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DIY Steam Rocket

Making a steam rocket can be a fun and educational science experiement for parents and children alike. Steam rockets can be built using simple household items or inexpensive materials that can be purchased from a local hobby store. The rockets are nothing more than simple heat engines that are propelled away from the heat-releasing side of the engine.

Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the cap from one end of a 36-inch-long mailing tube. Shove a baseball down into the tube so that it sits securely in the end of the tube with about one-half of the ball sticking out.

    • 2

      Remove the other end cap. Drill two 1/4-inch holes in the end cap and place 1/4-inch J-bolts through the holes. Drill one hole on the outside of each J-bolt between the J-bolt and the perimeter of the end cap. Insert a 1/8-inch music wire that is 12 inches long through the hole and bend the wire so that it lies flat on the inside part of the end cap. Secure each piece of wire in place by putting it under the end of the J-bolt and then tightening the bolt.

    • 3

      Place glue around the inside rim of the tube before putting the end cap back in. Allow the glue to dry before proceeding to put together the rest of the rocket.

    • 4

      Insert a 16-ounce carbon dioxide tank between the music wire just below the end cap. Secure the music wire rods to the tank by placing a metal appliance hose clamp about one-third of the way up the side of the tank.

    • 5

      Attach 1/8-inch model airplane plywood fins to steel strips measuring 3 1/2 inch long by 1/2-inch wide by using 3/8-inch nuts bolts and nuts. Solder the steel strips to the end of the music wire rods.

    • 6

      Glue a 1/4-inch launch lug to the side of the mailing tube. You can generally find these at hobby stores that offer parts for hobby rockets. A launch lug is a small cylinder placed on the side of the rocket that guides the rocket along a launch rod until it gains enough speed to fly on its own.

    • 7

      Place a chute charge, fuse and plug into open end of the CO2 tank before launch. Use a steam rocket hold-down fork to keep the rocket in place until ready for launch. Place the rocket's launch lug on a launch rod to guide it along through the launch process.


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