Welcome, Guest. Please Login
SLINGING.ORG
 
Home Help Search Login


Pages: 1 2 
Send Topic Print
care and maintanence of natural fiber slings? (Read 6328 times)
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #15 - Aug 1st, 2011 at 5:58pm
 
Fuzz, glorious fuzz !

A loosely woven sling with a long pouch, made out of cheap (1 Euro) twine, I think jute. It's really hard and fuzzy. Should I pass it over a flame ? Leave it overnight in water ? Rub it with oil ? With wax ?
Back to top
 

Photo_1619.jpg (77 KB | )
Photo_1619.jpg
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #16 - Aug 1st, 2011 at 5:58pm
 
Another view
Back to top
 

Photo_1620.jpg (72 KB | )
Photo_1620.jpg
 
IP Logged
 
xxkid123
Past Moderator
*
Offline


Hallo, ich heiße kartoffel

Posts: 4807
new to california
Gender: male
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #17 - Aug 1st, 2011 at 6:24pm
 
Theoros, I recommend burning, and possibly even waxing it. Burn it by hanging the sling on one end vertically, then briefly holding a flame underneath it. The flame will catch and naturally burn upwards throughout the sling. Then at the pouch burn off the large fuzzies. Sometimes in America the jute we get will have pieces of stalk in it. If he stalk sticks out cut it off (without cutting the cord itself). If its still a little fuzzy. Wash it in water, and let dry IN A STRAIGHT POSITION. if it dries bent then when it dries off it will stay bent like a crease in paper. If its still a little fuzzy then wax it, the cords look q little too thin to burn again
Back to top
 

There's no break, there's no end, just a-living on;&&Wide awake, with a smile, going on and on.
xxkid123 tanma101  
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #18 - Aug 1st, 2011 at 6:38pm
 
I generally pass mine horizontally over a flame. Either a candle or the burner of my gas stove. I will do this to get all the fuzz off then soak several times in very hot , but not boiling, water. Soak long enough to let the water cool then take it out and wring the sling out by pinching the cords tightly between thumb and forefinger and squeezing along it's length. I do this a couple times. In fiber like hemp there is something in it that makes it naturally stiff, maybe pectin, though not sure... Squeegeeing the water out like this will make the this stuff come out with the water. The water will look brownish. Then back to soak again in hot water and repeat the squeegeeing process a few more times. Then dry like kid said. After all that if I wanted to I might rub in a light coat of beeswax in then rub it quickly in between the folds of a thick piece of leather until the heat from friction melts the wax and lets it soak in.

Kind of more info than you probably needed but maybe someone will find that helpful for later.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #19 - Aug 1st, 2011 at 7:31pm
 
Great stuff, thanks !
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Masiakasaurus
past-moderator
****
Offline


mah-SEE-a-kah-SOR-us

Posts: 6069
Alabama, USA
Gender: male
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #20 - Aug 1st, 2011 at 9:28pm
 
Looks like sisal to me. My standard treatment is to soak my slings in water for a minute and hang them on my shower curtain rod by the pouch with a weight tied to the the retention and release cord to keep them from twisting as the sling dries. It really softens the sisal. Part of the stiffness comes from glue added to the fibers as they're spun, and the soaking removes some of that. The rest will drip out as it dries, so put a cloth scrap or a towel under the sling.
Back to top
 

Pikåru wrote on Nov 19th, 2013 at 6:59pm:
Massi - WTF? It's called a sling. You use it to throw rocks farther and faster than you could otherwise. That's all. 
~Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily avialable, they will create their own problems.~
WWW elsabio04  
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #21 - Aug 2nd, 2011 at 4:40am
 
Two questions:

1. burning off the fuzz. Is this just a singeing process, or does the sling actually catch fire ? I ask because I'm in greece right now, and mucking about with fire outdoors can lead to forest fires.

2. soaking: can I soak the sling without burning ? I ask this because I'd like to use the sling, it's fuzzy and stiff, and I don't think I'll have the opportunity to go outside and burn off the fuzz.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #22 - Aug 2nd, 2011 at 1:42pm
 
It's just a singeing process. Actually if you have a thick piece of stubble it will catch fire for a sec but quickly go out as soon as it burns. It's generally safer to singe on cords that are thicker or tightly braided since the more surface area exposed the more chance that too much will burn too quickly though I don't think that is likely to happen or even be a problem.

As far as soaking without burning goes I'm guessing it will work. I don't use sisal but if others here say it makes a big difference with soaking then it should work.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #23 - Aug 2nd, 2011 at 2:28pm
 
Well I tried (outside) it was in fact raining so i thought that reduced fire risks. With a lighter-- slow going. Still, much better.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Masiakasaurus
past-moderator
****
Offline


mah-SEE-a-kah-SOR-us

Posts: 6069
Alabama, USA
Gender: male
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #24 - Aug 3rd, 2011 at 11:05am
 
Thearos wrote on Aug 2nd, 2011 at 4:40am:
2. soaking: can I soak the sling without burning ? I ask this because I'd like to use the sling, it's fuzzy and stiff, and I don't think I'll have the opportunity to go outside and burn off the fuzz.

I have one sling that I singed before soaking and one that I didn't singe at all and there isn't any difference in suppleness between them. You can soak your sling without singing it, though it looks like you've already singed it.
Back to top
 

Pikåru wrote on Nov 19th, 2013 at 6:59pm:
Massi - WTF? It's called a sling. You use it to throw rocks farther and faster than you could otherwise. That's all. 
~Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily avialable, they will create their own problems.~
WWW elsabio04  
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #25 - Aug 3rd, 2011 at 7:10pm
 
Here is the sling, after singeing off the fuzz:
Back to top
 

Photo_1621.jpg (78 KB | )
Photo_1621.jpg
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: care and maintanence of natural fiber slings?
Reply #26 - Aug 3rd, 2011 at 7:11pm
 
And here's another one, with the rest of the spool of ??sisal, with a split pouch.
Back to top
 

Photo_1622.jpg (88 KB | )
Photo_1622.jpg
 
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 2 
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: Curious Aardvark, Rat Man, Chris, joe_meadmaker, Kick, vetryan15, Morphy)