Water Rocket Bottle Splicing Tutorial

Splicing bottles allows you to build bigger water rockets. This tutorial demonstrates how to splice 2L bottles. For more details see:
www.AirCommandRockets.com/cons...

[@dericcchen40]

wow. my friends were so impressed by the rocket. thanks for the splicing tutorial! it helped me a lot.

[@YknotLearnall]

A quick thank you to and the Air Command Rockets site for the tutorial. The hot water dip to shrink the bottle evenly to make a slip joint a pretty slick idea. Again thank you. I always enjoy learning something new. - chase -

[@AirCommandRockets]

Thanks but we can't take credit for that idea. That had been done for many years by water rocket pioneers. :)

[@007-Bond]

Very professional filming and explaining. Awesome video.

[@rms59]

This was a well done and informative video and I want to say thanks for that. I will be building my first rocket using this method.

[@gk123434534]

Great, go for it! The more tutorials that are out there the better. :)

[@siddharthrm6385]

Oi , instead of using tape , will it be better if I use silicon .

[@MrTomcarnahan]

Thanks for the advice ... I know I can always count on you for good info!

[@gk123434534]

It helps to strengthen the edge as well as making the bottle nice and round at the cut. Without the curl you'll find that the cut bottle is a little wavy and uneven. The rounded shape also helps with forcing the glue into the join as you press the two halves together.

[@Dontcopit]

Force is measured in Newtons. Pressure is measured in the following: mm Hg (Millimetres of Mercury), in Hg (inches of Mercury), PSI, Bars, and Pascals/Kilo Pascals.....not sure of any more. In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a certain change, either concerning its movement, direction, or geometrical construction. In other words, a force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate, or a flexible object to deform, or both. Force can also be described by intuitive concepts such as a push or a pull. A force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity. It is measured in the SI unit of newtons and represented by the symbol F. The original form of Newton's second law states that the net force acting upon an object is equal to the rate at which its momentum changes with time. If the mass of the object is constant, this law implies that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the object, is in the direction of the net force, and is inversely proportional to the mass of the object. As a formula, this is expressed as: F=ma (Remember it is a vector as stated below, hence direction must follow the value) where the arrows imply a vector quantity possessing both magnitude and direction. Related concepts to force include: thrust, which increases the velocity of an object; drag, which decreases the velocity of an object; and torque which produces changes in rotational speed of an object. In an extended body, each part usually applies forces on the adjacent parts; the distribution of such forces through the body is the so-called mechanical stress. Pressure is a simple type of stress. Stress usually causes deformation of solid materials, or flow in fluids. The SI unit of force is the newton (symbol N), which is the force required to accelerate a one kilogram mass at a rate of one meter per second squared, or kg·m·s−2.[46] The corresponding CGS unit is the dyne, the force required to accelerate a one gram mass by one centimeter per second squared, or g·cm·s−2. A newton is thus equal to 100,000 dynes. The gravitational foot-pound-second English unit of force is the pound-force (lbf), defined as the force exerted by gravity on a pound-mass in the standard gravitational field of 9.80665 m·s−2.[46] The pound-force provides an alternative unit of mass: one slug is the mass that will accelerate by one foot per second squared when acted on by one pound-force.[46] An alternative unit of force in a different foot-pound-second system, the absolute fps system, is the poundal, defined as the force required to accelerate a one pound mass at a rate of one foot per second squared.[46] The units of slug and poundal are designed to avoid a constant of proportionality in Newton's Second Law. The pound-force has a metric counterpart, less commonly used than the newton: the kilogram-force (kgf) (sometimes kilopond), is the force exerted by standard gravity on one kilogram of mass.[46] The kilogram-force leads to an alternate, but rarely used unit of mass: the metric slug (sometimes mug or hyl) is that mass which accelerates at 1 m·s−2 when subjected to a force of 1 kgf. The kilogram-force is not a part of the modern SI system, and is generally deprecated; however it still sees use for some purposes as expressing jet thrust, bicycle spoke tension, torque wrench settings and engine output torque. Other arcane units of force include the sthène which is equivalent to 1000 N and the kip which is equivalent to 1000 lbf. Pressure (symbol: P or p) is the ratio of force to the area over which that force is distributed. Pressure is force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure (also spelled gage pressure)[a] is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure. Pressure is measured in any unit of force divided by any unit of area. The SI unit of pressure is the newton per square metre, which is called the pascal (Pa) after the seventeenth-century philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal. A pressure of 1 Pa is small; it approximately equals the pressure exerted by a dollar bill resting flat on a table. Everyday pressures are often stated in kilopascals (1 kPa = 1000 Pa).

