Art Mulder
Member
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- 3,383
- Location
- London, Ontario
No this is not woodworking, but it sure is fun!
I subscribe to Make Magazine, and they have all kinds of fun stuff in there.
One of their classic earlier articles is an air rocket system, from issue #15.
This involves rockets made from paper and a launch system from PVC pipe bits and a sprinkler valve.
Here is a link to the makershed where you can buy a rocket kit like this.
It's not that I want you to buy the kit, I didn't buy it myself, mostly since it is out of stock. But they have a nice video there that walks you through building one, and launching it.
Here is what the completed system looks like. There is a pressurized air chamber at the bottom, made out of a section of 2"PVC. Above it coming from a T-connection is an electric sprinkler valve, for releasing the air, and then a launch tube where the rocket is mounted.
![IMG_1022.jpg IMG_1022.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58904-e044cfa0ec4a4a5f61d588c58f38c5ec.jpg)
Here are two rockets. They're just paper and tape. You can find a download template on the make website that prints on legal sized paper. Took me about 45 minutes of cutting and rolling and taping to make each one. I made one using duct tape, and one with just green masking tape. Both were about equally easy. There is no parachute, it just falls after a launch. They're light enough, though the nose cone might get banged up a bit.
![IMG_1021.jpg IMG_1021.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58903-4e80d1f28548c7556526eaf8de418a03.jpg)
At the one end of the air chamber are some reducers which hook up the chamber to a length of hose. (I need to get some small hose clamps, as the zip ties are NOT strong enough. The hose pops off when you hit 50lbs pressure.)
![IMG_1023.jpg IMG_1023.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58905-4e332015c35d10253aa8d29710db173f.jpg)
At the end of the hose you need a bicycle pump. Pick one with a gauge on it, as you need to know how much you have pressurized the system.
![IMG_1025.jpg IMG_1025.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58907-273f1e859fcecc94a2303bb474a2993d.jpg)
The sprinkler valve is the key to making this work. You need a way to quickly dump out the pressurized air, in order to launch the rocket. This is probably the most expensive bit to buy. They are around $25/27 here in Canada at the Borg. I found them for $12-14 in Lowes over the border in Port Huron MI.
![IMG_1024.jpg IMG_1024.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58906-3e0fbaeaa7d58a6a23c5664d96f1c88c.jpg)
You also need a battery and switch in order to open the electric valve. You can make that yourself with a pair of 9v batteries in series with a momentary switch of some kind. I macgyvered this instead. I had a flashlight that came with my 12v hitachi drill/driver kit. The flashlight died ages ago, so I ripped off the top and wired it up with some lamp cord to the valve. That gave me a quick, safe, and easy way to hook up a 12v battery (since i just pop it in and out of the bottom) and a switch all in one. Now one issue is that this is an on/off switch, and not a momentary switch. So we have to remember to hit the switch twice each time, so that it also turns off and releases the valve. (and as a matter of extra safety we are always pulling the batter out of the handle any time we stop using it. I don't want any power in the system when it is not being used.)
![IMG_1026.jpg IMG_1026.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58908-7c4c8cf73a53790a929f24d23a09e632.jpg)
Here it is, ready to launch. I found it impossible to catch it mid-way through a launch with my camera. I might try again tomorrow.
![IMG_1027.jpg IMG_1027.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58909-4cc92354583d6fb97e73906200ad7832.jpg)
Here it is, way up top in the photo, falling fast. It is about 1/3 of the way down at this point.
![IMG_1032.jpg IMG_1032.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58910-a9cab78d75dc97a3ca3682238b3bbae3.jpg)
I repeat, there is no parachute, the rockets just fall "lightly" to the ground. I still would recommend you NOT be standing under it as it falls!
I subscribe to Make Magazine, and they have all kinds of fun stuff in there.
One of their classic earlier articles is an air rocket system, from issue #15.
This involves rockets made from paper and a launch system from PVC pipe bits and a sprinkler valve.
Here is a link to the makershed where you can buy a rocket kit like this.
It's not that I want you to buy the kit, I didn't buy it myself, mostly since it is out of stock. But they have a nice video there that walks you through building one, and launching it.
Here is what the completed system looks like. There is a pressurized air chamber at the bottom, made out of a section of 2"PVC. Above it coming from a T-connection is an electric sprinkler valve, for releasing the air, and then a launch tube where the rocket is mounted.
![IMG_1022.jpg IMG_1022.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58904-e044cfa0ec4a4a5f61d588c58f38c5ec.jpg)
Here are two rockets. They're just paper and tape. You can find a download template on the make website that prints on legal sized paper. Took me about 45 minutes of cutting and rolling and taping to make each one. I made one using duct tape, and one with just green masking tape. Both were about equally easy. There is no parachute, it just falls after a launch. They're light enough, though the nose cone might get banged up a bit.
![IMG_1021.jpg IMG_1021.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58903-4e80d1f28548c7556526eaf8de418a03.jpg)
At the one end of the air chamber are some reducers which hook up the chamber to a length of hose. (I need to get some small hose clamps, as the zip ties are NOT strong enough. The hose pops off when you hit 50lbs pressure.)
![IMG_1023.jpg IMG_1023.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58905-4e332015c35d10253aa8d29710db173f.jpg)
At the end of the hose you need a bicycle pump. Pick one with a gauge on it, as you need to know how much you have pressurized the system.
![IMG_1025.jpg IMG_1025.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58907-273f1e859fcecc94a2303bb474a2993d.jpg)
The sprinkler valve is the key to making this work. You need a way to quickly dump out the pressurized air, in order to launch the rocket. This is probably the most expensive bit to buy. They are around $25/27 here in Canada at the Borg. I found them for $12-14 in Lowes over the border in Port Huron MI.
![IMG_1024.jpg IMG_1024.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58906-3e0fbaeaa7d58a6a23c5664d96f1c88c.jpg)
You also need a battery and switch in order to open the electric valve. You can make that yourself with a pair of 9v batteries in series with a momentary switch of some kind. I macgyvered this instead. I had a flashlight that came with my 12v hitachi drill/driver kit. The flashlight died ages ago, so I ripped off the top and wired it up with some lamp cord to the valve. That gave me a quick, safe, and easy way to hook up a 12v battery (since i just pop it in and out of the bottom) and a switch all in one. Now one issue is that this is an on/off switch, and not a momentary switch. So we have to remember to hit the switch twice each time, so that it also turns off and releases the valve. (and as a matter of extra safety we are always pulling the batter out of the handle any time we stop using it. I don't want any power in the system when it is not being used.)
![IMG_1026.jpg IMG_1026.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58908-7c4c8cf73a53790a929f24d23a09e632.jpg)
Here it is, ready to launch. I found it impossible to catch it mid-way through a launch with my camera. I might try again tomorrow.
![IMG_1027.jpg IMG_1027.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58909-4cc92354583d6fb97e73906200ad7832.jpg)
Here it is, way up top in the photo, falling fast. It is about 1/3 of the way down at this point.
![IMG_1032.jpg IMG_1032.jpg](https://familywoodworking.org/forums/data/attachments/58/58910-a9cab78d75dc97a3ca3682238b3bbae3.jpg)
I repeat, there is no parachute, the rockets just fall "lightly" to the ground. I still would recommend you NOT be standing under it as it falls!