Did y'all know we have *4 channels* now? This main one, plus: 🎮 Evan and Katelyn Gaming ruclips.net/user/evanandkatelyngaming (us playing games and chatting, enhanced by epic editing and a heavy dose of memes) 🎙️ Evan and Katelyn Podcast ruclips.net/user/evanandkatelynpodcast (chatting about life, RUclips stuff, and playing games you can play along with) 😹 Evan and Katelyn Too ruclips.net/user/evanandkatelyn2 (still figuring this one out 😂)
The reason the hole improved the speed of the dart is because when you fill the camber with pressure it travels down the hole expanding the front and giving it a tighter seal and reducing the air flow around the dart which doesn’t add to the velocity of the dart
‘Just the tip’ ‘It’s floppy’ ‘It’s so much more firm’ ‘This feels really good’ Katelyn ‘believes in the hole’ Are you sure this project wasn’t just one massive excuse to get as many innuendos into a video as possible? xD
The NIC (Nerf Internet Community) had used 1/2in closed cell foam backer rod with a different ways to make the heads. Granted these would be cut to about 1.5in, but the smaller size meant better aerodynamics and flight. There's glue domes: a metal BB embedded into a small hole in the top, with a hot glue dome over it. Slugs: a #6 washer (with or without the embedded BB) with a felt pad ontop. Silicone domes: silicone caulk cured with cornstarch in molds. We'd use these for our homemade blasters for higher FPS game events. Cheapest way to get darts is 3rd party ones from China ;)
I was waiting for someone from the Nerf community to chime in- custom made darts have been perfected for a number of years pretty much, well worth reading up on the various styles and also aftermarket darts such as the very popular Koosh gen 3 darts that perform better than official Nerf elite darts...
Boooobooooooooo, I came into the comments to let them know about the NIC and was happy to see the metal lord star from the NIC had already schooled them on it. Love your content, hope you are doing well.
Sweet that would be awesome! Just diving into the NIC and we learned SO much from this first video. Maybe we could send you some v2 darts with some lessons learned 😀 or do you really want the floopy ones? We could also send both lol.
Absolutely. When I modded a nerf gun with a heavier spring it seemed like the dart was to lite to handle the extra push. Maybe a heavier dart will work better in a modded gun.
Aw thank you! We think one of the best parts about being an adult is getting to choose what being an adult means. And for a few days it meant playing nonstop with homemade Nerf darts 😁
The ideal would be to somehow make the exposed piece of silicone slightly narrower than the foam so that it will not contact the barrel at all. You would basically need to have a slightly narrower section at the bottom of the mold that holds the tip, which is more complicated but I think should be doable. This is how the actual nerf darts are designed I believe (it is really slight but there is a step there). I think in general you may want to make the diameter of your darts smaller as well. It may be the case that part of the purpose of the hole is to allow the air to get in an expand the darts a bit (probably just near the back so not too much friction) so having a tight fit all ready would make the darts stick. As you casted these you could actually go for a wild shape that nerf darts cannot, like having them have a flare at the back to seal with the barrel but not have a tight fit all the way along which would increase friction. Regardless, you also need to remember that stabilisation on these is using the shuttle cock principal (not rifling) so what you need is weight at the front (rubber tip) but the tail to be light (foam with a hole in it).
@@EvanAndKatelyn its definitely the caste foam. Try using foam backer rod for the body, just needs heated up to make it rigid. There are after market darts that are made with silicone heads.
Loved seeing all of the different types of material, and all of the attempts...only to fail. But that was still a huge win because...learning! Fun ride, you guys!
Cut a section of 1/2in (12.7mm) Foam Backer Rod, hot glue a #6 washer to it, hot glue a felt foot to it. Cost of project: $0.15 per unit for mass production. Also, it's all about the fit. You want a slightly tighter fit for spring-powered blasters. Also, for that Nerf Maverick REV-6, stack five pennies behind the spring, it'll give you more power.
If you're really into the Nerf customs thing, look up the custom nerfing community, tons and tons of awesome videos on how to make your blasters better.
Haha since he made a video with Punished Props about it and helped make the head I'm guessing so. We definitely took a selfie with it and texted it to him though lol
I think a factor you guys might have overlooked is the friction between the foam you poured and the inside of the barrel? The hole in the middle is probably important, because the pressure cause the dart to bulge a little, making a better seal with the barrel. But if the friction is too high it slows the dart down a lot. That's probably why the rifling was such a failure, too, it couldn't seal.
I'm thinking that the fluting you put on the shorter head dart was allowing air to escape around the dart instead of creating pressure behind it. Also, making the homemade darts about the same weight as a Nerf one will help. Finally, if you get some 17/32" brass tubing the darts should fit snugly inside it, as the diameter of a Nerf dart is about 1/2" (.503"). Thank you guys for such a fun and awesome video! I've wanted to try making my own darts but lack a the equipment to make molds.
As involved as I am with the Maker scene and manufacturing in general, I sometimes forget how amazing it is that we have consumer tools that have advanced so much in the last 10 years.
I think maybe the different materials have different amounts of friction sliding through the barrel. Probably the floppy ones were adhering to the barrels too much - maybe check out how grippy the silicone tips are too, compared to what the real darts are like? Fun video you guys - thanks for sharing it :)
I would try it without the spiral cuts on the foam, because I think it’s making it harder to fit in the gun. Also the tip might be heavy. I put bb’s into the tip of a nerf dart one time. One or two bb’s made the dart hit harder, but not go as far, but three or four was too much.
