How to Make an Air-Powered Rocket Launcher | I Like To Make Stuff

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  • Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
  • We made an air-powered launcher for our paper rockets!
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    My kids and I attended a local Maker Faire recently, and while there we got to shoot some paper rockets with a pneumatic launcher. It was super fun, so we decided to make one of our very own!
    This project was basically the same as the pudding gun, so I went to the home center and bought some PVC pipe and joints to make the launcher's structure. I wanted the base to stand up while being small and compact, so I cut smaller sections and snaked them together with some 90 degree unions to form the air chamber. I salvaged the electric solenoid valve from the pudding gun and connected it to the chamber using a threaded adapter and some teflon tape. A smaller piece of PVC pipe extended out the other side of the valve to make the barrel that would hold the paper rockets. Rather than being CO2 powered, I used a shrader valve, like you'd find on most tires, and added air with a bike pump.
    After some initial testing, we found that the volume of air in the chamber wasn't that great and our rockets weren't flying as high as we'd expected. So, we went bigger...much bigger. Josh made a pneumatic air cannon in college, so I sent him to the store to get some upgraded components. He came back with a 24 volt sprinkler valve that would attach to a 4 inch PVC chamber, nearly quadrupling the volume of air capacity. We used the barrel from the smaller version that held the rockets and glued in some adapters to match the new, larger pieces.
    Because the new valve ran on 24 volts and because we wanted this launch site to be portable, I rigged up 3, 9 volt batteries connected together to make 27 volts. This was enough power to operate the air valve so I spliced in a huge "blast off" button that would send the rockets to the heavens.
    After some pretty impressive test fires, I had the kids make up a batch of rockets and it was launch time! The kids and I had a blast pumping up and firing the rockets. It was a great way to introduce kids to rocketry and physics-based concepts and I'm so happy I made a version of my own. If you liked this STEAM-based project, check out more of my work!
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    About I Like To Make Stuff:
    We have lots of projects including woodworking, metalworking, electronics, 3D printing, prop making and more!
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    How to Make an Air-Powered Rocket Launcher | I Like To Make Stuff
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Комментарии • 538

  • @JonPetersArtHome
    @JonPetersArtHome 6 лет назад +76

    The old rocket stuck in a tree thing : ) looks like fun Bob, GOOD STUFF!

  • @GraphiteSamurai
    @GraphiteSamurai 6 лет назад +24

    Will be making this for my sons this weekend, Thanks Bob!!!!!!

  • @fyrstorm2010
    @fyrstorm2010 6 лет назад +11

    Looks great and that you children are having fun that is the most important part of the build.

  • @Joe-dt7wp
    @Joe-dt7wp 6 лет назад +1

    Loved the subtle SpaceX reference at 6:29

  • @masterofnone
    @masterofnone 6 лет назад +10

    Your son is like me in front of camera "what do I do Now? I just look at the camera I guess " great project bob. I did the potato shooter version years ago with my son. It was fun

  • @MidnightMaker
    @MidnightMaker 6 лет назад +2

    Great project/video! It's great to see the kids involved. A couple of tips for anyone making this: 1. Wrap Teflon tape in the same direction as you tighten the female fitting so it doesn't bunch up. 2. Gender your quick-connect electrical fittings so you can only plug it in the right way.

  • @TheGoggs
    @TheGoggs 6 лет назад +5

    Nice touch with the car on the front of the rocket :D

  • @dancoughlin7569
    @dancoughlin7569 6 лет назад +31

    Complete with an ILTMS Roadster ;-)

    • @Godriguezart
      @Godriguezart 6 лет назад

      i saw that too, nice touch bob! :)

    • @GustavandHilda
      @GustavandHilda 6 лет назад +1

      Subtle but important detail 🚗

  • @sirajtheruvath
    @sirajtheruvath 6 лет назад +11

    Really lovely , I am very happy to see your kids are happy with that 😍

  • @BradDudenhoffer
    @BradDudenhoffer 6 лет назад +41

    Great project. This is definitely going on the list of things to do. No ILTMS Heavy?!

