (thank you to Blind Squirrel RockChucker, idk for sure but would just assume he's on here too (?), for the video that showed figure 8. Had issues with it due to not starting it from high but from the waist like I would the balearic; no bueno).

Used to juggle (the diabolo mainly but also ball-juggling, yoyos etc) VERY seriously for many years: MANY hours practicing alone so this hobby fits right in with that. No longer as serious about juggling, bit too old/injured/lazy, and the international diabolo forum closed fairly recently so guess that's just another reason I'm here (one of these oldschool forums discussing hobby directly in exchange for a different one). Slinging and juggling seems to overlap a bit as far as hobbies are concerned (fairly easy to get into but harder to master, fringe hobbies with endless possibility to practice alone for cheap, relaxing, a reason to touch grass etc) so this seems like it'll be a good and rewarding activity for all of the above reasons.

Next project is to try to make a better single loop sling (so far just been folding up BSRC's adjustable double loop designs), to make a 6-strand 3x braid thicker sling (length inside of thumb-armpit which so far seem to be preferred length), and to learn how to make ammo with clay from outside as mentioned above.

That's a decent amount about me; almost completely new to the hobby, found randomly, and I currently enjoy both making slings and throwing with them though so far the throwing part has taken a backseat. Excited to get into the hobby more and being a member here is a great step in achieving that. Attached is a photo of ALL of my first completed slings (not that many yet). The colorways aren't very fun perhaps but yeah... Just got two different sets of paracord and some mistakes meant losing a chunk of available material. There has also been a LOT of experimenting that led to loss of material. Will be better looking stuff in the future hopefully.

So yeah hello everyone, you all seem like cool people, will hopefully be reading/posting/bugging you for advice more in the future when time allows.  ;)

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Welcome! Those are some gorgeous slings - I wish my first few looked as good!

There is certainly lots of information on making ammo here. I don't have experience in that regard except one whistling clay glande I made and promptly destroyed via slinging.

Blind Squirrel was here a few months back, but he's not here anymore, unfortunately. He is a good slinger though, and has some good tutorials.

Glad to have you here!

Welcome from Pennsylvania, USA!

Nice slings! :thumb:

Excellent introductory post. Others should follow your example.  Welcome!

Welcome from Sherwood Forest.
😁👍

You are talkative but welcome anyway.  :)

Welcome from New Jersey, USA. 

Welcome! :)

Welcome!
Those are some great looking slings. Well done!

I do feel you about the sling making. It can be very relaxing to be making slings, and enjoying the proces.

Thank you all for the warm welcome (and for the praise of my slings; still have a LOT to learn though number of completed ones in the single digits still).

Was pointed in the right direction for the tutorial section so thanks for that as well. Being busy AND lazy have yet to deep dive and read/watch any of it thoroughly, will do so once time allows (summer is busy), but got more material finally and it gave me motivation to start another two slings.

First one already finished (4-strand round braid in fire orange-black), finally got a decent whip-cracker down, and now started on my first 6 string flat braid (using slightly modified fingerloops).

Figure still being new I'd share the process here; far from done and hopefully didn't cut the black black strings (planned zig-zags for the pouch) too short. Rainy day and free time until the second set of EC-quarters so will hopefully reach the pouch-section and find out today.

This one will be strictly for tennis ball use to get some more consistant practice going (currently have to bike over 10 km to the beach to throw anything so that's not ideal rn).

First time doing a Matthew Walker and might have "dressed" it wrong (?), apparently the bottom strings were supposed to be moved "up" in some way during the dressing part, but tightened it and it looks cool so keeping it this way for now. Thinking of using a double knot at the end as an experiment; recommended?

Edit: oh maybe need to get a special workstation for the sling making in the future (like some place to braid while sitting down)? As you can see currently do all braiding on the clothing hooks by the front door.

Also how do I go about resizing photos here please? This is the second time posting a photo only for it to blow up into a giant one and am unsure why sorry moderators; it's due to lack of technical know-how not on purpose. 🤷‍♂️

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You are progressing well.
My braiding station is ths back door handle !!
I suggest you try slings from different materials.
Jute, hemp, sisal, cotton, wool but definitely a seat belt sling.
When it comes down to it, the only way to sling is with a sling you like in the style that feels right.
How do you which sling you like untill you have tried many ?
Ditto style.
There is many years of information gathered here and yes C.A. was a gentle man.
Be happy
:)

As to resizing;
If your photo editor doesn't do it simply search on line for
"image resizer" and several options will appear.
Just knock the last number of each digit set i.e. reduce from a 4 figure number to 3 figures and you are good to go.
:)

xud9a - call me zud 👍 wrote on Jul 6^th, 2024 at 8:10pm:

You are progressing well. My braiding station is ths back door handle !! I suggest you try slings from different materials. Jute, hemp, sisal, cotton, wool but definitely a seat belt sling. When it comes down to it, the only way to sling is with a sling you like in the style that feels right. How do you which sling you like untill you have tried many ? Ditto style. There is many years of information gathered here and yes C.A. was a gentle man. Be happy :)

I checked out image-resizers but moderator has been here already. Thank you Rat Man; will try to resize pictures in the future as per zud's tip above and see how that goes.