Doing HVZ I've experimented with a lot of home made nerf dart designs. You can buy half inch round foam by the roll, cut it down to the desired length, and add a dab of hot glue to the end. We modified our guns to take 1.5" darts and they worked much better than the originals even without the hole in the back of the dart.
I also watched your videos on your channel where Bill was featured. Cross overs are awesome! Thanks for the reply! I hope to see more collab with other YTr's. Have a great day, and please continue more of your work. We love them all!
This nerf one that you're commenting on is actually on our channel too! Bill did the water blaster repaint and the riot shield, we did nerf and molten metal. We've had SO much fun on all these projects and love collabs! Thanks so much for the kind words!
Bottom line, if it's not woodworking I don't watch these maker channels. The one exception is you guys as you make your show interesting, educational, informative, and most of all FUN.
Aww yayy!! That makes us feel really special, thanks! And you're in luck too because this Friday we'll be sharing a woodworking video where we try some "traditional" joinery. I think. Do finger joints count?
Nerf darts center hole is designed to expand from air pressure creating a gasket along the outer wall. Also you guys need to get your center of pressure behind your center of gravity.
What an epic video. Moulds! 3D printers! Shop safety! Nerf (kinda) - easily the best display of the Make/Fail/Make/Fail/Success! ethos ever seen. Well played everybody!
Try coating them with a little baby powder or potentially lubricating the barrel (worse of he two ideas for clean up and dirt attraction reasons). The biggest problem you are facing is friction leaving the barrel. The durometer of that silicone seems very likely to grab...
I remember watching E&K in the very beginning where there were only a few Patreon supporters and although I can’t assist myself, I’m so proud of you guys that there are so many people who support you on Patreon !! Love you guys!! Keep up the amazing content !!
Thank you so much Grace! It's been a long journey for sure and we feel super grateful for all the support on Patreon but also the support like leaving comments 😁👍 So thank you for supporting us too!
Since you guys are working on your own darts, it would be really cool to see you all make darts that look like the type of bullets that would come out of all the modded nerf guns Bill has. It would be really cool to see you guys design a dart that actually looked like a bullet plus the casing!
I used to cut the foam near the rear of the dart at an angle, multiple times, and flare it creating small fletches that would impart a roll to the dart after it left the gun. I also used make blow guns that were lined with glassy tape at an angle, and small gaps between the strips of tape, that when rolled up, on the inside of the barrel, would create rifling that the dart could engage with. The blow guns were rolled from 11x17 paper with the breech end being 1 to 2 mm wider than the muzzle end. These things combined, and in the same direction of roll, did make for much faster and flatter shots.
Cool experiment! Nerf hobbyists have been tinkering with DIY darts for a while, and so far the most effective design comes from a guy who goes by Captain Slug (he also makes amazing 3D printed nerf blasters, you should totally check him out). His method uses 1/2" diameter foam backer rod, a #8 washer glued to the tip of the dart for weight, and a felt dot covering the washer for safety. The only catch is you have to cut and assemble each dart individually, so making a batch takes a while. Being able to fill up a bank of molds with foam in a matter of seconds would be a serious breakthrough in home dartsmithing technology, and I hope you keep experimenting with it!
Think of the darts like a shuttlecock for badminton or pellets for an air rifle. The front end is weighted and the rear is just there to produce drag. To keep the darts stable, the center of mass must be ahead of what is known as the center of pressure, which is the point on the dart on which the average aerodynamic forces act. You can move the center of pressure by increasing surface area near the rear end, either through a long stick like with bottle rockets, a long tube like nerf darts, fins like those used on model rockets, etc. Another thing to note is that Nerf guns are designed so that the dart is only being accelerated in the first half inch or so of the barrel, this is because the first half inch of barrel is tighter to prevent the air restrictor from pushing the dart out of the barrel, once the dart passes this region there is room for air to escape around the dart. If your dart has a tight fit in the front half of the barrel, odds are it will get stuck without increasing the strength of the spring and improving the seal on the piston. My tips would be, use a very dense rubber for the head of the dart and a stiff but light weight foam for the rear of the dart, and size the dart so that it fits snug in the first half inch of barrel.
You may also look into 3D printing a nerf gun like the Caliburn. Its an entirely homemade nerf gun that accepts standard nerf darts and magazines, but has a completely sealed barrel and piston, so you can push the darts much faster than you ever could with a standard nerf dart.
You need a denser foam and a hole in the middle of dart and the tip should be smaller than what Evan and Katelyn made and I think that the little grooves helped it not get to snug since the air is pushing it out
Try 3D printing the tip at 100% infill? or make the tip more dense, but try a stiffer but lighter foam. Maybe the foam is too heavy? but needs to be stiffer. :)
The real hero of this video is Brittany. For keeping her finger off the trigger with that awesome trigger discipline pose. Also.... But a solid pool noodle, cut into stios with a bandsaw, sand with a 4*36 for proper shape and standard drill for the center hole. But then again that isn't great for a RUclips channel when you have access to foam and a 3d printer.