    • @Kopitarko
      @Kopitarko 6 лет назад

      Brad Dudenhoffer lool. Bob, put that on your todo list

    • @codachrome123
      @codachrome123 6 лет назад

      From the ITLMS Heavy it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to the BFITLMS!!

  • @AhsanKhan-es7xg
    @AhsanKhan-es7xg 6 лет назад +8

    Loved the bloopers

  • @huskerlott
    @huskerlott 6 лет назад

    Well done. We made one like that when my son was about the same age as your oldest. We still get it out a few times a year and now he’s 17. That thing brings dads and kids out of their houses faster than an ice cream truck. Instant block party. They say that PVC is unsafe at any pressure, so we wrapped ours with about five layers of duct tape. If it ever cracks hopefully the adhesive holds down the potential for shrapnel. A kid with a hand pump rarely has the patience to get the pressure very high. Keep up the good work.

  • @magicrobharv
    @magicrobharv 6 лет назад +2

    The coolest dad ever !!!

  • @Makebuildmodify
    @Makebuildmodify 6 лет назад

    My son and I made one of these last year. We kept adding pressure until the rockets would fail by exploding out the side. So we wrapped them with tape to reinforce them and went until failure again. It was a great engineering lesson and fun too!

  • @taijuonfire
    @taijuonfire 6 лет назад

    I like the little musk homage @ 6:28

  • @EvanAndKatelyn
    @EvanAndKatelyn 6 лет назад +26

    Did you keep the little one? You could have very one-sided rocket launcher launch-offs :D

  • @goodgoat3096
    @goodgoat3096 6 лет назад

    I had a commercial version of one of these when I was a young boy and you had to put some water in the small 6-8" long plastic rockets and pump the small unit up with a tire pump. This looks similar in function but on steroids. Great project and it gets kids away from video games!

  • @Nismo180X
    @Nismo180X 6 лет назад

    QUICK PRO TIP. From a cub scout dad that has experimented with this type of device.
    If you put a penny or two under the nose cone/top of the fuselage and launch it without fins. They will go insanely high, you will lose sight of them. (Optimally 40psi in the chamber)

  • @adam03753
    @adam03753 6 лет назад +17

    You're an awesome dad

  • @HickLif3
    @HickLif3 6 лет назад

    You are one of the few channels that I don't mind hearing the ads in the video, you do a great job of integrating it into the video while still showing work being done. Most other channels bring everything to a screeching halt to do the add. Good job!

  • @Nerdforge
    @Nerdforge 6 лет назад +2

    Skillshare is awesome :) And so is this project. Keep it up!

  • @brainhack8880
    @brainhack8880 6 лет назад

    I made this sane thing but used two pressure chambers, and this video told me a way better electronic system and was way more explanatory than all other videos. Love it!!!!

  • @75triviaguy
    @75triviaguy 6 лет назад +1

    You have unfairly raised the dad bar sir

  • @TheExterin
    @TheExterin 6 лет назад

    we did something in my technology 9 class years ago i would recommend adding some thinned wood glue to the tip of your rocket so that it stays together on landing. When i made mine i put several layers of it and some inside the tip. we were going for distance and i won it by getting over 100 feet with that setup working multiple times. We also used an air compressor for air instead of a pressure chamber.

  • @truncellitoj
    @truncellitoj 6 лет назад +4

    2 months for 99 cents? I'm in. Thanks Bob.

  • @CKTDanny
    @CKTDanny 6 лет назад +32

    ILTMS Space Division sounds pretty cool :)

  • @DarthTvo
    @DarthTvo 6 лет назад

    I built a similar one with twin storage tanks and i powered the sprinkler solenoid with a 9volt battery in a handle with the fire button on one end. Kids love it.

    • @JacobShepherdEngineer
      @JacobShepherdEngineer 6 лет назад +1

      I also use a single 9v battery for my valve. Makes it super simple.

  • @project_idea
    @project_idea 6 лет назад +1

    Im just sayin...That looks like lots of fun!

  • @PaleoHikerMD
    @PaleoHikerMD 6 лет назад +3

    Awesome Bob...gonna make this with the kids :)

  • @Martin-yl5zb
    @Martin-yl5zb 6 лет назад

    Love it how the pressure tank says..,,’not for pressure’ . Great project Bob. Will gave to make it with my kids one day.

