Professional water rocket guide

This Instructable will show you the how to build and fly water rockets. Featuring two stage rockets and drop away boosters, and also some basics.
This instructable is based on my knowledge of water rockets, that I have learn in the past few years.

I am not responsible for any damage you infict on your self or others from launching or building water rockets

Have fun building and flying!

Step 1: Lets get Started

A water rocket is propelled by pressurised air forcing water down though a nozzle. This creates thrust.

If you took a standard two litre fizzy soft drink bottle and pressurised it to120 psi the rocket would reach about 100 or so feet.

But then if you took 2, two litres bottles and pressurised it to 120 psi again the rocket would go about 150 feet or so because the rocket has more air in it therefore creating more thrust. The rocket will only go 50 feet more because of the added mass. You can stop this by making a two stage rocket. A two stage rocket will work better because it would not have to carry the full payload on all of its flight.

Comments

[DOWNESJE]

cool rocket

[firezone]

do you actually own the copyright to these diagrams, i highly doubt you have gone through what is needed to have the copyright for them and putting that little "copyright OscarThompson" in your pictures doesn't actually do anything

[DOWNESJE]

don't be mean to the person it is a good rocket

[RGalliath]

Everything is copywright from the moment someone comes up with it he is just saying they are his or someone elses

[leiamme]

He is just putting acknowledgment that it is his.

[Ian01]

I'm pretty sure you get copyright automatically, even if you don't claim it.

[oscarthompson]

I have only put it in so people can't use my pictures, unless they want my name on it. The my pictures as i drew them on paint, it really doesn't matter too much that i havn't copyrighted them.

Thanks

Oscar

[paulmtchj]

hello oscarthompson could i plz have ur email because i have a few questions on specific aspects of the project :) thank you

[Chemdude118]

I use small sections of threaded lamp rod for my water rockets, but I don't know about oscarthompson.

[enzo aspire]

nice project do you have a video of it flying i wana see how it fly's so i know if it worth making

[RGalliath]

Adding weight in the nose cone will shift the center of gravity up making more unstable and more likely to tip over in flight

[he who crashes often]

except that you are wrong. think of the difference between throwing a cottonball and throwing a marble the same size. there is the same air resistance on each, but the marble goes further because it has more inertia and is better at penetrating the air because it is heavier. now think of an arrow. there is weight on the tip, so that it flies straight because there is more drag and less weight at the back (feathers and no metal tip). there is a reason airplanes are more stable when nose-heavy than tail heavy. i think you are confused because the thrust is coming out the back and you think that weight in the nose will make it try to point lower and wobble around. but remember, the thrust will only spin the rocket around if it has a loose nozzle that will try to keep going the same way while the rocket spins. i see why you were confused though. your idea would work great in a vacuum with gravity but no air (like the moon) so there would be no drag, but not in atmospheric conditions.

[cbills]

nice water rocket
do you have a web site

[oscarthompson]

Unfortunatly not. You should check out aircommand water rockets though!

Thanks

Oscar

[connoboarder]

i like it!! definately gonna make sumthin like this one

[teenuvibhav]

verry good ilike

[leiamme]

What kind of plumbing coupling?

[famos_amos]

what with the picture?

[rocketman20]

how long will the pressure hold

[Matrix-technician]

Wow, this is amazing! Keep up the good work!

[Kryptonite]

Wow, nice build!

[popscott3]

Cool!

[needfortoast]

What kind of glue should I use

[oscarthompson]

I used bostik soft plastics glue and it works fine for me. Although you can use PL premuim, but this is a bit more expensive and harder to get hold of in the UK, but it may give you better results.

Oscar.

[jason.buckmann]

who cares if he has a copyright?!?!? this is a great instructable that i used to spend a few hours with my daughter AND an instructional speech for my speech class. but the instructions you put on here were clear and easy to read. and i researched the launcher online for several hours and i believe this to be the best one.

i used the 2 bottle design and i used gorilla glue (which is stronger than hot glue). the thing reached 15 to 20 feet in the air and the reason for this failure was my choice of glue. the glue expanded like it is designed to BUT this glue is not a good adhesive for the plastic in the bottles.

i can see the potential if i just follow instructions (this was a problem for me growing up). i always think i can improve the process, but once again i am wrong. but my daughter had an awesome time, i had a great time, and we got the whole family together for the launch so the project was still an overall success. i will be building bigger and better in the near future.

thanks for the great instructable oscarthompson!

[chbue070780]

I used to make make water rockets when I was a kid.  All I ever used was a 2 liter bottle, duct tape, and the valve stem from a tire.  Drill a hole just slightly smaller than the valve stem in the plastic lid and jam the sucker through it as far as you can, wrap the bottle with duct tape (just one layer is fine) - this is a "better safe than sorry kinda thing" -  never had one blow up.  Fill the bottle about 1/5 of the way with water, use a hand pump or air compressor to add about 45 psi, turn upside down and unscrew the lid.  Mine usually went above 100 feet easy, of course I used a bit more pressure.  ;)

[oscarthompson]

Thanks, you made my day !

[TSC]

I'm gus this does not go high   it looks to big to go high!!! But any way sweet!!! 5stars!!!!!!!!

[Lowney]

Can we see a video of your big rocket?

[max0506]

what do you mean with rubber bung in the part list of step 10

[oscarthompson]

rubber bungs like the ones in wine bottle's but rubber. Type it in to google images

Thanks
Oscar

[max0506]

I see thanx

[juanpedro132]

i like the idea but i don't konw anything.
How can i do for fill the boosters?
do i have to put their a valvle each?
and are the boosters gonig to fall down?
if yeah how will i do it ?
thanks for the  ideas.

[oscarthompson]

You can fill the boosters by putting the water in the top of the bottle. The bicycle valave will help prevent leakage.
The boosters will fall down when the thrust of the booster can no longer beat the air resistance thus gravity pulling the booster down.

This can be achieved by making three of the launch mechanism's just on one Pad ( two for boosters one for main)

Oscar

[rhendric]

good so far, but the diagram for this step cannot be viewed properly at the current size, and even when viewed at the right size, it is very hard to understand.

[m_debator]

This is AWESOME!  Its the John Holmes of water bottle rockets.

[gingerlad95]

what is the materials list for this project

[oscarthompson]

Which part of the project?

[gingerlad95]

all of it
we need to know the materials list for everything SO WE CAN DO THE PROJECT...
AND PASS OUR CLASS

[oscarthompson]

First your going to need about 10+, two l bottles to start

For the launcher you will need;

qty part
1 1/2 inch wood (any type)
2 10mm bolts
1 10mm metal drillbit
1 10mm wood drillbit
6 10mm nuts and washers
1 presta bike valve (you can get this from an old inner tube)
1 rubber bung
1 bike pump
2 tent pegs
4 L brackets
1 mending plate
2 nails

For rockets you will need;

corex (corregated plastic)
ducktape
pl premuim or another pressure rated strong adhesive
ping pong balls
1.25 l bottles

For parachute mechanism;

You can use my nose cone drop of deployment or a tomy timer release mechansim avible with the link.

For the tomy timer release mec you will need;

Tomy timer (wind up toy)
plastic or synthetic fabric
string
glue
rubber band(s)

For the staging (which would be advised to be not for biggerners)

22mm pipe
hinges
basla or ply wood
m4 bolts
string
tomy timer or servo

Thats about it, But how long do you have to do this?
And if your just biggening water rockets I would advise you to not do multi stage or drop away booster rockets.

Thanks

Oscar