[@gk123434534]

@MrTomcarnahan I always use a thick nail that I insert into the cartridge nozzle. The diameter of the nail is slightly bigger than the hole I make in the nozzle, so that when you force it in it seals around the edges. You normally have to use pliers to remove it again, but the nail leaves a nice channel inside the nozzle for the PL to come out.

[@gk123434534]

Yes you can. We found that because the PL bubbles when it cures and becomes a little porous. We've had a few leaks with the 2L bottles when using PL premium only and so we started using the sikaflex as a sealant and haven't had a single leak since then. Even though the PL leaked it always held the splice together.

[@KoN312]

Very clear instructions! Good Tut!

[@gk123434534]

We use Sikaflex 11FC as the sealant and PL premium as the glue that actually holds the splice together. PL can be porous, and so we use the Sikaflex to prevent leaks.

[@gk123434534]

@MrTomcarnahan Hi Tom, going beyond 4 couplings makes the rocket quite long and starts to be too flexible. Unless you use fiberglass for the bottles and fairings then you could probably do a couple more. The fiberglass provides extra stiffness. Each of these spliced pairs holds about 3.15L. How much water to add depends on a number of factors but 1/4 to 1/3 is about right. As long as the coupling has a larger diameter than the nozzle then you can pass water through them.

Very good tutorial! :)

[@Basrockets]

Very nice tutorial !

[@gk123434534]

Generally it's only been available in the US. Most hardware stores carry it there. Have you tried looking on-line to see if they will deliver it? If you can't get a hold of PL, try looking for any other Polyurethane based glue as these are the best glues to use on PET. But you would need to test the strength yourself.

[@gk123434534]

@MrTomcarnahan The fairing is just made of two bottle sections that overlap about 1cm. You don't need a lot of PL for this. I assemble them on a cardboard tube to keep them aligned. The length I worked out by trial and error. I just kept cutting sections off until it was the right size. We have different lengths depending on type of bottles and whether they have reinforcing or not. You want the fairing to be tight when you tighten the bottles in the coupling.

[@ruisimoes4337]

thanks for the video! I love rockets and I'll try to make one

[@gk123434534]

Are you asking about which glue we use? We use PL premium to hold the bottles together. The sikaflex is only a sealant and doesn't really provide much strength. PL is about 3 times stronger than PL. Search for PL premium construction adhesive on line to find a source for it. What glue did you use?

[@gk123434534]

@promethium144 PL is not available in Oz and needs to be imported from the US. It only costs about $5 per tube. If you have friends or family in the US you could try asking them to send you some. You may be also able to find online stores that will ship it to you.

[@ramicaza]

great tutoriol im using it right now !

[@gk123434534]

Good question. The tape is used as a masking tape to make the splice look neater when finished otherwise you get the glue all over the bottle and it is difficult to remove.

[@Dontcopit]

And I was just going to use some gaffa tape lol ! Thank you for that its an excellent tutorial. Where do you get the couplers from ??? I think you called them "Tornado" or something like that?

[@christl301]

Wow that was really cool, I wouldn't be surprised if this guy helped build the Space Shuttle.

[@gk123434534]

Hi, We use both commercial tornado tubes bought from CoolThings Australia (can't post link here) and ones we make ourselves from 3/4" BSP irrigation connectors. The BSP ones are used on the higher pressure rockets, and the commercial ones on the lower pressure rockets.

