Been making blowgun darts

[Forum Admin]

Since I had a 5' length of copper pipe for a project, I thought I would give it a whirl as a blowgun before it got sliced up. I gathered a few materials and made a broadhead dart this morning for some fun. Here's how I did it:

I took an empty milk jug and heated it with a propane torch. When a 2" circle turned clear, I pushed the brass plumb bob into the plastic and let it sit there until it cooled. I did this all over the jug to get a bunch of plastic cones.
After that, you cut each of the sides out, push the plumb bob back into a cone and insert it into your blowgun. Using a razor blade, carefully cut the cone out.

I used a 6" length of 1/8" dowel rod for the dart shaft. Cut the pointy side of the cone off to tightly fit through the dart shaft. Use a bit of thread to attach it to the shaft.

You then need to take the razor blade and cut a notch to accept your broadhead.

I made my broadhead out of a piece of hacksaw blade. You can use any bit of thin metal for a broadhead. Another good source of metal is the straps that hold bundles of lumber together. You can sometimes get those for free at a hardware store. I cut it to shape with aviation snips and sharpened it with a bench grinder. For a really good edge, finish it on a stone. It should be shaped kinda like this:

To attach the broadhead to the dart, you insert it into the notch. Then take some thread, starting 1/4" from the base of the broadhead and wrap it to the end of the shaft and back to the starting point. when finished, it'll look like this:

You can finish off the threads with krazy glue, and you'll have a long lasting dart perfect for hunting.

[BoyntonStu]

Since I had a 5' length of copper pipe for a project, I thought I would give it a whirl as a blowgun before it got sliced up. I gathered a few materials and made a broadhead dart this morning for some fun. Here's how I did it:

I took an empty milk jug and heated it with a propane torch. When a 2" circle turned clear, I pushed the brass plumb bob into the plastic and let it sit there until it cooled. I did this all over the jug to get a bunch of plastic cones.
After that, you cut each of the sides out, push the plumb bob back into a cone and insert it into your blowgun. Using a razor blade, carefully cut the cone out.

I used a 6" length of 1/8" dowel rod for the dart shaft. Cut the pointy side of the cone off to tightly fit through the dart shaft. Use a bit of thread to attach it to the shaft.

You then need to take the razor blade and cut a notch to accept your broadhead.

I made my broadhead out of a piece of hacksaw blade. You can use any bit of thin metal for a broadhead. Another good source of metal is the straps that hold bundles of lumber together. You can sometimes get those for free at a hardware store. I cut it to shape with aviation snips and sharpened it with a bench grinder. For a really good edge, finish it on a stone. It should be shaped kinda like this:

To attach the broadhead to the dart, you insert it into the notch. Then take some thread, starting 1/4" from the base of the broadhead and wrap it to the end of the shaft and back to the starting point. when finished, it'll look like this:

You can finish off the threads with krazy glue, and you'll have a long lasting dart perfect for hunting.

Excellent work an photos!

Imagine your dart with 550 psi behind it.

BoyntonStu

[josephlys]

Nice darts, looks deaaly . What animals do you take with your blowgun and those darts.
i use my hamemade blowgun with coat hangar wire darts to take sparrows and starlings.
i make broadheads too, not as good looking as yours though,they are just wire darts with a razor blade epoxy'd at the tip. i make them for crows and pigeons.
Cheers to blowguns, they are quite effective bird killers.

[Pellethuntr]

that's a great idea AG...been thinking about a good water proof cone...and there you go problem solved

[Forum Admin]

The plastic cone is definitely the best material I have ever used on a dart. They last a surprisingly long time. They work well until you go over 150 psi. After that, they act like a umbrella in a hurricane. I've got to come up with a way to make thicker ones so I can try a high pressure shot, like Stu said, it would be impressive. Even at 60 psi, these will go through boards, with almost no muzzle blast. Shot with just my breath, the entire broadhead burys itself into plywood.
All I've ever gotten is birds with a blowgun, but I'm hoping to get a shot at a rabbit or squirrel sometime soon. This summer, there were tons of rabbits on my land, but they are mostly gone now. I didnt even shoot one.  Must be the coyotes.

[Pellethuntr]

bummer I wanted to try them at unregged co2 levels...

[BoyntonStu]

The plastic cone is definitely the best material I have ever used on a dart. They last a surprisingly long time. They work well until you go over 150 psi. After that, they act like a umbrella in a hurricane. I've got to come up with a way to make thicker ones so I can try a high pressure shot, like Stu said, it would be impressive. Even at 60 psi, these will go through boards, with almost no muzzle blast. Shot with just my breath, the entire broadhead burys itself into plywood.
All I've ever gotten is birds with a blowgun, but I'm hoping to get a shot at a rabbit or squirrel sometime soon. This summer, there were tons of rabbits on my land, but they are mostly gone now. I didnt even shoot one.  Must be the coyotes.

Umbrella in a hurricane goes inside out.  What happens too a pointy plastic cone above 150 psi?

Would dripping wax into the cone help?

[FighterAce]

if it goes inside out then the plastic is too weak... the same thing happened to me when I tried to use thin paper for my darts. it went inside out or it just ripped the paper.

[Forum Admin]

The plastic does turn inside out, like FighterAce said, it is too weak or thin. I've put a drop of hot glue in the base of them, this seems to lengthen their life and keep them centered, but doesnt make them much stronger. I need to find a better source of plastic or different way of molding that doesnt stretch the plastic as thin before I can use them with higher pressure. Let me know if you all have any ideas

[FighterAce]

The plastic does turn inside out, like FighterAce said, it is too weak or thin. I've put a drop of hot glue in the base of them, this seems to lengthen their life and keep them centered, but doesnt make them much stronger. I need to find a better source of plastic or different way of molding that doesnt stretch the plastic as thin before I can use them with higher pressure. Let me know if you all have any ideas

what if you hot glued/super glued a metal washer inside to give it structural support?

[BoyntonStu]

Many thanks for the idea.

I used a heat gun to melt the container clear.

I plan to hot glue a disk of closed cell foam at the end of the tail to add support and to be a piston in the barrel.

BoyntonStu

[Forum Admin]

That's a good idea, adding something to the rear might prevent it from blowing out. You dont want to add too much weight back there, so the foam should do the trick.

[Forum Admin]

All right, I turned a nail dart into a broadhead dart. This increases the cutting surface to 3/8", a pretty good jump over the nail diameter. I heated the point of the nail over a torch, then pounded it to about 1 to 1.5 mm thick. I then shaped it with a bench grinder and put a rough edge on it. Here's what it looks like:

Next, I cut the head of the nail off and put a paper cone on it. Last, I filled the paper cone 1/2 full with hot glue and let it cool. Here's the finished dart:

Will this make it more lethal? I hope so. It flies nice and straight, but offers the same penetration as a sharpened nail. In my mind, the killing difference will be that of a archery field point vs a broadhead, we'll have to see...

[josephlys]

Have you taken anything with your blowgun yet. i thought of improving my darts. Well heres a dart idea:
1) cut 11inch common coat hangar wire, straighten it.( can make 3 with 1 coat hangar)
2) sharpen it and grind one side of the tip flat( to attach razor, i find hammering it flat is hard labour)
3) attach cone
4) get razor snap blades 1cm dia, snap em and epoxy em to the grinded flat side.wait for bonding

[boar]

here is how to make plastic cones you could make a bunch at a time a lathe would realy help with the molds but if you had 1 good mold you could make a reverse then cast more with plaster or bondo or something

Boar