Make a Wish - bone

Save your wishes for the Turkey wishbone, this wishbone you'll need to make last a while. Your Line or "Soft" Wishbone is noted for its safety and silence factors but they have a tendency to fray and break when you least expect it. Unlike Metal Wishbones that break when loaded and can perform surgery on your hands as the band recoils, the Line wishbone will snap and simply make you perform a personal body check to make sure your heart is still in your chest with no permanent physical harm done.

Riffe uses 800lb. Dacron line but just about anything can constitute a "line" wishbone including the elastic on your Grandma's underwear, but you'll want to find something that last's a while because there's nothing worst than to have a wishbone break when your well off shore and the ocean is alive with big fish. Like a Speargun that can be made from a broomstick, but most people use Teak as the best alternative to make the barrel, Riffe has determined the 800lb. Dacron is the best alternative for a wishbone.

When used properly the Dacron wishbone should/could last for years and be used again and again as the Rubber for the band wears out. Many people complain the Dacron wishbones fray and break too quickly, so here are a couple tips to get the most out of your Dacron wishbones:

1. Adjust your band after placing it into the speargun muzzles"band slot" prior to loading it. Make sure the wishbone hangs freely toward the butt end of the gun and one side of the band is even with the other...
   
   
2. When pulling the bands to the cocked and ready position make sure to pull evenly and smoothly trying not to "drag" the wishbone along the shaft, shooting line and over the crimp and tab. Repeated dragging is sure to cause fraying. Instead, elevate the band/wishbone slightly above anything it may rub against as you pull.
   
   
3. If the band appears uneven as it is loaded onto the tab DO NOT SEESAW the wishbone back and forth to even the band up. The pressure created by the strength of the band material and the relative "thinness" of the tab will act as a saw and deteriorate any wishbone material very quickly. Instead, regrab the band firmly, lift the band from the tab and replace it in the desired position.

Fraying will happen in time no matter how careful you are. To extend the life of most "line" wishbones simply use a cigarette lighter or any small flame to gently burn/melt any fraying ends. Obviously don't hold the flame under the wishbone so long that it begins to burn.