How To Make Alcohol Rockets From Soda Bottles

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Check out SonicDad.com to see more great projects! www.sonicdad.com/
SonicDad's Bottle Rocket Project: • Make the Sonic Water B...
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Some of you that have followed me for a while might recognize this project as an upgraded version of my water bottle rocket launcher, seen in this video: • Turn Empty Water Bottl...
While the old design was the cause of quite a few singed arm hairs, this new model is much more pleasant to use due to the new blast shield as well as the distance from the rockets that has been achieved by having the igniter on a longer leash. Even so, safety glasses are a required precaution, just in case.
I recently participated in leading some science based activities for grade school aged kids and these bottle launchers were a big hit. The kids had a lot of fun attaching craft foam fins onto the bottles with duct tape and hot glue. The launchers themselves only take about 20 minutes to put together, so it's a quick and easy project that offers a ton of entertainment.
The rockets are fueled by the combustion of rubbing alcohol, which is ignited by the spark from a barbecue igniter. I used rubbing alcohol with a concentration of about 90% in the video, but any concentration of 70% or greater should work just as well. When fueling the bottles, the most important step as shown in the video is to whip the last drops of liquid alcohol out the open end. This brings the fuel/air mixture to the proper level for a good combustion, and reduces the liquid alcohol particles expelled from the rocket upon launch that otherwise could melt the plastic blast shield or cause minor burns.
A neat trick I did not mention in the video is that once the bottles have been fueled, rather than pushing them onto the launcher the cap can be put back on the bottle to have it ready to fire later.
Parts for this project:
(x2) 1.5' x 3/4" PVC Pipe
(x2) 10" x 3/4" PVC Pipe
3' x 1/2" PVC Pipe
3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2" PVC Tee
(x2) 3/4" PVC Elbow
Push Button Barbecue Igniter
Extra Wire (about the same diameter as the wires on the igniter)
Solder & Heat Shrink Tubing or Electrical Tape
Paper
Hot Glue
Duct Tape
2 Liter Soda Bottle
Safety Glasses & Hearing Protection! #NightHawkInLight
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Опубликовано:

31 май 2024

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Комментарии : 1 тыс.

@BartoszMiosierny 9 лет назад

For those who didn't manage to get the ignition. If you have >70% alcohol and you're sure you have the spark, it has to be the temperature of the mixture. I was having problems with ignition when the temperature was below 20 Celsius. What you can do is you can use a hairdryer to warm the bottle. Then it works every time. Good luck! Btw.@NightHawkInLight awesome idea!

@keebearfull 9 лет назад

Good and workable idea. Temp is critical. However, remember that the as the hand held hair dryer runs it has continuous sparking inside the electric motor. The alcohol vapor can waft to the mouth of the plastic bottle. If too near the spark, it can ignite and you'll be holding a flame thrower bottle. In a similar experiment - to my surprise - I had an alcohol vapor flame shooting off the bottle. (I was sure the vapor was not close/concentrated enough - I was wrong.) The result was exciting but quite unsettling.

@MsonRPL 9 лет назад

Heh Polacy są wszędzie :D

@battlebruvabdrv1836 8 лет назад

Ironically the technology used in the Barbecue lighters is the same as was used in the German Panzershrek. The circle is now complete.

@navalca9686 4 года назад

wait wat

@dieterhoffmann5814 3 года назад

Thank you for your knowledge

@commodoreplus4792 2 года назад

Lol

@Ll-gd9sj Год назад

Wait wat

@paulspomer16 6 лет назад

I tried this experiment and it worked great! What I also found is that after swinging the fuel drops out you should give it a quick blow into the mouth of the bottle. I compared that launch to ones where I didn't blow into it and the one where I blew into it flew significantly farther. I recommend giving it a quick blow before each launch. I found out that if you leave even small amounts of alcohol in the bottle, it will sometimes drip onto the launcher and set it on fire after launch. But anyways, Thank you for the amazing project! The kids in the neighborhood love it!

