In a previous project we made some homemade fuses, that can double as improvised sparklers
for holiday celebrations. In this project we're up-cycling these fuses into super simple,
fuse propelled, bottle rockets.
To make a little rocket like this, we'll first need to gather up some simple materials, like
wooden skewers, electrical tape, aluminum foil, scissors, and a batch of our homemade
fuses. Let's get to work cutting up the aluminum foil into pieces about 2 inches tall, and
3 inches wide. Now make sure the shiny side is facing up, and set it flat down on the
table. Let's go ahead and grab a piece of fuse cord, and cut 3 pieces off the end so
we end up with 2 pieces about 1 inch long, and 1 piece right around the 2 inch mark.
Now carefully place these three pieces, about an eighth of an inch from the bottom edge
of the foil, but allow the longer fuse to stick out the end. Now let's fold the side
over, and press it down to hold the pieces in place, then crimp the foil down around
the center fuse as tightly and neatly as possible. Now the top of our foil can be folded down
and pressed flat, so we can continue rolling it all the way to the end. At this point,
just pinch the foil around the fuse, and begin to roll it so it forms a tight seal at the
base. Now it's time to bring out the electrical tape. This will hold it altogether, and we
can start by folding one small piece of tape over the top, and then back on itself, to
seal off the tip. Now let's go ahead, and cut another piece about 3 inches long, to
wrap around the rocket nozzle. You can do this by lining the edge of the tape flush
with the base, then wrapping the entire length of tape as tightly as you can. The result
should be a tightly reinforced, propelling nozzle. Our simple rocket motor is done, so
now we can attach a wooden skewer, to give it some stability and direction. These little
rockets seem to work best with a skewer length around 6.5 - 7 inches. Now simply tape the
rocket motor firmly to the top of the skewer, and with that, our little fuse powered rocket
is finished. You can tell if it's ready by laying it sideways over your finger, just
below the rocket nozzle. If it balances, that means you're good to go. The skewers are naturally
sharp on the bottom, which makes them fairly easy to stand upright. And when you're ready
for launch, go ahead and light the fuse. You can see when the fuse works its way, up into
the rocket motor, the extra fuel catches fire, and builds up so much pressure that it shoots
the rocket skyward. As small and simple as they are, these little rockets take off with
surprising power, and can blast over 100 ft away. Of course, once you know how to make
one, it's easy to make a whole bunch, and all, for just a few cents each. I got into
my wife's scrapbooking supplies and made some little rocket skins, that slide on overtop,
just to see how they'd look. Then I went ahead a made a whole bunch more. I tried lighting
a few of these rockets at the same time, and was excited to see, they were all fairly consistent.
Now, if you don't want to make a customized case, don't worry. These rockets fly higher
and further without one anyway. Well now you know how to turn some dirt cheap, homemade
fuses, into customized bottle rockets. Just try to keep track of where they go. That's
it for now. If you liked this project, perhaps you'll like some of my others. Check them
out at www.thekingofrandom.com