I just love the conversation that had to go on before the camera was turned on Bill= who’s going to be on camera the most? Katelyn= Me and you Evan and Brit= Wait why? Katelyn= cause we’re short enough to fit in frame Evan Ana Brit… Fair enough
On the silicon tips, try some graphite powder it'll be applying friction to the inside of the barrel (I think, I'm not too familiar with the properties). Graphite is easy enough to come by, it's the inner if a pencil. Hell put some on the full length of the dart.
my favorite diy nerf dart was backer rod window foam with a metal bb 1/2" down into the tip and hot glue to make the weighty hard tip. not only do they shoot great but they are super cheap we get 1000 darts for about $20 and we use magnets on sticks to help pick them up without bending over every few feet after nerf wars. we have our darts measured distance farther then the original darts. you gotta have the weight in the tip
This foam is the same as in the insulation business of heater pipes. I just don't get the diameter in the hardware store, but in theory, you can buy it by the meter and cut pieces off I guess.
Just when I think you guys cant get even more amazing you one-up my expectations. I love nerf and never thought I would see this on your channel. It was a great surprise. I love you two! Ill try to make a dart at one point!!
Would love to see y'all do a video on Mold release agent comparisons. I have heard that Vaseline (sorry petroleum jelly), non-stick cooking spray, vegetable oil, and even butter can work as a mold release agent. Most, if not all, are cheaper than "Official" mold release agents. Maybe compare how each one is used for the different types of molds and materials being molded. Resin, concrete, foam, etc. Just a thought / suggestion! Keep up the great work!
Rifling the dart tends to reduce performance, your best bet is to use the dense foam you had in the end, use a divet in the back of the dart head to center your center rod so it is not thinner on one side, and try to make dart heads from a lighter plastic or rubber. Good luck!
First, you should've went with half-darts, since they're more stable in flight. Second, the rifling down the whole dart length let air escape around the dart instead of pushing the dart, and probably wouldn't help the dart to spin anyway. Honestly, just making the Nerf head without the hole would make it a hundred times better. Finally, as people commented earlier, the silicon tip probably gets stuck a little bit in the barrel.
You guys made failing at a build look like tons of fun lol. I think the key is the exact foam Nerf uses, plus the finishing process. I have a sneaky suspicion there may be a "heat step" involved to seal the outside foam pores and also tighten up the inside as well. :P
It was a ton of fun! Though, kinda hard not to have fun hanging out with these guys making nerf darts :P I think you might be right about some of the nerf treatments....
Hey guys! I know I'm a bit late to the game, but for projects when you're molding with silicone how do you make sure you don't get air bubbles in the mold. Do you have a degassing chamber, do you vibrate it or are you just super careful? Thanks!
There are a few tips we've tried that seem to work: vibrating it (we stick a sander against it without the sand paper) and we've also tried a vacuum chamber. Also pouring with a really thin stream helps because then it's harder for the bubbles to form in the stream itself. We go into tips a little deeper in this video: ruclips.net/video/NBZUDRxwaKA/видео.html
I didn't read through too many comments, so others may have caught this too. I think the silicone tips need to be slightly smaller in diameter than the foam so they don't grab the barrel. If you look at the nerf ones, that is how they appear to be designed. I suspect the foam would slide more freely on the barrel than the silicone.
I think you guys should try resin for the tip of the dart because i think that rubber is getting stuck on the barrel and allow some clearance of the tip but the body needs to fit like yours.
Any chance for a followup video where you use electric flywheel Nerf blasters? Your different foam densities and tip designs might benefit from mechanical flinging rather than air pressure pushing.
haha it's funny you say that because we actually did try a flywheel (after filming all the scenes in this video), but it made the video drag on a little long so we shared that scene on Patreon instead
"I went to art school!" 😂😂 This video was a ton of laughs! I love the collabs you guys are doing! And we get to learn what (not) to do! After Show time!!! I heard it's going to be extra special... 😉
Glad you've been liking the collabs! I'm editing the last one from the trip right now and it is such a wild card video haha. Glad you liked this video too!
EvanAndKatelyn Wild card video sounds good to me! 😉 And don't get me wrong, I love the videos with just you guys too! You just do collabs so well also!
I think you should try testing your darts in some modified air blasters. Like Bobo was saying, we have been using homemade half length slugs in our homemade & powerful blasters. I would recommend a nerf titan, buzzbee xtreme blastzooka, buzzbee big blast, or a buzzbee Berserker (they all have massive air tanks). Attach a 1/2 inch CPVC Coupler to the air tank & use 1/2 cpvc pipe as barreling. Normal darts fishtail & wobble while in the air when shot from them. I think your heavier and denser darts would work well with them.
EvanAndKatelyn yes it needs to be more rigid, and it’s safe with the straw because is not a hard material. Also, if you use only foam for your bullets it is very soft, so it will compress and that’s why they didn’t fly very far, I think.
On top of dart making, you also should really upgrade those blasters. I like how it seems you're going with more accurate design on the darts as well we all know Nerf elite darts aren't very accurate. That being said, there's a whole slew of things you can do that would really make it into competitive Nerf. I personally have 300+fps blasters using 18.5kg spring loads and longer, 16" barrels with rifling in the muzzle. Fast and accurate especially using shorter darts with better head design for weight distribution and lower drag. Overall, this was super fun to watch the tinkering process. Hope to see an update!
