Sharpening Darts

You can be great at playing darts, getting fantastic scores normally, but if you play with a set of darts that aren't right, it's no good. Your darts just keep bouncing off the board. That's why learning to sharpen or more accurately round darts is a good skill to have.

The points of your darts shouldn't actually be sharp, even if they are when you first get the darts. Overly sharp darts can ruin a dartboard, and may even cause the darts to bounce on impact. Plus, these sharp darts don't stay that way - impacts will cause the points to bend or roll, creating a hook or burr that will damage the board and make throwing harder.

So, if the dart isn't supposed to be sharp, what should it be like? Surprisingly enough, you actually want to round the point like the tip of a ball point pen, instead of pointing it. Round tips don't damage the board. They slide by fibers instead of causing damage, and they don't develop burrs. They also stick in a board better than a dart with a sharp tip.

You may run into people who believe that darts never need to be maintained. However, this is a bad idea that will ruin the darts and the board. Excessive use will flatten a dart and cause it to bounce off the dartboard, compressing the fibers and making it hard to lodge a dart in them. When the point of a dart starts flattening, you need to do something about it.

That's when it's time to sharpen the tip, but only a little. You can use special hollow sharpening stones for darts, or a small, flat, rectangular stone. Even extremely coarse sandpaper will work, if you have nothing else. Wrap the paper around the tip of the dart, firmly pinch it, and rotate until the dart is sharp.

Once the tip is sharp, you'll want to round it. Put it down end down on a piece of sandpaper or sharpening stone, and spin the dart in place very slowly. Now tip it to one side, and spin it again a few times. That will do the trick. Don't think you'll be able to hold the dart steady while you spin it? Put the stone and the dart, or the hand holding the dart, up against a wall or other solid, immovable surface. Then round the dart using it as a guide.

When darts are dirty, clean them thoroughly with soft soap and water, and dry them thoroughly to avoid rust. Darts that have rusted should be cleaned with sandpaper, then lubricated with oil and wiped dry. Cared for carefully, the darts could last a lifetime, though you'll need to replace the flights eventually.

All darts should be kept rounded, never sharp, and never flat. It takes only a few minutes to do every once in a while, and it'll keep them around longer. It will also make sure your dartboard lasts as long as possible, and it could even improve your score. That's why proper care of your darts is a smart idea.