66 replies to this topic

[thedom21]

You are a little late on that. Kane already beat you to it. http://nerfhaven.com...pic=3861&st=600. (scroll to the bottom)

[HasreadCoC]

You are a little late on that. Kane already beat you to it. http://nerfhaven.com...pic=3861&st=600. (scroll to the bottom)

yeah, i saw that, but I think he used hot glue rather than foam, which would defeat the purpose, though I could be wrong.

Anyway, i literally just hot-glued about 1/2" piece of FBR on the end of one of my glue dome #6 washer stefans and burned it into a dome, here was the result:



Bad quality picture, but you get the idea. Pretty much as accurate as a regular one of my stefans, just noticeably slower in flight, I can't range test outside right now, but I would guess ranges have also dropped. Now if I could just find an efficient way of dome shaping the FBR tip.....

EDIT: WOAH! Quality majorly dropped after posting, but I guess you can still understand the picture, kinda?

Edited by HasreadCoC, 08 February 2011 - 06:47 PM.

[Daniel Beaver]

Darts are important. We spend way too much time circle-jerking over Blasters, when darts are what really define our hobby. This thread, for all the contention it causes, is important for that reason.

At the wars I hosted in Minnesota, I created rules restricting the use of dome darts. In the context of that corner of the nerf community, I think it was entirely appropriate, and I'll bet every single Minnesota nerfer will back me up on that claim.

There are legitimate technical reasons for preferring Slugs over dome darts. Split's post is 100% on the mark in that regard. As Demon Lord pointed out, the decision to ban darts in the Midwest was based on empirical studies, and not just pure theory and conjecture.

Nobody is imposing these rules community-wide. If I go to a Canadian war, I'm not going to bitch and moan because everyone is using dome darts. Instead, I'll go out and nerf and have fun.

Don't like Slugs? That's fine, there are legitimate reasons to dislike slugs.


I'm going to just quote Zorn and VACC in full now, since I feel that they basically finished the thread a dozen posts back.

My way of nerfing is better than your way of nerfing!

I find it very frustrating that people claim that slugs are either fragile or dangerous. Poorly made darts of any kind are a problem. Darts are 50% of the nerf equation, and making shitty ones really should not be an option. In fact, there is, and has been for the 15+ years I've been doing this, a very strong correlation between the quality of ones darts and the quality of the nerfer.

Whatever kind of ammo you want/have to use; take the time and learn to make it well. I've found that well made slug darts are extremely durable, fast to make, and usually cheaper than their domed alternatives. They don't shoot as far, I know. I just don't care.

My wars mandate slug darts. We generally take nerf way too seriously, and no one shows up with anything that wouldn't be competitive anywhere in the hobby. Slug darts are the easiest way to ensure that 90% of blasters need not be banned in order to ensure the type of playstyle we enjoy.

Your war, your rules.

[utahnerf]

Fuck it, let's all go to well-made slugs. Seriously, a blind man with parkinsons could make them.

Edit: I do not promote the use of giving blind people with tremors hot glue guns.

Edited by utahnerf, 08 February 2011 - 07:46 PM.

[KaneTheMediocre]

The domes are hemispherically molded foam on an aluminum surface. A low-temp hot glue gun achieves similar temperatures, and can crudely be made this way. I don't think it's a viable solution for making lots of darts, but I made a few preprototypes that way. I do think that having the thicker than average foam also helps with this sort of thing.

The biggest problem with these methods is the remaining plastic (normally PE) from the foam that was reduced. Some is probably good for durability, but it's hard to control where it ends up. I might add a rough mechanical precut to reduce the "crud ring" that occurs from a foam cylinder entering a hemispherical cavity of about the same diameter.

[Daniel Beaver]

The domes are hemispherically molded foam on an aluminum surface. A low-temp hot glue gun achieves similar temperatures, and can crudely be made this way. I don't think it's a viable solution for making lots of darts, but I made a few preprototypes that way. I do think that having the thicker than average foam also helps with this sort of thing.

The biggest problem with these methods is the remaining plastic (normally PE) from the foam that was reduced. Some is probably good for durability, but it's hard to control where it ends up. I might add a rough mechanical precut to reduce the "crud ring" that occurs from a foam cylinder entering a hemispherical cavity of about the same diameter.

Did you post in the wrong thread?

[Darksircam]

I had an odd experience with washer+FBR tips: on my LAHB (4B at twice the price), there'd be times the head would rip free of the body. I don't have a MythBusters™ high-speed camera, but if that head was tumbling in flight, there's a good chance someone would take it metal-first.

This wasn't a case of an oily washer, either. The busted side of the washer still showed hot glue and a layer of foam. It was crap foam, so that could have contributed to why it broke so easily, but it still broke.

This wasn't a one-off, either, Eventually, all my washer+FBR tipped darts went this way (as opposed to the way slugs go, where they slowly separate from the foam, giving me a chance to see that they're not long for this Earth.)

This is exactly the way my FBR washer darts die. Sometimes the padding just tears off, sometimes the washer separates from the body. I've only seen it happen in my hopper clips.

After shooting a few slugs against a wall with a ~70 ft range blaster, I have noticed that the foam begins to peel on both sides of the washer. I also have a very thin layer of foam left. This shows that impact will damage FBR Slugs. Now if the hopper is to blame in some incidences, I do not know. The dart is also put under a lot of stress when being shot through a CPVC hopper though.

[HasreadCoC]

The domes are hemispherically molded foam on an aluminum surface. A low-temp hot glue gun achieves similar temperatures, and can crudely be made this way. I don't think it's a viable solution for making lots of darts, but I made a few preprototypes that way. I do think that having the thicker than average foam also helps with this sort of thing.

