Making Darts From Office Supplies

There are several instructables on this site on how to make darts. The problem with entirely paper darts is they just don't stick into anything! Other darts get a little too complex and require folded paper wings, some glue, and Bic pens. Here I've created a good intermediary made from standard office supplies.

Credit to tevers94 for the "Stick-o-Paper" instructable that inspired these dart.
Special thanks to my friend Sean for helping me develop these darts after we hashed the first one together, and for being the hands to make the fins for the dart in this instructable.

**Disclaimer** - This is a dangerous device! Never throw at any living thing! Be mature with these darts, I take no responsibility for any injuries you cause to yourself and others as a result of the information I've provided you here. I'm sure there are instructables out there on how to make cardboard targets.

Things you'll need to get started:

1. A sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" paper
2. Scotch tape, or some variant knock off brand
3. Push-pins
4. Wire snips, or something you can use to cut up plastic.

The first thing you'll need to do is put a piece of tape on one corner your sheet of paper.
Next go to the adjacent corner and begin rolling it.
Try to keep the roll as tight as possible, and use both hands to do it.
As you get to the adjacent corner you'll start rolling up the tape around your "tube" of paper.
Just Continue rolling and as you roll the tape in make sure to keep a firm and even pressure on your tube so the tape doesn't wrinkle and interfere with the aerodynamics of your dart.

After you finish your tube you'll notice that the ends are a lot weaker than the piece in the middle.
We're going to pinch the ends slightly to find where it starts to become a strong tube.
At this weak point you will cut the end of your tube off. You'll notice that one end of your tube is thicker than the other, or that the thickest part of the tube is off to one side. This is normal and exactly what we want it to look like.
Repeat this for the other end of your tube as well and you will have a sturdy rod of paper with a relatively high ductile strength.
This is the body of your dart

Now we have the body of our dart we're going to go put it aside for a moment and get out the push-pin and our wire snips (or other cutting implements). For this portion of the project protective eye wear is highly recommended. As you snip at the hard plastic it has a tendency to fly in random directions and can pose a threat to exposed eyes.

So take your snips and cut off the edges of the "butt" of your pushpin.
The edges will be a little jagged but that's okay, we'll be placing this part of it inside of the tube of paper we've made.
Push your pin into the thicker end of your tube. Be careful not to prick yourself on the tip of the pin. Once inserted the pin should hold fast in the tube. If you notice your pin is a little loose you can take your cutting device and cut off a little more of the tube to get to the smaller portions of the hole inside of it.

Now for the tricky part.
You already have an effective little projectile if you want to try and throw it like a ninja spike at boxes or walls. We're going to add some stabilizers to the dart so it flies a little truer and is a little easier to use for those of us who can't throw spikes.
So lets pick up our roll of tape now, and draw out about two and a half inches of tape to rip off.
Now very carefully fold your tape in half and make a crease at the fold line.
Don't fold it all the way over though! Leave enough space so we can attach it to our dart.
Another important thing to remember is that we need to fold back part of the tape at an angle.
You may now attach this to the body of your dart.
The angle is so the fins create enough drag to stabilize the dart in flight, but not so much drag that the dart will fall.
Simply repeat the process to create your second stabilizing fin.
After extensive testing I've found that two stabilizers seems to work well enough, but it can certainly do no hard to add a third fin to the dart.
After you've attached your second fin to your dart you are ready to go!

Once again I cannot stress how dangerous these darts can be. One shot to someone's eye could cause serious damage and possibly blindness. Be careful with these darts.
I've decided that cardboard targets are the best. Once can only get away with so many "thumb tack holes" in the wall before things get suspicious.
Be safe and have fun!

-Greenway