Duct Tape Ninja Star

My trademark weapon: The Duct Tape Ninja Star. These shuriken are fast, simple and inexpensive to assemble, making stockpiling for your next mission a breeze. They work similarly to paper shuriken, except they are heavier and much more durable.

Now you too can sling some sticky silver shuriken!

As far as tools and materials go, all you really need is a roll of duct tape. Scissors are recommended, but you could probably get by without.

To start, tear off two strips of tape about eight inches in length. Place the first strip on a flat surface, sticky side up. Being careful to match up the edges, place the second strip on top of the first, sticky side down. You should now have a strip of tape with two smooth sides. This will serve as your base. Each ninja star requires two of these strips.

Shave off one end to make a straight edge.

Here's what to do with the first of your two non-sticky tape strips:

1. Now take your newly cut edge and fold it down flush to the bottom edge edge of the strip, making a point.
2. Fold this new point inward, along its inside edge.
3. Fold that triangle inward once more along this new edge.
4. Undo the fold in step 2, but keep the fold in step 3.
5. You should now have what looks like a triangle on the end of a straight line. Take the entire straight area to the right of the triangle and fold it down, matching the top edge to the wide edge of the triangle.
6. Flip the entire thing over.
7. Flip the straight strip upward, making a crease along the lowest edge of the already folded section. Once the crease is there, flip the straight part back down.
8. Fold the straight area to the right, matching the left edge to the crease you just made.
9. Shave off any excess so the bottom half matches the top.

Now take out that second non-sticky tape strip.

The second strip is folded much like the first, only inverted. The main difference is in step 1.

1. Take the cut edge and fold it up flush to the top edge edge of the strip, making a point.
2. Fold this new point inward, along its inside edge.
3. Fold that triangle inward once more along this new edge.
4. Undo the fold in step 2, but keep the fold in step 3.
5. You should now have what looks like a triangle on the end of a straight line. Take the entire straight area to the right of the triangle and fold it up, matching the bottom edge to the wide edge of the triangle.
6. Flip the entire thing over.
7. Flip the straight strip downward, making a crease along the upper edge of the already folded section. Once the crease is there, flip the straight part back up.
8. Fold the straight area to the right, matching the left edge to the crease you just made.
9. Shave off any excess so the top half matches the bottom.

You should now have two pointy "s" shaped halves. Each half should be the reverse of the other. Pay attention to the slits on each half and where they are placed. One side will have two parallel slits and the other will have one slit down the middle.

1. Place the two halves one on top of the other, perpendicularly with the middle slits facing outward.
2. Tuck the points of one half into the slit on the outside of the other half.
3. Do the same to the points on the other half.

First of all, for optimal performance you will want to flatten out your shuriken to ensure it flies straight. Duct tape has a tendency to loosen up and even melt in warmer temperatures. When assembling your ninja star I would suggest you find a cool place to work to keep your tape stiff and relatively rigid.

As for post-assembly I recommend you don't keep your shuriken in your trouser pocket. Body heat will weaken its shape as it is bent around as you move or sit down.
On one occasion this caused a shuriken I threw to bend 90 degrees in the air and strike a complete stranger in the sternum.

I usually keep mine in the pocket of my coat; it is loose and safely away from my body heat.

First off, these things are a serious eye danger, so avoid aiming at the face.

The overall mass of your ninja star may vary according to the grade of tape you use. Be cautious throwing these around people or living creatures. They have been known to sting and leave welts and even draw blood when thrown hard enough.

Do not throw a shuriken around anything fragile or breakable. It is very easy for it to fly astray and hit something valuable.

Also, these things might literally be a dime a dozen, but if you throw one, please be sure to pick up after yourself. It's just courteous.