Simple CPVC blowgun and darts

This blowgun is very simple in theory and can be built in less than 30 minutes for under $5 using a 3 foot section of CPVC pipe with a female adapter as a mouth piece on one end and a piece of foam insulation to hold the darts.

There are three basic designs for blowguns. First is the standard one-piece gun which usually comes in lengths from 24 inches to 48 inches. There's the two-piece gun, which is usually 48 to 72 inches and finally you can buy a breakdown or backpacker style blowgun. The backpacker style blowgun usually breaks down into 3 or 4 pieces so you can store it in your backpack.

Modern blowguns tend to be made out of aircraft aluminum tubing.

You will need the following materials:

- 3 feet of 1/2" CPVC pipe (Home Depot/Lowes/hardware store)
- 1/2" CPVC female adapter (Home Depot/Lowes/hardware store)
- Ball point straight pins (Size/No: 20-1 1/4") (sewing store/Walmart)
- 2 inches of 1 1/2" pipe foam insulation (Home Depot/Lowes/hardware store)
- sheet of notebook paper
- superglue
- gluestick

Step 1 CPVC Blowgun construction

1. Cut a 3' section of 1/2" CPVC and sand down any burs around both ends on both the outside and inside. This forms the blow gun tube.

2. Press on, but do not cement, a 1/2" female adapter onto one end of the 3' section of 1/2" CPVC. Try to find the female adapter's that have a rubber washer on the inside of the wide end. If you can't find one then purchase one. It should be 3/4" OD and 1/2" ID and 1/8" thick. The washer helps to prevent the dart from coming out. This forms the mouth piece.

3. Cut a 2" wide section of foam and wrap it around the CPVC tube 1' from the female adapter. This forms the dart holder.

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?

[wajahat_911]

Check this out ;)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Blowpipe-and-Dart-/?ALLSTEPS

[jbb3141]

Hey, very nice! Definitely a step up and a lot more "lethal" than mine! :)

[wajahat_911]

Thank you for the appreciation.. BY THE WAY.. I learned to make pin darts form your instructable!!.. THANK YOU :)

[freeza36]

i use nail darts

[FrenchCrawler]

You forgot to list the sources that some of your text came from:
(Cached) http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:CJWh-xXJmD8J:www.doingfreedom.com/gen/0301/ht.blowguns.html+There+are+three+basic+designs+for+blowguns.&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

Mirrored Listings:
http://www.billstclair.com/DoingFreedom/index.html
http://www.billstclair.com/DoingFreedom/gen/1202/blowgunsdarts.html

Around here we call that plagerism.....

[FrenchCrawler]

http://www.billstclair.com/DoingFreedom/000419/df.fairuse.html

[dom104]

it dont matter lossen up

[crayzclown1]

use skewers for the darts, the added weight gives it more power

[dom104]

im just trying every dart i see

[crayzclown1]

But less accuracy.

[scottmiller]

 using nails seems to work well and it doesn't get blown around in the wind. Also I use index cards instead of paper and duct tape the outside it makes a really strong durable and waterproof dart that hit much harder than pins or skewers.

[ManchesterUtd.]

use wire hangers. they have more weight and i can get mine trough a fourth inch piece of plywood

[ilpug]

i use aluminum roofing nails, they are metal, but lightweight.

[vruiz3]

the epic debate

[3500]

i'm putting a 4x32 magnification scope to my blowgun. it should be the most accurate weapon i've had.

[jbb3141]

lol, that's awesome! Please post a picture :)

[3500]

thanks i will but i have to buy it first. i'm also painting it with red scorpion camo and the paint jobs arent going well so i have to keep trying. in a few weeks it should be done.

[max_x]

Very good job!  Keep up the good work! xD

[wakojako]

glue a dressmakers pin to a ear cleany thing with the end cut off ad cone fire

[Thundertydus]

I cut some slits with my bandsaw into the adaptar and slipped in some wire mesh, to prevent the dart going in, surprisingly i only lost about half a foot of distance

[thebluemartyr]

my cones are better, they require no trimming...

[Thundertydus]

Hahahahahaha -- Its Fred,Fred Burger!
I LOVE YOUR AVATAR
=D

[smabber]

very good, but the paper on the end of the darts often get soggy. I'd recommend making the darts with cut off coat hanger wire (then sharpen the points) and lots of strands of wool stuck on the ends to replace the paper cones. i love the blowgun design though!!!

[lasermaster3531]

i have a 5' long blowgun, and i use the paper from magazines for the darts because it don't get soggy. use jumbo paperclips for the point, you can hammer them into broadheads or file them really sharp. you can also choose how long the paperclip has to be, just fold the blunt end over in a small amount. the longer and skinnier the cone, the straighter they fly. the longer the barrel on the blowgun, the faster the dart goes.

[sgt.paper]

just break down and by a real one people

[lasermaster3531]

this website doesn't give instructions for buying real blowguns. we make real blowguns!

[geeklord]

that defeats the purpose if this website, nitwit

[AnarchistAsian]

yeah, seriously...

[AnarchistAsian]

nice, i like how you used the adapter as a mouth piece...

[Puck13]

what does CPVC stand for (ive got some but want to know). thanks

[jbb3141]

Puck13, it stands for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). It's the hot water equivalent of PVC, in general.

[Mattrox]

Looks great 4 star rating

[371944a]

yea cool I just shoot friends dog accidently

[nerfer192]

did this yesterday....shot chair...stuck into

[casvandegoor]

nice and neath worked out, I`ve got also a gun and cannon. come and watch!

[jbb3141]

Nice try but no joy. The information is on a site I've had registered since 2002 and is now being moved to a new hosting company. The only part where the text is similar is the description of common lengths of real blowguns, hence the word common.

[FrenchCrawler]

The main intro text seems to have come from the first cached link. It was posted up 2001 (located at the bottom left of the page, right after "Conclusion")... "There are three basic designs for blowguns. First is the standard one-piece gun which usually comes in lengths from 24 inches to 48 inches. There's the two-piece gun, which is usually 48 to 72 inches and finally you can buy a breakdown or backpacker style blowgun. The backpacker style blowgun usually breaks down into 3 or 4 pieces so you can store it in your backpack. Modern blowguns tend to be made out of aircraft aluminum tubing." Granted some of the sentences have been changed, but the content is all the same. Are you trying to tell me that you placed your sentences in the order that the other site placed theirs by accident?

[FrenchCrawler]

I was kind of expecting a yes or some kind of reply, too bad some people refuse to give credit where credit is due.... BTW, I'd like to visit your website after it's been moved.... maybe it'll give me some new ideas (kind of like this site did). Any chance we can have an address? Thanks for your time.