Making darts

[mark stephensParticipant @markstephens87932]

[mark stephensParticipant @markstephens87932]

Hello , i am a keen dart player with a desire to make my own darts however i have no idea where to start and ended up here looking for advise .

 

Could anyone tell me what kind of lathe i will need ? Is this the kind of thing i could do as a project wit no experience ?

 

Is there anyone out there who has made a set of darts and would consider teaching me ? Or advise on training courses, I am based in the west midlands and would gladly pay a fee to anyone willing to help , thanks in advance ,

 

Mark Stephens

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Mark,

I am no expert on darts, but they look like a very straightforward piece of turning … and making a matched set will be a good exercise.

As for the lathe; nothing very special is required, except that it will be MUCH easier if you can hold the job in a collet chuck.

MichaelG.

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

Hi Mark

On the surface they look very simple items to make but the tips are usually these days a high grade steel or titanium and a press fit into the barrel. Making the slots for the flights could be interesting as they obviously must not fall of when you throw the dart at the board.

All in all I would recommend you go to a specialist shop and purchase a balanced set. Please by all means purchase your lathe but if that is all you are intending to make I would advise you approach your local model society and there will be someone local to you with a lathe whom I am sure would be willing to help you. And you never know you may get hooked on another hobby….
I am sure that if you let us know what part of the country you are in (the West Midlands covers a lot of Cities and towns)  someone in this forum will point you in the correct direction.

Well good luck whatever way you decide and if you do make them please post the results

 

Bob

Edited By Springbok on 26/11/2011 02:03:52

[alan frostParticipant @alanfrost17805]

Mark, Got a feeling there are websites detailing guys who’ve made their own darts, the sort of guys who can put three in any bed from 12 feet. The materials are difficult to work and you’d ideally have to cut an internal thread, tricky but not that difficult ,in the barrel to screw the flights on. You could always use a tap for this, in fact thinking of the diameter ,you’d probably have to.

. You don’t have to use titanium and you’d learn knurling and a lot of turning skills. A minilathe or maybe even a microlathe would do the job (if you go for one a minilathe would be the better choice as the bigger you get the more other useful things you can do on it. but beware-I don’t play golf anymore because I find machining much more interesting-you might end up not playing.)

 

In theory you’d need a v.good lathe to really accurately match the darts but do you need them that accurately matched ? -Bristow used to be pretty good well before darts went hi-tech. and hi-tech clubs never did that much for my or anybody else’s golf. Its the singer not the song.

 

Learning machining is not that difficult especially if you are pretty practical. There’s a guy on another forum I use who bought his first lathe six months ago, dived in and got on with it, asked us a lot of questions-and I would say he’s pretty good now ,and giving good answers to other new guy’s questions.Nearly every one is this hobby is unusually helpful.

 

Try Googling ” Darts DIY” that might find you something.

 

[alan frostParticipant @alanfrost17805]

There you go-have a read of this

http://www.craftkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/metalworking/13164/Turning-darts-dartboard-type-not-blowgun-type

 

Harder than you would think reading this lot-but you’ll probably find something better and more encouraging. I like the depleted Uranium idea-you could make some really slim ones.

 

I don’t think the other guys thought the DU suggestion was serious. I don’t see why not. Most people don’t realise its not radioactive, well not enuff to worry about-, its just very heavy.A weapons outfit that sold weapons guaranteed to kill your own soldiers handling it would n’t sell a lot.  Also if you announced loudly your darts were DU (even if you end up using brass) you might find your opponents dart arm got a bit wobbly and you could do well.

Edited By alan frost on 26/11/2011 02:51:43

[adyParticipant @ady]

Some of the systems for a dart are “standard”

 

I recall reading a million years ago that the thread for the rear to screw into the head was a 6BA or something like that.

It was definitely a BA thread, and it was mentioned in the article because the tradition had survived metrification.

 

If you pursue your query I bet you’ll find the subject pretty fascinating in itself.

[adyParticipant @ady]

DU suggestion was serious

 

The problem would be the swarf/cutting

While a solid bit of DU is regarded as safe if you made some DU swarf and DU dust then sprinkled it onto the White House lawn or threw it around the vicinity of 10 Downing Street you’d find yourself being arrested as a terrorist.

 

It’s very bad news for lungs.

 

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

 

Posted by ady on 26/11/2011 04:02:51:

Some of the systems for a dart are “standard”

 

I recall reading a million years ago that the thread for the rear to screw into the head was a 6BA or something like that.

It was definitely a BA thread, and it was mentioned in the article because the tradition had survived metrification……………………

Hi Ady,

I think that you will find 6BA a bit small for darts at 2.8mm dia. The thread used for dart shafts is 2BA at 6mm dia. By the way the British Association thread system is based on metric standards not imperial and is a product of the proposal to adopt the metric system in Britain.  The British Government had ratified the decision to become metric in the 1880s or thereabouts after 20 years of prevarication and the BA looked to Swiss practice for guidance.

