DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Hopefully, many of you understand how 2-liter bottle rockets work. If you don't, research them a bit before reading the rest of this post.
If you put the bottom couple inches of another 2-liter bottle on the top of a 1-stage rocket, you can basically create a cradle to launch something into the air. Never do it with anything such as a rock - this would be lethal if it hit someone. Idiots who would do that exhibit disregard for their fellow citizens and belong in jail or someplace safe for the rest of us.
Anyway, I noticed the other day that for launching water balloons this way, you don't even need fins on the rocket - the rocket just quickly tumbles and falls back to the ground, but the water balloon follows a remarkably accurate path (accurate to the direction the 2-liter was aiming.) With a bit of wadding (paper towels) to keep the water balloon centered, you can fire water balloons at a 45 degree angle. At 100psi, this blows away my water balloon slingshot, but it's much slower to load and refire. Warning again: these would HURT - causing serious welts or other injuries, just from a water balloon.
Then, the though occurred: just like those arrays of rockets that the army uses (big rectangular array of rockets), why couldn't I build an array of 2-liter bottles, all pressurized from the same source. Then, with a valve to isolate each one, I could launch them individually or simultaneously. All that's needed is a few dozen zip strips (about 8 per launch nozzle, 1 valve per launch nozzle, some cheap pvc and fittings, and some simple plywood work. Heck, you might even be able to think of something simpler to hold the 2-liter bottles away from touching each other. Load the 2-liter bottle tops with water balloons (and wadding), and suddenly, you'd be able to fire 32 or more waterballoons over the span of just a few seconds.
Warning again: this would just be for the geek's sake of amusement. If you've never been hit by a water balloon from a water balloon slingshot pulled back as far as a normal person can pull, then have someone shoot you this way first. When you recover from the pain, (possible broken ribs, internal organ damage, etc.) you'll realize this isn't a toy. I mulled over for a week now whether I'd post the idea or not, because I don't want some idiot making one and hurting someone with it. Let me say this: you WILL hurt someone, you WILL break windows, you WILL damage property, if you aim this at anyone or a house etc. I WILL be glad to testify against you to get idiots like you off the street if you use this in a dangerous manner. It doesn't matter that it's "just a water balloon" - it's a water balloon moving at a 100 miles per hour. i.e. getting sprayed with a garden hose vs. getting blasted off your feet by a fire hose...
I wish I had some pics of my launchers, but there are a ton on the internet already... just use your imagination. Be careful though - make sure the valves can handle the pressure. The PVC I use is rated to 600psi at room temp. I'd never go over 100 psi with a 2-liter.
If you put the bottom couple inches of another 2-liter bottle on the top of a 1-stage rocket, you can basically create a cradle to launch something into the air. Never do it with anything such as a rock - this would be lethal if it hit someone. Idiots who would do that exhibit disregard for their fellow citizens and belong in jail or someplace safe for the rest of us.
Anyway, I noticed the other day that for launching water balloons this way, you don't even need fins on the rocket - the rocket just quickly tumbles and falls back to the ground, but the water balloon follows a remarkably accurate path (accurate to the direction the 2-liter was aiming.) With a bit of wadding (paper towels) to keep the water balloon centered, you can fire water balloons at a 45 degree angle. At 100psi, this blows away my water balloon slingshot, but it's much slower to load and refire. Warning again: these would HURT - causing serious welts or other injuries, just from a water balloon.
Then, the though occurred: just like those arrays of rockets that the army uses (big rectangular array of rockets), why couldn't I build an array of 2-liter bottles, all pressurized from the same source. Then, with a valve to isolate each one, I could launch them individually or simultaneously. All that's needed is a few dozen zip strips (about 8 per launch nozzle, 1 valve per launch nozzle, some cheap pvc and fittings, and some simple plywood work. Heck, you might even be able to think of something simpler to hold the 2-liter bottles away from touching each other. Load the 2-liter bottle tops with water balloons (and wadding), and suddenly, you'd be able to fire 32 or more waterballoons over the span of just a few seconds.
Warning again: this would just be for the geek's sake of amusement. If you've never been hit by a water balloon from a water balloon slingshot pulled back as far as a normal person can pull, then have someone shoot you this way first. When you recover from the pain, (possible broken ribs, internal organ damage, etc.) you'll realize this isn't a toy. I mulled over for a week now whether I'd post the idea or not, because I don't want some idiot making one and hurting someone with it. Let me say this: you WILL hurt someone, you WILL break windows, you WILL damage property, if you aim this at anyone or a house etc. I WILL be glad to testify against you to get idiots like you off the street if you use this in a dangerous manner. It doesn't matter that it's "just a water balloon" - it's a water balloon moving at a 100 miles per hour. i.e. getting sprayed with a garden hose vs. getting blasted off your feet by a fire hose...
I wish I had some pics of my launchers, but there are a ton on the internet already... just use your imagination. Be careful though - make sure the valves can handle the pressure. The PVC I use is rated to 600psi at room temp. I'd never go over 100 psi with a 2-liter.
