Simple Bottle Rocket Launcher (Propane) 

Yep, I did double upload this. The first copy had a weird error I had to reupload to fix. Anyway, I know I have made a lot of videos about bottle launchers now, so I hope you forgive the repetition. I really wanted to put this simple version out there after all the emails I've gotten over the years asking for help with my previous designs. This one is much more reliable. I did show this basic concept in my earlier 'Plasma Coil Bottle Launcher' video, but it wasn't the main point of the video and would be hard to find for someone looking for it. It really needed it's own video, so here it is. Hope you enjoy! -Ben

NHIL: with *adult supervision* Me: *been watching your videos for 6 year Still me: Wait, I'm adult now! Sweet!

I'm so impressed by this. So simple, but so effective!! Nice work, as always Keep it up!!!! ^-^

There aren’t too many RU-vid channels that I get really excited about when I see a new video out, but your definitely one of those. Keep doing what you do NightHawkInLight, Blessings

Excellent! No self declaration of royalty of accidental chance, No haphazard, half-thought-out, dangerous projects. Concern for the safety of the audience and users. And...no BS! Perhaps you can be called "The Monarch of Methodical"

I appreciate that you so thoroughly think through the safety aspects of this project! Yet another reason why I enjoy your channel so much!

I'm an adult, but I still need supervision around things that can start fires... :D

There's something about this man's face that always melts my heart

You don’t upload all that often, but it’s always a pleasure when you do.

Great video as always!... My 12y old Daughter and I turned this physics lesson into fun and time well spent together. I can't thank you enough for the ideas and content... Brother, please keep up the Great work!

I absolutely love about your videos how you don't get tired to tell your audience how to be safe. You do this in a way that I can relate to and that's never annoying. 👍 Loud bangs are fun, but I'd _never_ trade them in for the laughter of my grand children that I dearly hope to have one fine day.

3:05 : "And Hearing Protection." Then in the most smug expression admires his own creation. Then unashamedly assaults his ears. Love it!!!

I love watching your tutorials and seeing you have fun with your builds. Thank you very much for your educational videos!

And hearing protection * proceeds to fire it without hearing protection. Also thanks for the vids man, always a good day when you upload.

Promoting young science! Good stuff!

I love that you talk about (and demonstrate! -- though the earplugs were pretty subtle and, as other comments indicate, easily missed) safety considerations for doing this with kids... making it OK to try it at home, provided one is cautious and sensible, which is described and illustrated. Perfect!

Are you kidding, pointing it at other people is what makes it fun!

I made one from the last video you uploaded like this. Super fun build. Thank you.

Awesome video, love the slo-mo shots. The fire looks awesome! Keep up the good work!

Awesome you added a hand grip to make it easier to point 😊

I'll say it. This guy is the coolest person on RU-vid.

I just got a new mentee today and took him to a rocket launch. He loved it and I know he would love to build one of these with me. Thanks my friend.

Kids and propane always a good mix.

I love this guys videos they remind me of watching him with my dad before he left 6 years ago

Very nicely done! Thanks for the tutorial, I like how you solved pushing the air out of the bottle automatically. :)

What a simple, fun, educating project!! I always like your videos, keep it up!

This may seem small, but it's so awesome and respectable that you put the cool stuff that everyone wants to see in the beginning of the video, then follow it up with the explanation. So many videos these days start with either a bait in the beginning or just pad for most of the time, putting the cool stuff in the middle so you have to search for it. The way you structure it allows me to see what I clicked on the video for first, then I get to see the reasoning behind everything. Respect.

It's good to see you posting. Great build I must say.

Thank you and all the teachers who made education amazing.

I wonder if you took 2 bottles and pieced them together, could you increase the aerodynamics of the bottle? Cut off and use the open end as a nose cone attached to the bottom ( leading end ) of the rocket itself. The extra weight could yield some interesting distance advantage. Make sure to use the cap !! ya got my wheels turning.

Very cool! Gonna do this with my son, he’s gonna love it!!

Loved the slow-motion filming!

You’re legit the best, love your birdie too

I'll gladly join your patreon when i get more of a stable footing. Love your work though another great video!

I like this video. You're a smart guy in simplistic terms. Lol

Awesome projecy and super simple, in theory.

Another wonderful video. I'm delighted to see you posting again :) Keep up the amazing content.

If it's kids, I'd give them a full face shield. Great work!

I got to the last video pretty quickly (didn't spot any issue) and I'll repeat my comment from there: This is a very clearly a well-thought out build, and I might even be able to use it myself

Always a treat when we get an upload!

I always like to rewatch your videos 😀 you are awesome 🛠️

You are my hero! This is awesome.

Very cool - one of the easier and cheaper projects of yours that I can try as a teenager! Love your videos keep up the quality content!

That looks so satisfying

Thats too cool! Thanks for sharing this!

The slow motion is just awesome

I'm in love with all these colorful flames * w *

Good work man

Well, wow! That looks like fun!

I made the simple version today for testing. Now I can't stop giggling. Going to make something similar to the stand version for my kid now.

Thank You for my next toy to share with my son. Very cool

Fantastic!!! Going to make one immediately!

A parachute deploying mechanism of any kind would be *really* an amazing idea 🤔😱😍👍👍 so thanks for this simple, amazing and over-the-top design

The slo-mo footage is very satisfying...

please upload more videos with upgrades of the launcher!

It might be fun to make a more svelte version. If smaller it would fill faster, be quieter, and maybe more subtle for very young children or for just toying around with the limits of fuel/air ratios which gets trickier/more fussy the smaller you go, trying to get the flame-front to propagate and swirl in an instant. I really like the functional simplicity of your design.

