A friend of mine asked me to try out a tooling set for making bottle rockets and I'm providing you with the same directions and pictures that I gave him. It was a fun and successful project and I got a free set of pyrotechnic tools from the work. PERFECT.
It is suggested that you use the ¼ inch tubes (shown in the picture above) and fusing supplied by Pyrocreations which fit perfectly with the tool set and produce truly great results in a swift and effective manner.
For the nozzle and end plug you can use whatever clay mixture you currently use (even ground up kitty litter!) We’ve had a lot of success in creating a mixture described in: Amateur Rocket Motor Construction, David Sleeter (The Teleflite Corporation, 2004) p. 109. The mixture is composed of:
— Powdered clay 61%
— Grog 31%
— Paraffin Wax 8%
For further information contact Pyrocreations or reference the manual at the link provided to it on Amazon.
1 Qty=50 1/4" ID x 2" long x 1/16" Wall Tubes RED
1 Qty=1500 ft 1/16" fuse
In addition to the tooling and suggestions above for fuse and tubes you will also need: black powder, thin 12-14” light weight dowels, nozzle clay to use for the nozzle and end plug, and a light weight rubber hammer. OPTIONAL: You may like to use powder in addition to the black powder like a flash powder to create a final effect when the rocket reaches apogee. I get most of my chemicals from Thunder Valley which have good customer service and reasonable prices.
The use of all of these materials is outlined in the following steps for creating your own bottle rockets. Once all of the materials and hardware are assembled, you can easily create your own bottle rockets in five minutes or less.
The following steps are for using a short spindle with the tooling you select. For the longer spindle, you only need to use a longer 1/4” tube and more black powder. This will increase the height of your rocket’s performance.
Steps in Creating a 2” Bottle Rocket
1. Ensure that a spindle is inserted into the base.
2. Mount the two inch tube over the spindle and onto the base.
3. Pour 1/3 cc of your nozzle material into tube.
4. Use the rammer with the hold through the center to gently compact the nozzle material into place in the tube.
You will want to gently strike the rammer a couple of times, turn the tooling set and then strike the rammer again. Using about three turns while striking is plenty to set the nozzle firmly in place in the tube. (If you are using something like Kitty Litter, you may want to tap and turn about twice or three times that number.)
5. Remove the rammer.
6. Measure out 2 ccs of gunpowder and using the same rammer tap it down in the tube while turning the tube after three or four taps.
7. Measure out another 2 ccs of gunpowder and repeat the procedure in Step #6. You want to ensure that the powder is packed down tightly in the tube and without any air pockets.
8. Remove the rammer and inspect the tube to ensure that there is no loose powder. You also want to ensure that the packed powder level is now above the tip of the spindle. If you can still see the spindle top, add more powder and tap it down as in Step #7. Also, ensure that the powder level is still well below the top of the tube.
9. At this point you may simply cap the end of the tube with your clay (or Kitty Litter) mixture or add a small amount of flash powder for an effect.
10. If you choose to use flash powder it is important to do no more tapping. Tapping flash powder will also certainly cause it to light and explode. Simply use the solid rammer to press the powder in place by hand and then cap it with a small amount of your clay mixture (or ground Kitty Litter). (Press this in by hand with the solid rammer.)
11. Remove the loaded tube from the spindle and base by gently turning it and pulling it away from the base.
12. Tape the loaded tube to the end of a lightweight length of wood (12-14” long). The whole assembly (tube and wood dowel) should balance on your finger placed just after the tube. If it does not balance, you may need to adjust the weight of the tube or the dowel keeping in mind that you want the whole assembly as light as possible. You might want to decrease the width of your rod if it outbalances the tube.
13. Cut a 2” length of fuse and insert it into the nozzle of the tube. Tape it into place as required with a small amount of tape.
14. You’re now ready to stick the rocket into a tube/bottle and launch it.
HAVE FUN. As you become more practiced and with the right pyrotechnics tools, you should be able to make these bottle rockets in three minutes or so.
