| The Blowgun... (As I see it.) |
| Every dart that you bought from a catalog, store, or over the internet- throw it away. In my opinion, the darts are better disassembled and pieces scrapped for future projects. Darts can be made of many different materials. Some prefer bamboo skewers, some like drinking straws, some like chopsticks, and some like heavy wire- like the kind they use to make wire clothes hangers. My favorite material to make darts out of is 1/8th inch (.125) wood dowel. I prefer the cheap 30-40 cent dowels that are lightweight and usually made of poplar. It is sturdy enough for our needs while staying very light and workable. Broadheads can be made of most anything metal. Most common broadheads are made from broken scraps of hobby or utility knives. They are lightweight, strong, and extremely sharp. Use severe caution when handling or breaking blades. Other great tips include finishing nails, flattened and sharpened wire or nails, super spike dart tips (just the metal part), aluminum or brass tips, or even just a sharpened wood splint end is enough to do some damage. I prefer the commercially used cones for darts- theyre plastic and for the .40 and .50 caliber-certain dart models(not sure about .625 at all)- they fit a standard 1/8th inch dowel rod. Cones, however, can be made from most anything. I have used cotton, paper(rolled into a cone shape and coated with super glue, painted, or dipped in polyurethane), plastic molded at home from laundry detergent bottles heated with a torch and a plumbob pressed into it. Again, most anything that fits the diameter of your pipe will work. You'll want a good hobby knife, some thread or floss, and you'll also want some epoxy or glue. I prefer the cheapest super glue you can find. It dries lighter than epoxy, however is not as strong. Who needs strength? It's a blowdart, and not intended for anything large enough to break the dart. |
| The darts |
 |