Thanks for the encouragement and tips. OK so not alone in doing the braiding while standing. I put on some Super Mario piano jazz arrangements and go to town. Am lazy though so would be nice to be able to sit and watch crap while doing the braiding as well.  ;)

Different materials in the future sure (have seen single string slings) but for now this is my project and then maybe a few more 4- and 6-strand ones first to REALLY get the hang of it before experimenting further. I was planning on doing an 8 string in the colors of a sunset, yellow>orange>pink>purple, once done with this but probably months away as would need to purchase more string again, it's REALLY used up quickly when I don't know measurements for different things. Also want to try a more open single fingerloop design with a folded snakeknot á one of Road Dog's tutorials.

Reached the desired length to start the pocket for the 6 string btw (onger than my two favorite rock slings, inside of thumb to armpit, but figure with a tennis ball being a bigger projectile I'll make this ever so slightly longer) and am now unsure... What would be the pros and cons with braiding this pocket in a zig-zag pattern (if you know?) like I have previously with the 4-strands vs doing a normal 3-string braid on each side to equal length and then resuming) please?

I currently lean towards the 3-string due to 1. not having tried it before 2. seen a video of a guy who got gifted a BSRC-sling (sorry don't know that guy's name off the top of my head or would credit for the video but I guess he's here on the forum too) where the pocket was made this way. Also figure it'll use less material (already cut WAY more than I needed, the opposite problem of what I tend to have, for this so can maybe save some pieces to use for pockets/fingerloops if doing this unsure) and expect it to possibly line up better with the rest of the sling. Does it grip equally well? Can a "smile" be inserted after the braiding part or would it have to be done during in this case?

Edit: also forgot to use grip glue on all the latest slings (just melted the ends nothing else). Is this something you tend to do/is it very required for lastability?

Ok, so many questions.
First thing, chill !
Then, all your questions, and many more you haven't got to yet are answered here.
There are over 500 pages of "pictures of slings and slinging"
In faqs there are tutorials on (nearly) every style of sling and much more beside.
If you want the good stuff Jaegoor is a master with braids of 32 strands and awesome accuracy with lead.
Mersa is trickshot king.
Archaic arms - Lewis . Rocks !
David Morningstar - watch and learn.
Joe Meadmaker - iceman.
And many others you will discover as you browse.
Enjoy.
:)

Just to add; My braiding station is... my couch.
I just put a piece of cord around one of the legs of the side table, and use that as an anchor.

You don't need much, just something that gives you some resistance.

xud9a - call me zud 👍 wrote on Jul 8^th, 2024 at 6:03am:

Ok, so many questions. First thing, chill ! Then, all your questions, and many more you haven't got to yet are answered here. There are over 500 pages of "pictures of slings and slinging" In faqs there are tutorials on (nearly) every style of sling and much more beside. If you want the good stuff Jaegoor is a master with braids of 32 strands and awesome accuracy with lead. Mersa is trickshot king. Archaic arms - Lewis . Rocks ! David Morningstar - watch and learn. Joe Meadmaker - iceman. And many others you will discover as you browse. Enjoy. :)

Yeah my bad get a bit impatient with the info-searching because the summer here isn't great; want to soak up as much slingmaking know-how as possible so I can get some proper practice in before it ends. Will lurk more and look through the tutorials better. Thank you very much for the list of people to watch/pointing me in the right direction. 👍


Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 9^th, 2024 at 4:03am:

Just to add; My braiding station is... my couch. I just put a piece of cord around one of the legs of the side table, and use that as an anchor. You don't need much, just something that gives you some resistance.

Aha may be using too much force then (try to make the braids as hard as possible rn so putting a lot of weight on that hook). Again thank you for all the tips. 👍

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 9^th, 2024 at 4:03am:

Just to add; My braiding station is... my couch. I just put a piece of cord around one of the legs of the side table, and use that as an anchor. You don't need much, just something that gives you some resistance.

Same here.  I keep it simple.

To resize I use MS Paint.  It's a small program that doesn't use a lot of computer space.

