In that we have a lot of new members I'll mention this.  When I was new to slinging I had just discovered how to get the bullwhip crack.  I liked this and figured if a two inch cracker (the cord after the release knot) gave a nice loud snap then a five incher ought to really kick butt.  Consequently I made a sling with a five inch cracker.  It's a mistake one makes only once.   It cracked across my right palm causing more pain than you would expect, leaving a nice welt.  It also caused some very colorful curse words.  Too big a cracker is not a good thing. 

I love me a loud Sling!  I think I read this same warning somewhere, but I don't remember where.

On this topic, how does sling weight affect crack?  The smaller/lighter the release cord, the louder crack?  Or if it gets too light, it doesn't have the...oomph...for a crack?

   From my experience I'd say the sling weight doesn't effect the crack much unless you use an exceptionally light sling.  I get my best cracks from medium weight slings made of natural materials like jute, hemp, sisal, etc..
    Sort of on the same topic, if you want your sling to be stealthy and not crack you can put a wooden bead upstream from your release knot.  Wooden beads aren't made to travel at supersonic speeds so eventually it will break up and have to be replaced but that's no big deal. 

It's not about sling weight so much as getting a good roll out of the release cord after the projectile release.  The idea is the same as a whip.  If the release cord rolls out in a straight direction (without flopping all over the place), the energy will transfer efficiently to the end of the cord and give you a crack.

I'm by no means an expert on cracking a sling.  But there are a few things that I think help a lot.
[list bull-blackball]

A tapered release cord.  This helps transfer a larger amount of energy (from the thicker cord) to a smaller mass (end of the cord).

A power stroke in the same plane as the release.  This means the sling should be inline from release to crack.

Heavier projectiles.  As the projectile rolls out of the pouch, it's pushing with more force, and the release cord rolls out faster.  As an example, I get cracks way more often with ice balls (≈ 110g) than with tennis balls (≈ 55g). All of these aren't required.  But in my experience they help.

joe_meadmaker wrote on Jul 11^th, 2024 at 11:37pm:

Heavier projectiles.  As the projectile rolls out of the pouch, it's pushing with more force, and the release cord rolls out faster.

Does this mean you're basically trading speed/power for crack?  Or would it be so small as to be insignificant?

As a new member, I was wondering this as well.
Is there a guideline what helps to make a good crack?

I've made my crackers from the guts of the paracord I use to braid with.
I make them about a palm with long (so it cannot whip around in my palm), about 10cm.
I've experimented with the tassle as well. Does a bigger tassle make a bigger crack?
I've made my slings with about 3cm tassle, but while some will crack nice, others will crack a lot less.

joe_meadmaker wrote on Jul 11^th, 2024 at 11:37pm:

Heavier projectiles. As the projectile rolls out of the pouch, it's pushing with more force, and the release cord rolls out faster.

I've seemed to find differently on this. In my experience, heavier projectiles make the sling swing around slower and therefore crack softer. I get my best cracks with nothing in the pouch. I mostly use tennis balls though, so it'd be interesting to experiment and see how loud I can get it with different projectiles.

   With slinging everyone is different.  Experiment and find what works best for you. 

I figured the material used had the most to do with it (recently found out about "sinew" though I'm still not entirely sure what type of material it is), or is at least very important, but maybe that's wrong?

Tested two slings today at the beach and the braided innards of a cord (on one) sounded decent enough (palm length braid and then slightly spread tassle at the end). Probably best cracks I've achieved so far (figure more tassles would've made it better though) followed by just a gutted piece of paracord. Don't particularly like LOUD cracking though; too sensitive to sound. 🙄 That and it's difficult to be stealthy if it cracks which may be good/bad depending on the situation.

The other sling I had done nothing with the end... It whipped around and hit me in the face (sling being way too short as well; guess it'll be a gift to suitable child). Maybe worth experimenting with just a "ball knot" (whatever a "ball knot" is but I saw a guy talk about an afghan kid making one ending in that) on that one just to try it (?).

Have some diabolo/yoyo string I figured I might wear out and then test as crackers but also a bit scared that those will whip around even harder (?). Used to whip to test sound when those diabolo strings broke in the past and, at least connected to a stick, they'd crack somewhat loud.

I got some braided UHMWPE a while ago with the intention of making a sling out of it.  Today I actually got around to unspooling a bit and seeing what it's like.  It actually frays out really nice!

I have a picture I'll add after I resize it.

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ScantPalaver wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 2:12am:

Does this mean you're basically trading speed/power for crack?

