Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launchers

Discussions about rockets, construction materials, adhesives, nozzles, nosecones and fin design.
Graveyard
Advanced Member
Advanced Member
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:40 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by Graveyard »

Nice looking couplings for the release mech. I've built some bottle couplings that has a 1/2" thru hole. They're not releases, just couplings. I place a garden hose washer between the bottle bottoms and torque them up.
User avatar
Tim Chen
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 871
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:44 am

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by Tim Chen »

Graveyard wrote:Nice looking couplings for the release mech. I've built some bottle couplings that has a 1/2" thru hole. They're not releases, just couplings. I place a garden hose washer between the bottle bottoms and torque them up.
Our first launcher was like this. We took one of those pink colored washers out of a garden hose and pushed it over the pipe and used the spring action of the cable ties to pull the bottle into the washer and seal it. It actually worked really well.
Tim Chen
Captain, Team Enterprise
User avatar
andicirk
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:20 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by andicirk »

ive just noticed the cable tie launcher "o" ring solution , what sort of pressure does it hold before it leaks ( if it does at all) i know with using teflon thread tape i can get up to 9.5 bar ( limit of my present pump) and no leaks atm , but with wear and tear its a royal pain in the butt, renewing the tape , bending the cable ties back and retaping with your spare hand( foot) etc

on the same subject is there a tidy way to attach the cable ties so they dont look like a road kill?
User avatar
U.S. Water Rockets1
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 1778
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:24 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

andicirk wrote:ive just noticed the cable tie launcher "o" ring solution , what sort of pressure does it hold before it leaks ( if it does at all) i know with using teflon thread tape i can get up to 9.5 bar ( limit of my present pump) and no leaks atm , but with wear and tear its a royal pain in the butt, renewing the tape , bending the cable ties back and retaping with your spare hand( foot) etc

on the same subject is there a tidy way to attach the cable ties so they dont look like a road kill?
Andicirk, we have not tested it to failure of the O-rings so we do not know the answer to your question. In theory it will hold as much as the PVC pipe can withstand before bursting or as much as the bottle neck can hold before it stretches out. Usually if used with a cable tie launcher it will stretch or break the ties well before the limit of the O-rings is reached.
Team U.S. Water Rockets
Visit USWaterRockets.com
Visit our Blog
Tune in to our YouTube Channel
Visit our Facebook page
Visit our Twitter Page
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. --Thomas Edison
JohnC
New Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:02 am

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by JohnC »

US Water Rockets,

Where did you get 3/8" pipe? I can't find any pipe that fits snuggly into the 1/2" pipe of my launcher. Is the 3/8" pipe an 'off-the-shelf'-type item?

Thanks,
John
User avatar
andicirk
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:20 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by andicirk »

ive been confused by a lot of the numbers given here , i undestaznd the imperial system and can roughly translate it into metrivc ie 3/8" is 9.6mm but i asume that if you say 3/8 pipe this refers to the internal dimmensions, not its external dimensions ........
User avatar
Team Seneca
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 242
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:40 am

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by Team Seneca »

andicirk wrote:ive been confused by a lot of the numbers given here , i undestaznd the imperial system and can roughly translate it into metrivc ie 3/8" is 9.6mm but i asume that if you say 3/8 pipe this refers to the internal dimmensions, not its external dimensions ........
I don't know how they measure it everywhere but in the USA they call out the diameter of pipe by the inside diameter. When I make a launcher, I use 1/2 inch PVC pipe. This fits exactly inside the opening of a bottle which is about 7/8 inches across. That makes the will thickness of the pipe about 3/16.

3/16 (wall)
+ 8/16 (1/2 inch inside diameter)
+ 3/16 (other wall)
= 14/16 = 7/8 total.

Do they measure metric pipe by outside diameter???
Bill W.
Team Seneca
User avatar
U.S. Water Rockets1
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 1778
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:24 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

JohnC wrote:US Water Rockets,

Where did you get 3/8" pipe? I can't find any pipe that fits snuggly into the 1/2" pipe of my launcher. Is the 3/8" pipe an 'off-the-shelf'-type item?

Thanks,
John
It's a standard shelf item at Home Depot and Lowes home stores. The 3/8" pipe is in the same aisle as the PVC pipe. It's made of a slightly different compound known as "CPVC" which has additives that allow it to be used with hot water. Some locations may have local restrictions on the use of CPVC pipe so that may be why it is not in your local hardware store.
Team U.S. Water Rockets
Visit USWaterRockets.com
Visit our Blog
Tune in to our YouTube Channel
Visit our Facebook page
Visit our Twitter Page
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. --Thomas Edison
User avatar
Alex
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:54 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by Alex »

U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:
JohnC wrote:US Water Rockets,

Where did you get 3/8" pipe? I can't find any pipe that fits snuggly into the 1/2" pipe of my launcher. Is the 3/8" pipe an 'off-the-shelf'-type item?

