How to make my 'SUPER DOME' Stefans! *Picture heavy*

Super-Dome stefan making 101! Jezza Style!

In this tutorial, I will be teaching you guys how to make my AWESOME stefans!

What you will need:

- Foam (1/2 inch in diameter / 13mm...It's beter to use the dense and good quality stuff, not cauk saver / FBR, but you can if you want to. You can also use Inform3rs blue foam)
- Stanley / Utility Knife
- Dart guide / Mitre box (Made of some aluminium I found around the house...mine is made to make 1.5" blanks)
- Weights (Fishing weights/BB's/Slingshot weights etc.)
- Hot glue sticks
- Low temp hot glue gun
- Pillow-Case
- Hair dryer*
*If you have a clothes dryer, you can use that

Now...How to make them!

Step 1:
Get your Dart guide / Mitre box, feed the foam through it and using a utility knife, cut it to your desired length



Keep doing this until you have your desired amount or you run out of foam



Step 2:
Put your foam blanks into the pillow case




Step 3:
Alternative #1:

Put the nozzle of the hair dryer into the pillow case and TURN THAT BABY ON! I like to heat it in 30 second bursts, and check it every time I stop to see whether they are straight...If you leave it on for 10 minutes non stop, you will melt the dart and your hair dryer might Over heat...If yours has settings like mine,make the setting on 'warm' not 'hot'
If it is too hot, it will melt and crinkle the dart up, and we don't want that yo happen!


Alternative #2:

Cover/seal the pillowcase (With your blanks in it) with a rubber band / Bull clips / Clothes pegs etc. And throw them into the dryer on medium for around 10 - 15 minutes, or until they are straight.



Step 4:

Take out your nicely straightened blanks



And burn a hole at the top of each one, you want this hole Just big enough for you weight to drop in flush with the top of the foam.





Step 5:

Drop/Place your weight into the hole that you burned.
Some people like to put a dot of hot glue in the hole before putting the weght in. This is just to make sure that the weight does not fall out...you can do this, for it will give you a lower chance of your dart head falling out



Step 5: The hard part

Time to make the DOME!

First, you squirt some hot glue onto the blank with the weight in it...You want it to be slightly pouring over



Now once it slightly starts to pour over, quickly tip it upside down...make sure that when the hot glue is pouring over, it does not make contact with the body of the dart.



Now repeat these 2 'steps', but this time not so extreme...When you tip it the right way round, make sure it makes a nice dome before tipping it upside down again...then keep doing this until you see that the glue is nearly cooled down...

OR..you can tip it upside down until you make a nice dome, then quickly put the glue dome in Ice cold water for around 3 - 4 seconds...

And Finally...the FINISHED PRODUCT!





And remember everyone, you may not get it perfect the first time,but keep trying and practising, and once you do get them perfect, It will all be worth it...

(I have no Idea why or how, but the first time I made stefans, they were all perfect domes like these!)