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Party store treasures!

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:21 pm
by Braaainz
I had to go to the local party store for some balloon animal balloons and browsed around. Here are some of the things I found

1. Tommy timers! $1.95. I am now awash (sorry-water rocket related pun) with em.

2. Small plastic toy telescopes that just happen to just barely fit into a full bore nozzle. With a washer, I think they might make for a good t-nozzle.

3. Plastic astronauts and plastic figures with parachutes. Thought they'd make for a fun release at apogee.

4. Tornado tubes, I called several local toy stores, including the science related toy shops without finding a good supplier. Party store, who knew?

5. Balloon whistle. I'm curious if anyone has used these. They are small plastic tubes (diameter smaller than full bore nozzle) with a propeller/noise maker inside. If I can fit it into a t-nozzle or second stage, I wonder what it would sound like... and if it would still be able to push out enough air for a good sustained release.

6. Ooga horn. It's basically a two piece plastic horn. The horn, and plastic squeeze bulb. The squeeze bulb looks like it might make for a great 1-liter nosecone. Artistic and squishy.

7. Plastic magic wand. I'm hoping the diameter is the right size to use for a crushing sleeve staging device.

Re: Party store treasures!

Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:41 pm
by anachronist
The balloon whistle will restrict the airflow to the point where you get almost no thrust. If you blow it with your mouth, it seems to offer disproportionately more resistance with pressure.

I always wondered what the point of a T nozzle would be. It just adds weight and provides less thrust. The only benefit I can see is the cool-looking longer burn, but that doesn't translate into higher altitude. My simulations suggest that the optimal nozzle size is the diameter of the rocket, basically a plug of water that gets ejected all at once.