18 replies to this topic

[FearNoMoshpit]

Intro: This is a pretty simple mod I thought of after reading something at Nerf Online about the foam of some Nerf darts letting air out of the dart, thus decreasing it's power. I tested it and in ten trials with 6 micro darts (3 with the mod, 3 without) the modded darts got anywhere between approximately 5 and 15 feet more range than the unmodded darts, depending on the angle the dart was shot at. The modded darts also shot significantly straighter/more accurately (is straighter a word? heh... straightererer). The improved accuracy may have been coicidence, though, because I can't think of a reason that this mod would affect it. I only tested this mod with the 3" micro darts with the black rounded rubber caps (without suction cups)... the kind that sometimes comes with whistling hole thingys. Also of note is that I only tested it with a modded BBB (I took the little thing in the barrel out and shoved the micro dart inside of the barrel).


Materials: Nerf darts, clear packing tape or the clear/glossy surface scotch tape.


Tools: Scissors or relatively sharp fingernails.

Process: This is really simple. I recommend using packing tape since it has slightly stronger adhesive (I think) and you use fewer pieces of it (which is better, for reasons I'll explain later). Basically, you take and object (I used a wooden dowel) with the same Oouter diameter (OD) as the dart's inner diameter (ID) and stick the dart on it. Then you take a piece or two of the packing tape (several pieces of scotch tape are required, since it's narrower) and torque wrap the foam of the dart, compressing it slightly. You don't want to compress it too much, but a little is good (mostly to keep the OD of the dart the same before and after the tape is put on). I recommend doing two layers of tape (one piece, just wrap it around twice) so that the tape seals on inself and there isn't a narrow strip of open foam, but also so that the dart isn't unevenly weighted on one side. Do this along the whole length of the dart.


What it does: The packing/scotch tape basically forms a seal, preventing air escaping from the dart through the pores in the foam. Thusly, more air stays in the dart, powering it's flight.


Notes: If anyone wants to test this with more types of ammo and other guns, please email me the results of the modded vs. unmodded darts (fearnomoshpit [at] gmail [dot] com). Also, I said that packing tape was better because you use fewer pieces of it, which is because if your modding a dart you plan on using on a gun where you shove the dart into the barrel rather than overtop of it, like so:

Dart goes overtop of/around barrel:

____________________
____________________ <--- dart

<--- barrel
____________________
____________________ <--- dart

Dart goes into barrel:

____________________
____________________ <---barrel
____________________

<--dart

____________________
____________________
____________________ <--- barrel

the process of of shoving the dart into the barrel can easily scrunch up the tape if there are overlapping sections of it perpendicular to the length of the dart, which is pretty much guaranteed to occur with scotch tape. One downside to this mod is that you may need to replace the tape around the dart, and removing it can rip off some of the foam, making the dart deteriorate over time. Also, as one last note, considering that this can make the dart wider, sometimes even if you do torque wrap it, you may want to duct tape the rubber "cap", if there is one, to the rest of the dart. This is because the dart will be more snugly fitting inside the barrel, thus making it harder to pull out if you need to do so, and with darts with the aforementioned rubber tips, it's easy to pull the tips off because of this.


If anyone tries this (or even thinks about it at all) please give feedback.

~ Bob

Edited by FearNoMoshpit, 27 August 2004 - 01:19 PM.

[Crankymonky]

Excellent work, but you may not want to use your real name to sign things on the boards. Excellent work! Great first post. Welcome to the boards.

Crank'

Edited by crankymonky, 27 August 2004 - 11:41 AM.

[FearNoMoshpit]

Heh... yeah... now that I've gotten into modding nerf guns I think it's going to kill a lot of my time... which also means I'll probably be frequenting this board for a while to come. Who would've thought toys made for 8 year olds could be so vastly entertaining (not to mention dangerous...)

Also, as a note to the mod, I think the improved accuracy actually comes from the fact that the air is now travelling along a much more smooth surface, rather than the porous foam, which is probably further improved (if only slightly) by taping starting from the back of the dart and moving towards the front, creating a (<<<< shape rather than a (>>>> shape, the former being more aerodynamic. Of course, that's assuming you're using darts long enough to necessitate muliple lengths of tape or you're using scotch tape (like I currently am because I can't find the bloody packing tape).

~ Not My Real Name Signature (kinda late for that now...)
P.S. [EDIT] Also the slightly increased weight of the dart probably prevents it from getting pushed around so much by wind and such.

Edited by FearNoMoshpit, 27 August 2004 - 01:38 PM.

[Crankymonky]

You should probably edit the first post, to not include your name.

[Ender]

Good work, I can honestly say I never gave it much thought before, but rather than adding tape to the dart have you thought much about simply coating the foam with another substance that would make it more air tight? Like soaking the foam in glue made for porous materials or a sealer. Or would there be any advantage in flight by spraying your darts with arousal cornstarch to make them stiffer, might have to try that one and get back to everyone on that. And about using a name, who is to say that is his real one.