 

It is completely irrelevant and insignificant, but interesting to note that the Florin (or two shilling piece) was introduced in the 1840s as a move towards the decimalisation – not metrication – of our currency. Typical of Britain that it took another 130 years to complete the process. Give us another hundred or so years and your great grandchildren may be able to undertake proper apprenticeships again now the government has made the decision to encourage them .

 

Regards

 

ElTel

Edited By Terryd on 26/11/2011 07:54:34

[Terry LaneParticipant @terrylane]

‘ang on there a minute Other Tel – ain’t 6mm 0BA?

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Tel,

Indeed it is; at least in terms of Diameter and Pitch.
… the Angle and Rounding of the Thread Form is different.

MichaelG.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Guess what ?

There are [have been] at least two standards for the threads on dart flights.

http://www.a180.co.uk/shop/search.php?xSearch=shaft+thread&submit=Search

MichaelG.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

… And they both turn out to be “obsolete” threads.

1/4 BSF and 0BA

http://www.reddragondarts.com/sec/126/1-4-BSF-Bubble-Shafts-4-00/

MichaelG.

[corrected below]

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/11/2011 09:24:31

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Oops, sorry

That should read
1/4″ BSF and 2BA

MichaelG.

[Terry LaneParticipant @terrylane]

Neither of ’em will be obsolete while I can still become upright!

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Most darts these days are made form “heavy metal” which is tungsten mixed with iron + nickel or copper. These materials (they are not really alloys) have a density (s.g.) of 17-18 and are not difficult to machine. Depleted Uranium has density of about 19 and the clue is in the name, it is uranium with the radio-active isotope removed. Whilst not being very radioactive is still toxic like most heavy metals and is quite chemically reactive so it will readily dissolve in the body and create mischief. Tungsten is very un-reactive so does not have a problem with toxicity. Steels have density of about 8 and brass not much better at 8.5, so heavy metal is the stuff to use. Getting hold of it in small quantities is the difficult bit, as I have found whilst trying to source it for balance weights for i.c. engines. I have contemplated buying some darts as a source of raw material.

 

cheers,

 

Rod

[alan frostParticipant @alanfrost17805]

Looks like DU’s out then although you could still induce a bit of wobble into the other players arms by telling them they are DU and saying “Oh! They’ve got a bit dusty and blowing them as you take them out of the case ” What’s more they’ll think you have n’t played for ages and get a bit cocky.

I think you could clean up until you are banned.

After the ban get reinstated and casually tell them ” Yeah, could n’t use the old DU so I got these heavy metal ones ” 9/10 will probably still get the wobbles and away you go.

 

Told you everyone was helpful. A simple question and I’ve certainly increased my knowledge a lot. Everyday’s a schoolday.

Edited By alan frost on 26/11/2011 12:37:10

Edited By alan frost on 26/11/2011 12:44:50

Edited By alan frost on 26/11/2011 12:48:38

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Neither of ’em will be obsolete while I can still become upright!

Tel,
Quite right too!
… my “obsolete” was just to acknowledge the comments recently received in “Blocks” thread

MichaelG.

[alan frostParticipant @alanfrost17805]

Tel,if I am am correct in my assumption (from your dashing headgear) you are writing from,and defending, the NW frontier you will probably be buried upright.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Rod Jenkins,

For balancing purposes, this might be worth a look
http://www.gamolagolf.co.uk/acatalog/Tungsten_Powder.html

… a drilled & tapped recess, with this powder inside, closed-off with a screwed plug or cap, would be neat and adjustable.

I’m guessing here, but; I suspect that the powder will be much cheaper [somewhere!] before it is re-packaged as a Golf product.

MichaelG.

See also:
http://www.tungstenheavypowder.com/Tungsten_Heavy_Powder/Tungsten_Heavy_Powder_Products/MSDS-Tungsten_Powder.html

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/11/2011 17:24:44

[Steve WithnellParticipant @stevewithnell34426]

Not so sure Tungsten alloys fall into the category of easy to machine?

[Stewart HartParticipant @stewarthart90345]

This takes me back abit,

 

My self and another apprentice were given the project to set a six spindle acme gridly up to make darts, i think the forman wanted to keep us out of mischeave.

 

One week later we had the beast running and churned out thousands of the things in a blink of an eye, and ended up getting the bigest bollocking of our lives for useing all the brass bar up that was earmarked for another job.

 

Ho happy days

 

Still come across the od set stuck into pub dartboards that came from that production run.

 

Stew

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Steve,

These guys use the phrase “Readily Machinable”
http://www.mallory.com/datasheets/1300501.htm

[quote]
Unlike pure tungsten which requires to be machined at elevated temperature, tungsten heavy alloys can be machined conventionally, without much difficulty.
[/quote]

MichaelG.

[mark stephensParticipant @markstephens87932]

Thanks for the replies , i have found the Kinver & West Midlands Society of Model Engineers is very near to me and intend to contact them for further help and advice , cheers ,Mark .

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Depleted urnium is highly toxic, especially in bullet form…

 

Depleted Uranium on Wikipedia

 

I have heard of a lecturer who had a lump as a paperweight. It would be ideal for ballast on my shunter project.

 

Neil

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