Giant NERF Darts

I made some giant NERF Darts for a birthday party. Originally designed for "decorative use," they are launchable with the addition of a launcher such as the one by NightHawkInLight (https://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Nerf-Style-Artillery-Launcher/).

For safety reasons I ultimately decided to limit their use to throwing for this NERF battle, but may plan a future party where the kids design and launch their own NERF missile designs.

In Step 4, I show how to make a template for marking fin locations more accurately.

In Step 5 (Addendum), I show a laser cut, quick-change, dart clip for the NERF GlowShot guns which were used at the party.

Step 1: Materials

1. Pool Noodles (orange is not as common, so you may need to search several stores if you want to make N-Strike Elite darts)
2. Hot Glue Gun
3. Course Sandpaper (I used 80 grit)
4. Knife and/or Blade
5. Ruler
6. Marker

Optional:

1. Saw and Miter Box
2. Weight (wooden dowel, rubber ball, PVC pipe, etc. if you want to throw or launch them)
3. Foam Sheets (if you want to add fins)

4. Cardboard and tape (if you want to make a template)

Step 2: Make the Tip

Round the tip using course sandpaper. To speed up the process you can first trim the edge with a blade.

Step 3: Add a Weight and Glue Dart Together

If you plan to throw or launch the darts, you'll want to add some weight to the front. I used a short ( 1.5") length of wooden dowel for the smaller noodles and a hard rubber bouncy ball for the larger ones.

Use the hot glue gun to secure everything together.

Trim the shaft to finish the dart.

If you want to add fins, continue on to the next step.

Safety Tip: Be sure to keep the weight away (recessed) from the tip to avoid injury. You may even want to glue an extra piece of foam into the end to minimize accidents.

Step 4: Add Fins (Optional)

To position the fins more precisely, you'll want to consider making a template. I made a 3-fin template and added a slight angle which will cause the dart to spin slightly and remain more stable when thrown or launched.

Tip: You want to slide the template on and off each dart, so don't make it too tight when you tape it together.

You can hot glue the fins directly to the shaft, but I chose to make shallow cuts and insert the fins without glue.

Tip: Use the flat end of the ruler to help push the edge of the fin into the slot.

Read on if you want to see the laser cut dart holders that I made for the guns which were given to each kid for the party.

Step 5: (Addendum) 6-Dart Holder for NERF GlowShot

I assumed (correctly) that some kids would not have NERF guns or would forget to bring them, so I bought NERF GlowShot guns for each player. I laser cut some dart holders to make it easier to carry extra darts and to reload the single-dart guns. The elastic band (leftovers from the Rainbow Loom craze) allows the holder to be slid on and off without having to modify the gun itself.