Dennis Crocker Memories - Part 12 (July 8, 2016) - Of Years Long Ago
The other day, I was reclining in my lawn chair/recliner under the shade of a 25 year old water oak tree (maybe you’d call it a pin oak - I don’t know the difference). Even though it was 95 in the sunlight, it was cooler under that old tree that I had planted a long time ago.
My PaPa Loftis had set out a number of these trees around his house during the 1930’s. So when I was growing up, they would have been about 20 to 25 years old. They weren’t any good for climbing as PaPa had kept the lower limbs trimmed off. He had 3 cement benches set out under those trees in the front yard. I could lie on my back and gaze up through those Oaks and spot any number of forked limbs that would make great slingshot handles if I could just get up there and saw off that limb. Never Did!
Reclining under my trees in my front yard, about 45 miles and more than 60 years from PaPa’s Oaks, I could see several wonderful forked trees that would make great slingshot handles! How long has it been since you have seen a small boy with a home made slingshot? Even if you were to spot a kid with a slingshot, it probably would have been ordered on the net from Cabela’s, and the kid would probably have to have you sign a disclaimer before he could use it on or near your property.
To make a slingshot was pretty simple. First you needed some raw material-the forked limb cut down to provide the handle, an old inner tube (don’t see too many inner tubes any more) some string and a piece of leather to make the pouch. This bit of leather was hard for us to come by. I found a source - and cut the tongue out of one of Dad’s Sunday Shoes. I had no idea that would be such an expensive piece of leather!! Since I paid the price for that, I tried to talk him into giving me the tongue from the other shoe - just so his shoes would match!! He didn’t go for that idea, and told me if I came ruining his shoes or any other item of his clothing, he’d give me much more leather that last time!!!
The inner tube was no great problem. Mr. Bill Burgess ran a garage just the other side of Bob’s house, and he always had an old inner tube or two. We believed that red rubber inner tubes were stronger than the black ones, but hey were hard to come by. Care had to be taken to try to cut the bands from the inner tubes to get the sides even and parallel. A good pair of scissors was best for this as opposed to trying to freehand a razor blade. The least nick in the band would result in a failure at that point in a short period of time.
You wouldn’t think that trimming a couple of bands out of an inner tube would really take the edge off your Mother’s sewing scissors!!! Mom had a conniption when she discovered what I had done. I was in the kitchen, and overheard her complaining to Dad about it. I thought I was going to get some more leather!! But , I heard Dad say, “Zara,(my Mom’s name) Dennis is not a bad boy really, but for the life of me I can’t think of enough things to tell him NOT TO DO!”
Continuing on with the raw material, you needed some stout string to tie your rubber bands to the handle, and to tie in the leather pouch. There were 2 ways to tie on to the handle. One was to cut a circular notch about ¼ to ½ inch back from the tip of the fork on which you were working, and to stretch the rubber band over the top and down below the notch, and to wrap it tightly with the string, compressing the rubber into the notch and tying it off.
The other way was to loop the band around the fork near its end, and fold the band back on itself ,and stretch it tightly and wrap it 10 or 15 wraps with the string and cut it off. We always used the first way.
Back then a number of people who smoked rolled their own. They’d buy loose tobacco in small sacks, and buy the papers, and a really cool guy could roll a cigarette with one hand!! We coveted those little tobacco sacks as they made great pouches to carry your slingshot ammo.
When we wore out a slingshot - The rubber band usually pulled through the little slot we’d cut in the leather to put the rubber band through, rendering your slingshot useless. We discovered if we’d walk down to the Mill Hill, and walk (climb) up Hotel Hill we’d come to Mr. Clyde Jett’s Shoe repair shop. It was located next to Jett’s service station, just before you got to the Community Cash. Mr. Jett always had time for small boys. He was a prince of a man - I never heard my Dad say one bad word about him, and my Dad could usually find a dark cloud with every silver lining. He just natcherly didn’t like folks! At any rate, Mr. Jett would fix us up with a piece of leather that made a perfect slingshot pouch.
The very best ammo was steel bearings if you could find some. With those, the slingshots had the potential to be lethal. When you couldn’t get bearings, marbles did well, and lastly, a little while down at the creek would usually yield a good supply of rounded stones. I’ll bet you don’t know a 10 year old kid that know s how, or even wants to know how to build a slingshot.
Y’know, I think I’ll walk down to my woods and see if I can find a good slingshot handle. Then I’ll need to find an old inner tube-maybe one of the tire stores will have one. I think I have an old pair of boots that are too small-kangaroo leather-would make a great pouch! Sounds like a lot of work.
Or, maybe I’ll just order one from Cabela’s!
I’ll see you next time. In the meantime, give some really kind word to the people you love.
Dennis
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