Nope.  It all depends on the projectile, the sling, and obviously the slinger.  I've never used a chronograph with them, but I bet I can sling an ice ball at higher velocity than a tennis ball.  Actually that might be an interesting test.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's mostly the slinger.  An easy example is Channing (Practical Paracord).  If you watching him sling, he has loud cracks every time.  When using his slings, I don't see anyone else that does it as loud or as consistently.



Teeth wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 7:13am:

In my experience, heavier projectiles make the sling swing around slower and therefore crack softer. I get my best cracks with nothing in the pouch.

Don't take the term 'heavier' too far.  I'm not talking about 300g stones.  Although you can still crack a sling with those.  In my example I'm comparing a tennis ball and an ice ball.  I can sling both of tosre without any real adjustment to sling speed or form.  If a projectile is heavy enough that the sling's movement needs to be slowed down, then yes, getting a crack can be more difficult when the goal is to get the end to break the sound barrier.

I know a guy in Austria that make very good cracking slings.  His are similar to what you said about your own, he can swing them empty just like a whip and they crack really loud.

Has anyone used horsehair before? I've made a few slings with it and it gives a pretty good high-pitched crack. Not too loud

ScantPalaver wrote on Jul 12^th, 2024 at 8:25pm:

I got some braided UHMWPE a while ago with the intention of making a sling out of it.  Today I actually got around to unspooling a bit and seeing what it's like.  It actually frays out really nice! I have a picture I'll add after I resize it.

That looks pretty nice. How does it sound?

My jute crackers on my old slings were great and loud, but always getting smaller. Sometimes when they were long enough and I cracked them, you could see little bits of fibre floating in the air. Definitely not a material that's designed to go supersonic, and I've broken both of my jute sling release cords over the last few months. It doesn't help that the release cord is tapered and thin at the end, which is good for the crack, but won't last as long as a thicker cord.

I just had some kevlar arrive so I'm going to braid my next sling out of that. I know it'll be much sturdier, and hopefully it makes a good crack!

Slings made of jute and/or other natural fibers don't last forever.  Depending on how often you sling every few months you'll need to make new ones.  I still like using them though. 
    On the other hand slings made of Polypropylene will last almost forever. 

Klydd wrote on Jul 14^th, 2024 at 8:32pm:

That looks pretty nice. How does it sound?

The cord is a 12 strand braid.  Fraying out all 12 leaves a tassel that's too fluffy.  I think...maybe I just need to make a longer sling...

Hey Rat Man, how do you work with jute?  I've got some rope and twine, and I untwist it down to the smallest strands, but I find it too...feathery.  Kinda light and clumpy, not long and strandy.

Am I overthinking this?  Don't need or want to start with fibers?

Work with jute as it comes.
When you have your sling, run a lighter over it to burn off excess loose fibre then smooth it all with beeswax.
:) [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Thanks Zud!  So far I've found working with natural fibers...more challenging.

ScantPalaver wrote on Aug 24^th, 2024 at 2:09am:

Hey Rat Man, how do you work with jute?  I've got some rope and twine, and I untwist it down to the smallest strands, but I find it too...feathery.  Kinda light and clumpy, not long and strandy. Am I overthinking this?  Don't need or want to start with fibers?

   I start with jute twine.  I've never made a sling from jute fibers. 

Thank you!  I got down to puffy clumps of fibers and thought, "I don't know how to put these back together..."

Zud, that lighter tip was golden!  I've always kinda disliked the fuzzy look jute has.  Give me a day or two, I'll post a picture of a PoC I'm experimenting with.

Hey Scant,
Glad to help and look forward to pics.
: [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

I don't know how much detail has been lost resizing these, but I was thinking about using three strands for a sling, when you join the finger loop, most instructions say to group the corresponding strands and resume the three strand braid.  I wanted to experiment with what'd you get if you switched to a six-strand braid. 

I tried the "standard" braid pattern at first, but noticed that one side was larger than the other 'cause it had an extra strand.

Next I tried a six strand challah braid.  This has a lot of potential, it flexes easily one way, but not the other.

The last one I tried was a macrame interlocking braid.  It's wide and flat, which would make reloading easier, but I have some concerns that the strands end up too exposed.

I didn't wax them, but Zud's lighter trick certainly makes it easier to see the braid pattern (and any errors I made   ;D).

Has anyone tried this before, or has any six strand braids they'd recommend or an even strands braiding pattern that can be modified?

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