Office Warfare: the Nacirema Paper Blowgun

As you peer over the natural vegetation of the cubicle you notice a strange animal. Crikey, it's the extremely rare endangered motivated worker! This species can be very aggressive when provoked, and so it is wise to assemble a method of self defense before confronting it. Lucky you are surrounded by versatile office supplies, and with this Instructable I will teach you how to create one of the most useful Office Weapons out there.

Before I go into the details of this weapon I must give the standard warning.

Yes this is a weapon, and even though it is made of paper it can hurt somebody. As long as you don't aim for the face there should be  no injury. However, if an injury occurs I will not be held responsible. Use common sense, and nothing bad will happen.

And now that we have the warning out of the way we can get to the fun stuff.

Step 1: Materials

For this Instructable the materials are very basic.

You will need:

Two sheets of paper
Scotch tape
A pair of scissors

Optional:
Duct tape
Additional paper for extra darts

Remember: 1 sheet of paper= 4 darts.

Step 2: Making the Blowgun

Before you make the darts, you want to make the blowgun. As far as this project goes the blowgun is the easiest part.

All you have to do is roll the paper, down the width. At the end you can make it tighter so that your darts will fit better. Generally I find that a good width for this is around the width of my second or third finger.

When the tube has been rolled you will want to get two pieces of the scotch tape, and put one on each end to prevent it from unraveling.

When you have finished the tube you can wrap it in duct tape if you want to make it more durable.

Step 3: Making the Darts

This part of the Instructable is the only one that is slightly difficult. The main problem with this part is that many people require practice to start getting the darts right. It took me a few tries at first, but by now it is second nature.

First take a piece of paper and fold it in half hamburger style. Then do this again. when you unfold the paper you should have four equal sections. Each dart requires one of these sections. Using your scissors cut one of the fourths off, and hold it between your thumb and first finger by the top right corner. Then, using your other hand hold it by the left side. You will want to take the paper and wrap it over the top of your right hand, so that you will see something resembling a point, then wrap the paper around your hand once or twice more, until you cant do it anymore.. Once you have this, take the dart and hold it by the place where it folds over the top, and at the open end in the back, and pull the dart so it elongates. Tape the flap down.


Next you will want to cut the dart to fit the tube. Put the dart in the blowgun, and push it in far enough that it can not reach any farther. Then, pull it out very slightly, and cut it off just in front of the area that blocks it from going any farther into the tube.

If there is a small hole in the tip of the dart, twist it, otherwise your dart will not fire. Also, keep in mind you may have to cut off more of the dart in order to get it to fire properly.

Step 4: Finished Product

Now that you have your weapons and ammo it is time to go on a hunt. Find you preferred target in the office, and prepare to release a barrage of darts upon your unsuspecting victim!

Remember to vote for this instructable in the Office supplies challenge and the Hurricane Lasers challenge if you enjoyed it!