Knife Sharpening Blog

It doesn’t matter how good you are at throwing darts, if they won’t stick in the dartboard.  After all, if they won’t stick, what’s the use, right? 

Sharp points ruin a dartboard by nicking the wires, because the darts won’t be bouncing off the board.  Instead, the sharp points will cleave their way past the wires, permanently damaging them.  And the sharp points won’t stay sharp very long.  The points will often bend, or roll over, upon impact.  Not only that but sharp points actually cause darts to bounce too often off the dartboard.  Not a good thing at all.  Players should know how to sharpen their darts.   

Sharpening darts for play—or for sport—is an interesting skill to develop.  You really aren’t going to make them sharp at the tip, even though the points may be sharp when you first buy them.  Who woulda’ thought?  

Many times a burr will form on a sharp pointed dart after sticking.  This very small, very thin wire coming off the tip will cause dartboard fibers to be wrenched free when you’re pulling them off the board.  Burrs are very bad for dart boards.  To check for a burr, hold the dart with the tip up.  Run a fingernail up the side of the point.  If there is a burr, your fingernail will catch on it.  Should this happen, a dart sharpener, or sandpaper, can easily be used to remove the burr.  Remember that it is a fingernail and not a finger tip to use.  A burr is a hell of a splinter to have to remove.    

So if you don’t want it sharp, then what?  Straight up, the point of a dart should be rounded.  Rounded just like a ballpoint pen.  Rounded tips do not damage a dartboard.  They will slide past the wires instead of cutting them.  And when you loosen a dart, dartboard fibers will not be pulled free.  There was no cleaving of wires and, thus, no burr will form.  Interestingly, rounded-tip darts will stick to a dartboard much more than will sharp-tip darts.  How about that?  Don’t fight it.  That’s just how it goes.

Some dart players believe that a dart point should not be sharp or round.  They believe that they don’t even need to be maintained.  Just play on!  This is not good.  Oh, no.  An unmaintained dart tip will not stay round, it will become flat.  This flat-tipped dart will simply bounce right off the dartboard, whether it strikes the wires or the board fibers.  And because flat tips compress dartboard fibers upon impact, repeated use will ruin the dartboard, making it very difficult for darts to stick easily.

When the point of a dart begins to flatten , we only want to sharpen the tip enough to round it for use.  There are hollow, cylindrical dart sharpening stones that may be used to sharpen the dart tip.  These concave stones are the most common sharpeners for darts.  The dart tip can be laid flush against the inner wall of the stone.  Spin the dart in place several times.  This will sharpen the tip.  There are small, flat rectangular sharpening stones for darts that are also available to do this.  If all else fails, use coarse sandpaper.  Simply wrap the sandpaper around the tip and pinch it firmly.  Rotate the tip until the dart is sharp. 

Sharpening the dart tip is the first stage.  The second, and last, stage is to round the tip.  Place the tip down on a sharpening stone or sand paper as though it were standing on end.  Slowly spin the dart in place until the tip dulls just a little.  Now angle the dart downward ever so slightly and spin it again just a handful of times.  And now you’re done. 

If you don’t trust yourself to hold the dart still while spinning it, put the stone and dart—or your hand holding the dart—flush against the wall, or immobile solid structure, and then round the dart.  There is a fairly new product on the market, a sharpener with a retractable, cylindrical fine grit diamond stone that is easily portable and can be ready for use at any time.  There is even a sharpener on a key chain.

There are various kinds of dart holders, dart cases and dart packs available in today’s market.  These are specialized to keep darts dry and safe from damage.  Most of these shouldl perform adequately for you.  It’s just a matter of taste and practicality. 

If your darts are dirty, clean them with water and a soft soap.  Thoroughly dry them.  Now they can be stored safely, neatly and without worry of rust.  But, if they do become rusty, sandpaper will easily remove all rust.  Then lubricate the points with oil, wipe them completely dry and then store them.  If cared for consistently, your darts, and not the flights, could last a lifetime. 

Remember:  Keep your darts rounded.  Not sharp, and definitely not flat.  It should improve your scoring and lengthen the life of your dartboard.   Good luck to you!