  • @SpecificLove7
    @SpecificLove7 6 лет назад

    Love it when you include your kids in the video. And great project too.

  • @bukatasv
    @bukatasv 6 лет назад

    Good project! The launch vehicle is steep, children liked it!

  • @simon4realvideos
    @simon4realvideos 6 лет назад +1

    Like it!!!
    We had a rocket like this as kids and had a lot of fun with it!
    Liked the moment: "... and just make everything bigger" :D

  • @TheQuiptastic
    @TheQuiptastic 6 лет назад

    Bob's thinking..."I need to make this bigger...much bigger..." That. Was. Cool! Love the vids with your kids!

  • @yaboixander6094
    @yaboixander6094 6 лет назад

    If you have the right fitting for an air compressor you can get higher pressure and shoot the rockets way higher

  • @Bostonaholic
    @Bostonaholic 6 лет назад

    Dad of the Year!

  • @Sonal_Mobile
    @Sonal_Mobile 6 лет назад +1

    Awesome! Great way to get the kids interested in science too :)

  • @tomtruesdale6901
    @tomtruesdale6901 6 лет назад +1

    Looks like you had as much fun as your kids. :-) The car on the rocket killed me. LOL

  • @dropzone1810
    @dropzone1810 6 лет назад +2

    I like the little Tesla on one of the rockets

  • @jacktorrance3522
    @jacktorrance3522 5 лет назад

    I didn't know you could link 9V batteries together like that! Genius!

  • @Lasrin
    @Lasrin 6 лет назад

    if you put the valve in the middle of the air chamber you will get more height, without increasing the size of the air chamber. also, if you use a butterfly valve you will also get more height.

  • @Omar-tv8mt
    @Omar-tv8mt 6 лет назад +1

    Now that's a cool project..

  • @ceb9203
    @ceb9203 6 лет назад

    Bob u must be like the best dad ever with these epic iltms toys and games

  • @skoue4165
    @skoue4165 6 лет назад

    Cool project. Safety note. 4" schedule 40 only has a working pressure of 133psi. With a bicycle pump your probably fine but you could get close. Now burst pressure is higher than you could get with that pump BUT PVC is not UV stable so having out in the sunlight is eventually going to greatly reduce it's burst strength. This is compressed gas and PVC shatters like glass when it goes. So I would pain it as a general precaution.
    There was a time when a bunch of shops thought they would save some green and plumb their are lines with PVC. Then a few years later they would explode and send everyone to the hospital.
    With a hand pump I doubt your anywhere close to hazardous, this is more for a viewer who things they should supercharge it using CO2 or a high pressure pump.

    • @skoue4165
      @skoue4165 6 лет назад

      That should have read "paint it as a general precaution".

  • @greg76543210
    @greg76543210 6 лет назад

    The little red car on the nosecone was a great touch!

  • @robertcoups3918
    @robertcoups3918 6 лет назад

    I made a different design a few years ago. Didn't use a chamber. Just pumped the air into an upside-down 2 litre bottle, filled 1/3 of the way with water and held down by a u-shaped piece of coat hanger wire around the bottle top.,. Didn't need electric powered button. When the pressure reached about 110 lbs, the coat hanger u spread and released the bottle. If you glue on fins and a node-cone, it can go pretty high.

  • @lamazmorradeIsaac
    @lamazmorradeIsaac 6 лет назад +2

    Great!

  • @mikerozman
    @mikerozman 6 лет назад

    That is great. I'm definitely going to build that for me and my 6 year old son. He will love it ... and so will I. Thanks!

  • @DouglasBerglund1
    @DouglasBerglund1 6 лет назад +1

    Definition of a great dad!

  • @dwitanayawayan7165
    @dwitanayawayan7165 6 лет назад

    the best part is: keep your kids be inspire and happy in the same time.
    good works!
    one of the best youtube channel for a looooong times

  • @ronin6932
    @ronin6932 6 лет назад

    What a great way to spend time with children....

