Not only is making your own Nerf Darts (aka Stefans) easy to do, it’s also a lot cheaper than buying darts in a store. As an added bonus, homemade darts also perform much better than any official Nerf darts.
So let’s get to it!
This is what you’ll need to make your own Nerf darts.
Materials:
1. 1/2 inch size foam backer rod (you can get this any hardware store like Lowe’s or Home Depot). These normally come in six-foot strips (six feet will make 48 darts).
2. BBs (or split shot fishing weights)
3. A hot glue gun (with glue, of course)
4. A pillowcase
5. A hairdryer
6. A straw
I know that might sound like a strange shopping list, and if you pick up everything at once at Walmart or something, the cashier might look at you a little funny, but it will all make sense soon. I promise.
Making your own Nerf Darts can be done in 3 easy steps.
Step 1: Cutting the Foam
First off, take your 1/2 inch foam backer and cut it into 1.5-inch segments (some people prefer 2-inch segments, but this is just a matter of personal preference. Why not make some both ways and decide for yourself!).
If you hadn’t already guessed, these foam segments will be your darts. Cut as many as you want (I usually make mine in batches of 100. It takes me about 30 minutes to make a batch).
The foam will be a little curvy at this point, but don’t worry. We’ll take care of that in step 2.
Step 2: Straightening the Foam
Take all of the foam pieces you’ve cut so far, and put them in the pillowcase. Then turn on the hairdryer, insert the hot end (keeping your hand on the handle on the outside of the bag), and wrap the open end of the pillowcase tight around the hairdryer. Keep the hairdryer on, and shake the bag for 2 minutes.
Once the two minutes are up, let the darts sit in the pillowcase for about 1 minute.
The foam should be much straighter now.
Step 3: Adding Weight
Grab your straw, and press the tip of it against one end of a dart so that it makes a little indentation (don’t put the glue in yet). Now take one BB, and drop it in the indentation that you just made. Apply some hot glue over the top of the BB to hold it in place against the rest of the dart.
Once the glue is dry, you’re finished! You now have one Nerf dart.