Did y'all know we have *4 channels* now? This main one, plus:
🎮 Evan and Katelyn Gaming ruclips.net/user/evanandkatelyngaming
(us playing games and chatting, enhanced by epic editing and a heavy dose of memes)
🎙️ Evan and Katelyn Podcast ruclips.net/user/evanandkatelynpodcast
(chatting about life, RUclips stuff, and playing games you can play along with)
😹 Evan and Katelyn Too ruclips.net/user/evanandkatelyn2
(still figuring this one out 😂)
If you were ever to to this agaig try a holo
The reason the hole improved the speed of the dart is because when you fill the camber with pressure it travels down the hole expanding the front and giving it a tighter seal and reducing the air flow around the dart which doesn’t add to the velocity of the dart
Chang the blaster, I think you needs a long clean barrel for those darts
Luke Campbell you’re monopoly smart...🤗
You should make a dart that is short very stiff and the same weight as the original
‘Just the tip’
‘It’s floppy’
‘It’s so much more firm’
‘This feels really good’
Katelyn ‘believes in the hole’
Are you sure this project wasn’t just one massive excuse to get as many innuendos into a video as possible? xD
we have the humor of 13 year old boys! XD
the best kind of humour!
After watching I can confirm this... And I also heard at least another five innuendos.
I wanted to say the exact same thing
My rod popped out.
The NIC (Nerf Internet Community) had used 1/2in closed cell foam backer rod with a different ways to make the heads. Granted these would be cut to about 1.5in, but the smaller size meant better aerodynamics and flight.
There's glue domes: a metal BB embedded into a small hole in the top, with a hot glue dome over it.
Slugs: a #6 washer (with or without the embedded BB) with a felt pad ontop.
Silicone domes: silicone caulk cured with cornstarch in molds.
We'd use these for our homemade blasters for higher FPS game events. Cheapest way to get darts is 3rd party ones from China ;)
Soooooo many good tips! Thank you so much for the suggestions!!!
Bobo knows his way around a nerf dart
I was waiting for someone from the Nerf community to chime in- custom made darts have been perfected for a number of years pretty much, well worth reading up on the various styles and also aftermarket darts such as the very popular Koosh gen 3 darts that perform better than official Nerf elite darts...
Boooobooooooooo, I came into the comments to let them know about the NIC and was happy to see the metal lord star from the NIC had already schooled them on it. Love your content, hope you are doing well.
Bobbo knows his stuff. Also if you're interested I'll send you some of the darts hes talking about
"I'm out of ammo." *looks down barrel with finger on the trigger* "Me too."
Safety Bob does not approve of my actions >_
Don't worry, Safety Bob wants proper trigger discipline even with cordless drills and BBQ lighters. It's a habit, not a thought process.
I wanna test them!
Sweet that would be awesome! Just diving into the NIC and we learned SO much from this first video. Maybe we could send you some v2 darts with some lessons learned 😀 or do you really want the floopy ones? We could also send both lol.
Ill do you one better, bring em to Dragoncon? We should have lunch! DM me on instagram and I'll give you my number @LordDrac
is this a futur colab
Just sent a message, wish we could come but hoping to go to Dragoncon next year :D
LordDrac is another awesome source for information.
Now, make a "better" blaster designed to shoot the "better" darts
Oooo now that'd be fun!
Absolutely. When I modded a nerf gun with a heavier spring it seemed like the dart was to lite to handle the extra push. Maybe a heavier dart will work better in a modded gun.
Adapt a paintball marker to shoot the darts! That just sounds fun albeit a little more dangerous
Already exists it's called a Caliburn
Just take a couple of pvc and brass pipes, and some k26 spring and you’re done.
This was very myth busters esque, but with an Evan and Katelyn twist I love it!
Thank you! We love Mythbusters so that's a huge compliment!
Never has anyone proved like you all how much it is to remain a kid at heart.
Aw thank you! We think one of the best parts about being an adult is getting to choose what being an adult means. And for a few days it meant playing nonstop with homemade Nerf darts 😁
"tell me when and I'll zoom in dramatically" *Funk flex airhorns* I died. I love you guys.
Hahaha glad we aren't the only ones that crack up at our own jokes! 😋🤣
Wonder if the silicone tips were to sticky grading onto the barrels and slowing things down
Yeah that definitely could have been one of the issues. Wonder if we put a seal on them or maybe baby powder we could eliminate that as a concern.
or as a "control" use a plastic tip or rip one out of an off-the-shelf dart
The ideal would be to somehow make the exposed piece of silicone slightly narrower than the foam so that it will not contact the barrel at all. You would basically need to have a slightly narrower section at the bottom of the mold that holds the tip, which is more complicated but I think should be doable. This is how the actual nerf darts are designed I believe (it is really slight but there is a step there). I think in general you may want to make the diameter of your darts smaller as well. It may be the case that part of the purpose of the hole is to allow the air to get in an expand the darts a bit (probably just near the back so not too much friction) so having a tight fit all ready would make the darts stick.
As you casted these you could actually go for a wild shape that nerf darts cannot, like having them have a flare at the back to seal with the barrel but not have a tight fit all the way along which would increase friction. Regardless, you also need to remember that stabilisation on these is using the shuttle cock principal (not rifling) so what you need is weight at the front (rubber tip) but the tail to be light (foam with a hole in it).