Well it is true that a tight braid gives more rigidity. But I don't think you have to have it as tight as humanly possible.

I think it is more important to make the braid even and consistent.
I actually like it that my anchor starts to slide when I pull it to much, that is a signal I'm pulling to hard.

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 10^th, 2024 at 4:08am:

Well it is true that a tight braid gives more rigidity. But I don't think you have to have it as tight as humanly possible. I think it is more important to make the braid even and consistent. I actually like it that my anchor starts to slide when I pull it to much, that is a signal I'm pulling to hard.

OK so this is more good advice thank you. Currently still making my 6-string so pulling that one as tight as possible; saw a tutorial that one can hammer on it later to make it looser (?) so I've made it VERY tight this first time around and then pulled to make the braid more consistant. Pouch turned out pretty well; seems it was easier to do with 2x 3-braids than the 4-strand versions (no knots/melting needed). Now braiding towards the end.

^So I know I wrote above that I should lurk a bit more and watch a few more tutorials etc first... Well I actually have been doing that today and not found relevant information so have to ask this, because getting close to finishing it don't want my first 6 braid to turn out crap and because making it with a double fingerloop is unlike what I've seen other people do (so can't find a tutorial that's relevant here), what are some very general rules to follow?

Based off of what I've NOT seen online thus have two main questions rn:

1. Is it OK to keep it a 6-string flat braid all the way to the top or SHOULD I splice out two of the strings to make the release cord lighter (other instructions have shown splicing the two extra strings out but in those cases they weren't added to the beginning of the sling like I have done)? Pros/cons of this? Advantage to 4-string is that I wouldn't have to do the MW-knot again rn (until learning it properly) and that I could make the end knot smaller (seem to prefer lighter release). Advantage to 6-string idk.

2. The double knot to end... What ARE the pros/cons? It'd add SOME heft to the downstring but idk if that's good or not (?). The traditional slings obviously become thinner towards the end.

I THINK (again not much experience) the round braids are preferable because I don't "feel" them turn when they cross the shoulder; but maybe feeling that turn is a good thing idk? I THINK the turn won't be felt as much anyway because the loop-part down to the knot has been made longer, so it swings more freely, but if I do a double knot I'll have a section of loose strings towards the ends too to match the end (or I could braid those round ofcourse?) .

This is the current progress (before deciding on how to finish; used paint to resize image (2x -50%) as per suggestion above thank you Rat Man). No "smile" on this one noticably, didn't know how to do that with a 3-strand and while alone, but will try to buy cheap clamps and make one next time; this'll be for tennis balls only so all good they should not slip through:

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It is fine to leave the release cord with all of the strands, but I think you'll find that the sling feels heavier and more sluggish if you do. Tapering allows the release cord to get out of the way of the projectile faster upon release and reduces the sling from pulling your shot (you'll notice differences in release timing).  Of course you can adapt to a heavier cord just fine with practice, so it really isn't that much of a concern. But you'll get less interaction of the sling/projectile upon release if you taper the cords.

I don't know if a double knot has an advantage other than being less likely to come undone. Personally I stick with a single knot.

As to flat or round braids. There could be some reasons for one over the other, but I don't know what they are. Flat braids are easier to see if the sling is twisted, which should be avoided. That being said, I really like round braids, they just feel good. 'hubert' makes amazing slings and they have round braided cords that work really well.

IronGoober wrote on Jul 10^th, 2024 at 10:35am:

It is fine to leave the release cord with all of the strands, but I think you'll find that the sling feels heavier and more sluggish if you do. Tapering allows the release cord to get out of the way of the projectile faster upon release and reduces the sling from pulling your shot (you'll notice differences in release timing).  Of course you can adapt to a heavier cord just fine with practice, so it really isn't that much of a concern. But you'll get less interaction of the sling/projectile upon release if you taper the cords. I don't know if a double knot has an advantage other than being less likely to come undone. Personally I stick with a single knot. As to flat or round braids. There could be some reasons for one over the other, but I don't know what they are. Flat braids are easier to see if the sling is twisted, which should be avoided. That being said, I really like round braids, they just feel good. 'hubert' makes amazing slings and they have round braided cords that work really well.

Thanks again for all the useful tips; thank you everyone who's been giving input and useful direction.

Yeah I think I prefer round braids too (these possible to make as well with 5-6 strings to make them thicker?). Pouch orientation seems to matter less. As per my introduction have a lot of experience with juggling and that especially involves diabolo/yoyo so don't seem to be a problem to tell wether or not a string is twisted based off of feel alone. 😉

Just finished current project up (I think; will do some more test swings first and not do the mistake of cutting string before being certain this time. Can't test it outside yet because the weather is terrible). Have seen advice about sewing leather on the pouch or waxing it (guess to make it last better?) but don't have leather available rn and no wax so this'll probably be it for this one for now. Don't think tennis balls will wear it out that quick (?).

