Introduction: Undercover Spy Book Rubber Band Launcher

About: I am a maker. As founder of MakerBlog, I enjoy sharing my creations with others.

After I discovered that my friends did not fully appreciate being shot with rubber bands, my only alternative was to shoot them and then look them in the eye with a calm look of defiance on my face. This was actually very impressive considering that it is hard to look calm and defiant while running backwards so fast. I only had to hope that my backwards running skills were better than their forward sprinting skills. After several repetitions of this difficult and possibly unsafe experience, I decided to find a better way. I asked myself, "What if my friends didn't know it was me who shot them?" "What if I was just an innocent bystander when the 'injustice' occurred?" "What if a could disguise a rubber band gun as a book?" Thus I invented the CSRBL, a.k.a. the Covert Spy Rubber Band Launcher.

Step 1: Materials

You will need the following:
Clothes Pin
Pen
Pair of Pliars
Hollow Book- At Least 1" Thick and 7" Long. https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Secret-Hollow-Book/
Hot Glue Gun
Razor or Xacto Knife
Rubber Bands- Shorter/Smaller is Better

Note-"All measurements are approximated, and should be taylored to your specific book."

Warning-"Be careful around razors, Xacto blades, and other sharp, hot, or potentially dangerous things(hot glue gun, etc.)."

Note-"Have fun!"

Step 2: Preparing Your Hollow Book Safe

Mark a 1" space near the top, right-hand corner of the book, as shown in the picture. Use your razor to cut along the marks on the book until the hole is level with the back of your hollow book. Re-glue any loose pages as necessary, and mark a straight line from the middle of the slot to the other end of the book, as shown.

Step 3: Preparing Your Pen

Use your Pliers to disassemble an ordinary office pen, saving the body and cap, but discarding the ink cartridge and its pyramidal/cone-shaped lid. Next, take the main body of the pen and crush one end flat, as shown in the pictures.

Step 4: Assembly

Place the clothespin on the line drawn earlier, push it against the bottom wall of the book, and glue it in place with a healthy amount of hot glue. Align the flat end of the pen with the clothespin and place them approximately 3/4" apart, as shown. Mark and remove any excess plastic (using wire cutters or some other sharp object), so that the body of the pen does not hang outside of the book. Replace the pen's circular cap and glue the pen in place. Remember to use hot glue liberally!

Step 5: Final Assembly and Firing Instructions

As best you can, mark a point on the outside of the book that is directly above the controlling end of the clothespin. Using a razor, or x-acto knife, cut a hole through that spot, so that you can, through the book, press the clothespin open with any reasonably skinny object (pen, toothpick, etc.). Load the CSRBL the same way you would load an ordinary rubber band gun. To fire, simply point the Covert Spy Rubber Band Launcher at some unsuspecting target, press the clothespin using a pen, toothpick, etc., and quickly drop the end of the book to hide the fact that there is a 1"X1" hole in the end.
Happy hunting, and enjoy not having to enact drastic evasive procedures during your next rubber band operation!