[@JacobWard101]

is it just me or is this guy a perfectionist

[@gk123434534]

@pudresful For these particular bottles, the unreinforced one is 102grams and the one with the reinforcing is 136 grams. The capacity is around 3.15 L.

[@46danz]

I hope nasa’s watching this,that’s a serious glue job

[@gk123434534]

@thunderrockets The commercial tornado tube threads match standard PET soda bottles, as that is what they are designed for.

[@gk123434534]

Thanks. :) Yes we have tried a Sikaflex only splice but it burst at around 80psi IIRC. This means you could only use it for launch pressures of perhaps 50psi. Sikaflex is just too soft. PL premium is 3 x stronger than Sikaflex 11FC. if you can get your hands on PL it will be worth your while. Wear gloves when handling it as it is very difficult to get off skin.

[@dominicbaglione8691]

Are there any tutorials that just teach you how to make one of those long rockets??

[@gk123434534]

Psi stands for pounds per square inch. The units are essentially force applied to an area. (in this case force measured in pounds and the area being a square inch) F=ma only refers to the force. A pressure gauge is used to measure pressure in psi.

[@gk123434534]

We do fly regular MPR as well, but water rockets present a different challenge. They are also have a much lower cost per launch. :)

[@gk123434534]

Loctite has a huge selection of glues. Did you have a specific one in mind?

[@gk123434534]

@AnCRockets What glue are you using? With PL premium cure time is very dependent on atmospheric humidity. We live in fairly humid conditions so after 5 days our splices are pretty much as strong as they can be. With these splices the bottle bursts before the splice does.

[@trantrongphuc1546]

that very very nice, i like it, thankyou so much

[@gk123434534]

@thunderrockets Oh okay. I'm not sure what the thread is, as it is unique to bottles. It's a non-standard thread, and is why you can't find components to fit. You can't easily get taps or dies for this thread either.

[@yellowboxofdeath]

George have you made spliced bottles completely by Sikaflex - 11 FC,or should i try and get some of the PL Premium.thanks for the great videos

[@gk123434534]

@bobilol24 Did the bottle explode or did the splice fail? How long did you let the glue cure?

[@slugfest9685]

Wow! Now I can make some neat rockets that go almost as high as some of my 1700 foot launches! You are very skilled at water rockets, try actual model rockets though. not very expensive, 1700 foot launches.

[@gk123434534]

@bobilol24 It's called a tornado coupling or tornado tube. You can buy these for a few dollars on line.

[@MrTomcarnahan]

George ... maybe I missed it but I thought somewhere you mentioned how you keep PL Premium from hardening in the nozzle. I used my tube of PL Premium once, covered the tip with aluminum foil using a rubber band to keep it tight. When I came back a month later, the PL Premium had formed a rock hard plug in the nozzle that I had to carefully drill out to use the remaining glue. Can you recommend a better way so that the glue does not harden in the tip?

[@Oli4vn]

Is it suitable when you only use sikaflex even for the last step?

[@gk123434534]

You could try alternatives like Tornado tubes or Robinson couplings.

[@mitz0001]

Thanks for this George, its a great tutorial, very clean and easy to follow. I’ve been doing a bit of research into glues readily available in the UK that are polyurethane based, Sika do one called ebt+ have you come across it? It’s very elastic, like a silicone but seems to have good adhesion. I’ve got a bottle curing so time will tell. Otherwise I’ll be on the hunt for some PL premium!

[@mitz0001]

After a few tests I can confirm sikaflex EBT+ works great here’s our latest rocket kzbin.infoPWY9-Tle0A8?feature=share

[@3dannsiki]

Has been injected into the water and pressure in the rocket that put some water in the tank of the launch pad, pressurize. When a problem occurs, open the pressure switch of the launch pad, from the rocket by decompression To collect the water and pressure.

[@richardray6827]

Thanks very much for all your quality educational videos. Any idea where we can get PL Premiumin Australia?

[@gk123434534]

Master's hardware used to sell in here in Oz, but I don't think they are around anymore. I would just order it through e-bay or Amazon. The brandname is Locktite these days, but it is the same adhesive.

