Introduction: Laser Cut Craft Foam Throwing Stars for Your Kids (or Yourself)

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Quick, and awesome project to make safe throwing stars for children. They don't fly terribly well, but young kids wont notice.

You will want to get the thicker 1/4 inch craft foam as the thin 1/8th stuff is just too flimsy.

Step 1: Have Kids.

No pictures for this step, if you don't know how this part is done, Instructables might not be the place to find out, but the internet has plenty of other sites that should help.

If you don't want to have kids (its a long wait) you could adopt, or find somebody to love that already has kids. I did the latter, and now I have two awesome dudes to make throwing stars for.

You could, theoretically, make them for yourself I suppose too.

Step 2: Find Your Inspiration.

Google throwing stars, or some similar and find stars that you like. Save the images so you can bring them into illustrator, jpeg should work just fine.

Step 3: Create Vector Images of the Throwing Stars.

I used Adobe Illustrator, you can use this, or Corel Draw, even Autocad if you want. In Illustrator you may be able to use live trace, but I chose the pen tool. Trace the starts and resize accordingly, mine are about 2.5 inches square.

Make sure your line weights are small enough to be read as a cut line on the laser. If you don't know how to use a laser cutter, or don't know where to find one, try TechShop, we have you sorted.

Step 4: Take Your File to the Lasers and Cut It Up.

Save your vector file and head to Techshop, or some other place with a laser cutter and go to town. Using the proper settings I think each 8.5 x 11 sheet of craft foam took about 1 minute to make into 8 throwing stars and 2 batarangs.

Make sure you know what youre doing so you don't make a mess of your foam or the machine.

Also helps to clean the lasered edges with alcohol or so to get the burn smell off.

Step 5: Round Off the Points ( or Don't) and You're Good to Go!!

I was initially going to round off the points of these stars, but then decided against it. I've always thought that parenting a child with a disability would be extremely character building so worst case scenario...No, seriously I opted against it because they seemed harmless enough even with the points and my boys like mayhem so making them look safe would never do. If you are concerned, simply trim the very point off with an exacto (or round them in the vector file)

Now you are ready to go with awesome, and safe, throwing stars for you(r kids).