An alcohol powered bottle rocket is super fun. Its relatively safe compared to black powder fired bottle rockets and is legal to possess in most countries and cities. And unlike is black power cousins, it its almost infinitely reusable and costs a whole lot less to make.

Step 1: Watch the Video

Before you make this Intructable, take a minute to watch out tutorial video on the making the bottle rocket! Sometimes video makes all the difference when it comes to understanding a key concept.

Once you're finished, head on over to step 2!

Step 2: Acquire the Items

You should be able to acquire all of these items from your local home improvement or big box store. The one exception being the alcohol. You can get Isopropyl alcohol at any convenience store or drug store. It is not drinkable by humans as it has been denatured and is therefore not taxed like regular alcohol.

Item List:
2 6″ pieces of 1/2″ PVC pipe
1 1/2″ PVC coupler
1 BBQ Igniter
1 70% or 91% rubbing alcohol
1 Water Bottle (we prefer The Geek Pub brand!)

Step 3: Assemble the Launchpad

The launchpad is super easy to assemble. Simply connect the two sections of 1/2" PVC pipe using the PVC coupler. No glue is needed, just a nice tight fit will be fine.

Step 4: Install the Igniter

Measure out the leads on the BBQ igniter and cut it down to size. It probably came 24" long, and we're only going to need somewhere around 12" to 13" of it. You want it to protrude from the end of the launchpad by about 1/8" to 1/4".

Strip about 1/8" of insulation off of the ends of these lead wires.

When you press the BBQ igniter, a small spark should arc across the leads where you stripped it away.

Step 5: The Launchpad Is Finished

Thats all there is to making the launch pad. Now let's launch a bottle rocket! Head on over to the next step!

Step 6: Add Alcohol to the Bottle

Add a few drops of alcohol into the empty water bottle.

Shake the water bottle vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds. The goal being to atomize the alcohol and mix it with the air in the bottle.

Pour any alcohol still standing back into the store bought bottle.

Step 7: Insert the Launchpad and Press the Trigger

Quickly, before the alcohol has a chance to de-atomize, insert the launchpad into the bottle, aim it and pull the trigger.

The bottle should fly between 10 and 50 feet depending on how well you mixed the fuel.

Well I hope you loved this project as much I loved making it! If you liked it, please follow me here on Instructables, and subscribe to my channel on YouTube at YouTube.com/c/TheGeekPub.

You can also follow me on my website The Geek Pub!