Water Rocket Forum

Hello everyone, I need help with booster attachment. How do you make those tubes and hooks? Image below.

newbrocketeer wrote:Hello everyone, I need help with booster attachment. How do you make those tubes and hooks? Image below.

Didn't that system use dangerous metal coat hangers for hooks? Imagine if that thing exploded on the pad, it could put your eye out!

I am also interested in the best way to attach boosters. I was planning on using the wire & pen tube as the above drawing shows.

Strattocoaster wrote:I am also interested in the best way to attach boosters. I was planning on using the wire & pen tube as the above drawing shows.

A better idea would be to reinforce a wood or plastic dowel with fiberglass which could also be wrapped around the bottle to attach them. (of course the tubes would be reinforced and attached in a similar manner). If I remember correctly teams had problems with the wire hooks cutting through the plastic tubes due to the forces applied by the boosters causing the boosters to "self launch". The wire would simply cut through the plastic tube like a knife.

The use of metal in the construction your rocket would cause your rocket to be ineligible to compete for a world record (I know that some of you aren't interested in competing but as stated in the earlier post, the metal parts can become dangerous projectiles should the rocket explode). Most governments also have laws restricting the use of metal in model rocketry and flying model rockets made from metal being restricted to a few specific launch sites (usually the middle of a desert) and special licenses and training required (such as a NAR high power certification).

U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:

newbrocketeer wrote:Hello everyone, I need help with booster attachment. How do you make those tubes and hooks? Image below

Didn't that system use dangerous metal coat hangers for hooks? Imagine if that thing exploded on the pad, it could put your eye out!

It can't put your eye out if you use 4 mm optical density safety glasses and a thick coat. Are you going to tell me that a piece of shrapnel is going to fly off and actually hit me (30% possibility), hit my eye super small spot (make it 3% possibility) then go through the glasses (1.5% possibility) and then put out my eye (0.75%) possibility). Unlikely to hurt someone but what ever you say since you are supposed to be the "expert" since your rocket is best.

Water Rocket Expert wrote: It can't put your eye out if you use 4 mm optical density safety glasses and a thick coat.

How is that coat going to protect your eye?

arjan wrote:

Water Rocket Expert wrote: It can't put your eye out if you use 4 mm optical density safety glasses and a thick coat.

How is that coat going to protect your eye?

In my first sentence I said that you should where optical density 4mm saftey glasses.

Oh I see what you mean. The coat protects the rest of you torso from grenade shrapnel.

Water Rocket Expert wrote:

U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:

newbrocketeer wrote:Hello everyone, I need help with booster attachment. How do you make those tubes and hooks? Image below.

Didn't that system use dangerous metal coat hangers for hooks? Imagine if that thing exploded on the pad, it could put your eye out!

It can't put your eye out if you use 4 mm optical density safety glasses and a thick coat. Are you going to tell me that a piece of shrapnel is going to fly off and actually hit me (30% possibility), hit my eye super small spot (make it 3% possibility) then go through the glasses (1.5% possibility) and then put out my eye (0.75%) possibility). Unlikely to hurt someone but what ever you say since you are supposed to be the "expert" since your rocket is best.

So, when you talk about your dangerous experiments on the internet and some kid who doesn't have the same protective gear copies you and had a bad accident, will the coat and eye protection be able to protect your conscience (if you have one) and will you be able to sell your coat and eyewear for enough money to pay for a lawyer?

You could just put a warning saying I am not responsible.

Water Rocket Expert wrote:You could just put a warning saying I am not responsible.

Not all choices are honorable.

Just because it is possible to fake an injury so you can claim to be disabled and get a disability check each month instead of getting a job that doesn't mean that it is the right thing to do.

If you're not "expert" enough to figure out how to comply with the rules, you can't expect the rules have to be changed to accommodate you. We've been down this road before.

Oh no I am not saying they should be changed for competitions becaus that is a saftey issue I am just saying for the average person with safty equipment they could use metal parts.

Water Rocket Expert wrote:Oh no I am not saying they should be changed for competitions becaus that is a saftey issue I am just saying for the average person with safty equipment they could use metal parts.

Actually for the "average person" metal parts is not a good idea either. Say you have some kind of accident and the rocket hits a person (bystander). You would be more likely to be sued if your rocket did not comply with the laws of rocketry (materials, weight, etc.) than if your rocket was constructed correctly.

Thinking about this more, why are we having this discussion? Non-metal parts would be better for the "average person" anyways (less expensive and easier to work with). Are you arguing just to argue?

Okay your right I am wrong I just thought coat hangers might be more redily available for most people than other materials but I guess I am wrong. No I am not arguing just to argue I thought I had a valid point.