Making a temporary/permanent finger sling.

[Murray]

Get a piece of cord or string (not too thin - don't want any finger amputations!!) and tie it into a loop. The cord below is approx 28" long.


Turn one end back to make a double loop:


Fold it over to make a kind of noose:


Repeat on the other end and slip your fingers into the nooses - et. voila! A finger sling!


This is easier than it sounds, and it's quite secure... some people use these as permanent finger slings.

[Furface]

We do this with beginners at the second week of the course. It's light relief for the trainers. I suspect it is the single most complex skill they have to learn. The best bit is watching the joy on their face as they manage teh string bending, followed by frustration as they realise they have to take it off again to use it with a bow.
These slings work!

[Cakemeister]

I still like my selection of cheat slings from Aardvark

[robc]

you can just tie a slip knot instead of bending the string - a reef knot or clove hitch will work fine. that way you don't have to re-bend the string all the time. This was standard in the early '80's. Rob

[Murray]

Not sure how a reef/clove would work as slip knots but anyway, yeah a slip knot would work too.

Don't be put off by the compexity of the loop, it is very easy to create one-handed (which is an obvious necessity.)

[matt]

I have done the same as Murray for many years using a shoelace instead of cord. Haven't found anything better yet. The thicker the shoe lace the more comfortable it is. Used to be able to get those 'crazy laces' in all sorts of fancy dayglo colours which worked well as they were really thick. They are difficult to find nowadays so am using an ordinary boot lace at the moment.

[Jimbo]

Just tried parachord and it worked brilliantly, can seriously see myself using this permanently.

[Small Monkey]

I use a shoelace rather than a bought finger sling as I find it holds better. I started off using this method, but these days tie a slip knot in each end to put my finger/thumb through. (Might not be a slip knot exactly, but it works!)

[Christopher Lee]

I used to use these finger slings, but always found them to be a bit fiddly and got in the way when I shoot, so I did this:



Take a length of your fave string, lace or rope and some aquarium air tubing cut into 1/2 cm lengths. Cut 1 piece slightly shorter. This piece goes in the middle.





Use a small flame to narrow both ends of the material, and start fitting it in 3 pieces of air tubing. Sometimes using a pair of tweezers makes threading the material through the bits of air tube easier! You want the bits of air tube to be TIGHT as that would keep everything in place for a long time. If you want to make sure that the tubing never gets lost, heat the ends of the material with a flame and flatten them after you've fitted the bits of air tubing.





Fit one end on and slide up the piece of air tube. Your thumb goes in between the remaining two pieces of air tube. Adjust overall length to your liking and tighten up.





VOILA! Super neat finger sling that's much easier to put on and take off (you only need to slide the outermost piece of tube to loosen the sling, slide one side off your thumb and put the bow down).



What I really like about it is that it's very secure without having to worry about the slickness of the material used - with the air tube restrainers, I can use the slickest, softest material and it will all hold securely because of the air tubes. And because I can use a much softer, slicker material that won't abrade my skin, I can also use a thinner material, which also contribute to ... read on:

Another advantage is that without any loops or knots of any sort, there's less possibility of putting sideway pressure on any part of the bow grip ... so besides ease of use and looks, when used properly, it contributes towards more accurate bow-hand positioning.

Hope you like my sling and give it a try one day.

CHEERS!

Edit: P.S. Matt, try a well-stocked Arts & Crafts store. They generally have a range of some of the brightest, snazziest coloured ropes in different styles and sizes. That's where I get my crazy coloured ropes like the one in the photos.

[Steppenwolf]

That'll do me nicely, thanks.