Gloverrangs's Blog

Make way for the next generation of the “Cobra Hook:” HERE COMES THE KING COBRA!!!

gloverrangs — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:57:42 +0000

The other day, while I was just messing around in my Boomerang Shop, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t tried making a Phenolic version of my super-popular Cobra Hook. Well, that immediately got me carving away! The pictured rang is the result of some careful balancing of both size and weight. As you can see, virtually all the mass of this rang is focussed into the tips, with the rest of the rang being just as narrow and was practical. The result: An 80+ meter MONSTER!!! This design was a success on the very first try, turning out to be perhaps my most impressive Phenolic model I’ve come up with to date. I immediately sold 5 of these hooks in the same week it was conceived. It’s now a new model on my Website, (http://Gloverrangs.com) but I’m not sure how long I’ll offer it there….This one takes an experienced thrower with some real power behind his throws….Not for everybody, to be sure. How about you? Are you a “Snake Charmer?”

AYE CARAMBA!!! ANYTHING CAN BECOME A BOOMERANG!!!

gloverrangs — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:54:11 +0000

As I’ve found more times than not, almost ANYTHING can be turned into a boomerang! My wife recently requested I make a special “Simpsons-themed” boomerang for her boss’s birthday, and I came up with this version of the “Bart-a-Rang.” There is another version that has been made by others (I’m not sure who the originator is), and I wanted to do something different for mine. The other Bart is a simple profile of him, with much simpler artwork, and most likely, due to its odd, unbalanced shape, not too great of a flyer. This one, I can honestly say without hesitation, is an AWESOME flyer, field tested and proven….I wouldn’t even show it to you if it wasn’t. The birthday this is to help celebrate doesn’t occur until mid March, so, until then….Shhhhh! Please don’t tell Jeff you saw it! Thanks!

COLLECTABLES FLYING OUT OF GLOVERRANGS.COM! BOTH FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY!

gloverrangs — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:15:54 +0000

My sale of collectable rangs is going strong! Out of the 20+ boomerangs I’ve listed on my Collectable pages, I’ve already managed to unload 6 of them. Most are ending up going to long-time, regular customers of mine, the more “serious” bunch. Almost all of the boomerangs listed on these pages are now scarce and no longer produced. The makers have either hung up their shop tools forever, or are deceased. When these are all sold out, there will be no more listed…I don’t think there could possibly be a more accurate definition of the word “FINITE.”

BRAND NEW PAGE AT GLOVERRANGS.COM : COLLECTABLE RANGS FOR SALE!

gloverrangs — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:57:31 +0000

Due to an ever increasing interest in Collectable Boomerangs, (a subject near and dear to my heart!), I’ve decided to offer some of the really beautiful “gems” from my personal collection for sale at http://GLOVERRANGS.COM Of course, this can only go on for a limited time, as I have a finite amount of Collectable boomerangs I’m willing to sell. I can promise, however, the ones I sell will be of the utmost pristine quality people have come to expect from Gloverrangs.com…..Let the Collectable Selling Begin!

NEXT PHASE IN BIRCH F/C DEVELOPMENT: “ASAP” FAST CATCH!

gloverrangs — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:56:07 +0000

"ASAP" LEFT HANDED VERSION

I was happy with the “Sonic Boom” F/C rang, but not overwhelmed by its success. It was fast, not super fast, and it was also a bit on the safe side, where catching was concerned. Still, I wanted more speed out of my F/C offerings, so I worked on it again, and lowered the tip span and the weight. This resulted in my newest model, the “ASAP.” This too is to be available for purchase at Flight-toys.com and Ted Bailey has already told me I should simply not make any more of the Sonic Booms, but rather, concentrate on this one….he said, “This is a winner!!”