Thanks,
John
It's a standard shelf item at Home Depot and Lowes home stores. The 3/8" pipe is in the same aisle as the PVC pipe. It's made of a slightly different compound known as "CPVC" which has additives that allow it to be used with hot water. Some locations may have local restrictions on the use of CPVC pipe so that may be why it is not in your local hardware store.
How do you make rocket go so high? :(
Water Rockets are amazing things, One second there sitting on the launch pad, the next, splattered all over your shirt.
JohnC
New Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:02 am

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by JohnC »

U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:
JohnC wrote:US Water Rockets,

Where did you get 3/8" pipe? I can't find any pipe that fits snuggly into the 1/2" pipe of my launcher. Is the 3/8" pipe an 'off-the-shelf'-type item?

Thanks,
John
It's a standard shelf item at Home Depot and Lowes home stores. The 3/8" pipe is in the same aisle as the PVC pipe. It's made of a slightly different compound known as "CPVC" which has additives that allow it to be used with hot water. Some locations may have local restrictions on the use of CPVC pipe so that may be why it is not in your local hardware store.
Thanks, I'll keep looking. Right now I'm using a 'bulge' in my launch pipe, but not all bottles are exactly the same and I get leakage sometimes. Once I find some 3/8" pipe I'll be in business!
User avatar
U.S. Water Rockets1
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 1778
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:24 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

JohnC wrote:
U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:
JohnC wrote:US Water Rockets,

Where did you get 3/8" pipe? I can't find any pipe that fits snuggly into the 1/2" pipe of my launcher. Is the 3/8" pipe an 'off-the-shelf'-type item?

Thanks,
John
It's a standard shelf item at Home Depot and Lowes home stores. The 3/8" pipe is in the same aisle as the PVC pipe. It's made of a slightly different compound known as "CPVC" which has additives that allow it to be used with hot water. Some locations may have local restrictions on the use of CPVC pipe so that may be why it is not in your local hardware store.
Thanks, I'll keep looking. Right now I'm using a 'bulge' in my launch pipe, but not all bottles are exactly the same and I get leakage sometimes. Once I find some 3/8" pipe I'll be in business!
When you get the o-ring working, you will not go back to any other setup. The o-ring launcher will easily hold more pressure without any leaks than the bottle can sustain without bursting. It will hold it for a long time as well. Years ago we had a reinforced bottle hold 250PSI overnight and it only lost 2 PSI and that may have been leaking at the valve and not the o-ring!
Team U.S. Water Rockets
Visit USWaterRockets.com
Visit our Blog
Tune in to our YouTube Channel
Visit our Facebook page
Visit our Twitter Page
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. --Thomas Edison
JohnC
New Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:02 am

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by JohnC »

I haven't been able to find any 3/8" pipe. Maybe it is a regional thing. I live near Atlanta. I'm driving to Ohio during the holidays, I'll look for it when I'm up there. Cross your fingers for me!
JohnC
New Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:02 am

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by JohnC »

US Water Rockets,

Galway, NY sounded familiar to me and I finally looked up where it is. I lived in Ballston Spa for a short time while I was in the Navy. It was a nice place to live. Very snowy, but nice.
User avatar
U.S. Water Rockets1
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 1778
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:24 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

JohnC wrote:US Water Rockets,

Galway, NY sounded familiar to me and I finally looked up where it is. I lived in Ballston Spa for a short time while I was in the Navy. It was a nice place to live. Very snowy, but nice.
Howdy (Former) Neighbor!!!

You are correct! Ballston Spa is just a stone's throw from our main launch site. You must have been stationed there for the Nuclear Base in Wilton? You can actually see the base in many of our rocket aerial videos. Yes, we do get a lot of snow here. We have quite a bit of it already. A few days ago we had a horrible ice storm which really made a mess of things around here. If you want to see some photos of the storm we posted some to our group at http://www.uswaterrockets.com/journal/item/130

Nice to meet you!
Team U.S. Water Rockets
Visit USWaterRockets.com
Visit our Blog
Tune in to our YouTube Channel
Visit our Facebook page
Visit our Twitter Page
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. --Thomas Edison
team-helder
Advanced Member
Advanced Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:44 pm

Re: Simple method for adding O-Ring to Clark Cable Tie Launc

Post by team-helder »

nice and good website
water rockets are fun what i mean with fun wen u put some foam in it and let ur dad leanch it right next to it !