~Tom Cruise

[FearNoMoshpit]

Good work, I can honestly say I never gave it much thought before, but rather than adding tape to the dart have you thought much about simply coating the foam with another substance that would make it more air tight?

Originally I tried coating the dart in superglue, but it just cracked and got superglue-dust everywhere if you bent it at all. I moved on to tape because it was pretty likely to stay on, and was flexible enough to not have that issue. I might try Elmer's glue (which is usually relatively flexible even after drying) or some glue from a hot glue gun. Problem I see with Elmer's glue, though, is that if you touch the dart with a sweaty hand, accidentally shoot it into a puddle, etc... the glue is likely to get wet and drip/rub off or some such. Not sure how hot glue would work as far as being water/moisture proof. Also, given that (I would assume) one would usually want the dart to fit at least slightly snugly in the barrel of the gun, you don't want to make the dart too stiff, otherwise you wouldn't be able to get the dart in anymore.

[nerfspecialforces]

Well, another reason this works is probabbly because putting tape on the dart kinda helps lubricate the dart better.

[Crankymonky]

I just did this, with a 1/2" stefan, 1.5" length, 1BB weight. Fired from my CPVC breech Xbow.I noticed a noticeable improvement in velocity. Also, it took less time for the dart to "even out" and stop the slight fishtail. I now wonder how much a roll of packing tape costs.

Stefans shouldn't release air, since they should be made with closed cell foam. stock darts, I'm not sure. I think that the dart is a slicker surface and allows a better seal with the barrel.

Edited by crankymonky, 28 August 2004 - 04:07 PM.

[Black Wrath]

...arousal cornstarch...

Will I remain the only person who found that mildly amusing? I could've sworn I've never found a can of that stuff overly attractive...

[ompa]

...make them stiffer

HAHA Now that I read it BW, it just keeps getting better.

~ompa

[FearNoMoshpit]

Wow... how did I miss both of those? My innuendo detection skills are failing me...

[FearNoMoshpit]

...I noticed a noticeable improvement in velocity...

...Stefans shouldn't release air, since they should be made with closed cell foam.  stock darts, I'm not sure.  I think that the dart is a slicker surface and allows a better seal with the barrel.

One would think that if you noticed it then it would be noticeable by default. Sorry... it's just too much fun being a smartass...

While it is closed cell foam, it's still foam, and foam is not solid, so even closed cell foam could feasibly release air. Although, it's safe to assume that the improvement when this technique is applied to a Stefan will not be nearly as large. I didn't think about it making a better seal with the barrel, but that's definitely possible... also, the slicker surface, as opposed to the surface of the foam, is vastly more aerodynamic, given that it creates much less air resistance acting on the dart.

Edited by FearNoMoshpit, 28 August 2004 - 09:28 PM.

[Vintage]

Also of note is that I only tested it with a modded BBB (I took the little thing in the barrel out and shoved the micro dart inside of the barrel).

That was from FearNoMoshpit's first post in this thread.

That line leads me to believe that any extra range with his modded darts was not gained by sealing the foam. It appears he jammed the whistiling dart down the barrel, which means (if the BBB barrel is the same as the BnA barrel) the foam is not what is making the seal, the whistling cap is.

Any increase in range and accuracy, then, is due to its more streamlined exterior.

~Vintage

[Crankymonky]

On the BBB, if the cap is cut off, it is the dart, not the cap that makes the seal. Remember: The BBB doesn't fire micros stock.

[Vintage]

Ahhh. I thought the barrel was the same as the BnA which does fire stock micros with the caps on.

Ok, I will have to try some taped darts in some of my brassed weapons.

~Vintage

[Crankymonky]

Well, that is what I think, if I remember, I haven't had that barrel on my BBB since I used stefans.

[Inferno]

One time I left my stock Larami's out in the park for a week by accident. It rained maybe twice in that week, but when I returned to the park for another war, the darts had faded from green to a cool-looking blue, and the whole dart, including the suction cup tips, had hardened. They shot faster, farther, and more accurately from my LnL compared to non-weathered Larami's. I felt stupid for forgetting them, but it all worked out for the best.

I don't know if it was the rain or the sun, but both factors influenced the hardening of the dart into a better projectile. Sooo....I guess what I'm trying to say is...leave your darts out in the sun and rain. For a week.

Damn. It's 4:00am. Nerf has totally sucked me back in. Awesome.

Edited by Inferno, 03 September 2004 - 04:05 AM.

[Chessler]

One time I left my stock Larami's out in the park for a week by accident. It rained maybe twice in that week, but when I returned to the park for another war, the darts had faded from green to a cool-looking blue, and the whole dart, including the suction cup tips, had hardened. They shot faster, farther, and more accurately from my LnL compared to non-weathered Larami's. I felt stupid for forgetting them, but it all worked out for the best.

I don't know if it was the rain or the sun, but both factors influenced the hardening of the dart into a better projectile. Sooo....I guess what I'm trying to say is...leave your darts out in the sun and rain. For a week.

You should call those Darts 'Heaven Darts', because that's were they come from.

Edited by Chessler, 03 September 2004 - 05:01 AM.