John Austin has a knack of creating mini weapons out of everyday items like a pencil, shoelace, penny, clothespin and what not. His book ‘Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction’ gives you an insight into the lethal potential of everyday items that can be transformed into a menacing arsenal. Here’s an easy way to make a pencil bowstring-Arrange two pairs of pencils at right angles using a rubber band to hold them together. You can make good use of a pen (with the refill removed) to form the projectile for shooting arrows and Rubber bands can serve as a bowstring. So, Voila! Your mini weapon is ready for shooting at your mates to have fun.
Via JohnAustinBooks.
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January 31st, 2010 at 2:48 am
Cool looking design, but…..
I don’t think I understood the directions. What is the tape holding together in the second-to-last picture? There’s no way that just tape alone can hold together the two rubber bands when you pull them back. How do I reinforce it so I can put some tension on it?
Also, what is the projectile in the last picture?
~Rob L
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:47 am
What is that knot in the junction of the pencils ? how does one make such ?
March 9th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Rob L – try wrapping round some medium cardboard (like a cereal packet) before hand and use more tape…. second question, it’s the inside of the pen (the bit with the ink in it – with the nib cover and spring removed from the pen’s barrel.
MoAv – hard to explain with out visuals, but essentially you first off make the cross and put the band diagonally over the two (so if you imagine the crossing of the pencils start bottom right and go diagonally to top left) – keep the tension in that cross and loop the band around itself and feed it top right to bottom left … repeat until the band is nice and tight and holding the cross together.
April 19th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Uh buh buh buh there’s no way a pencil can fit inside a big pen shaft.
YOU = FAIL
June 29th, 2010 at 7:29 am
oh cool, i’m going to make this at home, and all of you, if your having trouble with the original designes, don’t be afraid to tinker, thats why were human and not assembly line machines
August 31st, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I found the directions really easy to follow. I made two yesterday.
Wish I knew about these things back in school though. That would of been fun. My projectile of choice was the lead of a pencil. I just; sharpened the pencils, break them up to get the lead, tie 3 together, reinforce it with some tape and fire away. I wanna make one that fires 3 projectiles. I doubt it’ll work, but trial and error is the only way to go!
December 4th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
This is LEGIT!!!!
Ah so much fun. But that’s true of what will fit inside of the pen barrel
SO I had to improvise and use skewers.
And let me tell you…Dangerous!
It has a pointy end which I’d like to bragg penetrated a box I shot at.
Really fun thanks but DO NOT! I repeat DO NOT shoot at someone with a pointy end. Will hurt!
Thanks John Austin!
Hope to hear more from this guy
February 22nd, 2011 at 1:02 pm
I simply substituted the elestic for hair bobbins. If you can’t find anything to fit inside the pen shaft, simply use the actual pen. Might need to collect a few though
The bobbins don’t work quite as well as elestic, not as strong, but they do the trick 