@paulspomer16 2 года назад

@Landon Li Menards

@anthonyendack3138 2 года назад

Hey continuing off of his question, what is the product called

@paulspomer16 2 года назад

@@anthonyendack3138 Just a standard grill igniter

@nascarpastor 4 года назад

Mine didn't go very far like in the video. It was a little disappointing. But then I changed bottles and it was really cool! The first bottle was wide at the top (Pepsi bottle), whereas the other was more narrow and fit more snuggly on the pipe (Sprite bottle). It makes quite a bit of difference.

@Lancaster_Repeater Год назад

The more alcohol vapor, the better

@TheKingofRandom 9 лет назад

I can definitely see this being a blast at backyard events

@Shlumpty12 9 лет назад

HOLY FRICK IT IS YOU!!! (0.0)

@gronkmonster224 9 лет назад

Grant Thompson - "The King of Random" crap... that you king?

@Sasquatch_101 8 лет назад

OH MY GOD! King of random, I LOVE YOU!! Youre amazing

@expertech6514 6 лет назад

The King of Random 3 year ago you commented this

@adamsisson6557 6 лет назад

o my god its you

@epicdude000 9 лет назад

I'd just like to say that it's really cool that you're actually replying to most of the comments here. It's pretty rare to see youtubers that do that nowadays.

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

I try my best.

@paulspomer16 5 лет назад

I made these and tried using a couple different fuels: 95% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol, Denaturated Alcohol, Ethanol, Methanol, Gasoline, and Nitro RC Fuel and the Nitro RC Fuel and Ethanol seem to be the most powerful and easiest to use. When using gasoline, you need to use a very small amount of gasoline and you need to blow into the bottle a lot in order to achieve an air-fuel ratio that will burn because if you don't, the mixture will be too rich to ignite. Gasoline also produces a very bright flame compared to the others, and also produces black smoke and soot inside the bottle. Next I might try oxyacetylene!

@mikesean5377 6 лет назад

Thanks for this video. A few notes: You can get 99% rubbing alcohol now which might work better for sparking if you are having any issues. Most grill igniters will NOT WORK since they only have 1 probe. They assume you set up that probe right next to a metal gas port to make the spark. As such, you need to have a TWO CHANNEL one, and use one wire from each. I used the 3 channel brinkmann igniter, capped the third one, and used the wires from channels 1 and 2 to spark to each other. They even have nice terminators at the end. You discard the probe thingees themselves. I also recommend NOT using a piezoelectric since you have to push really hard on the button to make the internal hammer hit the quartz crystal. A 1xAA is much nicer, on a relatively flimsy launcher.

@HouseholdHacker 9 лет назад

Sweet! Digging this.

@bipinbhuvela3079 6 лет назад

Household Hacker

@WWFYMN 3 года назад

@nathanplays8872 3 года назад

rip

@drawingwithboba8481 8 лет назад

Instructions unclear started world war 3 in my neighborhood

@theawesome5919 8 лет назад

why

@Phillijr100 7 лет назад

ClashCardsTCG do not attempt this at home

@kaliumnitraat 4 года назад

This comment did not age wel

@mikegrossberg8624 3 года назад

What you have here used to be referred to as a spigot mortar, because the "barrel" is INSIDE the projectile rather than ENCLOSING it During WW Two, they were used in anti-submarine warfare. They were better than depth charges, as they wouldn't go off unless they hit something. A ship would be fitted with racks of up to 20 mortars, slightly splayed out so that, when fired, the bombs would form a spread out pattern, making it more likely they'd hit a submerged sub

@lucasmartin2250 4 года назад

instructions unclear- i dont have a house anymore, assumed uranium would work as fuel. But in all seriousness, awesome project!!

@jdrizzlegaming888 9 лет назад

General: Incoming. Cornel: incoming What. General: Bottles. Cornel: Bottles? General: Yes Mutha Fuckin Bottles.

@HybridLibrarian 9 лет назад

Very cool project!

@mb323vid 7 лет назад

This was for my daughters science project. If you are getting a good spark, I believe it is most likely is a fuel problem. Like others, we were using 91% alcohol from the grocery store. After trying for half an hour we only got it to fire 2 times in 70F degree weather. The spark also had all but disappeared after half an hour trying. I tried burning the 91% alcohol in an alcohol stove and it would not light, I think it may be watered down. I let it dry out (30 min), the spark was better, so we made sure we had a good spark across about an 1/8 inch (3mm) gap. We switched to Everclear 95% grain alcohol, which is what I use in my alcohol stove. The rocket fired in 1-3 clicks every time.