That'd be a great test to conduct!
@@EvanAndKatelyn its definitely the caste foam. Try using foam backer rod for the body, just needs heated up to make it rigid. There are after market darts that are made with silicone heads.
You need to make a sign for your work spaces that just says “mold release?”
This was a blast to watch!! Friends making stuff just because and having a good time doing so.
Thanks Eric!! "just because" builds are often our faves, and builds with friends are ALWAYS our faves
Loved seeing all of the different types of material, and all of the attempts...only to fail. But that was still a huge win because...learning! Fun ride, you guys!
Yes! Because learning!! Haha yeah even though it wasn't the ultimate nerf dart, it was suuuuper fun
Meh, they're all a little small for my taste :)
Haha want to come down and make some Jackman sized darts?
EvanAndKatelyn ummmmmmm YES!
This would be epic!
I think it's time for lawn darts to make a comeback 🤔😁
Lol
Cut a section of 1/2in (12.7mm) Foam Backer Rod, hot glue a #6 washer to it, hot glue a felt foot to it. Cost of project: $0.15 per unit for mass production. Also, it's all about the fit. You want a slightly tighter fit for spring-powered blasters. Also, for that Nerf Maverick REV-6, stack five pennies behind the spring, it'll give you more power.
Thank you for all the suggestions!! We're definitely going to keep these in mind!
If you're really into the Nerf customs thing, look up the custom nerfing community, tons and tons of awesome videos on how to make your blasters better.
One thing to note, the actual Nerf darts have a little white weighted piece near the orange tip.
oooh that's really interesting, we should have cut one apart on the bandsaw to get a cross section
EvanAndKatelyn Yes you should!
@@EvanAndKatelyn a band saw seriously to cut a nerf tip? are razor blades to expensive?
Does Bob know you are abusing his head? Or that you even have it? Ha.
Haha since he made a video with Punished Props about it and helped make the head I'm guessing so. We definitely took a selfie with it and texted it to him though lol
We won't be happy until he regrets letting us mold his head. =)
Safety Bob does not approve of the unauthorized use of his head
I was not expecting such professionalism in the making if these Nerf darts 😂😂😂
Loved the name tags, "realist", "agreeable human", made us laugh
NERF is an acronym for non-expanding-recreational-foam aka NERF
😁👍
That isn't true, nerf was never an acronym
@@narenthebeesechurgerman422 umm dino tube was making a joke
Sapphire Randomness no he wasn’t joking, he seriously thought that’s what that meant
@@narenthebeesechurgerman422 Not trying to be rude, I just want to ask how you know. Are you maybe a friend of him?😅
Next challenge!: Make your own air blaster! Like with the Super soaker!
I think a factor you guys might have overlooked is the friction between the foam you poured and the inside of the barrel? The hole in the middle is probably important, because the pressure cause the dart to bulge a little, making a better seal with the barrel. But if the friction is too high it slows the dart down a lot. That's probably why the rifling was such a failure, too, it couldn't seal.
I think you're right! Maybe we can experiment with different foams and ditch the rifling
Its cool that you not only show perfect builds but show the whole projects. So much fun to watch!
Thank you!! The process is what it's all about 😁😁😁
I'm thinking that the fluting you put on the shorter head dart was allowing air to escape around the dart instead of creating pressure behind it. Also, making the homemade darts about the same weight as a Nerf one will help. Finally, if you get some 17/32" brass tubing the darts should fit snugly inside it, as the diameter of a Nerf dart is about 1/2" (.503"). Thank you guys for such a fun and awesome video! I've wanted to try making my own darts but lack a the equipment to make molds.
Ahhh that's super interesting, the fluting definitely could have been a factor! Looks like we have more testing ahead of us!
On nerf darts the tip is lightweight rubber and is hollow but they were using solid silicone.
As involved as I am with the Maker scene and manufacturing in general, I sometimes forget how amazing it is that we have consumer tools that have advanced so much in the last 10 years.
I think maybe the different materials have different amounts of friction sliding through the barrel. Probably the floppy ones were adhering to the barrels too much - maybe check out how grippy the silicone tips are too, compared to what the real darts are like? Fun video you guys - thanks for sharing it :)
I think you might be right! The silicone was definitely a little tacky. Glad you liked the video!
I would try it without the spiral cuts on the foam, because I think it’s making it harder to fit in the gun. Also the tip might be heavy. I put bb’s into the tip of a nerf dart one time. One or two bb’s made the dart hit harder, but not go as far, but three or four was too much.
Thanks for the tips!
Doing HVZ I've experimented with a lot of home made nerf dart designs. You can buy half inch round foam by the roll, cut it down to the desired length, and add a dab of hot glue to the end. We modified our guns to take 1.5" darts and they worked much better than the originals even without the hole in the back of the dart.
Punished Props Academy! You collaborated with Jazza and now with Evan and Katelyn, you guys are the coolest ever!
We had such a blast collabing with Bill and Britt!
I also watched your videos on your channel where Bill was featured. Cross overs are awesome! Thanks for the reply! I hope to see more collab with other YTr's. Have a great day, and please continue more of your work. We love them all!
This nerf one that you're commenting on is actually on our channel too! Bill did the water blaster repaint and the riot shield, we did nerf and molten metal. We've had SO much fun on all these projects and love collabs! Thanks so much for the kind words!
