You know a bad dart tip when your throw suffers because of one. Darts tips get blunt in time and this can significantly impact your performance. If you want to keep your steel tip darts in great shape and maximize your chances to hit the target, you must learn how to sharpen their tips. Learn more about it right here and now.
The disadvantages of blunt darts tips
No matter what type of steel tip darts you invest in, if you’re seriously committed to playing darts, their tips will unavoidably get blunt in a while. Once this happens, you have to get a dart sharpener to reshape them. The main disadvantage you’ll see if you continue playing with blunt tips is that your darts won’t stick inside the sisal dartboard and bounce out instead, which means you won’t score.
Another drawback of blunt darts is that they can damage your bristle dartboard. This happens because the rounded dart tips can’t penetrate a sisal surface like sharp tip darts. Once a sharp tip dart hits the sisal board, it easily moves past its fibers to make its way through and when it is removed, it allows them to revert to their initial position. The same can’t be said about blunt tips that only damage these fibers, and the overall aspect of the board, by pushing them inside instead of easily getting past them.
If you want to prevent your darts from falling to the floor or ruining your board, follow the tips below and learn how to sharpen your darts’ tips correctly.
How to sharpen your steel tip darts?
The first thing you need in order to keep your steel tips in good shape is a dart sharpener. This tool is inexpensive and easy to find at any store that’s selling darts supplies. Some of the key aspects you should consider when buying a dart sharpener are the following:
- Shape: an easy to use sharpener should be cylindric or have a bowl shape
- Size: your sharpener should be small enough so that you can comfortably hold and use it
- Material: it should be made of stone
After you get your ideal darts sharpener, it’s time to start using it. Before you do so, it’s good to remember that steel dart tips shouldn’t be too sharp either because this will also lead to pesky bounce-outs.
To sharpen your dart tips, you should insert the dart in the sharpener and then begin to grind its tip. Don’t rush, do this slowly with even and repetitive circular movements. It takes very little time to properly sharpen a dart tip, most players are able to get one tip reshaped in as little as 20 seconds or even less.
To make sure your dart tips are back in shape, you need to test them by running your finger over their surface to feel if it is sharp enough. As you grind the tip, you might discover that it has burs, which means that it will feel rough to the touch. This is a problem you should eliminate by continuing to sharpen the tip until its surface feels smooth.
Carefully check each dart tip before and after you sharpen it to make sure it really needs this type of maintenance work and also to ensure that you don’t go too far with the sharpener. We must highlight once again that extra-sharp tips are also bad for your performance. So, avoid pressing your darts too hard inside the sharpener or grinding for too long in order to prevent your darts’ tips from getting too sharp.
Another useful thing you should keep in mind is to always have your dart sharpener at hand, especially if you also play in pubs or tournaments and you’re using your own gear. This practical tool takes very little space, so you can surely find a place for it in your darts case.
Regularly sharpening your darts’ tips correctly will definitely help you improve your game. Just try it for yourself and see the result. You can find a comprehensive array of darts accessories in our catalog, including darts sharpeners. Please feel free to browse through our products and get in touch if you have any questions.
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