@danhart2406 9 лет назад

Awesome! Just built one and it works great. I didn't expect it to be so loud but that only adds to the excitement. Now to see what else I can launch with it. Thanks for the great video.

@mismag822 9 лет назад

That's AWESOME!

@electronicsNmore 9 лет назад

Lot of uses for those piezo igniters.

@RimstarOrg 9 лет назад

Nice! Take that zombies!

@StealthTheUnknown 4 года назад

Made a shoulder-fired variety that fires 20 oz bottles and had the coos called. Good times 😂👌✌️

@lawerancelanham 5 лет назад

...and this caused me to imagine a super soaker of sorts with a nice little injector atomizing alcohol as you pump action and that igniter on the trigger. Chk chk... BOOM. 😂 In tomorrow's news...burglars swayed with alcohol induced super soaker and 16oz Coke bottles.

@ec1005 7 лет назад

guys instead of rubbing alcohol i used nuclear fission help.

@tmtrainerred9968 7 лет назад

with what

@majmolom8 7 лет назад

Euan C It could quite replace that. 😁

@antonizajac3907 6 лет назад

Girlyman I used Nuclear Fusion and caused a second Tunguska

@wolf222555 6 лет назад

Euan C hahaha, may i suggest antimatter for more efficiency? :-)

@granola661 5 лет назад

Guys my nuclear fusion looks kinda weird and glowy

@bobbg9041 7 лет назад

This is like the can and soda can launchers you could also use tennis balls in when I was a kid, only this seems safer to use. Now I'm going to have to make one of these. Thanks.

@notsosilentmajority1 4 года назад

This is a great way to have fun with the kids at family functions, barbecues, etc.. Give out prizes to the kids for whoever's rocket goes the farthest and similar games.

@SonicDadDotCom 9 лет назад

Fantastic job on this vid. We are completely honored to be associated with NightHawkinLight. -Abe & The SonicDad Crew

@honeydew5022 7 лет назад

SonicDadDotCom yahhh sonicdad

@1454kla 7 лет назад

Sonic dad

@captainweitulo6908 6 лет назад

I tried this at home and it isn't working. What might I be doing wrong?

@cottagelife 9 лет назад

Great video! I'm going to have to try this one out.

@colossalproductionsmeme4906 2 года назад

@Leonardokite 5 лет назад

About 50 years ago we made tennis ball canons out of pop cans. Of course the cans were way different back then in design and these ones had the zip tope or shall I say pull tab tops. 4 or 5 cans cleanly cut then a rough cut and to trap the ball and then on the other end of that a untouched top with the pull tab whole and a two can chamber. Add a small hole in the center of the bottom four ignition and fuel addition. My first one was taped together with a number of layers of electrical tape and was fueled by gasoline. Squirt a little gasoline in the butt end and then start shaking the apparatus around to get some air into it. Drop a tennis ball in the top and it slid down very nicely until it hit the jagged part. Lighte it off and boom that puppy would send tennis balls a hundred yards. I improved on it by using much much better tape plus a whole heck of a lot more including covering the whole surface and then used a spray can of starting fluid a.k.a. ether for the fuel. You could either shoot a tennis ball or just make one super loud boom. Kind of like the old carbide canons. I had a lot of fun with it in college.

@l82nite 6 лет назад

Made this fun project. Some things I learned. I found that "not less than 99%" alcohol gave me 100% function. The igniter has more than enough spark. I made one with a kind of stun gun igniter, and it didn't help with any lower content alcohol. Need to be sure NO liquid alcohol is in the bottle. I almost burnt one up when the liquid kept on burning in the launcher. Found out, by mistake, it sometimes fires twice, after first firing, without adding more alcohol. Stuck the bottle on after firing, and wanted to check for spark. BANG!!! it went off. Always point it in a safe direction, and don't do it indoors. Because it's so loud, I only fire it at the shooting range. Has anyone fired it at night???? Is there any flame????

