homemade wind flags DIY ?
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butchlambert
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Good luck! I'm using my 4th different set of flags, 5th if you count the Beggs Windprobes. I think I would sit behind several before going to the trouble to make them. Copy ideas from the better ones that you see.
I made some pole tape flags. Used an expanding pole from Wally World camping supplies and engineer orange tape. Fishing swivels on the pole and put grommets in the tape. The lighter the better but be consistent. Tape all the same length etc. For RF they are great. Now past the 50 yard mark I bought a used set of flags from a guy here who lies in Oregon as I recall. They used the music stand bases, had propellers and corrugated wind vanes. Sat on a pin for balance point etc. Very sensitive. He shipped them in a plastic fishing/tool chest filled with a cut foam to protect them. I use them about 10 times a year or so. They create quite the picture of downrange influences for sure. At my range, 50 yards with three flags out I get a right and left and neutral all at the same time. That's when I aim dead on and pray a bit.
Real wind flags are calibrated, so require very specific fabrics, designs, and other considerations and aren't easy to find. I believe we found some from an Australian company when we built the range at Bismarck, but I don't remember exactly. I'll try to find some more information. If you just want something to indicate relative direction and qualitative speed, maybe cheap windsocks from a garden center would work, and be easily replacable. If you go the ribbon on a stick route, "egg yarn" material from a fly fishing shop comes in fluorescent colors and may be better than flat ribbon in twitchy light winds, especially if you fluff it up a bit.
You can easily make the case that just about every gun and rest on the line is a proven winner, in the right hands. Just about every barrel, stock rest, action, etc, has won. They are much like a nascar car. All pretty close to the same, per the rules. Mostly, the person who wins is the guy who is in tune and screws up the least. Flags are an area that can make a difference. I don't see why anyone would spend thousands of dollars on top notch and capable equipment and then skimp on something as important as the flags he uses. We seldom have an example in this sport that the difference in quality is as apparent as it is with the wind flags used. You can see it like day and night, in some cases.
I do not believe there is any such thing as a flag that is "too sensitive." There are flags that are poorly designed and/or poorly balanced, though. Those are the ones that beat back and forth, seemingly not knowing which way to go. All that any flag can do is to show what has already happened. How can a flag be too sensitive at showing what has already happened? I want my flags to respond in as close to real time as possible and to stop and start as close to real time as possible.
Aside from performance, I want good visibility, good materials and durability, and they must transport well. It's amazing how much stuff we carry to a shooting match!
I do not believe there is any such thing as a flag that is "too sensitive." There are flags that are poorly designed and/or poorly balanced, though. Those are the ones that beat back and forth, seemingly not knowing which way to go. All that any flag can do is to show what has already happened. How can a flag be too sensitive at showing what has already happened? I want my flags to respond in as close to real time as possible and to stop and start as close to real time as possible.
Aside from performance, I want good visibility, good materials and durability, and they must transport well. It's amazing how much stuff we carry to a shooting match!
I searched for "DIY wind flags" and found several ideas. Having made my own wind flags in the past, I can offer the following advice:
- It's a lot easier to make good flags of you have a lathe to turn and center drill some of the parts, such as the pivots. But it can be done with a drill press.
- Materials for the flags should be light, but strong. Fiberglass, aluminum, strong plastic, for shafts. Celloplast sign material for tail vains, etc. Flags can take a beating while you're moving them to and from the range if you're not very careful.
- Pivot sensitivity is important. I use center drilled delrin or nylon for the pivots. Pin in hole. Some people use bearings.
- Balance is important. 50-50 front to tail, or slightly tail heavy. A flag that's nose heavy will "hunt" or oscillate. You'll want to be able to move the pivot point back and forth to get the right balance and then make sure it stays where you put it.
- Surveyor's tape or braided yarn for the tail. Depending on the max range you'll be shooting, make sure the tail will be visible.
- Prop or solid piece for the nose. As indicators of wind speed, props are basically useless in anything but a slight breeze. More than about 5 mph of wind, the props will probably be spinning too fast to tell you anything. Main indicator of wind speed is the tail. Nose piece should be about the same weight as the entire tail assembly.
