(I came up with this idea during the Recycling-themed contest, but I hadn't the chance to instructable-ize it till now.)
Imagine:
You're stuck on a island with no sign of human habitation except some litter bobbing at the shoreline. You need to hunt the wildlife for food (or, if you're a vegetarian: there's a vicious critter (or coconut) stalking you, and you must kill it).
What do you do?
Construct a make-shift sling out of a plastic bag!
My goal was to create a reasonable sling out of a plastic bag using the simplest possible construction.
It's not all that accurate, nor powerful, but you're using less than half a plastic bag.
You're getting quite a lot out of this little scrap of trash.
Materials:
- A plastic bag (grocery bags work well, but some of the classier, thick mil bags won't)
- Scissors (also useful for close-quarters combat with that vicious critter!)
- ... and some bandages + first aid cream (see step 5)
General construction:
2 x ropes from twisted strips of plastic
1 x cradle from folded rectangle
1 x finger loop
Project takes about 10-20 minutes, possibly less.
Don't poke anyone's eye out, don't strangle puppies with the sling. General safety rules apply, but by and large, this sling is a rather tame weapon. (I think you need to be more conscientious that your left-over plastic isn't a choke hazard than over projectile injury.)
Honestly, I'm more likely to use this to lob crumpled paper at my friends than anything else, so I'm blatantly ignoring the "don't shoot people" rule.
Imagine:
You're stuck on a island with no sign of human habitation except some litter bobbing at the shoreline. You need to hunt the wildlife for food (or, if you're a vegetarian: there's a vicious critter (or coconut) stalking you, and you must kill it).
What do you do?
Construct a make-shift sling out of a plastic bag!
My goal was to create a reasonable sling out of a plastic bag using the simplest possible construction.
It's not all that accurate, nor powerful, but you're using less than half a plastic bag.
You're getting quite a lot out of this little scrap of trash.
Materials:
- A plastic bag (grocery bags work well, but some of the classier, thick mil bags won't)
- Scissors (also useful for close-quarters combat with that vicious critter!)
- ... and some bandages + first aid cream (see step 5)
General construction:
2 x ropes from twisted strips of plastic
1 x cradle from folded rectangle
1 x finger loop
Project takes about 10-20 minutes, possibly less.
Don't poke anyone's eye out, don't strangle puppies with the sling. General safety rules apply, but by and large, this sling is a rather tame weapon. (I think you need to be more conscientious that your left-over plastic isn't a choke hazard than over projectile injury.)
Honestly, I'm more likely to use this to lob crumpled paper at my friends than anything else, so I'm blatantly ignoring the "don't shoot people" rule.
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Signing UpStep 1: Snip, snip
Get a bag.
Flatten it out so that the layers are neatly folded.
Across both sides, in line with the handles, cut two loops of plastic bag.
- With most grocery bags, the plastic is folded accordion-style and sealed at the handles
- If you trim about 1.5inches off the edge, you should end up with a continuous loop of plastic (with little flaps at what used to be the top of the handle and the bottom of the bag)
It might help to mark where to cut (I can't cut in a straight line unless I have guides)
Now, cut off one set of flaps so that you no longer have a loop, but a single strip of plastic.
Flatten it out so that the layers are neatly folded.
Across both sides, in line with the handles, cut two loops of plastic bag.
- With most grocery bags, the plastic is folded accordion-style and sealed at the handles
- If you trim about 1.5inches off the edge, you should end up with a continuous loop of plastic (with little flaps at what used to be the top of the handle and the bottom of the bag)
It might help to mark where to cut (I can't cut in a straight line unless I have guides)
Now, cut off one set of flaps so that you no longer have a loop, but a single strip of plastic.
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But nice Instructable! It got me thinking.
It uses duct tape and tells you how to use it.
Although, I try to recycle, and recycle, and recycle; the pesky little beasties threaten to overwhelm my home if I fail to maintain constant vigilance. It was so much simpler, when I was a boy and we merely had brown paper bags. Of course, we had a different problem..