@MysteryLab 7 лет назад

We built a smaller version of this launcher and had a lot of fun learning about rockets! We posted a video sharing the experience on our channel. We enjoy watching your videos, thanks!

@Doophys 7 лет назад

An undercover look into North Korea's missile program.

@mingyanglu8679 6 лет назад

Doophys 600RR well now I'm sure they won't be invading anyone anytime soon

@360fpsgaming3 6 лет назад

Doophys 600RR you sir, have made my day!

@Flobroz23 9 лет назад

My son and I just made this! Awsome cheap fun! We could not get the rubbing alcohol with high enough alcohol content. We settled on a small blue propane torch and filled the pop bottle for 15 seconds. This worked great!

@DaveC2729 7 лет назад

This could probably be done a lot more simply. Just tape a pushbutton-igniting propane torch to one end of a 1/2" pipe, put the neck of the 2l bottle on the other end as shown, wiggle the smaller bottle on the other end also as shown, then flow mixed air/propane into the bottle from the torch for several seconds and pull the trigger. A way to vent air from the bottle as propane/air mix flows in may or may not be necessary.

@agekjrgardpayoutube2593 5 лет назад

Artimus Protensor I think NightHawkInLight did that in another video.

@Lancaster_Repeater Год назад

Who else modded this, so it could be a shoulder mounted rocket launcher.

@One_Soldier64127 Год назад

im planning to.

@Lancaster_Repeater Год назад

@@One_Soldier64127 It is not hard at all, very simple, and dangerous as hell, but fun as hell.

@One_Soldier64127 Год назад

@@Lancaster_Repeater hell yeah imma build it next time

@Lancaster_Repeater Год назад

@@One_Soldier64127 Perfect anti child device

@One_Soldier64127 Год назад

@@Lancaster_Repeater i AM the child (11y/o)

@lucasgeorg7865 9 лет назад

I used propane and that worked really well

@randyclarke6905 6 лет назад

that is really cool

@Corinthians-kjv 5 лет назад

Nice! How did it go?

@kenny321ify 9 лет назад

These work awesome and loud. the first few times I couldn't get it to work with the alcohol because it was too cold so I put the gas from a lighter in the bottle instead. Later after it warmed up the alcohol worked amazingly.

@zacharybroeren7229 8 лет назад

Too anyone having problems firing this, and you're doing everything right, please read this. Your problem is going to be the fuel, as it should be at least 90%. More, make sure when fueling to use a ver very small amount of rubbing alcohol in the bottle (less than 1 cm in height). Make sure there is no liquid left in the bottle. The most important thing, is the temperature. The General rule of thumb is if you can go outside with jeans and a t shirt on and feel fine (like no problems) then it is warm enough to fire. Anything less and it most likely won't fire. I hope this helps

@antonhelsgaun 8 лет назад

ty. ill heat my alcohol over open fire

@dbui01 8 лет назад

I've made this for a class I'm teaching on rockets and I cannot get the rocket to launch consistently. It is ~ 40-45 deg out so I moved from rubbing alcohol to hairspray but I still cannot get the rocket to launch consistently. It seems like my spark is very dim once I put the bottle on the launcher. When I remove the bottle the spark seems very strong. Thoughts? Help please as my last class is this week and I'd hate for the 1st graders not to get a launch in. Thanks.

@Nighthawkinlight 8 лет назад

+Donny Bui Hey sorry for the delay in my reply, I don't know how I didn't see this comment earlier. It could be that your alcohol is a bit too cold. Try keeping it indoors before taking it out to fire the rockets. The higher the concentration of alcohol the better. 91% is the most common and works well. The dim spark may be from overfueling, which would mean you need to give the bottles an extra shake or two before putting them on the launcher so they get more fresh air mixed with the alcohol.

@jtjjbannie 8 лет назад

+Donny Bui Try denatured alcohol.

@jameswallace3557 8 лет назад

+NightHawkInLight I just made this and was having the same issue. It worked perfectly when the alcohol was kept inside. But when loading it in 35 degree weather it didn't work worth squat. Also it was raining; would that have any affect? I'm pretty sure everything was dry. I was definitely getting a spark. Really looking forward to getting this to work better because it was really cool. And I was trying it with 70%; I bought 91% but only got to see it once.

