h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

this was a long war of which i am a veteren. anyone wishing to talk about the use of the elastic band in modern warfare or the deployment in the theator of war by major governments is more than welcome. to any other veterens i bid you a fond beoing!

I'm intrigued (and sadly bandless at the moment). Please, regale me with your stories of the war

sorry about the lateness of my reply. got landed in a sorte and caught a band in the eye. terrible thing is i had a seminar to attend on the dynamics of rubber band land mines and their usage in the modern field of war.
as for stories. i once hit Mr Smith right sqare up his left nostril after the two fingered method snapped a band.

oh mighty one wish to know the secrets of elastic band launching

the secret is to pull back tight and believe it wont hit your thumd.

Practice practice practice. I've been learning for years and I'm really good at it. When me and friends are fighting, I keep a bunch on my wrist. If there's 10 there I can shoot them all at someone within 15ft with 80% accuracy in 20 seconds. One very important thing is you have to shoot with your thumb in front and your other index finger in back, cupped around the band. The biggest problem is that too much shooting makes big red marks all own your arm.

true. I actualy have in my head an idea for an automatic elastic band launcher. its basicly two posts mounted on a piece of wood. eack post has a washer and spring that mooves the bands up it. the front post has a forward hook to prevent backfireing, and the rear post has a spring loaded lid, push on it and it lets the back of the band go, mimicking the much favoured manuel technique. doesens of bands are pre loaded onto the launcher, and stored at high tention. clever no?

Well... I think it *may* have a few technical problems. One, a tense elastic band is going to have a very difficult time being moved upward by a spring, because it sticks a little. Two, it's going to be hard to aim... Manually firing them makes it easier. Three, the hook to prevent backfiring may also prevent the back of the band from ever getting past the front post. Four, you wouldn't be able to adjust it for larger and smaller bands. And five, when you do it manually, the front of the band should be released at the same time as the back. Your machine won't do that.
But yes, clever. It could take a *little* work though.

dont worry,
i have it all figured out. first, your right, the tension would only be right for one band size, but have you noticed that most bannds are the thin bajobers, and they mostly have the same diameter and elasticity. second, the bands couls be encouraged up the posts by the springs, if a lubricant, such as cooking grease, were applyed befor each loading. thirdly, the hook at the front wouldn't cause a major impeasion to the band because, have you ever fired a band with your index finger pointed skywards, the band actualy strikes the nail, but you dont notice it. if the back of the hook were sanded down in to a smooth ark, then the band would slide over it. but you are right, it will take a lot of work, and a good understanding of Hooks laws. thanks for the constructive critasism.

You're welcome.
Most band-guns use a completely different method. Your method would be much easier to make, if it works.

thanks,
but i have been looking over the design, and i think that the bands would foul the spring mechanism. but my brother pointed out to me that if i put the posts at angles so as the tops point towards each other, then the bands will move up to where they have least energy stored. clever eh?
i am also intruiged by your reference to other elastic band guns, could you fill me in on the details?

thanks,
but i have been looking over the design, and i think that the bands would foul the spring mechanism. but my brother pointed out to me that if i put the posts at angles so as the tops point towards each other, then the bands will move up to where they have least energy stored. clever eh?
i am also intruiged by your reference to other elastic band guns, could you fill me in on the details?

I actually don't know much about other guns. They sell them to kids who consequently wreak havoc with them. One type uses some sort of rotating thing to shoot rapid-fire bands. It might be electric. Theres even one kind that sells for $100+. Probably shoots 20 at a time. You could probably find them on the Web...
I think guns are cheap. When you fight with bands it should be plain hand-shooting, that takes more skill.

your right,
hand to hand is more fun, but my interest is purely technical. i want to see what sort of rate of fire i could return, shuld the need arise. but $100, thats just crazy, in real money that must be £60. thats madness

Its possible to get a good RoF with hands too.

yes,
but im talking ten bands/second, real fast sort of rates. the way i see it is that if i have a two hundred band capacity, then i could return twenty seconds of solid fire. i just want to know what that looks like.

Ah. ...Which wopuld then lead to the opponent surrendering with some bruises and other, er, troubles.

yup,
no man could withstand a bombardment of that magnatude, plus if you miss with your first shot, you have already fired your second befor they have even realised what the hall is going on. but it is cheating, i agree