Wooden dowel nail dart tails

[FighterAce]

(this is 1/3 of the actual dowel, I've cut it into thirds after buying it for easier transport)

1 meter long wooden dowel with 12mm diameter could produce up to 32 dart tails .Each dart tail approx 30mm, I have not yet tested in up to longer distances to see if its better to have it shorter or longer so it could be more or less but 32 seems like the possible middle. My barrel is 12.40mm and the dowel is 12.00 so it took exactly 4 wraps with black electrical tape to make a perfect seal. A dab of hot glue on the end will hold the nail in place.





After shooting, the wood stayed intact so it can be just ripped off the nail, hot glue can be re-heated and a new nail attached. I think this is a big advantage because all I need to carry is like 200 nails, 50 or so of those tails and a lighter  





Shots were taken at 10 bar out of my first piston valve. Remember that I have a 15cm long 3/4 pipe as my air tank. On my next rifle it will be a 1'' or 1.25'', 36cm long air tank with 3 times higher pressure. Its really hard to comprehend the devastation with those... ehem better specs  
Officially... this is my best nail dart shot so far. I have never been able to bury a nail so deep into the wood.
I am thinking about a major re-armament of my nail dart inventory replacing the paper cones with these. I just need to do a few more tests...

I told ya I was gonna find a competitor for the wads and corks  

[Forum Admin]

Very nice  Can you get dowels made of balsa wood? 

[BoyntonStu]

Balsa wood would probably split.

I like the dart.

Corks are free and easily cut to exact size.

Corks are about 50% reuseable.

You can sand the nose a bit for aero.

A drilled hole from the rear will lighten the tail.

Good work!

[FighterAce]

Thanks 

The wood is european beech witch is quite strong. I agree on balsa splitting. It just wouldnt last...

I was thinking about it last night since I couldnt sleep... I could drill a hole for the nail, snip off the nail head and glue the nail into the hole. The nail head would no longer stop the nail from penetrating all the way though. I wonder how deep it could get like that.
That dowel cost me $1 but when you devide that by the number of tails I can make out of it, the numbers are pretty low.

A drilled hole from the rear will lighten the tail.

Its funny cause when I thought of the hole for the nail I also thought of the hole on the other side to make it lighter and kinda catch the air 
Sanding the nose would be very difficult since I dont have a lathe. I do have an old dremel that I could use but not sure what kind homemade vice/holding fixture I should make for it.

I'm gonna snip off the nail head and see if its worth it for now...

[FighterAce]

Here are 2 darts I made



I drilled a hole for the nail, after pouring in hot glue the nail gets shoved inside. For re-use all I had to do is replace the nail (no re-melting of glue required) or find the tail - on the 2nd shot the tail actually flew off.

Damage shots:



Note how much the 2nd nail penetrated. It must have had a perfect seal. I even felt it when I was pushing the dart into the barrel. The first was kinda easy but the 2nd was really snug. 4 and a half wraps should do the trick then 

[BoyntonStu]

Thanks 

The wood is european beech witch is quite strong. I agree on balsa splitting. It just wouldnt last...

I was thinking about it last night since I couldnt sleep... I could drill a hole for the nail, snip off the nail head and glue the nail into the hole. The nail head would no longer stop the nail from penetrating all the way though. I wonder how deep it could get like that.
That dowel cost me $1 but when you devide that by the number of tails I can make out of it, the numbers are pretty low.

Its funny cause when I thought of the hole for the nail I also thought of the hole on the other side to make it lighter and kinda catch the air 
Sanding the nose would be very difficult since I dont have a lathe. I do have an old dremel that I could use but not sure what kind homemade vice/holding fixture I should make for it.

I'm gonna snip off the nail head and see if its worth it for now...

An angle jig and a clamped down belt sander will easily form a flat cone tip to the nail head.


A transition cone to the nail shaft using hot glue would be very aero.  (Like your lower dart)

Fitting a cork is very precise because the drill corer is made from a piece of barrel.