Evan doing his best camera man John impression
1:06
Top tier
We learned from the man himself!
Bottom line, if it's not woodworking I don't watch these maker channels. The one exception is you guys as you make your show interesting, educational, informative, and most of all FUN.
Aww yayy!! That makes us feel really special, thanks! And you're in luck too because this Friday we'll be sharing a woodworking video where we try some "traditional" joinery. I think. Do finger joints count?
Nerf darts center hole is designed to expand from air pressure creating a gasket along the outer wall. Also you guys need to get your center of pressure behind your center of gravity.
What an epic video. Moulds! 3D printers! Shop safety! Nerf (kinda) - easily the best display of the Make/Fail/Make/Fail/Success! ethos ever seen. Well played everybody!
Thank you so much!!! We had so much fun experimenting and pretending we were Mythbusters!
Try coating them with a little baby powder or potentially lubricating the barrel (worse of he two ideas for clean up and dirt attraction reasons). The biggest problem you are facing is friction leaving the barrel. The durometer of that silicone seems very likely to grab...
Ahh! That would be a simple test to try and see how it affects things, thanks!
Idk why but I cant stop watching these videos
We're ok with that! :D Thank you!
I remember watching E&K in the very beginning where there were only a few Patreon supporters and although I can’t assist myself, I’m so proud of you guys that there are so many people who support you on Patreon !! Love you guys!! Keep up the amazing content !!
Thank you so much Grace! It's been a long journey for sure and we feel super grateful for all the support on Patreon but also the support like leaving comments 😁👍 So thank you for supporting us too!
Since you guys are working on your own darts, it would be really cool to see you all make darts that look like the type of bullets that would come out of all the modded nerf guns Bill has. It would be really cool to see you guys design a dart that actually looked like a bullet plus the casing!
That would be super fun! Maybe once we get one working the way we want, we can shift focus and make it look cool
Even and kaytlen are shook by how much foam the left in the conainers
You forgot to put tiny holes on the tip so it can glide through air
Ah next time!
EvanAndKatelyn give it a golfball texture for best flight
no.
This partnership between channels made the video very cool!
Best, IC
Thank you! We had so much fun working with Bill and Britt!
Evan’s stance at 11:14 is priceless
Haha! Twas pure joy
Two of like the best RUclips people are finally back together to make some silicone tips.
The tips brought us together!
“Let’s just snip that off and keep the rest on” 😯 circumcision
“My rod popped out”
Evans enthusiasm is so contagious XD
😁❤️
@@EvanAndKatelyn 😍
I used to cut the foam near the rear of the dart at an angle, multiple times, and flare it creating small fletches that would impart a roll to the dart after it left the gun. I also used make blow guns that were lined with glassy tape at an angle, and small gaps between the strips of tape, that when rolled up, on the inside of the barrel, would create rifling that the dart could engage with. The blow guns were rolled from 11x17 paper with the breech end being 1 to 2 mm wider than the muzzle end. These things combined, and in the same direction of roll, did make for much faster and flatter shots.
Ooooo that sounds fancy! Thanks for the ideas
I love how excited they get over nerf darts
I think Glitter would help
We did put some in the first dart! Oh wait... But it was the one that ripped apart..... THE GLITTER COULD HAVE BEEN THE ANSWER!
Think of the glitter coming out of the end like a sparkling comet.
I like where you're going with this....
Maybe you could 3D print some thin shells that could have glitter in them.
Kind of like a paintball or a bath oil bead.
Dooon't you dare getting him into that stuff aigain!!!
This had fun editing. I'm a fan
So glad you liked it! We definitely tried some new things editing-wise in this video that we wanna do more of
In the inside of the rubber tip it is hallow, same as the foam
The darts are great, but what about upgrading the blaster instead of the bullet? Something with the psi to fire the dart.
This is a great project where nerds and nerf combine!! I love the use of tools and computers and crafting supplies!! 🤗😍
Thank you!
@@EvanAndKatelyn You are very welcome! 🤗
It’s been almost four years and Lord Draconical promised he’ll test silicone half darts.
Where’s our silicone half darts, Drac?
Cool experiment! Nerf hobbyists have been tinkering with DIY darts for a while, and so far the most effective design comes from a guy who goes by Captain Slug (he also makes amazing 3D printed nerf blasters, you should totally check him out). His method uses 1/2" diameter foam backer rod, a #8 washer glued to the tip of the dart for weight, and a felt dot covering the washer for safety. The only catch is you have to cut and assemble each dart individually, so making a batch takes a while. Being able to fill up a bank of molds with foam in a matter of seconds would be a serious breakthrough in home dartsmithing technology, and I hope you keep experimenting with it!
Maybe we can combine some of his techniques with our molding techniques! Thanks for the tips and pointing us in his direction 😁
Think of the darts like a shuttlecock for badminton or pellets for an air rifle. The front end is weighted and the rear is just there to produce drag. To keep the darts stable, the center of mass must be ahead of what is known as the center of pressure, which is the point on the dart on which the average aerodynamic forces act. You can move the center of pressure by increasing surface area near the rear end, either through a long stick like with bottle rockets, a long tube like nerf darts, fins like those used on model rockets, etc. Another thing to note is that Nerf guns are designed so that the dart is only being accelerated in the first half inch or so of the barrel, this is because the first half inch of barrel is tighter to prevent the air restrictor from pushing the dart out of the barrel, once the dart passes this region there is room for air to escape around the dart. If your dart has a tight fit in the front half of the barrel, odds are it will get stuck without increasing the strength of the spring and improving the seal on the piston. My tips would be, use a very dense rubber for the head of the dart and a stiff but light weight foam for the rear of the dart, and size the dart so that it fits snug in the first half inch of barrel.