Great idea. My little one is going to loose it when I build one of these! Thank you.

For a brief second the thumbnail made me think Shia labeouf was making rockets and I was very concerned..

I can't wait to make one of these

Props to the teacher who is actually watching some cool videos and trying to learn kids something new!

Awesome! I love your videos... it's always great when you upload

I just love how proffesional this videos are, good work as always! Greetings from Peru. Btw what country are you from, I love your garden with all those big trees and nature.

Very cool video!

Thanks for the great video subscribed

Another great video and idea. Thank you. The bird is awesome also.

Very cool design I like the simplicity. I do something similar with my son’s class every year only I stick to compressed air and just use PVC and a bicycle pump. I like that method since it shows how you can exchange energy, by putting work effort into operating the bicycle pump, then release the energy stored in the contraption and watch the rockets launch, the kids get to feel a little tired by operating the pump and I think understand the idea of mechanical advantage. I have enjoyed using paper rockets made from card stock and masking tape. They are very sturdy and can typically get 20-30 launches from a rocket. The paper seems to go higher and farther than I have been able to achieve with 1-2L bottles just air or air and water. But any of it is a load of fun and we always end up with a crowd of kids when we go to the park. I think parents at the park would feel a little easier letting their kids operate a bicycle pump than a propane torch. Lol.

Hey great video! I am currently working on building your mini air soft cannon but I have worked to modify it to shoot salt. I am building it for summer Boy Scout camp where the tents are full of roaches!!!! I think my troop will appreciate the pest control. Thanks again for the idea I am having a lot of fun with it!

Love your bird by the way

Great video thank you very much

U earned another subscriber.

A teacher that Every student wishes to be their science professor

Adult now, gonna try this for sure :D

It's actually filling the bottle with a propane and air mixture, the torch is doing the mixing for you before puts it in the bottle. It's not all just propane. If it wasn't a mix, it wouldn't ignite.

Many years as a kid I discovered that 1/2 PVC perfectly fits a 2 liter. Weeks of fun followed will all number of cannons. Very fun!

Ah yes, so these are the infamous propane-accessories I have heard so much about, marvelous.

Oh. This so nice. Thanks.

2:22 Thank you man! I try to forget that now.

I recommend using ear plugs, because I'll be launching lots of bottles!

nice video! and i love the outro

another great idea for a new airsoft video!

I knocked one of these up literally minutes after watching your 'plasma tube' design. Had all the bits within a 3m radius tho. Two features you didnt mention is their very short range, and the fact the projectile is an empty bottle, so almost impossible to damage anything. Unlike, say, candy rockets, its totally fine to let these off in an average suburban yard, or even a big room. They accelerate very fast, but at the end of the arc just kinda waft down. Great fun. If you havnt built one, and you have a blowtorch, file n a foot of poly pipe lying about, get up, n go and make one. Now. Totes worth it.

nice project. Well explained. Add colors (spray paint) to the PVC section to add ...coolness.

Love your stuff ! I cant help thinking of the British comedian Kenny Everett every time l see you not only do you look like him you sound like him as well

NightHawkInLight for president 2020! All jokes aside, I started watching this guys videos around 2011, when I was about 10 years old. He inspired me to start creating things and getting adventurous with what I could do with my hands, some supplies around the house, and some determination to create something that would hopefully work. Since then, ive built many many things and it has help as a form of therapy for me to help cope with some mental health issues I struggle with. Thank you NHIL! you have inspired many including myself. Keep up your amazing videos and do not stop sharing your amazing ideas with the world.

You should try adding a constricting nozzle that closes slightly when it leaves the PVC pipe to allow for a more prolonged and focused burn for added range and possible passive or electronic steering control!

Really cool stuff

Wow...So cool

Love it!

I see myself as an engineer the same as you seeing you do the stuff that you do inspires me even more I have been having a curiosity that I've been trying to figure out in my mind. How big does an HHO cell have to be to fuel an engine or can it use help from fuel from a wood source I would like to do the HHO cell but there are also three different variations

We once made a similar launcher but with a copper tubes, works really well :)

I can also see some educational physics applications for this for learning ballistic trajectories. The title says bottle rocket but it really reminds me of a Mortar.

I come for the science, and leave happy with birb.

A small shield of some sort (top of plastic bottle over pipe) might prevent the hot exhaust from getting to the operators hands.

Funny to see how slow people actually are. The whole thing is already over, and you just start to close your eyes.

Well done!

I’d imagine that creating a hybrid pneumatic/combustion system for air cannons would be pretty darn space efficient. Kind of like what Petersripol did with a few nerf gun mods. Had this idea to revive a 10 year old Nerf design from a video game Hasbro made called Goliathan UB-1. That thing launches projectiles so big you could stuff a guidance system, folding wings and an edf jet into a giant foam dart. And you can fire typical enormous foam projectiles too. But Nerf N-Strike Elite (2009) and it’s prequel from 2006 are absolute treasure troves of ridiculous abandoned nerf gun designs that nowadays could be fabricated from 3D printers, foam molds, and electronics.

Would like to see this with a electronic trigger, would be cool to see three rockets take off at once!

Splendid, let's weaponize it.

This is really great project. I can tell that you throughly thought out what would make this best for kids learning about this stuff. Great job!

One small clarification. At 2:00, the gaps let air escape to make room for the propane/air mixture, not just propane. An explosion needs fuel and oxygen. Your propane torch mixes propane and air at the right proportions.