Easy blowgun darts

[jdupre']

Too dang hot to do much so I've been messing around in the shop. I figured a few of y'all might be building blowguns and need cheap, easy way to make darts.

All you need is a half sheet of glossy magazine paper. You roll it into a cone, hold it together with a little tape and cut it to bore size. With practice, you can make one in about a minute.

The trick is to roll the internal part of the sheet while pulling to the left with your left hand.

To make them a little more durable, you can snip the end to the right size and drop in a small dowel or even a small nail. You can also dip them into a little excess epoxy for a hardened point.The darts puff up to fll the bore and are very accurate up to about 40'.

 

[Wannabe]

Thanks Joey,
You just brought the fine art of blowgun shooting indoors with the airconditioning, without too much fuss from the Missus (only if you clean up your darts when you finish and don't pester the cat with it). :shock:
Bob

 

[islandpiper]

I've got to try some of these. i got into trouble tonight for shooting my regular darts across the room into a safe target. oops

piper

 

[Kayak Jack]

I once had to attend a seminar for state workers. It took a few hours to tell us we couldn't carry weapons. I regularly carried a knife in the side door pocket of the state car. I asked for the definiiton of a weapon, and was told it was a gun, fired either by burning a propellant or releasing compressed gas to propel a projectile. I didn't ask any more questions - until after the seminar was over.

I then asked the instructor if she knew the real definition of a weapon. She said yes. I told her, not yours, the real one.

A weapon is anything which has been used to attack a target, human or animal, with intent to bodily harm or death. Further, nothing is a weapon until it has been used as a weapon, and that everything in the world is a potential weapon.

I then asked her for a piece of 8 1/2" X 11" paper from her notebook, and asked her, "Is this a weapon?" "No", she replied.

I then rolled it tightly, grabbed it in the middle with only an inch or two protruding from each side of my fist, and slowly pointed the tightly rolled end toward her neck. I again asked, "Is this a weapon?" She then said, "Yes."

"No, Ma'am; it is now a potential weapon. Had I jabbed you with it, THEN it would have been a weapon. See the difference? More importantly, do you see that anything can become a potential weapon?"

She didn't like her lesson. But had to admit I was right.

Using just a tightly rolled cone of paper, you could blind a person. In Bob's case, he could pursue a stray cat or two.

And, Joey, thanks for the lesson. You are a survivor.

 

[hunters]

Thanks Joey,
You just brought the fine art of blowgun shooting indoors with the airconditioning, without too much fuss from the Missus (only if you clean up your darts when you finish and don't pester the cat with it). :shock:
Bob

my son is always asking me to buy a blowgun coz he really loves to have one but my problem is where to buy it? do you have any suggestions?

 

[jdupre']

Online, go the Blowguns Northwest. They have several models and all the accessories. Locally, try Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop or Academy Sports.

Joey

 

[islandpiper]

Wow, Jdupre' suggested that you BUY SOMETHING?? Joey, do you feel OK?

Make one, either 1/2 or 3/4 EMT, electrical metal tubing, conduit, from the hardware store. but one stick, make two blowguns for about a dollar each.

Trust me, a five foot long, 1/2" dia blowgun is a great toy, tool, weapon.

Joey, you bringing yours next week? if you do, i will.

piper

 

[jdupre']

Well, he asked about buying one,but y'all know my preference. 1/2" emt or 1/2 hard copper works really well. I'll bring mine along on the trip.

Joey

 

[Kayak Jack]

Joey, Keith'll out shoot you. remember, when you are shooting at only one target, he is shooting at about 16 or 32 or 64.

 

[Wannabe]

For darts you can get a string of cheap plastic beads that will fit the bore and music wire . Pull a bead off the string and cut a peice of music wire to the length that you want. Flick your Bic an heat the end of the music wire and push the hot end into the plastic bead. Makes dandy darts. Plastic push pins are handy also.
Bob

 

[jdupre']

Good tip, Bob. The thing about DIY blowguns is that the bore size is not standardized. It might be a problem to find beads the right size. Paper darts are custom sized to the bore. Custom cut pool noodle foam makes good cones also.

Joey

 

[Kayak Jack]

But - WHERE do you get the curare?

 

[Steve]

When I was a kid in Jr. High, we would make darts out of paper then take sewing pins with the colored ball heads on them and epoxy them into the tip of the darts :shock: . . . Then we'd play catch with the kids who didn't know what we had done :twisted: . . .

The things we did, not really knowing better :roll: . . . well. . . we knew better. . . just preferred being stupid, I guess. . .

Shame on me. . . .

 

[Kayak Jack]

WOW Steve. I'm ashamed to say I know you. What a bad boy you were. NAUGHTY! NAUGHTY!

I'm sure glad I never did anything like that when I was a wayward child.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

WOW Steve. I'm ashamed to say I know you. What a bad boy you were. NAUGHTY! NAUGHTY!

I'm sure glad I never did anything like that when I was a wayward child.

Uh, Jack did you ever stop being a wayward child? :mrgreen:

 

[Kayak Jack]

Not any time soon.

 

[theost]

I had a blowgun, my father gave me, he told me to used that blowgun to shoot the bird.