-You can make stands out of a pole and two 2x2 pieces of wood. But you should incorporate a way of adjusting them to be perfectly vertical when you set them up. If the stand is leaning one way or the other, it won't point accurately. This means you'll want to think about how you'll be able to tell if they're vertical. I use a bullseye level screwed to the top of a piece that slips over the pivot point on the stand. Before you build the stand, decide how tall you want your flags to be. Top of flags below bench height is probably best. Allows you to set the flags in a direct line between you and the target without worrying about shooting holes in them. Otherwise, you'll have to set them up off to one side.
- It's enjoyable to experiment with making your own flags, but if you're serious about using flags while you shoot, you'll probably end up buying some. I got a set of four flags, with tripod stands, made by Danny Keeney. Killough shooting sells them for a reasonable price and they work fine.
I sold a few sets of these to local guys. Ball bearing pivots, coroplast vanes, slow turning props, square fiberglass tubing booms, surveyors ribbon. My own personal flags have spruce booms and balsa wood vanes. I have done quite a bit of RC plane building and kit bashing so I applied aircraft design ideas to my personal flags. I started out with surveyors ribbon on poles and watched what others had and then built my own.
#1. Light weight is critical. That's why I used balsa for my own personal stuff. Takes carefully handling which is why the ones I sold have more durable materials.
#2. High aspect ratio. I want the vane taller than it is wide fore and aft. Makes them more sensitive. Sailplanes have high aspect ratios.
#3. Frictionless pivots.
#4. Slow turning props. More pitch is better. Slow flyer electric RC props. You can buy them by dia and pitch. You want the biggest dia and the fastest pitch. 15"x12p is way better than 8x8. The 8" pitch will become a disc at a lower wind speed and quit giving info. [ note, these are just random numbers ]. This is counter intuitive since the wind is driving the prop not a motor.
#5. I make them progressively bigger. The smallest and lightest are closest to the bench and the big one is down at the other end closest to the target frame.
#1. Light weight is critical. That's why I used balsa for my own personal stuff. Takes carefully handling which is why the ones I sold have more durable materials.
#2. High aspect ratio. I want the vane taller than it is wide fore and aft. Makes them more sensitive. Sailplanes have high aspect ratios.
#3. Frictionless pivots.
#4. Slow turning props. More pitch is better. Slow flyer electric RC props. You can buy them by dia and pitch. You want the biggest dia and the fastest pitch. 15"x12p is way better than 8x8. The 8" pitch will become a disc at a lower wind speed and quit giving info. [ note, these are just random numbers ]. This is counter intuitive since the wind is driving the prop not a motor.
#5. I make them progressively bigger. The smallest and lightest are closest to the bench and the big one is down at the other end closest to the target frame.
billlarson
"Hold Into The Wind"
There was an article in PS years ago written by a vet from Meherrin, VA, IIRC (Kip? Kit?). I built a set of them and they were certainly helpful. Not quite as high tech as what's available now, but they did OK for my front yard range. I'll see if I can find it tonight.
xswanted
Gold $$ Contributor
Something that I've found to be very sensitive is using paint rollers. Finding lightweight handles isn't hard. Usually a hardware store has numerous models to choose from.
Secondly you need to find the diameter PVC pipe that the roller will snugly fit into.
Third make a base for the pvc pipe. It can be stand alone or staked into the ground.....the pipe doesn't move.
Then use your ribbon or vane of choice. Attach it to the handle of the roller and you have a very sensitive wind flag.
I've used these short range and built up heavier ones for wind socks for long range. They work pretty well.
Secondly you need to find the diameter PVC pipe that the roller will snugly fit into.
Third make a base for the pvc pipe. It can be stand alone or staked into the ground.....the pipe doesn't move.
Then use your ribbon or vane of choice. Attach it to the handle of the roller and you have a very sensitive wind flag.
I've used these short range and built up heavier ones for wind socks for long range. They work pretty well.
http://www.benchrest.com/flags/ how about these.
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