Introduction: Air Zooka Medium.

Build a homemade version of an air zooka capable of blowing out a candle out from 15+ feet. This design can be easily adapted to larger pails.

Step 1: Gather Materials & Tools

Materials Needed
1 Pail, used here is a Folgers Coffee container (if you've got the cover it may make the last step easier)
2 keychain rings
20" string
a rubberband or two
piece of wire (paperclip)
2 plastic caps
plastic bag
duct tape

Tools
knife
scissors
candle

Step 2: Prep Plastics

do some cutting and melting of the plastics

(ignore this paragraph if you don't have a cover for your container) cut the center out of the folgers cover keeping the sealing ring intact. This will be used to seal the plastic bag, if your bucket doesn't have this option don't worry, just use duct tape as described later on.

Cut the thredding sides off of the milk caps to make flat hard plastic washers. Melt a hole through the center with a wire heated in the candle.

Cut a hole in the center of the bottom of the folgers container. This one's 2" dia. Doesn't really matter how big unless you want to get into the formulas of how much air your chute pushes. Also melt 4 holes around the edge as pictured. Must be just big enough for your string to fit though.

Step 3: Tie the Knot

run the string as pictured. Leave enough slack when you tie the loop so you can pull the center of the loops to the center of the container.

Step 4: Make the Chute

Lay out a sheet of plastic cut from the bag big enough to more than cover the top of the folgers container. Duct tape the two milk cap washers to the center of each side lining up their centers. Push the wire (paperclip) through the middle and wire the keychain loops to each side. Now you've got a finger hold one one side and a place to attach the rubber band on the other.

Step 5: Attach the Rubber Band.

fold the rubber band across the two inside string loops. Put each half of rubberband into the inside keychain loop. If you're smarter than me you'll attach the rubberband to the ring with the ends of the paper clip sticking out so the pointy ends of the wire are not right by your trigger finger but hidden inside the folgers container.

Step 6: Seal the Deal!

Now lay the plastic sheet across the top and put the folgers cover ring back on to hold the plastic in place. If the container you used has no cover simply use a rubber band to hold it in place, cut off the extra plastic sheeting and then duct tape over that rubberband and around the whole edge.

You're done, use it to blow out that candle you were using to heat your plastic melting tool. I blew out a birthday candle from 15ft away and I'm sure it's capable of more if you can aim the darn thing. Fill it with heavy smoke and make smoke rings which make great tracers.

I built one out of a elec meter cover (hard plastic, a little bigger than an ice cream pail) which packs a punch. If it wasn't for the POOF! and the big smile on my face people would have no idea what hit them!