The biggest problem with these methods is the remaining plastic (normally PE) from the foam that was reduced. Some is probably good for durability, but it's hard to control where it ends up. I might add a rough mechanical precut to reduce the "crud ring" that occurs from a foam cylinder entering a hemispherical cavity of about the same diameter.

ARGGGGG [/rage LOL] you did beat me to it..... Coincidentally this was exactly what I was planning; make a metal half sphere to instantly melt the foam to the correct shape. Well, props dude, how well do they work compared to slugs?

[WicketTheModder619]

That is because you aren't attaching them well enough. I burn the hole as if I am making a glue dome, fill it with hot glue, and then put the head on. The only way the heads ever fly off of these is if I am shooting my wall 5ft away with my snap. Even so, they survive 75% of the time. If you do this, as well as make sure there is no glue hanging out from the dart to head connection, then you will have perfectly made and somewhat unbreakable slugs.

[ice]

At Massacre (a 175ft by 80ft gym) All the darts that were used were 3/0 and 1/4". We had fun, we had children at this war and we took our shots like a champ.

I used slugs at Massacre. Angel looked at them, and approved them.

Personally, I'm a slug fan, due to extreme ease of making, and everything can be ordered for a fair price from mcmaster. True, they don't go as far, and that is a draw back, but if you place a sing bb in the center of the washer hole, they hit just about as far as a dome dart of desired weight.

[HasreadCoC]

if you place a sing bb in the center of the washer hole, they hit just about as far as a dome dart of desired weight.

Bahahah! Now we're gonna have kids shooting us with darts that will likely hurt just as much as a properly made regular dome dart, but which will be almost impossible to tell apart from regular slugs. Plus, if what you say is true, the idea of "leveling the playing field" by dropping everyone's range is gonna be out the window.

You, sir, be trollin', but in this case I think I approve.

[jubjub517]

I like taggers the most. They bounce off walls and shit.

[taerKitty]

if you place a sing bb in the center of the washer hole, they hit just about as far as a dome dart of desired weight.

I experimented with this as well. A BB will fit -in- the ID of a #8 washer, which means it can move independently of the washer. While I've never seen the BB break free, I would think it within the realm of possibility.

A 0.177" BB will not fit in the ID of a #6 washer, so if you center the washer on the felt disc, then pop the BB on it, the adhesive may hold it enough for you to cover it with hot glue.

Unlike stock slugs, these will require you to melt a divot in your foam.

[boisie]

I'm sorry, but I actually would prefer to come home with a few more welts than to waste my money buying supplies and tossing away what I already use and have paid for. Some may think that $20 can be thrown around like nothing, even borrowed from your parents, but other people are much more careful with money. My biweekly paycheck is currently just over $220. Out of that, I estimate that $20 will go to buying gas for my car, $50 to use for food, and the other $150 into my savings to pay for college, a new exhaust manifold and electrical work for my car, and replacement parts on my bike. I already have the three bags of hot glue, 2000 BBs, and a few hundred feet of foam from a year ago. Unless someone wants to trade everything I have for equivalent number of quality slugs, weighted the same, and guaranteed to last as long as a stefan, I'll stick with what I've payed for already.

On fbr tips, I have tried that. Each one curved at least ten feet off target in a random direction. You need a machine shop to make one very consistent, as shown by Kane and his aluminum block setup.

Back to the welts, we used to finish off rounds laughing and comparing welts. Is everyone on this site a sheltered kid now? The only reason for a safer dart I can think of would be to not damage the eyes. I'm pretty sure we covered that with eye protection requirements.

Edited by boisie, 09 February 2011 - 12:07 AM.

[BrokenSVT]

I'm actually[nearly] old enough to be your parent. One of my kids attends wars with me regularly. I'm not interested in shying him away from the hobby for any reason.

How one can relentlessly defend his side of this argument from the angle of "haha I like the pain," I'm not sure. If that's your stance, you've stated it no less than three times in this very thread. That being said, go enjoy pain...you just will never be doing it at one of my wars.

P.S. If you can't swing $20 out of that paycheck to purchase dart-making materials, you probably shouldn't be involving yourself so heavily into a hobby. [/economics 101]

Another P.S. I don't think this has been stated here, but something to reflect upon: If a war is open to "any darts allowed" and player #1 brings his pumpbow/4B/3k(or whatever powerful blaster) with slugs; player #2 brings a lightly overhauled LS or the like with slingshots... both players proceed to "unload" on the field, and they each know their blasters' capabilities well... and player #1 suddenly finds a need for darts and picks up random ones from the field... at some point in the day, #1 is going to fire slingshots back at someone, and may not know just what is in the breech at any given moment. Think of the fun possibilities.

Edited by BrokenSVT, 09 February 2011 - 04:40 AM.

[VACC]

Back to the welts, we used to finish off rounds laughing and comparing welts. Is everyone on this site a sheltered kid now? The only reason for a safer dart I can think of would be to not damage the eyes. I'm pretty sure we covered that with eye protection requirements.

You need to give this up. Most people running slug dart only wars are not doing so because hot glue hurts. You harping on how tough a dude you are while playing with plastic children's toys is sprinting past laughable and smack into annoying. We are not trained thediddlers, so the sense of self-loathing you're feeling as your latent homosexual tendancies reveal themselves will have to be addressed elsewhere.

Also, you having lots of supplies for one kind of dart has absolutely no bearing on anyone's decision. Nerf with your darts, at your wars, or any wars that will allow them. No one has proposed stopping you.

That's it. This thread started out as uneccessary, and is now completely useless. Well, at least we know how tough that gay dude is.

[Talio]

That was fucking poetry.