NEW FAST CATCH PRODUCTION MODEL: “SONIC BOOM’” SOON TO BE AVAILABLE AT FLIGHT-TOYS.COM!

gloverrangs — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:56:02 +0000

After literally SEVERAL iterations of modifications with Ted Bailey’s expert guidance, I’ve FINALLY arrived at a reliable, decent Fast Catch Model to offer to the general public! I chose to work with Aircraft Birch plywood, and, though I started my design work using 5mm, the final product ended up being 4mm 8 ply Birch. The 5mm rangs were plenty fast enough, and certainly accurate enough, but man, if you haven’t ever been smacked by a heavy fast catch rang, believe me, you don’t want to be! The 4mm birch was every bit as effective in flying the required 20 meter outward distance quickly, but without so much “knuckle biting” on the catch. The end result, is what I’m calling the “Sonic Boom,” which may not set any new records in Fast Catch, but for anyone simply wanting a highly reliable, sure-flying Trainer for the event, this will make a great first F/C rang to try. The design is EXTREMELY CONSISTENT in flying a tight, 22 meter, VERY CIRCULAR, waist-high, easy to catch pattern. All of that, and it’s not too expensive either…..it’ll also work as a great choice for the Endurance Event, for sure!

THE SONIC BOOM F/C RANG

SONIC BOOM, UNDERSIDE, SHOWING CAMBERING

AWWW, NUTS!!! IT’S A “REAL” FLYING SQUIRREL!!!

gloverrangs — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:51:28 +0000

Honestly, I did NOT see the creation of this 6 wing boomerang coming! I was on Facebook, just chatting away with another Rang Enthusiast (one who resides in Connecticut, but will remain nameless), and it suddenly “struck” me that no one had yet tried making a “Flying Squirrel” Rang. It seemed like such a natural choice for an Art Rang, with sooooo many birds, Pterodactyls, and bats having preceded it in the “Boomerang Universe.” I knew just how silly it might end up looking, but that was my desired effect from the start. Other than rang making, I pride myself on being a pretty darn ridiculously silly cartoonist. Sometimes a bit too silly, actually, but hey!

I got a lot of very positive feedback when I posted the first photos of this rang on Facebook. Comments like “Great,” “Marvelous,” and “Genius” flooded my comments section. But, by far, the most significant and meaningful comment was, “Okay, How does she fly?” I KNEW eventually it would all boil down to that; it IS afterall a BOOMERANG, right?

I wasn’t even prepared to answer that question immediately, as I took the photos before it was even clear coated, (to reduce glare from my camera’s flash), and it was still tacky and not thrown when that was asked. The very first thing I did though, once it was dry enough, (both the clear coat and our very wet throwing field), was to give it a try. Do you know, it flew soooo sweet! Those 6 wings were of course generating lots of lift, so very little layover was required. The range was surprising to me too, well into the 30+ meter area, mainly just due to the weight of this sucker. It’s crafted out of 4mm 8 ply Birch plywood, but the wing span (from the tip of the “head” blade to the tip of the “tail” blade) is right at 16 inches, making it a fairly large multiblader, for sure. It has a super-fast gyroscopic spin rate, similar to an LMI Fox Skyblader, only faster. There’s no possible way you can follow those blades with your naked eyes. When it got back to me, it simply hovered down like a Huey Helicopter, landing on the top of a Skyscraper….it was a beautiful thing!

WHAT’S IN A NAME???

