How to Make a Bike Polo Mallet
Bike polo is a fast-paced sport played with two teams. Players riding bicycles hit a ball with a mallet, hoping to hit it into an opening the length of a bicycle marked by two cones. Making your own mallet is cheap and easy. You can make your own polo mallet using recycled materials, such as old sporting equipment. Although you may be tempted to use PVC pipe for the mallet head, avoid it. It will break upon repeated impact.
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Ski poles, golf clubs or broomstick
- Handsaw
- Thick plastic ABS pipe (not PVC pipe)
- Drill and drill bits
- Long bolt (longer than the diameter of the ABS pipe) and nut
- Hockey or electrical tape
Instructions
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1
Measure the broomstick, ski pole or golf club to the correct length for your height, usually about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 feet long. Cut off the end of the pole with the saw.
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2
Measure out and cut about a 6-inch long piece of plastic pipe. This will be the head of your mallet. You can get ABS pipe at most hardware stores, or see the Resources section.
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3
Attach a drill bit the same size as the diameter of the pole you created in Step 1.
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4
Drill a hole into one side of your plastic pipe piece, and insert the pole into the pipe. Make sure not to make the hole too large, or the pole will slide around. You want it to be tight. See Figure 1.
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5
Change your drill bit to the diameter of your long bolt.
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6
Place your drill and bit on the mallet head at a 90-degree angle from the pole. Drill a hole all the way through the mallet head, the pole and the opposite side of the mallet head. You may need to remove the pole to drill a hole through it. See Figure 2.
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7
Push the bolt through the two sides of the mallet head and the pole, and screw the nut onto it to secure it. Tighten the nut as much as possible so that it won't wobble. Use the saw to saw off any part of the bolt end that is sticking out.
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8
Cover the top end of the pole if it is hollow with a penny or a plastic bottle cap. This will ensure that you don't hurt your hands while playing. Wrap the end of the handle with hockey or electrical tape to make a grip.
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1
Tips & Warnings
For added grip, roll a piece of tape lengthwise to create a rope with the sticky side of the tape facing outward. Wrap the sticky rope around the edge of the mallet in a criss-cross pattern, and cover it with the electrical or hockey tape.