  • @BDGilly1990
    @BDGilly1990 6 лет назад

    Nice usage of what I assume are leftovers from the scrapped Transformers cannon.

  • @BruceAUlrich
    @BruceAUlrich 6 лет назад

    Fun! I know the kids had a blast with that!

  • @chriscrowder
    @chriscrowder 6 лет назад

    I like the mini roadster you had on the one rocket..

  • @19Photographer76
    @19Photographer76 6 лет назад

    Great job! Now comes the parachute assembly in a double stage.

  • @ryanthomas8984
    @ryanthomas8984 6 лет назад

    The intro and your reaction to the rocket going off alone was pure gold

  • @MarkJonesisjustaman
    @MarkJonesisjustaman 6 лет назад

    That was the bomb. Thanks.

  • @BuildStuffwithAJ
    @BuildStuffwithAJ 6 лет назад

    Another great project! Ill have to build one of these why my boy gets a little older. I'm sure he will love it!

  • @stevejenqpnelson9770
    @stevejenqpnelson9770 6 лет назад

    Anyone else notice the tiny Tesla on the rocket! LOL Pretty sweet Bob - my kids are going to love this!

  • @forestlampcraft472
    @forestlampcraft472 6 лет назад +1

    Hello to you. Good work,I don't speak your languages but I admire your work .

  • @WayneBrownWoodworking
    @WayneBrownWoodworking 6 лет назад

    What great memories your creating with the kids!

  • @DarinBeard
    @DarinBeard 6 лет назад

    Good dad-ing. "...Everything Bigger." Always a good idea.

  • @keithterry2051
    @keithterry2051 6 лет назад

    Hey Bob. that is AWESOME!!!!! We went to our MakerFaire in Milwaukee and they had something very similar. They let us build our rockets with foam pipe insulation and duct tape. Kids thought this was a blast. I have to make one....thanks for making this video!

  • @YisraelWealcatch
    @YisraelWealcatch 6 лет назад +1

    Love the little roadster you put there! ;)

  • @douglidz2944
    @douglidz2944 6 лет назад

    And the coolest dad award goes to...

  • @jnieto19
    @jnieto19 6 лет назад

    Definitely gonna be making this for my kids!!!

  • @noahbyrum5784
    @noahbyrum5784 6 лет назад

    I love the little Falcon Heavy reference with the little cat emoji!!

  • @boarderking133
    @boarderking133 6 лет назад +3

    Do a potato cannon next

  • @axelfaltin
    @axelfaltin 6 лет назад

    Nice touch with the little roadster attached... :-)

  • @johantaljaard2093
    @johantaljaard2093 6 лет назад

    The song at 6:23 is very Fu Manchu. Took this already awesome video up by 1000%!!

  • @Harhour
    @Harhour 6 лет назад

    You really are an awesome Dad! Keep up!

  • @DavidPlass
    @DavidPlass 6 лет назад

    What a great dad!

  • @shannoncharlton46
    @shannoncharlton46 6 лет назад +4

    Go bob daddy of the year love ur channel it’s addictive lol

  • @scootersworkbench6347
    @scootersworkbench6347 6 лет назад

    Looks like a lot of fun for the kids!

  • @Lathan308
    @Lathan308 6 лет назад

    I did something very similar for a physics project in high school there's a way to make the sprinkler valve open without needing electrical components you simply just need a pressure release on the other side of the diaphragm if you do a little research online you probably can find out how to do that and eliminate all the batteries

  • @M1CK3YL33
    @M1CK3YL33 6 лет назад

    award for 'cool dad of the year' goes to...
    love this! keep up the great work!

  • @Prod.Nembutai
    @Prod.Nembutai 6 лет назад +1

    Your kids are so lucky to have you as a dad, Bob!

    • @fuzzybust4052
      @fuzzybust4052 Год назад

      I can just see when they get into nerf they will have the best tech lmao!

  • @giorgostzavaras5686
    @giorgostzavaras5686 6 лет назад

    He is insane. And that is what I like about him!

  • @Geeksmithing
    @Geeksmithing 6 лет назад

    Super cool build guys! Nice Tesla Easter egg. ;).