You may also look into 3D printing a nerf gun like the Caliburn. Its an entirely homemade nerf gun that accepts standard nerf darts and magazines, but has a completely sealed barrel and piston, so you can push the darts much faster than you ever could with a standard nerf dart.
Thank you so much for the incredibly helpful tips!! We'll definitely keep this in mind before proceeding with the next attempt!
I am loving this so much. You guys remind me of Adam Savage and his weird, fun wild experiments/builds xD
Thank you! We love Adam so that's a big compliment!
You need a denser foam and a hole in the middle of dart and the tip should be smaller than what Evan and Katelyn made and I think that the little grooves helped it not get to snug since the air is pushing it out
Thanks for the tip!
Try 3D printing the tip at 100% infill? or make the tip more dense, but try a stiffer but lighter foam. Maybe the foam is too heavy? but needs to be stiffer. :)
Lots of ideas to try! More testing is needed...
The real hero of this video is Brittany. For keeping her finger off the trigger with that awesome trigger discipline pose.
Also.... But a solid pool noodle, cut into stios with a bandsaw, sand with a 4*36 for proper shape and standard drill for the center hole. But then again that isn't great for a RUclips channel when you have access to foam and a 3d printer.
She is a better person than all of us 🙏 We're not against using some pool noodle foam!
I just love the conversation that had to go on before the camera was turned on
Bill= who’s going to be on camera the most?
Katelyn= Me and you
Evan and Brit= Wait why?
Katelyn= cause we’re short enough to fit in frame
Evan Ana Brit… Fair enough
This was the first video I watched from you guys
Now your my favorite channel
Thank you!
When i see transparent 3d print i cant stop myself from giving like. Well played, E&K, well played...
Hahaha, now we know the secret to earning likes! Thank you!
On the silicon tips, try some graphite powder it'll be applying friction to the inside of the barrel (I think, I'm not too familiar with the properties). Graphite is easy enough to come by, it's the inner if a pencil. Hell put some on the full length of the dart.
Also the tip on a nerf dart are hollow.
my favorite diy nerf dart was backer rod window foam with a metal bb 1/2" down into the tip and hot glue to make the weighty hard tip. not only do they shoot great but they are super cheap we get 1000 darts for about $20 and we use magnets on sticks to help pick them up without bending over every few feet after nerf wars. we have our darts measured distance farther then the original darts. you gotta have the weight in the tip
Stephanie London : That’s Genius....Finding the darts is always the hardest part...
This foam is the same as in the insulation business of heater pipes. I just don't get the diameter in the hardware store, but in theory, you can buy it by the meter and cut pieces off I guess.
Just when I think you guys cant get even more amazing you one-up my expectations. I love nerf and never thought I would see this on your channel. It was a great surprise. I love you two! Ill try to make a dart at one point!!
Aw thank you!!! After everything we learned I think more Nerf projects may pop up here 😁 You should definitely try your hand at a dart!
We need an animated gif of the wibbly wobbly nerf darts :D
hahahaha that would be amazing
Would love to see y'all do a video on Mold release agent comparisons. I have heard that Vaseline (sorry petroleum jelly), non-stick cooking spray, vegetable oil, and even butter can work as a mold release agent. Most, if not all, are cheaper than "Official" mold release agents. Maybe compare how each one is used for the different types of molds and materials being molded. Resin, concrete, foam, etc. Just a thought / suggestion! Keep up the great work!
That would be a super useful video!
I love that they called that shot a win! Lol. Great video guys.
Haha gotta take the small wins we can get 😋😋
5:48 THAT LAUGHTER
haha! Slow mo laughter is the best
Rifling the dart tends to reduce performance, your best bet is to use the dense foam you had in the end, use a divet in the back of the dart head to center your center rod so it is not thinner on one side, and try to make dart heads from a lighter plastic or rubber.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for all the helpful tips! Lots to keep in mind for next time 🙂🙂
I can’t be the only one who thought they looked like coloured tampons in the thumbnail right?
Bahahaha!
I wonder if dusting them in cornstarch would help with the friction from the silicone and foam leaving the barrel
Ah cool idea!
First, you should've went with half-darts, since they're more stable in flight. Second, the rifling down the whole dart length let air escape around the dart instead of pushing the dart, and probably wouldn't help the dart to spin anyway. Honestly, just making the Nerf head without the hole would make it a hundred times better. Finally, as people commented earlier, the silicon tip probably gets stuck a little bit in the barrel.
Thanks for the tips!! We didn't even consider half length darts. Lots to try for next time!
You guys made failing at a build look like tons of fun lol. I think the key is the exact foam Nerf uses, plus the finishing process. I have a sneaky suspicion there may be a "heat step" involved to seal the outside foam pores and also tighten up the inside as well. :P
It was a ton of fun! Though, kinda hard not to have fun hanging out with these guys making nerf darts :P I think you might be right about some of the nerf treatments....
