
Ts'ao-Shan had four don'ts: Do not follow the bird's road of mind. Do not clothe yourself before you are born. Do not say the present moment is eternal. Do not express yourself before birth.
Zen Koan
WEIGHTS
Adding weights to your rang is another way to change the characteristics.
You can use coins of different sizes or pieces of lead foil ( 1-2mm thickness), which you can
tape on to the underside of your boomerang.
Weights are mainly used to
a) increase distance
b) increase wind-stability
Taped on or inserted?
I personally prefer the use of taped-on weights - even if they may not look as nice as the inserted variation.
The obvious advantage is however that you can adjust them to suit a great number of different conditions and requirements- and thus reduce the number of rangs you have to carry :-). The increased drag resulting from taped weights is - in my windy world- not a strong argument for inserted ones.
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Lead weight-taped to the underside of the wing |
Lead weight-inserted into the wing |
RULES OF THUMB:
- the closer to the tip of one arm you place the weight, the stronger
the effect will be.
- adding one weight of equal size to each wing will result in a longer,
slightly more elliptical trajectory ( to adjust, use more tilt and throw
a bit more into the wind )
- adding one weight of equal size to each wing and a third one to the
elbow-section will result in a similar flight as unweighted, only with
more distance ( adjust by using a bit more tilt )
- adding one weight to the lead-wing will result in more distance and
delayed lie-down and will reduce, if not eliminate, hover ( adjust by adding
tilt to the throw and aiming lower and throw harder and more into the wind)
- adding one weight to the dingle-wing will result in a higher flight-path,
increased hover and reduced distance due to earlier lie-down ( adjust
be throwing higher and more vertically)
EXAMPLES:
1. wind-stability: to add wind-stability without adding distance place
a weight on the lead-wing, about halfways between the elbow and the tip (try a 1 cent or 2 cent coin - that's 2 or 3 cens respectively - for starters. I personally use a piece of lead foil of appr 5 grs).
This will keep your boom lower and reduce hover and thus keep the it from
getting blown away . If you want wind-stability WITH hover for catching-events,
try a second weight on the dingle-arm at the same position.
2. wind-stability and distance: for Australian Round for example, when
it gets windier and you need those extra yards and also need some stability,
try one weight on the dingle-arm ( 2-3 grs), halfways between elbw and tip, and a
second one, this one a bit bigger m( 3-5 grs), on the lead-wing, further down towards
the tip.
3. distance: for maximum distance only, I use one heavier weight near
the tip of the lead-wing ( as much as 30 grs!!). Adjust by throwing more tilted and lower. If
you don't get the boom to return completely, try and add a second weight
( 30-50% of the first one ) on the dingle-arm, near the elbow area. This
helps to give the rang back some lie-down again.
Obviously, there are so may different factors that you can combine and play around with - it basically is a lot of trial-and-error-experimenting. But, the more you try, the easier it will get for you, when you learn by EXPERIENCE how a certain technique affects your boomerang's flight pattern.
If you need any further help, specially with tuning and adjusting your
long-distance-booms, send an e-mail, and I'll be happy to share some of
my experiences with you.