spiral sling

ammo bag

clay ammo

start by digging you up some clay. here in georgia you need only go down a couple inches to get to some good stuff.

i tried using water to change the consistency myself but found it much easier to just wait for some rain. natural rainfall brings out a really good consistency.

i spread some of the clay out on a tray and sift out the fine rocks with my left hand while the clay drops below onto my right hand, and ill keep squeezing it packed until its a bit bigger than desired size.

youll notice if you keep packing it for a while it gets smaller, i try to make them dense as possible.

i used a crooked knife to carve out the moulds. i trace a circle with paint and press it to the other side of the mould so it matches up.

you could do an oval or any shape size you prefer.
i place the ball into the mould..

...and lean over it with my body weight to get it packed good and solid.


jiggle the mould, if the clay is a good consistency it will come out like this; too wet and it will break apart in the middle, and youll have to smack the moulds together to get the pieces to fall out.
you can pack the halves back together by hand and it will work fine, it just wont be as smooth and uniform looking.

all thats left to do now is clean off the excess and finish with a little more hand packing to make sure everything is tight.
depending on how wet they are to start, and the size/density, combine with the drying conditions will dictate how long it takes to dry.

these are close to golf ball size, 80 grams wet, dried to a solid 65 grams in 1-2 days. sunlight isnt necessary to dry them as i would have thought, even on a rainy day, they are quick to dry either way.

baking the clay at high temperatures ive heard will increase it's resistence to moisture damage, this was probably more necessary in ancient times but might be more effort than its worth for casual plinking ammo.

workstation

where the magic happens.. a new sling is being born

cotton sling

this design uses two narrow but rigid straps that can be spread open or pinched closed to reliably hold ammo ranging from 150 gram fist size rocks to 5 gram fragments.

donegal tweed sling

i used irish wool for the body and corn fiber for pouch and whipping.

its noticibly my easiest sling to consistently shoot accurately with, but im not sure why.
my guess is the slightly stretchy property of wool allows for a more forgiving release, being less critical of user error.

a bramble fiber sling

the fibers from blackberry bushes can be made into a very strong cord suitable for sling making.

Use the spine of your knife, or the blade at a light angle to remove the thorns and branches. if you want finer strips of fiber, wear down the outer layer more.

smash the first inch of the large end to break apart the fibers. youll find a green outer layer and a lighter colored inner fiber. leave the outside on if you want a thicker cord.

separate the fibers into equal pieces, i was able to get 5 strips from each stalk.

Let your finger ride down the stalk, keeping firm pressure right behind where the fiber is being stripped off.

6 stalks worth of fiber yielding thirty 50" strips

Put 2 strips of fiber on top of each other and make their lengths slightly uneven by a few inches.

take the center and begin twisting clockwise (away from you) with right hand , while twisting towards you with left hand until a kink forms and the cords cross

hold the end with your left hand so it doesnt twist and

continue twisting the right strand clockwise until tight for about 1/2" then cross it over the top to the left side , making the left side strand now on the right- then you just keep repeating the process

when your within a few inches of running out of cord, simply set in another strand and continue to twist it in.

you can change the thickness of the cord at any time by adding or removing fibers.

150" of thick cord from about 4 stalks.

it could easily be made half as thick for braiding

being my first natural made sling i was ina hurry to see a finished product so i went with a simple split pouch, continuing the twist by doubling the fibers.

the fibers are very strong and pliable,

ive no doubt they'd work great for weaving and braiding.