I loved the video and the nod to Bob Claget!
Haha thank you! Bob was a good sport letting us aim at his head and all ;P
Hey guys! I know I'm a bit late to the game, but for projects when you're molding with silicone how do you make sure you don't get air bubbles in the mold. Do you have a degassing chamber, do you vibrate it or are you just super careful? Thanks!
There are a few tips we've tried that seem to work: vibrating it (we stick a sander against it without the sand paper) and we've also tried a vacuum chamber. Also pouring with a really thin stream helps because then it's harder for the bubbles to form in the stream itself. We go into tips a little deeper in this video: ruclips.net/video/NBZUDRxwaKA/видео.html
Apologies if this has been asked before, but what's the fanfare they use at 10:05? It sounds so familiar...
We got it on Audioblocks (a stock music site we use) and it's called Hero's Fanfare... Not sure if it's from anything specific but it might be!
Katlyn evidently looks down the barrel of the gun to check if she was out 😂😂😂😂😀
i feel like glueing a tac to the end of it would made it even more efficient
I love how ye put faces on loads of things
😁😁
Fun project guys! Your channel is hilarious!
Thank you so much!!
i wonder if the grooves are allowing air to escape so you get less force behind the dart...?
I think you might be right!
I didn't read through too many comments, so others may have caught this too. I think the silicone tips need to be slightly smaller in diameter than the foam so they don't grab the barrel. If you look at the nerf ones, that is how they appear to be designed. I suspect the foam would slide more freely on the barrel than the silicone.
I think you're right! They were kinda sticky!
I think their triple twist groove is letting air escape when they fire. Also the original tip is hollow so it might be too heavy.
Try putting the molds in a vacuum chamber after pouring the foam
Awesome stuff guys! 😀 👍👍👊👊 So much wiggling! 😂
Commence the wiggling!!! Haha thanks!
I think you guys should try resin for the tip of the dart because i think that rubber is getting stuck on the barrel and allow some clearance of the tip but the body needs to fit like yours.
I think you're right! That's a great idea to try
Any chance for a followup video where you use electric flywheel Nerf blasters? Your different foam densities and tip designs might benefit from mechanical flinging rather than air pressure pushing.
haha it's funny you say that because we actually did try a flywheel (after filming all the scenes in this video), but it made the video drag on a little long so we shared that scene on Patreon instead
Maybe try expandable foam in a can ? Or hollow silicone tips
Would be interesting to try!
"I went to art school!" 😂😂 This video was a ton of laughs! I love the collabs you guys are doing! And we get to learn what (not) to do! After Show time!!! I heard it's going to be extra special... 😉
Glad you've been liking the collabs! I'm editing the last one from the trip right now and it is such a wild card video haha. Glad you liked this video too!
EvanAndKatelyn Wild card video sounds good to me! 😉 And don't get me wrong, I love the videos with just you guys too! You just do collabs so well also!
For a little better results Nerf darts have a hollow tip to reduce the impact on the target
I think you should try testing your darts in some modified air blasters. Like Bobo was saying, we have been using homemade half length slugs in our homemade & powerful blasters. I would recommend a nerf titan, buzzbee xtreme blastzooka, buzzbee big blast, or a buzzbee Berserker (they all have massive air tanks). Attach a 1/2 inch CPVC Coupler to the air tank & use 1/2 cpvc pipe as barreling. Normal darts fishtail & wobble while in the air when shot from them. I think your heavier and denser darts would work well with them.
Ooooo thank you so much for the recommendations! We would love to try out modifying blasters
I believe the rifling is allowing to much air to escape around the dart. Try w/out rifling and I bet you get better results.
Thanks for the tip!
This video is full of innuendos , xd
I LoVe It 😂😂
Heh heh heh, yes we had to stop ourselves from making dirty jokes a lot!
@@EvanAndKatelyn 🤣🤣
Nice video guys! I think if you put a plastic drinking straw in the middle, fill it with foam and after you cut the straw edge maybe it will work!
DIYPD nice idea
That's a cool idea! Maybe the straw would give some rigidity
EvanAndKatelyn yes it needs to be more rigid, and it’s safe with the straw because is not a hard material. Also, if you use only foam for your bullets it is very soft, so it will compress and that’s why they didn’t fly very far, I think.
On top of dart making, you also should really upgrade those blasters. I like how it seems you're going with more accurate design on the darts as well we all know Nerf elite darts aren't very accurate. That being said, there's a whole slew of things you can do that would really make it into competitive Nerf. I personally have 300+fps blasters using 18.5kg spring loads and longer, 16" barrels with rifling in the muzzle. Fast and accurate especially using shorter darts with better head design for weight distribution and lower drag. Overall, this was super fun to watch the tinkering process. Hope to see an update!
We would loooooove to try upgrading some blasters and dive more into Nerf mods in general! Thank you for the tips, glad you liked the video!
@@EvanAndKatelyn Excellent! Please don't hesitate to reach out and ask! I love this hobby and enjoy getting people into the modding side of things.
Maybe instead of silicone use a different type of foam for the tip of the nerf dart???
Now time to make a giant one and a giant gun!
I like the sound of that!
Something I saw was you changed the foam, but maybe try a lighter and less dense silicone?
Ah good thinking!
EvanAndKatelyn omg I’ve been noticed 😭❤️😂