@bryanjudefernandez2195 8 лет назад

+NightHawkInLight what if i used a piezoelectric igniter (the small one) would it works

@dbui01 8 лет назад

Thanks for the advice unfortunately the kids did not all get to see it work. I'm going to try it again during the Spring and hopefully I'll have documentation on the results for future classes.

@andrewduncan9770 8 лет назад

I see you used Faygo bottles.

@masterk1086 9 лет назад

Made the launcher this past weekend. Kids love it! Thank you!

@The1GWP 9 лет назад

I know what we are doing in homeschool next week! I can't freakin' wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

@impactajuvenile 6 лет назад

Can you use starter fluid or gasoline in the same way?

@Beatlefan67 6 лет назад

A mate made one of these - very similar, anyway, and used spray deodorant, believe it or not. Just a squirt into the missile and then jammed it on. Ka-blammo!

@GmZyA 7 лет назад

dose it work in protest of anti-Tyrant

@Chrisedgson 4 месяца назад

Love it! I’m going to show my daughter this.

@Nighthawkinlight 4 месяца назад

I have many new versions of this project if you search for bottle launcher on my channel

@MAGnetICus_Attractus 6 лет назад

Years ago 24 ounce plastic bottles you could launch a 12 ounce aluminum can. Manual can opener to remove the top of the can, cut the bottom out of the bottle, put two screws in the neck of bottle for your spark gap. IMA fan of Dr pepper, so I called it a flaming Dr pepper, as the can would still be on fire from the wife's hairspray. Try a degreaser called "quick peel" made with oranges :)

@yz250ftony 9 лет назад

in 2013 i improved on the idea. 2l bottle, metered propane, and water. ignition with a home made stun gun. more power, very consistent. then i went a few steps further and made a way to add more power without changing the fuel/propellant/volume. how i did that can be seen in some of my videos ;) one is propelled with beer.

@jclarkent3757 8 лет назад

I built it and it isn't working! I had one lucky shot, but for the life of me I can't get it to ignite again. I'm using 91%, my spark is nice and big, and I'm using the technique you showed us... Any ideas?

@Nighthawkinlight 8 лет назад

+J ClarKent The alcohol could be too cold to evaporate properly.

@jclarkent3757 8 лет назад

NightHawkInLight Thanks for getting back so soon! I never fixed the problem, but I've been using propane instead and haven't had any problems. Keep the videos coming!

@jozeflapinski 9 лет назад

meanwhile in Poland: Wybuchające beczki - strzelanie z karbidu - Święta Wielkanocne

@AngryHybridApe Год назад

When I was a kid, we used to make tennis ball canons. They were tin beer and coke cans, 3 with the bottoms and tops cut off and one at the bottom with top and bottom still on it, all taped together. The bottom can had a small hole about an inch from the bottom. The hard part was carburating the lighter fluid and air just right. Kids assume that the more lighter fluid, the bigger the boom. That's not the case. And I figured out by accident the best way to carburate it. Just a squirt down the top, then one good swing holding the bottom with the top outwards, them shoving the tennis ball in right after swinging it. Light it at the bottom hole. DO NOT USE GASOLINE. USE ZIPPO LIGHTER FLUID ONLY. DO NOT POINT IT AT ANYONE.

@glennkachmarscienceguy 9 лет назад

I made this almost exactly as shown, but haven't had a successful launch yet. I do have a spark every time I test it where I can see the spark (inside). I have tried 70% alcohol and 95%. Any advice on how to get it going?

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

If you're getting spark but the rocket is not firing it means your fuel to air ratio is incorrect for proper combustion. If you have too much fuel vapor in the bottle the spark will be a bright neon blue. If so, take the bottle off and shake it a few more times as if you were swinging out extra liquid, that will mix more air in and get rid of excess fuel. If the spark looks the same color as it is when the bottle is off you probably don't have enough fuel and you should shake the liquid alcohol around more before draining it.

