paper wasp (thing)

1. Find a rubber band and some paper.
2. Tear out a small square of paper, about the size of a regular post-it note. This is even easier if you just start with a post-it note.
3. Fold the paper in half, and then roll it along it's short axis, and flatten. This should create a small roll of paper about 4 cm. long, .75 cm. wide, and .35 cm. thick.
4. Fold this roll in half, and squeeze it shut. You should now have a hard, dangerous-looking piece of paper ammunition.
5. Place the rubber band around the tips of the index finger and thumb of your dominant hand, your palm facing outward.
6. Grasp the far side of the rubber band with the index finger and thumb of your other hand, and pull it back as far as you can while still maintaining a 7 cm. gap in your first hand. This is the firing position.
7. Now hook the paper wasp over the far side of the rubber band (NOT both sides!) and pull it back to the firing position. Make sure that it is perfectly centered on the band.
8. Take aim and fire as you would a slingshot. ZING!

This device takes some practice to be able to make well and fire accurately. You can make a lot of ammunition all at once (when bored in class, perhaps) and carry it in your pocket. Target practice in your room while avoiding doing your homework is suggested.

Experiment with the size and thickness of your wasps. The size described above is the "standard" size, but many different models will work. One interesting variation is an extremely small, very well-rolled wasp, which flies fast and hurts a lot on impact. Remember though,it does have to be long enough to loop over the rubber band.

Finding a good rubber band is the key. It should be as long as possible, while still maintaining the ability to hold it slightly stretched between your index finger and thumb, so it won't bunch up while firing. It should obviously be as elastic as possible. The cross section of the band should also be as small as possible and still not break when you fire. You will develop a "feel" for a good rubber band.

You can also use paper clips, cut in half, as ammunition. WARNING! This is very dangerous! Use them only for target practice against inanimate objects you don't care about. I have fired them through empty soda cans and full juice boxes. They can embed themselves in wood if the prongs happen to be pointing forward when they hit. This means they can also embed themselves in someone's leg, causing certain death! They fly extremely fast (because of their low air resistance) and tend to ricochet unpredictably.