Who knew a piece of aluminum foil and a box of matches could be turned into the ultimate desktop weapon? These rockets may be tiny, but they are impressively powerful, leave a cool trail of smoke, and are powered by a single match head!
02
MATCHBOX ROCKET
SAFETY KEY:
+ Fire + Safety gloves + Adult supervision advised
WARNING:
Although these rockets are only fueled by one match head, they do get hot enough to burn fingers and leave scorch marks in carpets.
SKILL LEVEL:
EASY
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
APPROXIMATE TIME:
1 hour
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
+ Box of wooden matches
+ Package of wooden skewers, approx. 10 inches inches
+ Aluminum foil
+ Aluminum foil tape
+ Tealight candle
+ Empty cereal box
+ Pliers
+ Scissors
LET’S BEGIN
PREPARING YOUR KIT
1. With a pair of scissors cut the heads off a bundle of matches.
2. Using the template below, transfer the marks from the diagram onto the skewer (it should be about half its original size and fit the length of the matchbox almost exactly). Carefully cut the skewer to length.
BAMBOO SKEWER
3. Tape the body template (here) to a piece of paperboard that you can cut from the cereal box. This will be your stencil, so cut the edges out as cleanly as possible.
4. Use the utility knife to cut out the little square on the template (here). Before using the template, make sure that its length and width are the size of your matchbox. Trace the square onto a strip of aluminum tape. Each will make one set of rocket fins, so make as many as you’d like.
5. Once cut out, fold them “point to point” in both directions. Pinch them at the base and push your fingers together, so that when you crease them down it looks like a little X-wing. Snip off the point.
PRO TIP: Store your match heads and rocket fins in a homemade soda cap container (see chapter 10).
6. Lay a paper towel on top of a sheet of aluminum foil and then carefully fold the stack three times, making it four layers deep and just a bit larger than the cardboard template. Trace the template onto your foil stack and cut it out. This should give you four identical rocket bodies.
HELPFUL HINT: Normally the foil would stick together, but the paper towel solves that problem. With this system, you can cut out dozens of rocket bodies in only a few minutes.
7. Poke a small hole in the top of the matchbox, about half an inch from the end, and you’re done! The template and the skewer were designed to fit perfectly inside the matchbox. Toss in your rocket fins, spare matches and match heads, and tea candle, and you’ve created a portable assembly station that you can take just about anywhere.
ASSEMBLING YOUR ROCKET
LET’S GET TO WORK AND BUILD SOME ROCKETS. THE FINISHED ROCKET IS LIGHT AS A FEATHER, BUT SURPRISINGLY STABLE IN FLIGHT.
1. There are two markings on the template indicating where to place the top of the skewer and the top of the match head. Place a skewer and match head on an aluminum rocket body. Tightly roll the aluminum up, pinching the tube right above the match head at the end. Crimp the tip with a pair of pliers.
2. Attach the rocket fins by peeling off the paper covering the sticky stuff on the back, then pushing the rocket body through the hole in the center. Pinch the four fins until they stick firmly in place near the bottom of the rocket. Slide your rocket off the skewer and you’re almost ready for liftoff!
LAUNCH
1. Load your rocket by pushing the tapered end of the skewer into the aluminum rocket. Twist it upward until the skewer touches the match head inside the rocket.
2. Push the skewer through the hole in the matchbox to create your launchpad.
3. Light the tea candle and position the flame just under the tip of the rocket. The foil will quickly warm until the match head reaches its auto-ignition temperature, at which point—bombs away! Your rocket will shoot off with an impressive amount of speed and power, leaving an awesome smoke trail and traveling up to forty feet!
PRO TIP: The rockets will propel the farthest if they’re launched from a stable base. Any give on the launchpad will absorb some of the energy and the rocket won’t go as far. If you still have problems, make sure your crimp is tight.
As simple as this kit looks, it took over a year of prototyping and playing to finally figure it out. It’s not rocket science … or is it?
ALUMINUM FOIL FOR ROCKET BODY
FUN FACT: In the sixth century, the Chinese are thought to have made a type of match by dipping a pine stick in sulfur and letting it dry.