OOPS...

There are things you simply shouldn't do in this sport.  One of them is pressurizing indoors.  My brother-in-law says "Hey, let me use your launch stand for a pressure test..."  "In the garage?", I say.  "Yea... nothing's going to happen." he says.   I send the children from the garage.... (mama didn't raise no dummy...)

It held pressure right up to the moment that it didn't. (meaning, you can never be certain about what's  going to happen).  Like a gun, it may be best to always treat a rocket on the stand like "it's loaded".  Unlike unmodified 2 liter bottles, rockets made from flourescent tube covers need extensive work to make them usable, and if a tube can poke neatly through sheet rock, think about what it might do to a person.  Play safe, guys.

My first clue that it was going to give was when the rocket started leaning over while still on the launch stand...  the bottle neck that was "PL'd" (PL Premium adhisive) into the light tube was getting loose.  The cause?  PL Premium, when applied in any substantial thickness will take DAYS to set, and days more to fully harden.  Even though this bottle neck was PL'd a couple days before, later inspection found that the center of the adhesive was still VERY soft.

I have NOT had good luck with PL Premium, partly because I don't like to wait days and days for it to harden.

Don't try this at home

Straight up, and neatly through the sheet rock.  The soft remains of the PL Premium can still be seen at the base of the tube.

Rusty says... "Hey,  here's an idea... let's use kerosene instead of water in the rocket!  It should pump up fine... we could light it on the way up as it sprays out, and it would look like a real rocket!  It's practically a swamp at the launch site... no way we could start a fire...  it would be cool!"

"Fine," I say, "you hold the lighter you idiot... I'll stand back, take the picture and watch you kill yourself.".    "Mike, you worry too much...."  he says.  He doesn't plan on his rocket tipping as it leaves the launch tube... but of course it does...

A moment after this, the flames reach down and ignite the spray that landed on him.

So I roll Rusty around in the mud for awhile to put him out... he looks like a fool without eyebrows... but at least he can see.  If you try this, YOU DESERVE TO DIE, and have NO BUSINESS living with the rest of humanity. (Also, after looking at what was left of his rocket after I stomped out the flames, it appears that kerosene melts flourescent tube covers... just one more reason not to do this.)

The rocket was stuck on the launch tube and Rusty gave it a little assist and got drenched as his reward.