This article was taken from the November 2014 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
You may wonder what to do with an old plastic water bottle.
Sure, you could just drop it in the recycle bin -- but it could also be "upcycled" into a rocket like Ben Cusick's model. He's made many other small rockets and cannons in the past, so once he figured out how well a bottle would fit over a 15mm pipe, it wasn't hard to find a way to launch it. Here's how to build his launcher -- it can also used to fire off larger pop bottles if they fit the launch attachment.
Prepare your Materials For this project, you'll need an empty water bottle, a length of 15mm PVC tubing, a barbecue or grill igniter and duct tape (or any another similar tape). Hot glue or epoxy and a bit of scrap paper will also be needed to keep all of the wiring in place. Cut the PVC pipe to a length where the wires just stick out when the igniter is pushed in from the opposite side.
Assemble the Launcher Push the igniter into the PVC pipe wires-first, then push the scrap piece of paper in between the wires, 12mm deep.
Manoeuvre the wires so that they rest about 6mm apart. With the wad of paper pressed in to a 12mm depth, apply hot glue or epoxy, filling the pipe level with the surface where the wires come out.
Wrap the centre of the pipe with tape, so the mouth of the bottle can seal and rest on it.
Fuel it and Launch it To fuel this rocket, pour a few drops of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol in the bottle, put the cap on and shake. Pour out any extra alcohol pooling in the bottom to avoid setting the PVC launcher on fire. Move the bottle over the pipe on the end with the exposed wires so that it rests in the middle of the tape. Aim in a safe direction, then hit the button on the grill igniter. According to Cusick, water bottles can fly 25 metres.
Be Safe With any project like this, safety isn't guaranteed. Cusick has singed the hair off his hand, but fortunately there wasn't enough alcohol involved to do significant damage. He's since added an improvised "blast shield" behind the rocket to deflect the flames. Safety glasses, long sleeves and fire-retardant gloves are a good idea, while synthetic clothing should be avoided as it can melt to the skin.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