Went with just dropping the green strings on the back of it right before the knot and then doing a TIGHT turk's head as close to the braid as possible, some open string and another turk's head. Then figure I can burn the green ones close to the knot to not have them come undone. Thinking the open strings between the end-knots will be enough to make it swing well. Just doing test swings without releasing it feels REALLY good; better than anything I've managed to make before. For a first 6 strand am very happy with it. Finger loops quite uneven, to be expected perhaps due to them being an experiment, but the thicker one on the middle finger seems to work.

The ending is usually the problem; tend to get impantient and want to cut string early before being sure. This sling feels REALLY good to swing though so don't want to make that mistake again (especially the pouch; normally feel some tendency of the projectiles slipping but not here just super secure).

Also see that I WAY overestimated the string needed for a 6 strand as picture shows. Guess knowing the amount of material is something that will come with more experience. Hopefully pieces left aren't too short to use for future pouches. If they are they'll serve as practice for knots anyway. Need to learn that MW knot.

Next project will be a 4 strand with an open snake knot fingerloop (to see what it feels like to have a more open knot vs closed one) inspired by one of Road Dog's tutorials. Will hopefully be able to make a better pouch this time too with the rockman tutorial I was directed to. Again thank you everyone for all the tips. More updates (and dumb newbie questions) to come probably.  :)

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Looking good.
Just start swinging, and you'll learn what details you would like to adjust.
Everyone has an own style and preference, you can't really go "wrong".

Tennisballs won't wear the pouch. The release cord will probably be the first thing to show some wear, after cracking it many, many times. Leather/wax isn't a neccesity.
Worst case; you get to make a new (even better) sling. ;D

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 5:37am:

Looking good. Just start swinging, and you'll learn what details you would like to adjust. Everyone has an own style and preference, you can't really go "wrong". Tennisballs won't wear the pouch. The release cord will probably be the first thing to show some wear, after cracking it many, many times. Leather/wax isn't a neccesity. Worst case; you get to make a new (even better) sling. ;D

Thank you. Yup today's weather for it finally so am going to the beach to test the slings made before the 6-string. Cool; don't want to wreck the 6-strand immediatley. Need to learn to make it better so am going to try the braided single loop that I saw in tutorials. Also need to get "sinew" for crackers. Didn't know how to spell that before, though heard it in a video, but saw the name on this forum so very helpful.

Do you happen to know if there's a tutorial on an adjustable single loop knot? I have seen a tutorial using a turk's head knot that was running separate on the sling (so I guess tied afterwards) that slid up/down but that wouldn't be tight I imagine. Is there a design out there that does that (adjustable single loop)? Have been just folding the double loop over before but would be nice to learn something new.

Here's the progress on the sling I started yesterday. MW-knot I still THINK I have issues with (?), because I don't move any strings "up" like the tutorials said, but it spirals and LOOKS right so idk. 🤷‍♂️ Was able to braid in the extra strings better this time. Now to either look at that rockman tutorial to see if I can make the zig-zag pouch better (or do a 3-braid again).

Thanks again for all the help. :)

Edit because I forgot to resize the image. Does that MW look right? Dk what I'm doing "wrong" (?) but to me no strings need to move up; it still looks like a spiral (much more comfortable with the turk's head but like the look of this one). 🤷‍♂️ Loop is GIANT, way overestimated the snake knots needed (had not done those before; thought they were TIGHT but as soon as they fold they feel very loose), but can get two fingers in there and the point WAS to try a loose loop so guess it's fine for a first try.

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I don't use an adjustable loop. I don't really see the advantage compared to a decently sized loop, that won't slip over my knuckels anyway.

You could skip the knot near the finger loops at all, and just start braiding.

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 8:11am:

I don't use an adjustable loop. I don't really see the advantage compared to a decently sized loop, that won't slip over my knuckels anyway. You could skip the knot near the finger loops at all, and just start braiding.

Thanks again for a good reply. Well I THINK I prefer it really tight but again don't have enough experience actually throwing. This summer's weather here has been terrible so far. Don't think I'd like the feeling of the sling possibly flying off the finger. This obviously just half done; don't know what it feels like loaded yet. Next time will make it with about half as many snake knots or less probably. I like the idea of being able to getting it off/on the finger quickly at least. Thought adjustable was good but a good press on the top here is probably enough.

