[chet]

been messing making cone the last few weeks trying different materials that are waterproof and getting away from tape to hold together after they are formed, i was at Lowes today looking around i was in the shade department where you buy shades and they cut them to fit your window, there was a small end from a cut shade it was a light tan color, i ask the salesperson if he would sell this pc, he said take it they go to the scrap barrel, i have tried numerous this plastics that super glue did not stick, this shade material is some kind of plastic that superglue works excellent, i made a tapered mandrel awhile back, so i cut a pc wrap it around and put superglue along the edge and wrapped it tight on the mandrel, i trimmed the edge of the cone to fit nail, put superglue on head of nail pulled it down, trimmed the cone to fit bore of blowgun, this works the best of all the cones i have made over the past few weeks, no hot melt, no tape, superglue does it all on this wonderful shade material. if you dart makers have a lowes around check it out, i think this is going to be the cone to beat. i used a number 8d nail 2in long,

chetps let me know if anyone tries this, and how it works

 

[Borja]

Nice dude! Could you post any pics? Of the material? Thanks.

 

[Borja]

I've been also experimenting with cork from wine bottles and I order some of them 3D printed you can find the file in internet illlook for it and post the link. They can print it in flex plastic or even thin rubber.

 

[Borja]

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:216060

 

[wll]

I had made cones using a friends 3D printer and they worked well but were heavy. The very best paper cones I made were from a 3x3 Post it using a template or a set of folds done on the Post it so the cones were perfect every time in a 1 to about 2 to 3 relationship. The very best cones were made using Tyvek 1 inch wrist bands. Tyvek is very slippery, water PROOF, almost all glues work well with it, and it is malleable material. All are pluses. You make the cone about 1/32 to 1.16 bigger than the ID of your blowgun, the cone will sit on top the ID of your barrel, but when pushed it will very easily slide down the barrel with a almost perfect seal, if not perfect. Your dart will come out blistering fast. If I remember correctly my steel Tyvek coned darts weighed in at about 34-36 grains and paper about 2 grains heavier, my bamboo 9 inch Tyvek coned darts were in the 38 gr vicinity.(never made paper coned bamboo darts as the bamboo were for serious hunting and needed to be impervious to the elements. The paper cones were lightly covered in epoxy or CA glue inside and out. The Tyvek cones were coated on the inside only about 3/4 up the cone with the last little bit not coated as to make a very good extremely slippery seal. I had different types of sizing dies and stuff I used to use to make sure the cones were as perfect as I could make them.

This material was used back in the day for hunting in all kinds of weather and never a problem. I used the colored wrist band Tyvek as it was a little stiffer than your average USPS mailer Tyvek..

If interested my general hunting ranges were between 8 to 15 yds. I did have a few 20-25 yard shots but those are long on level ground. The dart would penetrate much further than that, but accuracy was not what I wanted.