  • @mathboy1212
    @mathboy1212 6 лет назад

    Great vid. I made one of these a couple of years ago.i had 2 upgrades that you could add to your pretty easily. I made a switch on a box with the button that turned on an led when the system was live. That helps for a little safety too. It also made my daughter feel cool when she powered on the system. She would yell " system live, stand back." Also, I made the barrel coupler with threaded couplings so I could swap out the barrel. For Halloween I put a 2 inch barrel on and fired candy up into the air with a wadding of paper towels to for the seal. Great vid.

  • @WoodworkingEngineering
    @WoodworkingEngineering 6 лет назад

    Bonus point for the roadster :D

  • @JS-gk9et
    @JS-gk9et 6 лет назад

    This project, I’m putting high on the going-to-do list.

  • @annabeltielemans6101
    @annabeltielemans6101 6 лет назад

    "x-wing" and the red car taped to the rocket! Genius!

  • @rodshelley1170
    @rodshelley1170 6 лет назад

    I had to stop and freeze frame..... I thought you’d actually stuck a little paper car on top of one of them, but it was just a graphic. 😆Great nod to Mr. Musk!

  • @Derkenblosh2
    @Derkenblosh2 6 лет назад

    Mac valves are awesome fun and cheap

  • @gurangelempireinc.398
    @gurangelempireinc.398 4 года назад

    Two thumbs up for two junior artist...need more dialogue of little one...:), Cool idea

  • @cheeseisgreat24
    @cheeseisgreat24 6 лет назад +1

    I love the big "Not for Pressure" on the side of the pipe....as you're making a pressure vessel with it. :-P (Granted it's mainly about water pressure and higher pressure than you're using at that, but it's still funny)

    • @Iliketomakestuff
      @Iliketomakestuff  6 лет назад

      Yeah :) That's why it's covered in blue tape and I'm just using a bike pump. The schedule 40 is rated for 100 psi, so that warning is a little overkill.

  • @Krakhead27
    @Krakhead27 4 года назад

    If you wwnted to make it more fun add a parachute to the end that expands when falling

  • @theultimatemegaman
    @theultimatemegaman 6 лет назад

    funny thing is the writing on the bigger pipe said that its not for pressure. I've got an idea for you, why don't you build a bigger bike pump? Always inspiring, great work!

  • @kenderman1
    @kenderman1 6 лет назад

    This 'Tesla' on the end of the rocket was a nice touch. =D

  • @nationtheis5093
    @nationtheis5093 6 лет назад +2

    Heck yeah man. This is awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas! It’s awesome to see so many cool thing in one place. My family owns a fj60, so we’ll hopefully be making a tool box like you did for your 80. Keep up the good work man!

  • @leopichler
    @leopichler 6 лет назад +1

    That rocket *blew* me away

  • @edtappan
    @edtappan 6 лет назад

    Very cool! I bet the Air Burst Rockets would work great with this.

  • @assassinworks
    @assassinworks 6 лет назад

    Remove the spring inside the irrigation valve and it will discharge faster I used the same concept 14 years ago for a potato cannon

  • @JonathanRansom
    @JonathanRansom 6 лет назад

    Hey! I've made one of these! Fun build and the kids love it.

  • @ScrapwoodCity
    @ScrapwoodCity 6 лет назад +2

    Awesome

  • @grandmasteroso9847
    @grandmasteroso9847 6 лет назад

    Watching this brings back memories I had in middle school when in my science class I believe, when we all had to make rockets. Mine went the highest.

    • @josheadanks9418
      @josheadanks9418 6 лет назад

      Mine busted my teacher's window when a fin fell off, but I got the most PSI in mine

  • @RaulMitre
    @RaulMitre 6 лет назад

    Nice project ! Good mix of wood, electronics, metal and air pressure... And nice Music also !

  • @AngeliqueKaga
    @AngeliqueKaga 4 года назад

    Ya, you made the kids happy dad.

  • @strapatser9427
    @strapatser9427 6 лет назад

    Replace the paper rocket with a bottle filled with some water. It will fly higher because the air in the bottle pushes the water out.