Will try making another one of these without a knot. Wether that's next project or something before that will see. Got any tips for pretty/good knots in general (4-strand turk's head works, snake knot works, MW 4-strand... decent, 6-strand needs work... other suggestions?) or already mentioned ones are enough?

I think that during the throw, the natural pull of the sling is enough to tighten even a simple loop around the knuckle.
I would be careful with making te loop to tight. When you are throwing, your fingers might swell a bit from the exercise.

I do like to use the cobra knot. I think the snake knot has a similar purpose, but I do like the aesthetic of the cobra.

You could also try to use some paracord without the core for the padding of the loops. That makes it a lot smaller/thinner, but with similar with.

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 10:16am:

I think that during the throw, the natural pull of the sling is enough to tighten even a simple loop around the knuckle. I would be careful with making te loop to tight. When you are throwing, your fingers might swell a bit from the exercise. I do like to use the cobra knot. I think the snake knot has a similar purpose, but I do like the aesthetic of the cobra. You could also try to use some paracord without the core for the padding of the loops. That makes it a lot smaller/thinner, but with similar with.

Thanks again for the reply; sounds good. So far have not been tightening around the knuckle but further down at the base of the finger. I liked that but will experiment further. Saw a guy on Youtube make a traditional sling, can't remember his name off the top of my head but he dressed up as a roman for the video so easy to tell who I'm talking about, and he held a big loop further up the finger so that was my thought with this one (still turned out a bit big though didn't account for it opening during the flex so this size was a straight up learning mistake; might be well suited for throwing BIG stuff).

Cobra knot... Need to look that one up thank you! 👍

I already use no padding for the double finger loops (first sling was with the padding but I liked it better without so it wasn't so thick). I don't know how to do that with this current design though. Works fine to braid with one strand WITH and one without a core? Or you're talking for a different design?

Edit: looked up the cobra. I can see two immediate uses. 1. to easily attach two strings before braiding and then using it as padding for a non-adjustable loop 2. braid the same way as this black/white one but then put it around the outside near the top to maybe slide up and make it tighter (or just as decoration). Good tip thanks again. 👍

Klydd wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 10:48am:

Saw a guy on Youtube make a traditional sling, can't remember his name off the top of my head but he dressed up as a roman for the video...

Sounds like Archaic Arms.  He's a member here.

ScantPalaver wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 1:24pm:

Klydd wrote on Jul 12th, 2024 at 10:48am: Saw a guy on Youtube make a traditional sling, can't remember his name off the top of my head but he dressed up as a roman for the video... Sounds like Archaic Arms.  He's a member here.

Yeah that's the guy thank you; just didn't check the name up before posting.👍 That video showed I should to get into the clay ammo making too.

Loop too big on the black/white but have tried with a tennis ball now and it swings that without falling off so a rock would be even easier. As for throwing dk yet.

Here are the two slings I tried yesterday + the finished product of the black and white. No throwing possible for a day or so now as I JUST messed my bike up, people throwing glass on pavement 🙄, so not being able to go to the practice-beach likely got time now to make even more of them. Still going through material like crazy; need to remember to measure up length in a good way next time and then check how much is left over/needed additionally and adjust from there.

The green one is the one that's too small that whipped me across the face (I see there's a giveaway thread so unless I find a suitable person to gift it to in the local area could maybe post there; haven't tried making a cracker on it yet, and that's going better now, but it's simply too short). Orange one seems to have turned out well and the whipcracker on it works. Black/white just swung a tennis ball. Next project is either another try at the black/white design with a smaller fingerloop or another 6 braid but with a "normal" braided loop; undecided atm.

Edit: is there a good way to put a "smile" on a 3 string braided pouch (I feel these are easier to get tight)? Have been thinking about braiding one pouch side at a time and then putting the straight section (for the "mouth) there and then while braiding the other one putting the knots in (rather than trying to go in afterwards with a needle or something). Maybe there's a better way though?

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Welcome, those are some nice slings. I would definitely recommend to learn a few new braids and pouch styles as making the same sling over and over again gets old unless you're selling them. Beside different slings behave differently and trying them all out is always interesting, especially of they're made with your own hands. I've been mostly using mexican style slings (you can find tutorial for those, I think it's on an old tutorials page) with my own twist, made mostly from polyester ropes from nautical shops, but am currently making a knotted pouch sling from cotton strands and it looks gorgeous so far. Anyway, I made quite a text wall here, I hope it'll help.

