Professional Blowgun and Dart - Pierce 1/2" Plywood **Video**

I've seen a lot of blowguns here. Although I liked some, none seemed suitable for serious use. This one will easily penetrate 1/2" Wood, is effective hundreds of feet away, and is highly accurate.
Video here!
How to Make a Blowgun
Of all the projectile weapons I've used (and that's a lot), the blowgun is definitely the most instinctive to shoot. This very simple tool can be picked up by a total novice, and be turned into an astonishingly powerful and accurate weapon in one afternoon. If you think of blowguns as being toys as I once did, you have the wrong idea entirely. No, the dart doesn't have anywhere near the brute stopping power as a sling or rope dart, but it has entirely different properties making it a highly effective weapon:

A blowgun can be used to deliver poisons, is effective more than one-hundred feet away (sometimes much more than that, depending on the user), is completely silent, and delivers its dart with shocking velocity.

More Cool Projects

Step 1 Materials

~10' Electrical Conduit ($1.99 at hardware store)
~ Plastic Film Canister
~ Candle
~ Wire Coat Hanger
~ Duct Tape
~ Something to cut metal
~ Grinder/Sand paper
How to Make a Blowgun

Comments

[freeza36]

Hey i just wanted to know your input to the question that Higgs Boson, myself, and another one of our friends are all asking. What can be done to make the blowguns better at this point? Yours and ours are practically identical, except for the darts. Even with the best darts we can make, they still only ever shoot accurately at a max 35 feet. What do you think? Look at my instructables to see what my friends and I have done.

[mondee07]

can i use a pvc

[wajahat_911]

chk this out...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blowpipe-and-Dart-/

[bakermonitor]

yes but the sag in the pipe will throw your aim off

and the inside is not as smooth or as hard so it scratches easyer.

[matt_and_nick]

i have a 4 foor cedar walking stick that would be perfect for this.

[wajahat_911]

chk this out...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blowpipe-and-Dart-/

[alitewithlite]

For a barrel, i used 3/4" PVC (5' of it), but i find that my darts are lacking velocity. Is the barrel to wide for my lungs? or should i work on the darts?

Any suggestions would be great

[wajahat_911]

chk this out...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blowpipe-and-Dart-/

[acastillon]

I made a blowgun that can go 50ft more with deadly darts that can break glass and an accurate sighter.

[wajahat_911]

chk this out...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blowpipe-and-Dart-/

[wajahat_911]

chk this out...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blowpipe-and-Dart-/

[cumbers]

how far does it shoot

[thenoogler]

You never menrioned that you don't inhale while the gun is loaded...;)

[wolf996]

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me Not To Do That Until Now!!!

[black hole]

I recomend that anyone even slightly interested in shooting these things watch the Cold Steel videos. This is just a demo. Lynn Thompson is deadly accurate.

[TheMadScientist]

or you could flare the conduit over a cone and roll the edges back like a real badass.

[TheMadScientist]

wana know what's awesome to use for tips? tungsten tig welding rods. expensive, but the heaviest projectile you can shoot out of a blowgun effectively.

[ilpug]

in the last picture it looks like you shot it into a piece of redwood, not plywood. redwood is very soft. nice design however.

[xanxor]

He used 1/2 inch conduit

[9w2xyz]

Instead of using the wire hanger as is, I recommend using galvanised wire of the same diameter. For one, the surface is rougher and the 'fletching'/cone will adhere better. stretch out your wire as long as you can handle it. Tie one end to a gate post. And have the other end firmly attached to your reversible cordless drill. And Twist it. When it reaches the yield point, it will snap off at either end. The result is a twisted stiff wire that is straight. Cut to your preferred size.

[eyepodd]

how long is the dart aproxxamatly ?

[aplauche]

a cotton ball taped to the end works extremely well also

[Kryptonite]

It doesn't catch the air quite as well as a cone, personally I use paper impregnated with PVC, making a durable, neat little cone. South American Indians have been using cotton for hundreds of years so I don't doubt it, but in my own experiences I find that cotton isn't quite as good.

[rrrmanion]

well if South American Indians had paper impregnated with PVC, i'm sure they would use it too.

[Kryptonite]

DISREGARD THAT I MEANT SUPER GLUE!

[Anhan12]

yeah that makes more sense Kryptonite. I use a paper cone with electrical tape on the outside and super glue on the inside. it makes a nice, hard cone, but its a little sticky in the barrel. do you do something different Kryptonite? also, instead of grinding the coat hanger into a point, i hammer the end flat on an anvil, and then use wire cutters to shape it into a diamond shaped arrowhead. It works great, and the wire cutters sharpen it for me, so no need to use a file or a sharpener! I attached some pictures of it:

[Kryptonite]

I do more target than hunting, so i get a 2-3 inch nail and sharpen it. I make a coin out of paper that has had one side covered in sticky tape, which goes to the outside. I cover ~1/2 inch of the nail in hot glue (the non pointy end) and slide the cone on. I then cut the cone to size and sharpen the nail.

My friend made this botched Instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/really-strong-blowpipe-darts/ which covers the process.

[cool wasp]

 Great instructables, i love your coat hanger idea.

[yangus]

I'd think that a 1/2" to 3/4" PVC adapter would work.
It's what I use for copper water pipe blowguns.

-side note on copper blowguns, handling them makes your hands smell funny. This problem can be remedied with black electrical tape. It adds camouflage and  a grip. It'd probly be worthwhile to do that to a steel blowgun too.

[blowgunking]

cant the pipe be 28'' ?

[GianniMora]

 holy crap... did it really shoot through that

[cowdude]

wat diameter

[spenfisher12]

however big you want your dart

[charmar]

good details I made one and worked great. for the tail of the darts I used a sponge ear plug and cut to fit barrel. it works great! good luck.

[phonehome123]

i used copper pipe for mine :D

[rownhunt]

I connected mine to an air compresser i had some fun!

[bears0]

i did the same thing with a straw and a shoelace i cut the shoelace 1/4 inch away from the hard plastic thing and pushed a needle through the end that you cut, you don't even have to glue it (unless you are shooting it at a BRICK!) it works really well its just not as powerful, i bought my blowgun today it comes with 64 darts (SWEET!)

[rownhunt]

pump her up to 75 psi with your standard blowgun valve then hook it up

[cowdude]

i making a blowgun what are good practice arrows

[weaponscollector94]

when i make blowgun darts from wire like these ones i heat the tip up and flatten it with a hammer and anvil then file it sharp! i recommend doing that method, it works geat