Rockets - They are one of the most enjoyable pyrotechnic devices. Small lightweight rockets can be made using Black powder, which is used popularly as rocket propellant and is easy to mix. We have explained the basic steps that can follow to make a simple rocket.
First make the black powder mix. Use Potassium Nitrate, Air Float Charcoal,80 Mesh Charcoal, Sulfur in the ratio of 16:6:3:4. This is a optimum mix ratio, grind all the mix into a container and make a fine free flowing powder. Pass it though a mesh preferably 20 Mesh steel mesh.
Take a 4 Oz Engine tube for making the Body of the rocket. Now ram the fine grained black powder mix into the tube up to 80% and a little air room. You can use a 'ram through funnel’, which will make our task easy, the rammed materials inside the body of the rocket should be hard.
Now fill in clay after making it a little moist and fill it in the space where the room for air has been left. Now punch a thin hole in the clay using a thin object, say needle. This is for the fuse. A ready made fuse can be obtained from a firecracker or by coating a cotton string with the same black powder material.
Attach the fuse to the under part of the rocket body through the clay, also make a conical head of paper materials.
Now tape a long stick to the rocket for stability. The rocket is ready now, bury the stick in the sand upright and light the fuse, watch it skyrocket upwards.