Also, the crok compresses a bit when drilling a really fits snugly.

[FighterAce]

Not sure I'm gonna make a tapered tip... Its just fine like this
I can just taper the hot glue while its still maluable but not too hot into a cone to make a smooth transition.

These darts fit almost perfectly but I dont want them to be 100%. One reason is reduced friction and 2nd is that I can always take out my barrel and use it as a blowgun if my gun brakes down. I'm pretty sure you cant use your corks as blowgun ammo if they fit so snug.

[BoyntonStu]

Not sure I'm gonna make a tapered tip... Its just fine like this
I can just taper the hot glue while its still maluable but not too hot into a cone to make a smooth transition.

These darts fit almost perfectly but I dont want them to be 100%. One reason is reduced friction and 2nd is that I can always take out my barrel and use it as a blowgun if my gun brakes down. I'm pretty sure you cant use your corks as blowgun ammo if they fit so snug.

We will discover what happens beyond 100 feet.

I would blow my brains out trying to push a cork down a 3/4x 38" barrel.

That is why I shoot at 300 +  psi .

[Forum Admin]

@FighterAce - That's some pretty good penetration, I like your idea of rebuilding the darts in the field. 
@Stu - I havent had a chance to try longer shots with cork darts yet, the weather has been really nasty. They sure chronograph well, though. 

A wood lathe would sure be nice, you could really make some aerodynamic dart stabilizers with one. They are costlier than I expected, even in the mini sizes, I'll have to check some pawn shops and see what turns up.

[FighterAce]

I just took apart an old drill and salvaged the piece that holds the drill bit. The wooden dowel fits inside perfectly. I'd just need to sand the 3... things inside so they dont ruin the wood. The only thing I gotta do is somehow connect my old dremel with the drill piece. For keeping everything in place I think a simple holding wooden frame should do the job.
What tool should I introduce to the spinning cylinder? Using sand paper would be just too expensive... you'd need quite alot of it and it would go pretty slow. However it would be good to sand it when its almost complete.

[Forum Admin]

I'd try a sharp chisel, it should do the trick.

[BoyntonStu]

I just took apart an old drill and salvaged the piece that holds the drill bit. The wooden dowel fits inside perfectly. I'd just need to sand the 3... things inside so they dont ruin the wood. The only thing I gotta do is somehow connect my old dremel with the drill piece. For keeping everything in place I think a simple holding wooden frame should do the job.
What tool should I introduce to the spinning cylinder? Using sand paper would be just too expensive... you'd need quite alot of it and it would go pretty slow. However it would be good to sand it when its almost complete.

A piece of barrel, 3 slits  1" deep and 120* apart + a hose clamp for a chuck.

Reducer coupling(s) at the other end, etc. to make it fit a drill press chuck.

Rasp> file> coarse sandpaper >  fine sandpaper.

[FighterAce]

Took me awhile to realize that those nails fit perfectly into my dremel. So I just spinned one and gave em a little haircut 


I just used a saw with fine teeth and finished with a scalpel since I dont have any sand paper left. It made quick work on that spinning tail. I'd say it didnt take longer than a minute.
The main issue seems to be drilling the hole at perfect 90 degrees so the tail spins true. I'll have to make some kind of fixture to drill em at 90 degrees and in the center every time.

[Snipeshot11]

 What i did was i found a plastic sewing thimble in my house. I put a nail through the center of it, then hot glued it in there for support. Its lightweight and pretty aerodynamic. I would post a pic but i was shooting long distance, missed target, and now its gone. I only had one thimble.

[FighterAce]

Yeah... theres not much use off a good bullet if you cant make more of them...
I took a few shots at distance today and noticed these darts tumble. It was horrible... It hits the target wood first and bounces back. Good I shot at an angle 
I'm guessing those corks have the same problem... Any idea how to make them more stable?