Should I trim my slingshot bands to fit?

COMMENT ON YOUTUBE

What should I do when my bands are wider than my slingshot forktip? Should I trim my bands to fit? Should I fold the bands in half to make them fit? Or should I wrap the access band around the side of the slingshot frame?

Great question. The first option is the only one you should not do. Your slingshot band sets are cut to a specific specifications, and to trim off that latex to make it fit the fork tip would be very detrimental to the designed performance of the bandset.

The second and third options are both just fine. It’s really a matter of personal preference. If you would like to fold your bands in half and keep all the band material inside the band attachment, that is just fine. When using FlipClips, for example, many prefer to keep all the band material inside the FlipClip. If your band is wider than the FlipClip, you will have areas of the band that are not actually clamped in. This is perfectly acceptable, but folding the band in half first will ensure that all the band material is inside the clip.

Especially if you are attaching your band set to a natural slingshot using a wrap and tuck method, wrapping the band around the frame as you tie it in is also an excellent method of attachment when your band is wider than your forktip.

So, like so many things in the world of slingshots, your personal preference really is the determining factor here. Just don’t trim off any band width.

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