[@zeeleo1ify]

well thanks alot :) i will search for it in all hardware shops and also on Internet :) Thanku so much .. i will contact later if i would find any difficulty in making this rocket :)

[@jlions72]

Question ,what did you use to to join the completed set of 2 bottles together you screwed them together what did you use please ?...I did not get that part ...thanks

[@gk123434534]

Ha ha good spotting. :) All filmed on the same day with one spliced bottle prepared a day earlier.

[@MrTomcarnahan]

George -- disregard my comment on your other spliceing video and thanks for making this one. You have made a 2 bottle pair that connects to another 2 bottle pair using a Tornado Tube. Have you found a practical limit to how many pairs you can connect in this fashion? With a 2 bottle/2bottle section (total 8 liters), how much water is practical (1/3 of the total or ~ 2.5 liters of water)? Do you want to have the water go higher than the the T-tube connection?

[@daftrucktwaalf3639]

do you really need tornado couplings or you just can splicing it all the way

[@gk123434534]

The sikaflex here is used as a seal, so pretty much any equivalent polyurethane based glue that doesn't bubble should be fine. If you are using PL premium you may be able to get away with just that instead of using the two glues. Where we live it is humid and the PL bubbles while it cures which makes some splices leak slightly. Hence why we are using the sikaflex which doesn't bubble as the seal.

[@fathkalaidji]

can I make a similar tutorial in spanish. A and very good tuto it helped me alot

[@gk123434534]

@annoo4 We get the bottles from the shop but also friends and family give them to us when they are done. They know which bottles to buy. :)

[@sun5534]

Instead of using the tube connector do you think I would be able to just cut the nozzle like top and connect them with the glue

[@MrTomcarnahan]

George ... at 14:26, you show a fairing that goes between the two spliced pairs. I tried that using the longest section of a single 2L bottle and it was not long enough. In the video, it looked like you spliced two sections together for the fairing. Could give some more detail on how you did that and what measurement you used to determine the final length of the fairing? Thanks!

[@PaulGreggBYRC]

I'm wondering if acetone wipe, then wipe off in one direction with dry cloth might be a better surface preparation than sanding. Adhesive bonds are chemical, not mechanical, bonds. The surfaces must be free of oil or any other contaminant, to avoid weak layers in the bond. I'm not sure the surface needs to be rough as much as it needs to be clean. I know in aerospace bonding, sanding is seen as more operator-dependent than acetone wipe, because different people will sand differently. I also think it's recommended you solvent clean after sanding. But whatever works, I guess.

[@gk123434534]

I believe sanding to some extent also cleans the surface exposing fresh materia underneath. I'd imagine it also creates a greater surface area for the glue to bond with. We only sandy it fairly lightly as we don't want to weaken the plastic too much. But I agree solvent cleaning after sanding can only help.

[@CocoAlvarezsantyjuan]

muy buenos sus tutoriales. Nos gustaría saber como se llama el pegamento o adhesivo que usa para pegar las botellas.Le agradeceríamos que nos contestara.Saludos desde Rio Negro Patagonia Argentina.

[@mateocontenla5916]

El adhesivo que utilizan se llama PL Premium fabricado actualmente por Loctite

[@add111497]

Ok I'll try that Thanks!

[@fatpeople249er]

Hey gorge I just thought of what would happen if u made the tornado coupler by to bottle caps and u weld them to gather then drill the insides out in please try this

[@ignacioburgos7524]

amigo, admiro mucho lo que haces, SE PUEDE UTILIZAR UN TAPAGOTERAS SELLADOR BUTILICO ?

[@bbwillii]

why do use the tape, is it primarily for strengthening purposes or as a marker? Thanks

[@tonystack7572]

This bottle can withstand several atmospheres

[@tonystack7572]

？？？

[@gk123434534]

We bought ours from CoolThings Australia. There are lots of them available on line from different suppliers. Just google for "Tornado Tube" and you'll find them.