SlingerOfTheIsles wrote on Jul 14^th, 2024 at 7:10am:

Welcome, those are some nice slings. I would definitely recommend to learn a few new braids and pouch styles as making the same sling over and over again gets old unless you're selling them. Beside different slings behave differently and trying them all out is always interesting, especially of they're made with your own hands. I've been mostly using mexican style slings (you can find tutorial for those, I think it's on an old tutorials page) with my own twist, made mostly from polyester ropes from nautical shops, but am currently making a knotted pouch sling from cotton strands and it looks gorgeous so far. Anyway, I made quite a text wall here, I hope it'll help.

Thanks for the welcome and sling praise. 🙂 I will look up what a mexican sling is.

Yeah new pouch styles and finger loops is what I'm doing currently but have not tried different braiding techniques besides "normal" round/flat; figure best not to stray too far from balearic slings and different braid types before getting the basics down better (still unsure on how to transition in/out of the 4 strand pouch smoothly even after seeing the Rockman tutorial; have made about 10 slings in total now and never did any of this before so figure that's not that many, still a LOT to learn and it probably won't get old in a while. Need to at least learn to make them consistently and with exact lengths of material).

^Is a 6 string round braid viable or is it too loose/more of a decorative thing (have seen it on eviltube)?

As far as the slinging goes... Well I can throw hard and far using figure 8 and balearic style but don't have much accuracy so must get onto ammo making. I like the "heft" of the 6 string and the new snake knot one so tennis balls first though.

Don't really think that was a wall of text but I like to get extensive information; am in need of it rn. Would rather know what to do before experimenting and losing more material. Thank you for the good input. 👍😉


Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 8:11am:

You could skip the knot near the finger loops at all, and just start braiding.

I just finished the snake knot for the next attempt at a similar sling as the last (got it right this time; last time forgot to account for it and lost material towards the end due to uneven length). Now remember this tip... Will the braid not come undone in this case when the sling twists?

It won't come undone, if you make is tight against the finger loop. In your previous slings, you have a couple of cm with straight rope, and then a turkish knot. You could just start braiding, and pull tight against the snake knots.

If you are in doubt, you could start with a (few) crown knot(s).

The easiest finger loop is with the 6-strand. Just braid about 10cm of 3-strand in the middle of the rope, fold over, and start braiding in a 6-strand. It wil be secure for the lifetime of the sling.

Just practice, and improve according to your own wishes ;)

BTW, I did make a 6-strand round braided sling, and it works fine. It is a bit heavy tough.

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 17^th, 2024 at 5:04am:

It won't come undone, if you make is tight against the finger loop. In your previous slings, you have a couple of cm with straight rope, and then a turkish knot. You could just start braiding, and pull tight against the snake knots. If you are in doubt, you could start with a (few) crown knot(s). The easiest finger loop is with the 6-strand. Just braid about 10cm of 3-strand in the middle of the rope, fold over, and start braiding in a 6-strand. It wil be secure for the lifetime of the sling. Just practice, and improve according to your own wishes ;) BTW, I did make a 6-strand round braided sling, and it works fine. It is a bit heavy tough.

Thanks once again for the reply and all the useful tips. Yes that's how I've made everything up to this point; with the knot near the throwing hand. One of them had a shorter distance to the knot and didn't feel as good, that's the flat one where I can feel it turning, so thought maybe it wasn't good to braid too close to the loop (open strings swing nicely). Now thinking it was more due to the flat braid (and not getting the pocket lined up well).

Right will try that version of a 6 strand next then (the 3 strand fingerloop then a snakeknot version after that perhaps). No doubt; if you say it works I'll trust that and give it a go. 👍 Not attached to the idea of using knots at all besides at the end; the fewer of them the better it would seem to me (?). Also still not sure about the 6 strand MW knot. The 4 strand seems to work OK for me, despite possibly "dressing" it wrong, but the 6 strand idk. I have made one try and that's it but maybe just got lucky with the colors lining up like I wanted them to.

Also just learnt what "tapering" is, apparently I'm supposed to remove the innards of the paracords towards the end of the sling/make it slimmer there (?), so will have a chance to try that as well. Am thinking of splicing in 3mm paracord (rn using 4mm all the way) for that purpose.

just finished up another b&w 4 strand with the non-slip loop, smaller loop this time, and having it loose DOES feel fine (more sensibly sized than the previous one). The fact that it's faster to get off the finger is good too. Also melted a few extra paracord-innards onto it to braid for a possibly different sound; braiding them will be the last thing to do on it. Dk yet how it will hold up but is an experiment.

Still unsure how to attach the pouches closer/zig-zag them into eachother like seen in pictures, can't follow the tutorials on that, but will give it another go later. Was directed to the rockman sling tutorial but it doesn't seem to describe it the way I thought (?).