gloverrangs — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:13:36 +0000

"BLUE THUNDER" PHENOLIC AUSSIE ROUNDER

Sometimes, when coming up with a new boomerang design, the hardest part isn’t even the carving of the shape. Oh sure, a lot of thought has to go into that, deciding the wingspan, the chord width, and the material used, but oddly as it might sound, sometimes, the hardest part is just coming up with a unique, cool sounding name. In the case of the above pictured model, the “Blue Thunder,” I’m STILL a bit skeptical about including the word “blue” in the title. I can recall really enjoying the Roy Schnieder movie from the mid 1980′s of the same name, one about a highly advanced police helicopter (well, advanced for that time period, anyway), and that name immediately appealed to me as a potential one for a really rad Aussie Rounder. The only problem is, I DON’T want to feel restricted to ALWAYS paint these suckers blue! The name “Thunder” alone seems a bit bare, but it DOES imply a kick-ass rang, WITHOUT a certain color orientation. The funny thing about it is, I know another maker, (who’s name I’ll omit), who makes a paxolin version of Herb Smith’s “Red Rocket” boomerang, and to this day, I have NEVER SEEN ONE HE ACTUALLY USED ANY RED PAINT ON! Does that even make any sense? Why not just call it the “Rocket” then? I understand he’s calling it by a Herb Smith Trademark name, but seriously, does anyone want a name to make absolutely NO CONNECTION to what you’re buying? I’m certainly NOT going to keep calling this model the “Blue Thunder,” and omit blue from the paint scheme….Can you imagine the look on a Buyer’s face, when they receive they’re brand new, RED and Yellow, “Blue Thunder?” Maybe, if I’m to continue using a name which has two words in it, I’ll simply go with “Loud Thunder,” or perhaps, “Distant Thunder.” In either case, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about what color I choose to paint it. There’s a whole lot more that goes into a boomerang’s name than simply drawing them out of a hat….it’s as hard as naming one’s children sometimes, Talaga!

NEW HIGH DENSITY PLASTIC BOOMERANGS…..UNDER $5! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

gloverrangs — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:53:20 +0000

THIS IS IT!!! A truly inexpensive, highly functional and reliable rang, at a price everyone can afford! I knew if I kept at it, experimenting with every possible material my Chemical Engineering degree lead me to, EVENTUALLY, I would arrive at the PERFECT one! These rangs fly every bit as good as the best sports rangs currently on the market and are nearly unbreakable….and at a fraction of the cost! My 11 year old son, Willie caught his “Hypnotic” Omega, (pictured above), on his very second throw….And then he repeatedly caught it for several more throws after that. Now, admittedly, Willie’s probably not too typical of most 11 year old boomerang enthusiasts, being on the field throwing right along side me since he was able to walk. However, the “Hypnotic,” even out of an 11 year old boy’s hand, goes out an incredible 35+ meters, does a very nice, stable circle, and comes in with a leisurely amount of hover for an easy grab. I’m not saying these plastic rangs should be enlisted for serious competition, but they definitely ought to be considered for some serious FUN!

MAFALDA COMIC STRIP ART RANG: A TRIBUTE TO ARGENTINA’S GREATEST CARTOONIST, QUINO!

gloverrangs — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:17:24 +0000

Just recently, kind of out of the blue, a boomerang enthusiast in Texas requested I make a special “Mafalda” comic strip Art boomerang for him. Now, I don’t speak too much Spanish, nor was I even vaguely familiar with this comic strip, but I’m always up for a challenge! I soon discovered, the Mafalda strip is the “Pride of Argentina,” and is drawn by a very famous cartoonist there called “Quino.” When I looked it up on Google images, I immediately saw the striking similarities with Mafalda and the “Peanuts” strip my the late Charles Schulz. Whereas most of the Peanuts characters have basically roundish heads, Mafalda’s have almost exclusively pear shaped ones. As for the eyes, ears, and other features of the faces, the two strips are very similar. There is also a very close relation to how both cartoonists would draw the character’s clothes and posture….This began to look to be way more like fun than a such a challenge anymore….I’m SO COMFORTABLE drawing the Peanuts strip, I soon knew Mafalda would be a snap.

Really, the hardest part about putting comic strip characters on a boomerang isn’t the drawing of the characters, but rather, the selection of the boomerang to use. My friend wanted all seven of the major Mafalda characters, and did NOT want me to use a traditional shaped rang. Well, that complicated things a bit, as I would need a lot of surface area, and he already restricted me from using the design which affords the most of it. My choice was to use my Acrobat Keyhole design, as the chord on it is almost the same width from one tip to the other, and, if I put the main character on the elbow, I could nicely balance the artwork with 3 additional characters on each of the remaining two wing surfaces. Here’s a picture of how things turned out: