Introduction: DIY Magnetic Dart Board

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Sick of all of those holes being punctured in your dartboard? No problem. Now you can test your dart-throwing skills with this incredible magnetic dartboard!

Since it is magnetic, it doesn't wreck the dart board by making holes every time you throw a dart. It was designed with the standard dartboard design, including the double ring, triple ring, and even the the number placement. It looks great and it is extremely fun to play.

Step 1: Supplies

For this Instructable you will need:

  • A Silhouette cutting machine
  • 12in-wide Vinyl rolls (At least 4 different colors)
  • A large metal disc approx. 16.5in diameter. The one shown in the photos was the base of a large lamp. (Or you can use another flat, round and solid material, such as wood, after painting it with magnetic paint. Magnetic paint can be purchased here.)
  • Scissors
  • A Squeegee
  • Vinyl transfer paper
  • A computer with Silhouette Studio installed
  • A basic knowledge of how to work with vinyl transfers

Recommended Items:

Magnetic Darts

Step 2: Creating the Silhouette Studio File

Start by opening up a new Silhouette Studio file on your computer. After creating a new file, click the "Page Settings" tool at the top of the page to set the dimensions of your project to match the size of the vinyl you are using (12in by 8in is recommended). For example, I have rolls of vinyl that are 12 inches long, so I set the width on Silhouette Studio to 12in and the length to 8in because I will cut 8in long strips of vinyl. In other words, if you are using 12in-wide vinyl rolls, set the width to 12in and the length to 8in.

Next, download the black fraction image found in this step and import into your Silhouette Studio project. The fraction is 1/20 of a circle. In order to have the vinyl fit your metal disc, use the "Scale" tool to scale it's height to match the diameter of your metal disc. Be sure that the "Lock Aspect" box is checked; this will keep the width and height proportional to each other. After you have matched the height of the fraction to the diameter of your metal disc, you will need to duplicate the image several times until the page is filled with them. In my case, that meant 5 times, because I was able to fit 5 of them into my 12in by 8in cutting area. This may require you to move them around a bit to get them all to fit. Make sure they do not overlap each other. The "Replicate" tool at the top of the page may help you do this. The reason for fitting so many into one page is to save vinyl.

After you have fit as many 1/20 fractions into the cutting area as you could, you the "Trace" tool to select all of the fractions. When they are all selected they should turn yellow. On the right side of the page it should say "High Pass Filter" and below that "Value". Make sure "High Pass Filter is checked an the "Value" is set to 300. Once that is done press "Trace". The yellow should turn to black again with a very thin outline of red. The red indicates where the machine will cut.

Lastly, select the "Cut Settings" tool and set your material type to "Vinyl". You will need to adjust the blade depth in your machine to the appropriate measurement. (Silhouette Studio will tell you what to set it to right after you select your material type.) After you have done that, turn on your machine, plug it into your computer, and load it with vinyl. Remember, the vinyl should be the same size you said it would be, in my case it was 12in by 8in. Once you have sent it to the Silhouette it will start cutting. You will need to cut 10 of those fractions in one color and another 10 in a different color. Send the Silhouette Studio file you just created to the machine a few times to do this. Also, you should save your work.

Step 3: Applying the Vinyl

After you have printed 10 twentieths in one color and the other 10 in a different color, you will need to peel one of them off and carefully apply it to your metal disc. As you put it on, slowly and carefully use your squeegee to get rid of any air bubbles. Usually you would have the aid of vinyl transfer to do this, but you will save that for when we put the numbers on.

Using the first twentieth as a guideline, carefully place another one of a different color right next to the first, being sure that they don't overlap. They should just barely touch each other so that are close enough so that you cannot see the metal between them. Repeat this several times using the squeegee and alternating colors until you have completely filled the disc with all 20 fractions.

Step 4: Adding the Double & Triple Rings

Next, download the "Double & Triple Ring Pieces.studio3" file found in this step. It contains 10 double ring pieces and 10 triple ring pieces. (You will need to cut this twice so you have 10 of one color and 10 of another color). Before cutting this keep in mind it was designed for a 16.5in diameter circle, which means the tripe ring will probably still fit assuming your metal disc is roughly the same size, but the double ring may be a little off in size depending on the size of your disc. Also make sure you have the page dimensions (found under the "Page Settings" tool) match the size of the vinyl you are going to use. Remember to cut 2 copies of this, one in one color the other in another color.

After you have cut them both out, place them on your dartboard the same way as shown in the photos. The longer pieces are for the outer circle or "double ring" and the shorter pieces are for the inner circle or "triple ring". Remember to alternate colors and use your squeegee.

Step 5: Bullseye & Numbers

To make the bullseye, use Silhouette Studio to create two circles using the ellipse tool. Make sure they are separate files. This way you can use two different colors. The first circle should be .75in in diameter and the second should be 1.25in in diameter. Then cut the 2 circles. Place the big one onto the center of the dart board, then place the smaller one in the center of the bigger one.

Next, create another new project in Silhouette Studio. Adjust the page size to 12in by 3.75in. Next use the text tool to create the numbers 1 through 20. Make sure the font size is 100pt. Have the machine cut this out on black vinyl. After the numbers are cut, peel off the unneeded vinyl surrounding the numbers. This will include the inside of the 4s, 6s, 8s, and 9s. Next, apply the vinyl transfer paper directly on the numbers, completely covering all of them. Squeegee the transfer paper onto the numbers until it is thoroughly adhered to the numbers. Then cut out the numbers 1 through 20 into their own little squares and lay them out as shown in the photo.

To apply the numbers to the dartboard, peel off the backing paper and position the number into its proper location (see photo for correct locations). NOTE: There are two sixes in the photos, the one on the left is supposed to be a 9 (it was upside down). Squeegee the top of the transfer paper to adhere the number to the dartboard. Once adhered, remove the transfer paper so that all that is left is the number. Repeat this until all the numbers are on the dartboard. Make sure the numbers are in the same order as the photos.

Step 6: Finishing

Now that the board is finished, all that is left is deciding where to hang it! Also, it is recommended that you purchase magnetic darts so that you can actually use the board. Enjoy!