Homemade Nerf Bullets

Originally debuting in the late 1960s with an volleyball that could be played with safely indoors, NERF is most recognized for its line of air-powered foam dart blasters. With multiple websites and forums dedicated to the "sport," Nerf fanatics have devised different methods to modify and improve their chosen blaster. Amongst the most significant is the fabrication of the foam dart, or stefan, at home with a minimal investment.

  1. Materials

    • Before beginning, take some time to consider the type of darts you will be making. Will you be forming suction cup-style darts or the streamline-type darts used by the CS-5 Longshot and CS-6 Recon blasters? Once you have that sorted out, select the type of foam you will be using to construct the body of your dart. Popular choices have been half-inch caulking foam and foam backer rod. Gather these items plus a pair of scissors, a screwdriver, and a hot glue gun. You also will need a case of metal .177-caliber BBs to weight the tip of your new darts.

    Assembly

    • Begin by cutting lengths of foam rod to the size of a Nerf dart. Use an original dart for size reference. Make as many as you need and place them into a pillow case. Place a hair dryer into the end of the pillow case and turn it on using a medium setting. Shake the pillowcase occasionally and heat the foam for one to two minutes. Heating the darts will remove any curving or bending that was caused by the coiling of the foam before cutting and will improve the accuracy of the final dart. Once cooled, remove a dart from the pillowcase and create a hollow cavity by pushing a screwdriver through one end. Stop 90 percent of the way through the dart. Remove the screwdriver and insert two BBs, one at at time, into the cavity and push them to the end of the dart. The BBs will add mass to the tip of the dart and will help the dart travel in a straight line. Repeat until all of your darts are filled.

    Special Dart Tips

    • Once your basic dart is completed, you can move onto the fun part: adding special tips. If you plan on using suction cups, velcro, or magnets, simply hot glue them into place on the end of the dart. Rounded, dome-like tips found on the streamline darts can be made by dipping the end of the dart in Plastidip. Available at most hardware stores, Plastidip is a fast-drying rubbery liquid used to coat tool handles. Form a domed tip by holding the dart vertically and dipping the tip of the dart. Pull the tip out and allow it to dry before dipping again. Repeat this until you have achieved the desired shape.