@glennkachmarscienceguy 9 лет назад

NightHawkInLight This is what someone on Reddit (maybe you) told me yesterday. So today I spent a lot more time shaking it out and introducing oxygen various ways. Nothing worked. Also because I am not that knowledgeable about piezoelectricity, does it matter that the wire that the spark jumps to is not attached to anything? Because I had a spark I assumed it wouldn't matter, but at this point I am considering all options. Thanks for the response (and so fast too).

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

Glenn Kachmar Yes that was me that replied on Reddit. The wire that the spark is jumping to should be attached to the second terminal on the igniter. In any case, between tests are you letting the bottles air out all the old fuel? If you just keep adding more while there's already some in there it will be over fueled for sure. If you take a match to the back of a bottle that you have failed to fire does it ignite the fuel inside and burn with a 'woosh'? If not then it's not properly fueled. If it does ignite and burn very quickly it is properly fueled and you can then know that it's your spark gap that needs adjustment, not the fuel. Wear cotton gloves to protect you if you try this, not synthetic, because synthetic gloves will melt to your skin if they catch fire.

@glennkachmarscienceguy 9 лет назад

NightHawkInLight Now that I think about it, another reason I didn't attach it was that there seemed to be anywhere to attach it to. A guy in a BBQ dept. gave me the igniter and it just had a stub like end next to a thick wire with ceramic insulation cylinder around part of it. It didn't seem to be a circuit and it made a spark so I thought I don't need to make it a circuit. It was mostly guesswork as you can imagine. Sorry to keep peppering you with questions, but will I get a stronger spark if I remake it making sure that it is a circuit?

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

Glenn Kachmar If there is a spark occurring across the gap as is shown at 2:00 in my video then it's as it should be.

@BionicleKid97 9 лет назад

An excuse to buy more faygo!

@bill1234frank 6 лет назад

Cool. Looks like a fun backyard project

@sir.cornyneck3960 8 лет назад

I have so much DIY weapon knowledge now that I can make grenades, blowguns, throwing knives and tonnes of armour pieces.

@kipkay 9 лет назад

Supersoda cannon!!

@tonofcol7103 6 лет назад

YAY its kipkay

@kingcletus1310 8 лет назад

cool but not "a couple hundred feet"

@fbiagent2848 4 года назад

Design a rocket out of the bottle and you’ll get that couple hundred feet.

@ianhill1946 9 лет назад

very good presentation, clear and thorough and interesting to watch , I will try this for the kids, I see people throwing out barbeques all the time...will certainly grab an igniter or 2 next time

@GoRepairs 9 лет назад

Playing with bottle rockets is always cool!

@BloodSweatnBass 9 лет назад

That's bad ass! Definitely gonna do this with the kids

@steven.h0629 3 года назад

Reminds me of the Tennis Ball Cannons we played with back in the day... three or four cans taped together, tops and bottoms removed for the cannon barrel, with the bottom can keeping it's bottom, and lots of large vent holes in the top to keep the tennis ball from sliding into the fire chamber... small ignition and fuel hole in the bottom of the bottom can.. squirt a bit of fuel, shake it to aerate, load a not-too-furry tennis ball, and put a Bic lighter to the fuel hole.. BOOM!!! The cannon literally takes minutes to make.

@MrKbtor2 Год назад

Awesome! I can't wait to try this!

@MrKbtor2 Год назад

It's for a class activity. Will try it on my own first. Hope the administration approves.

@alihamza9079 9 лет назад

I'm sure this could be my science project this year!

@andrewredfearn4926 9 лет назад

Like the music, and the rockets obviously :)

@ghosteye131 9 лет назад

PVC pipes. The grown up version of tinker toys.

@motodrip1643 8 лет назад

How could somebody dislike this

@Grilled-Cat 8 лет назад

I took this idea and minimized it into a a small pistol design, it's a ton of fun to use, and extremely loud (and slightly scary having an explosion go off a few inches from my hand)

@That1J1 9 лет назад

Have you attempted to implement this on a field? Was wondering if there are any waiver complications, restrictions on fields for doing something like this.

@ootenjoyer 8 лет назад

congrats on 1,000,000

@MangustificationGaming 9 лет назад

Successfully test fired mine last night. It looks AWESOME when fired in the dark.