The pouch transition is getting easier to do; this last sling has the best one and colors line up on both sides of it too (photo attached). With this one also stuck the "smile" in there during the braiding phase rather than afterwards (with tweezers) so pocket seems to be more secure and less likely to become loose. I like this design but will still be checking out more braiding techniques and slings like suggested above. Thanks again to you and everyone else for the help/tips. Once the weather improves here should have some more designs with pouches designed for tennis balls to try out.

Is there a good and constantly accurate way to decide on pouch-size depending on the size of the intended ammo? Braided these pouch-sides slightly wider than my palm, saw this tip on some video can't remember which, but the tennis ball doesn't feel that secure; hands too small perhaps.  ::)

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Great looking sling, again!

For the tapering of the release strand, I just drop a cord halfway through, and switch to a 3-strand braid.

Removing the innards of a cord, doesn't sound appealing to me. I'm not sure you can do that without damaging the outer sleeve.

Tapering isn't mandatory, but a preference ;)

Great slings, Klydd! :)


Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 18^th, 2024 at 5:51am:

I'm not sure you can do that without damaging the outer sleeve.

It is possible to do it without damaging it, but it's hard to pull the sleeve back enough.


Klydd wrote on Jul 17^th, 2024 at 3:29pm:

Is there a good and constantly accurate way to decide on pouch-size depending on the size of the intended ammo? Braided these pouch-sides slightly wider than my palm, saw this tip on some video can't remember which, but the tennis ball doesn't feel that secure; hands too small perhaps.

You could determine the correct pouch size and measure sort of like what you were talking about, or just keep a projectile on hand to check as you go.

Stabyhoun wrote on Jul 18^th, 2024 at 5:51am:

Great looking sling, again! For the tapering of the release strand, I just drop a cord halfway through, and switch to a 3-strand braid. Removing the innards of a cord, doesn't sound appealing to me. I'm not sure you can do that without damaging the outer sleeve. Tapering isn't mandatory, but a preference ;)

Thanks for the reply. OK that sounds like a better suggestion honestly (wouldn't know which strings to shorten the innards of or how to keep track of them rn). Currently just started on another 6 string though not a 4 but I guess it's basically the same principle. Any suggestion for a good 3-string stopper knot (have not done one yet)? Tapering it to half size would seem OK. I know there's the MW-knot for 3 as well but I still don't feel comfortable with this knot; the explanations I've seen of moving the strings "up" while dressing the knot doesn't seem to be what I'm doing at all (?). 🤷‍♂️

Currently deciding on wether or not to do another braided pocket, like the last 6 string, or a zig-zag one like the 4-strings. Is one preferred over the other (and if so for what reason)? Am currently trying to make a loop without a knot, as per your explanation (picture attached), but now (albeit without having tried it yet) am thinking it may not be my thing; think I like it when the swing is as free as possible. Maybe the open loop will do that job (?).

Think I saw something about tapering being important for the release (don't know why though)?

Measured this one up to door handle (where I place the strings) to end of bookshelf so hopefully able to at least save material after this one.


Eino wrote on Jul 18^th, 2024 at 11:39pm:

Great slings, Klydd! :) You could determine the correct pouch size and measure sort of like what you were talking about, or just keep a projectile on hand to check as you go.

Thank you very much.  :)

Yeah have kept the intended projectile (tennis ball) close by for all of the latest slings, unlike the ones used for random rocks, but I still can't seem to get it quite right as idk how to account for the bend in the pouch when the sling is done. Seems I either make the pouch too big or small; difficult to find a/the sweet-spot. Is there some general rule for how to make it (like diameter of object + X cm to account for bend/braid type or length of sling)?

Current project (am about halfway done and currently unsure of which type of pouch to make as mentioned above). Fingerloop was a bit tricky and not sure it's done correctly; especially wanted the colors to line up this way though (for the design to look like a sunrise). Is there a design for a single finger loop that is also adjustable out there? Closest I've seen is to make a fixed one, with some design, and then put some sort of separate knot on it to slide up/down (?). This one doesn't SEEM perfect because it's not entirely flat/90 degrees towards the string but haven't tried it yet so dk.

Edit: an immediate thing is that this loop doesn't feel as nice against the finger. Rounder padding preferable...

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Finished sling. Didn't want to put the black slings in after the fact, didn't know how with the braided pouch I decided to go with, so put them in during the braiding process (hanging them from one side). Then turned out one of them was a little too big/they are a bit misplaced (it's a first) so wrapped another gutless spare string on and melted it and it can be slid back and forth a little bit to make an X; not perfect but was simple solution. Now when there's a weight in the loop it opens and does feel way better to swing (though still like the feel of the open strings). Left more distance in order to grab higher up; figure if a rock ever goes into this one (intended for tennis balls) then space for an extra finger for better grip is nice.

