We can trace the existence of darts to as early as the 1500’s, when King Henry VIII wanted his archers to be able to practice aim year round. Today, the game can be found in bars and pubs across the world. Now, you may have seen magnetic darts in stores, but none quite like this. Rather than using a dart with its point replaced by a magnet and throwing it at a magnetic pad, YouTuber Magnetic Games has used the power of magnetism to load and shoot the traditional sharp darts. Now this DIY is NOT recommended for children, but you may feel like a kid again with how fun it is.

Supplies:

Directions:

With these magnets being as powerful as they are, we must remind you before moving forward that this project is dangerous if not done properly. Please refer to our magnet safety guidelines before getting started. The way that it works similar to how we levitate magnets through tubes, but this time we will use two magnets to create attractive and repulsive force between the magnets.
  1. Put enough ring magnets together so that the cylinder magnet will only stick out minimally on each side.
  2. Next, put the cylinder magnet inside the hole of the ring magnets. Make sure the cylinder sticks to the outside of the rings on each side equally. Once inserted into the hole, it should appear as if the magnet is floating.
  3. Now, make sure that you have a target set up and that there is no person or animal able to come between the magnet and target.
  4. Without attaching the nail, practice launching the magnet at the target. To do so, push one side of the cylinder magnet through the rings. When you push the magnet into the holes of the ring magnet, it creates potential energy from the magnetic force. By pushing the cylinder out, you then create a repulsive force that shoots the maget in the direction of your choice.
  5. To make the dart truly stick to your target, you will have to attach a small nail to the end of the cylinder. Attach the nail only after you have loaded the cylinder into the set of ring magnets. After the nail is properly attached, take aim and push the magnet through to create a new way of playing darts!
To get a visual understanding of this you can view Magnetic Games video below. Remember that this project can be dangerous so use caution while playing with your new magnetic dart game!