@CollinSexton 9 лет назад

Thank you for sharing! I made a handheld version of this using just 1/2 inch PVC pipe, an elbow, and a couple PVC caps. I'm still having trouble getting this to fire, but I wonder if it's because of the bottles I'm using. I was trying small drinking bottles, but found out that the bottles were not airtight, so I'm wondering if the vapor is possibly leaking out. I'll try using 2 liter bottles as demonstrated in the video, and I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

I'm not using 2 liter bottles, they're 12oz. Still small. If you're having trouble firing it's almost certainly because you're using too much or too little fuel.

@CollinSexton 9 лет назад

NightHawkInLight I've tried a couple of different sizes now, and still can't seem to get it to fire. I tried using a lighter, and was surprised with how much thrust shot out at my hand. I'll try different things, though, and hopefully I'll get it to work.

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

***** It may be your spark gap that needs adjustment in that case.

@CollinSexton 9 лет назад

NightHawkInLight That's what I was thinking. I think I'm using too much wire, because the spark seems fairly week, but still looks the same as the one in the video. I'll try to fix the spark gap and lose a little bit of wire, and hopefully that'll help.

@CollinSexton 9 лет назад

NightHawkInLight Alright, so I still can't get this to fire. I've messed with the spark gap and fuel ratio, and tried different bottles as well. I even tried hairspray (which was mentioned in the comments, NOT a safe idea by the way). I tried it with hairspray while the bottle was on the tube, and no fire. Tried it by just getting a spark by the opening, and the entire bottle turned into a giant fireball. So maybe it is the fuel ratio? Maybe I'm not getting enough oxygen still?

@wesleydraves1281 5 месяцев назад

If you don’t have wires you can also use a long fuse that you light and wait for it to reach the bottle

@TrikeSquadron 9 лет назад

seams a little weight on the end and maybe a few tail fins would make the rockets fly more stable trajectories after launch

@honeydew5022 7 лет назад

Works great I used a broomstick and a regular water bottle to launch it Works beautifully

@Yarcofin 3 года назад

As a poc I'd probably get shot if I brought this contraption of wires and detonator buttons to a park and started setting these off

@excxflyr 9 лет назад

have you experimented with fins on the rocket like you did on the other rocket project? thanks, this looks like fun.

@HarmentenDam 2 года назад

Wat a cool video. Clear step bij step explanation. You made it easy to make it just by following your instructions. Do you think it is possible to use methylated spirit / industrial alcohol instead of rubbing alcohol?

@Nighthawkinlight 2 года назад

Yes, various alcohols will work fine if 90+% concentration. You may want to look at my newer propane bottle rocket launchers as they are more reliable in cold weather where alcohol does not evaporate so easily.

@DennyAJD 2 года назад

I'm converting my CR90 Anti Tank rocket launcher into this! Wish me luck! 😍

@timmccormack3930 Год назад

One curious thing I had happen-I launched a bottle horizontally across the yard as a test, with a chain link fence as backstop. When I picked up the bottle, it had a ton of dirt in it! I think this is because the gases cooled and contracted around the same time the bottle bounced off the ground, so it sucked in dirt. This makes me wonder if it also pulls in enough oxygen again for the next launch.

@ridaan_2468 Год назад

we can use any body spary that contains isropropyl alc:a#ol and a candle

@stephentutty9889 8 лет назад

This is so much fun! I made my own and I could launch bottles all day long! My dog gets scared but its still fun

@Bulsh1tMan 9 лет назад

Try deodorant spray or propane, don't have to worry about atomizing a liquid fuel as with alcohol. But alcohol has higher energy density, so there's that advantage. BTW Hawk, did you happen to get this idea from Spudfiles?

@kevinhirt 9 лет назад

Grant tompson nominated you for the ice bucket challenge

@jtjjbannie 8 лет назад

That looks like fun!

@MangustificationGaming 9 лет назад

Finally posted a video of mine. I also did a short followup video that shows it firing at night. It looks super cool when fired in the dark as I've said before. :)

@seredean 9 лет назад

Question about the piezoelectric ignitor: Hardware store wanted $15 for one, so I decided to get a cheap butane style lighter and take it apart for the ignitor inside. Do you think this will work or will it generate too small of a spark? Also, does the wire length affect how much of a spark you get at the tips of the wires? Could you make the wires about 10' long and still get a good enough spark out of it or are there losses to the resistance of the wire?

