Office Supplies Challenge; Liquid Fuel Rocket

Step 5 Launch

Outside, invert the can of canned air, slip the rocket body onto the straw. Hold the rocket body and depress the trigger on the can, allow a short time to pass and release the rocket. Wash Rinse Repeat.

Comments

[jake4a4]

I found a huge can at walmart that doesn't do anything if you spray yourself as much as you want.

[RGalliath]

If you turn it upside down it gets dangerous because the regrigerant begins to come out.

[he who crashes often]

the ones at my local hardware store are compressed co2 and if you turn them upside down they shoot out liquid co2 and you can flash freeze things. i once used an entire can on an onion, threw it on the ground and it shattered. however despite this i can walk into my hardware store (san francisco, ca) and buy it.

[KevinAlien26]

Don't see why you'd spray yourself in the first place?

[Chibichuba]

It depends on the type of the can and chemicals inside. If you can find that brand, let the author know so the builders can try it out.

[Lord Jon Bigglesworth]

I love how there is a whole conversation of replies to the comment: "Be careful or you can get frostbite."

[shaneomacmcgee]

might wanna wear leather/rubber gloves for this; you can easily get frostbite if you get sprayed with that stuff.

[Kasm279]

And here I am turning the can upside down to freeze stuff :P

[jmontgomery3]

That is how I kill spiders around my computer.....

[Pizzapie500]

True That!!! I got it onto my finger and it hurt sooooooooooo badly! That finger was numb for days and skin fell off!! Also never shake the can!! I did and frost appeared on the outside of the can! (actually it might not be frost, but the can was very cold)

[Moofish]

My doctor used this stuff to remove a wart on my hand, even though local anesthetic was applied to my hand, it still hurt like crazy.

[Cheezpaper]

Didn't hurt that bad for me... And it definitely didn't cause any damage after spraying my finger for 10 secs.... You're probably just overreacting.

[Pizzapie500]

Did you get the white stuff onto your hand? What it does is expand and freeze. So if it gets onto your hand it'll stretch your skin (make it peel off) and it'll give it frostbite (make it numb).

[jamesrocks]

i went to buy that stuff u have to be 18 or older and id

[ShampooRobot]

thats because some kid figured out you can get high off of it.

[MrMadmonkey4]

stupid kid! Now I can't buy any!

[burpreynolds]

EEW, kid!

[mitchell931993]

i wonder if i can buy it in australia (i'm sixteen) 

[jggammer]

probably that is only in california

[MowinTheLawn]

Yeah, canned 'air' is readily available from computer shops, camera stores, officeworks, CE, etc. 

[greymatter21]

its called dust off;and it happens to be a realy awsome invension(for getting high)

[Amasarac]

i would recommend that you NEVER do this, air dusters are made of  difluoroethane, trifluoroethane, or tetrafluoroethane. which is a non toxic gas untill combusted. Contact of flourocarbons with flames or hot surfaces in excess of 250 °C (482 °F) cause vapor decomposition and the emission of TOXIC gases including hydrogen fluoride and carbonyl halides.

[mikstr2]

smartass

[Amasarac]

Said hydrogen fluoride gas when inhaled becomes hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid is an extremely corrosive liquid and is a contact poison. It should be handled with extreme care, beyond that accorded to other mineral acids. HF penetrates tissue more quickly than typical acids. Because of the ability of hydrofluoric acid to penetrate tissue, poisoning can occur readily through exposure of skin or eyes, or when inhaled or swallowed. Symptoms of exposure to hydrofluoric acid may not be immediately evident. HF interferes with nerve function, meaning that burns may not initially be painful. Accidental exposures can go unnoticed, delaying treatment and increasing the extent and seriousness of the injury.

More seriously, once absorbed into blood through the skin, it reacts with blood calcium and may cause cardiac arrest. Hydrogen fluoride is generated upon combustion of many fluorine-containing compounds such as products containing Viton and polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) parts. Hydrogen fluoride converts immediately to hydrofluoric acid upon contact with liquid water.

thought you should know, i had a fiend who died from burning TFE from a duster can.

[Ace.88]

Thanks 4 da info. 
 4 those of you who dont understand it, ill  put it this way.
If you inhale this, you die

[Stuffses]

 THAT is seriously scary

[burpreynolds]

So...if this stuff could kill a guy, why are we wasting our time reading about paperclip archery, marker rockets and paper nunchucks?  Next time I'm in an office during the end of civilization as we know it, I'm reaching straight for a can of duster. 

I'm just saying. 

[ZephyrLabs]

Did you actually read it? There's no actual combustion involved, it just powers itself by the evaporation/pressurization of the canned air, it doesn't burn at all.

[alexmg2420]

Wouldn't inverting the compressed air can cause the refrigerant to come out as a liquid instead of air+gaseous refrigerant, as it should with a correctly positioned can? (Rhetorical, I know for a fact that it does.) Does it affect the rocket's flight?

[Tool Using Animal]

that's exactly the point, the liquid provides a reaction mass, if it were just gas the rocket would not fly very far.

[bildit]

zactly...

[alexmg2420]

Yeah, I just realized that a bit after building the rocket. Duh. The liquid evaporates because it is being depressurized and exits the nozzle. Can't believe I didn't figure that out earlier.

[mitchell931993]

anyone see the episode of Burn notice where he freezes a lock with a can of pressurised air by holding it upside down. he then just hits it with a hammer and it shatter- tottaly wanna try that to something.

[jprange]

im sure i saw a mythbusters, or something, it dosent make the metal brittle enough

[XWXAXDXEX]

WOW, it may be possible (most likely not)
that easily but dont belive everything
you see on tv.

[matthewtyler1]

not true it doesnt stay cold for more than a few seconds unless you emerse it in liquid , but even then

[mitchell931993]

 well it does seem logical. In movie where a person has been frozen then they accidentally get shattered , that can happen. so a lock doesnt seem too far fetched, most of the stuff on burn notic is quite real. might be something for mythbusters to try out.

[jprange]

checked it out,,, they did

[XWXAXDXEX]

maybe, plz dont think im starting something, but its just my opinoin :)

[mitchell931993]

 i didnt mean to sound agressive. it wasn't