IMPROVISED BOLAS The nice thing about bolas is that they can be easily made from readily available materials. Bolas come primarily in 2-end (ie: ball) and 3-end § types. The 2-end types are easier to control. Traditionally, the bola is 0 thrown to entangle the feet of the enemy or his horse. However, particularly if the bola is made heavier, it can bé handheld to flail the § enemy with the balls or to entangle him with the chain or cable. f The balls or weights can be any size, shape or mass, but should be ones i that you can comfortably handle. Spiked or unspiked. Large fishing sinkers, lead tire weights and dumbbell plates are common. Also¥ Jcommonly used are plumbing parts, iron stock and scrap iron parts. and thick, heavy steel cables). In lieu of chain or cable, hemp rope will § also work. Soak it in salt water before throwing, or dust it with graph- ite first, or feed it thru braided cable shielding. Or use stranded cop- per wire (0-12 guage, remove at least 6" of insulation from each end). Another good alternative is piano wire. Used correctly, a piano wire bola will slice off the body part it wraps around. Piano wire is avail- able from music supply stores. Still another is a carbide saw blade. The line can be attached to the weights with pinched-on or screwed-on ‘collars, welded, brazed, soldered or tied. Try out several variations of i [weights and lines to find what suits you best. If you are concerned i | about getting caught, make an on-site assembly using heavy duty [double-ended fishing swivels. ,