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

The smaller igniters are weaker but they can still work with a smaller spark gap. There is significant loss caused by longer wire, but you can try making them as long as you want and just cut them down if it doesn't work. You probably won't have much luck with both longer wires and the weaker igniter.

@philipgrobler7253 6 лет назад

Small upgrade: get some endcaps to mount the igniters, that will stop them from melting into the hot glue.

@OtherWorldExplorers 9 лет назад

Where can I get that music?! The Video and Tut are AWESOME! And that was real kool to shout-out to SonicDad!

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

Thanks! The music can be found here: audiojungle.net/item/when-blues-gets-grooves/1962753

@scottyadkins6160 9 лет назад

thanks for the video, the project was fun!

@andrewdabest5030 7 лет назад

hey I know u made this vid a while ago but it's cool and considering to do this for my science project

@getsmarthypnosis6850 9 лет назад

Holy Cow! Where in the world did I put those old lawn darts?!?!?!?!

@bosstone75 6 лет назад

It would appear that not all grill ignitors are created equal. I bought one off of Amazon that looked similar, but it doesn't create a spark. It appears as though some grill ignitors are just a simple switch, while others actually create a spark.

@binoyrakesh 9 лет назад

When you come to think of it, this is really a projectile, not a rocket. but this is great fun though. Could be an awesome dad-son weekend project.

@ThaRealKalimpa 9 лет назад

Wouldn't it make more sense to ignite the mixture near the opening? Because I'm sure a lot of unburned fuel gets pushed out of the bottle before it ignites. You could make a comparison

@Nighthawkinlight 9 лет назад

In the rocket aspect, yes. But the pipe extending deep into the bottle actually makes it fire off more like a cannon in the first instant of ignition, which gives a huge extra boost in initial speed.

@randompanda876 8 лет назад

Tried to use alcohol, but then switched over to using a butane canister, works great

@andrewsnyder9884 9 лет назад

You could add so weights on the front and wings on the back to stabilize it

@hadrite5440 Год назад

Sir, I am trying to find the bbq ignition you used for this project. Was this a weber bbq igniter? I have decided to use the bbq ignition instead of alcohol or anything like that. If possible, could you send a link? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for answering.

@bobbg9041 7 лет назад

Now to make the bottle more aerodynamic with a nose cone and tail fins Might as well add on some wings too.

@michaelkaiser1864 3 года назад

will add more weight and likely drop range.

@jer295 9 лет назад

Propane from a torch works better than alcohol, the air fuel is mixed as it comes out of the propane torch.

@timmccormack3930 Год назад

I've had some trouble getting consistent ignition. Even 70% worked fine, and then it stopped working without 95%, and then even that wasn't working so well. I think my piezo might be wearing out?! It's extracted from a pocket lighter. (Need to get a grill lighter to see if that works better.) I may have also been having capacitive coupling issues when I was using an old telephone cord (4p2c) for the two wires for the igniter. Interesting failure mode, but not the complete picture. Lastly, I've been trying this with a 1L water bottle. Very thin-walled, might be at mild risk of rupture. But I think it also isn't as *rigid*, which might dampen some of the force transfer. Will try to find a soda bottle...

@Nighthawkinlight Год назад

Could be your igniter wires are too long. The spark loses power with long wires. Alcohol can be tricky though. I've switched to using propane if you watch my newer bottle launcher videos

@timmccormack3930 Год назад

@@Nighthawkinlight Yeah, I saw the propane ones! I think I have to stick with alcohol (I'm in the city, people will be less touch about that) but I'll focus on getting the leads as short as possible and see about maximizing the spark. I saw your comment about tinning the spark gap leads as well, and will try that too.

@Michele8340 8 лет назад

Just stumbled onto your channel now and wow you're so talented and smart! These videos are amazing! One question though, where do you keep all your cool inventions?

@Nighthawkinlight 8 лет назад

+Michelle Ginnane I've been trying to get them stored in the Svalbard Seed Vault but they don't seem interested.

@Michele8340 8 лет назад

+NightHawkInLight what a pity, they're definitely missing out!