Going down to a 4 string earlier was probably also a good choice, it feels more "snappy" this way, so guess tapering IS for me. Didn't move down to a 3 string though; will need to look up knots for that first.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the input and tips. Guess a thicker round braid will be the next experiment.

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Another update, because a thicker round braid will have to wait, decided to make a 4 string exclusively for tennis balls first. The transfer into/out of the pouch on this one feels MUCH better. Idk if it's due to getting better at braiding, placing the extra strands or what but not just not going to bother keeping them in for long; they stay in the braid for a couple of rounds only. Still want to learn to attach the pouches to eachother like I've seen others do but still dk exactly how.

So another question. Has anyone tried just doing a turk's knot RIGHT after splicing the extra strings out and then just using a single string for the down string (doesn't get much lighter/more "tapered" than that surely)? Would that hold up good enough or not recommended? This one as said above will also be for tennis balls only so no heavy projectiles.

I don't think it'd be a big issue to remove the core from the down cord at this point. Maybe knot, like written above, isn't even needed. Recommended?

^Might have tried snake knots all the way down as an alternative but don't have enough string for that. Other option is to remove the cores of the downstrings as Blind Squirrel Rockchucker showed in a video (if that's better?). Leaning towards that rn.

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Updating. "Finished" the above sling today. "Finished" as in I'm not sure where to keep the knot exactly, but have tied it, so trying it out with a tennis ball tomorrow before cutting anything (not making the mistake of rushing the end as so many times before). Knot feels REALLY good as it's small now thanks to the tapered string.

So I wanted to make an adjustable single loop string, and figured trying something like a yoyo-style loop at the top would accomplish that (experimentation to come) but in the meantime made this experiment (picture enclosed), two separate strings looped and connected via snake knots only, and I really like this. They turned out a nice size, the lower orange one being slightly larger to be in line, but this design also makes it possible to double them up and use them like a single loop, like BSRC's design, but now not so THICK when put over a single finger. Double they seem to be dispersing enough weight as well to not hurt throwing with (though have yet to try). Next sling either yoyo-loop experiment or trying to replicate this.

IS there an already existing design for an adjustable single loop that's not off center (besides putting a turk's knot on the outside of it; that doesn't seem to singe up very well)?

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Updating to record my own progress I guess.

Just finished a sling using the above experimental fingerloops and it's my best one yet for sure. Figured out how to do the pouch transition (finally) but now need to look to get some better tools in the future (have been using tweezers only up to this point). Used no core for the wrap and connected them and braided VERY hard. Would've thought no core would make the sling more pliable but no; at least when braiding it tight it made it stiffer (which seems like a nice way to do it). Didn't leave anything hanging on this one so figure a possible cracker is attachable later. Once again ran out of material so made everything on it shorter but it can still hold a tennis ball decently. This is how I'll always aim to do the pouches in the future most likely (with or without the "smile"). Projectile releases MUCH better.

The fingerloops are just single cords so don't feel feel much at all... hand feeling free is a very natural feeling. Concern is them chafing the fingers more (if throwing a lot; hard and repeatedly) or feeling constricting when throwing something bigger but don't know yet; They can also double up as a single much better than the design by BSRC and now it's easy to just wrap it around the arm and wear it as a bracelet without feeling uncomfortable; ready to throw at a moments notice. Pros and cons with everything. 🤷‍♂️

A very general, none mentioned none forgotten, thanks again to people here and elsewhere for all the help I've in learning to make these.

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Was thinking I should ask this question in the beginner thread instead of just infinitely updating my introduction thread but also figure might as well continue here; if moderators feel a different thread is better (?) please lmk.

Just finished another sling of previous experimental design, using interlaced snake loops for the fingers, and it does feel fine (though next time am thinking I'll use double loops on both sides with open string to have it swing even easier), but I'm still thinking a bare paracord might chafe...

Is there a good knot/braiding pattern to wrap around a single paracord (ideally that could both be started/ended halfway into the loops in order to be able to keep the fingers closer and not destroy the idea of being able to use it separate/doubled up)? I'm looking for something that's just slightly thicker (to maybe use cored out cord or the core).

Any ideas besides that (?) would be nice to know.  :)

This is the latest sling; failed the braid on a couple of places so actually had to repair it (first time trying that) by using tweezers to shove an extra piece of cord into the spaces (there were two) and then melt it into the sling. Ran out of cord from the pocket for the downstring so one of the sides was spliced out too early. Size of picture kept slightly larger this time to show the imperfections.

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