[@gk123434534]

@fatpeople249er This indeed has been tried before. Dan from British Water Rockets has had some good success heat welding the caps together to make Tornado tubes.

[@fumcpi]

What is the purpose of curling the edge of one of the bottles? Is it for cosmetic purposes or is there another reason?

[@bbwillii]

where did you get the orange tornado tubes from??

[@gk123434534]

That is a commercially available "tornado tube" they usually cost a couple of dollars.

[@thunderrockets930]

What is the size of the threads in the tornado coupling?

[@add111497]

What is a substitute for sikaflex? I can't find the stuff anywhere!

[@sam80036]

I ask you a question what is the red one??

[@MoritzSimon03]

With how many psi can the tornado tubes handle?

[@autumngamboa1762]

Thank u for the vid I am now going to make one (wish me luck)

[@MrTomcarnahan]

@sethdenzak I'll have to give that a try ... thanks!

[@gk123434534]

Sikaflex by itself isn't very strong at all. The splice would fail at perhaps 50-60psi. We only use it as a seal because PL premium (which holds the splice together) can be porous.

[@sun5534]

Can you give me a link to the binning website what the pl premium

[@charliethomlinson944]

What are the names of the two glues that you use?

[@supremeAFA]

how do you measure psi ,because i only know how to calculate newtons or force by f=ma

[@markymarco2570]

Can you please use it as a roof lamp for us to see?

[@peroperic23]

whether the exchange can use sanitary silicone

[@airtrifle]

where do you get a tornado tube

[@zeeleo1ify]

can u please tell me the exact name of the material which u r using here for joining the two bottles? and please tell me from which kind of shop i will get it ... like somewhere from the mechanic shop or from an electric shop?? please tell me m really upset i have made 4 bottle rocket with hardwork n spend 4 days on it and at the end it burst while experiment it did'nt bear even 40psi pressure :(

[@ctk.academy]

handy man...so good

[@ThePremiumsmore]

Hey just asking do you have a tutorial on how to MAKE a rocket

[@gk123434534]

The splice will hold more than the burst pressure of the bottle. ~180psi

[@istvanfrank9201]

Would be working with pattex epoxy glue ?!

[@gk123434534]

We've tested them to 270psi without them breaking, but not sure what the max pressure is. I wouldn't recommend using them above about 220-230psi.

[@carlosbuitrago6819]

And what other type of glue can I use?

[@gk123434534]

@Abalancedproduction They are available commercially. Search for "Tornado Tube".

[@MrGeemonty]

can i use googone to remove the label adhesive?

[@pudresful]

how much this one two side bottle weights?

[@thunderrockets930]

@aircommand waterrockets, Actually what i meant was the size , like 1/4" 3/8" or something like that

[@erikw789]

where do you get PET bottles?Please answer me soon.

[@bobilol24]

wath piece do you take to screw your bottle to an other

[@juhorasimus00]

A HELPFULL ADVICE FOR ALL!!!!! Dont try to do this splicing with the epoxy glue! I tried it and it worked as long as I added pressure into the bottle. Becouse dried epoxy is very hard and not flexable at all, it broke when the bottle changed its shape while adding pressure. So then there was a huge explosion in my garage when these two bottles came separate again. I write this here, so you other can bee wiser than me.

[@gk123434534]

I agree, Epoxy is not an ideal glue for splicing as it can crack. The more flexible polyurethane based glues work the best.

[@ReptigloRand]

Can you use all PL premium?

[@promethium144]

Where do you get your PL Premium in Aus??

[@nanotechx]

Can you please tell me any alternative for pl premium polyurethane construction adhesive? Do you know any similar material in Sika brand?

[@georgekatz6416]

Sorry. I haven't yet come across any other glue that is as good as PL premium.

[@nanotechx]

Hi finally i have found PL premium now but again another problem I don't find Sikaflex 11fc can you please suggest an alternative for that? Please.

[@gk123434534]

@bobilol24 Sorry, I thought before you said you used PL premium. You need to give the splice at least a full week to cure. 1 day is not enough.

[@airtrifle]

where do you get a tornado tube 14:23