Introduction: Reshaping Your Spent Nerf Darts, Don't Buy More, Recover the Old Ones.
Nerf darts can give you so much fun, especially the new Elite ones, but any kind of dart will begin to crush and bend after intense use. Darts gradually become more thin. Thin darts enter too softly on chambers so they don't seal well on the chambers and air pressure is lost resulting in a decrease in shooting range. On external loading guns thin darts will even slip out of the barrels, specially since the air restrictors push against them. Revolvers jam easily when darts slip out of their barrels.
Don't buy more darts, follow this simple procedure and you will reshape those spent darts.
This procedure works on every kind of dart: sonic, streamline, suction, Elite, etc.
Step 1: Select the Darts.
The first step will be to select the spent darts. Take an external loading gun like the Triad, Jolt, Roughcut, Strongarm, Nitefinder, Maverick, etc. Take a dart and push it into the barrel. Remember how it felt when it was new? It must feel tight on the barrel.
If it feels too easy or loose then it is too thin. Bent darts also must be reshaped.
Step 2: Reshaping the Darts.
Take a metal pot and fill it with water. Heat it until the water boils. Use a pair of pincers to dip the darts in the boiling water for 1-2 seconds. Don't let the darts touch the bottom of the pot. Place the darts on some container to let them cool and dry. Don't squeeze them while they are hot or they will deform again.
Darts deform when the air bubbles in the foam get crushed. When you heat the dart the bubbles expand again, expanding and reshaping the foam.
Be careful about how much time you dip the dart. If you heat it too much the foam will expand more but the air bubbles will puncture. When the dart cools it will become very thin. See the photos of the orange dart.
Step 3: Finished!!!
You are done!! Your darts should be as thick as new. They will fly farther and faster and fit tight in the barrels. You can reshape your darts about 2-3 times, after that the foam will become too soft and the dart will end its useful life. But you will double the life of your darts.
Happy blasting and play safe!!
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17 Comments
Question 2 years ago on Step 3
I'm a kid i'm not allowed to use the stove, so how do I fix them without the stove?
Answer 2 years ago
U can boil water using a kettle
4 years ago
Worked great for me. Thanks!
5 years ago
Hi, I was wondering if this will stop fishtailing?
Reply 5 years ago
The Fishtailing more happens due to the darts not being able to talk lots of power in certain guns. This is merely meant to reshape hurt darts.
Reply 5 years ago
Ok. Thanks for your reply.
7 years ago
will these work for mega darts
Reply 7 years ago
He says in the beginning that it works for all types of darts. So, yes.
7 years ago on Introduction
My darts got tree-like textures- and got worse
Can you be more descriptive? thanks :)
7 years ago
does it increases the distance
8 years ago on Introduction
Another trick is to put them in a zip up laundry bag and run them through the dryer.
9 years ago on Introduction
works fantastic!:)
9 years ago
good job I'll try it looks fantastic
9 years ago on Introduction
This is good advice
9 years ago
Thank you so much! Very useful! Good job! Favorited
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Thank you. I will post in the future more Instructables on Nerf gear and Nerf wars.
9 years ago on Introduction
Nice information thanks!