How to Create a Mini Cannon From a Matchbox
Create your own mini cannon with a matchstick and watch it shoot off after it is lit. The following steps will show you how to make this toy weapon and how to shoot the cannon stick.
Instructions
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1
Remove the silver foil paper from a stick of gum.
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2
Cut the foil into a strip approximately 1-inch wide.
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3
Place 2 matchsticks together so that the ends are side by side and the heads of the matches touch.
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4
Create the cannon stick by rolling the piece of foil around the heads of the matchsticks with the paper side on the inside. Wrap it around about 4 times, making sure that it is tightly wrapped.
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5
Set the cannon stick into a small tube or bottle and position the cannon stick at a 5- to 15-degree angle to the ground. The bottle or tube should be short enough that the matchstick can touch the bottom of it with the foild portion of the matchstick halfway out of the top of the container.
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6
Light a match and place the flame under the foil area of the cannon stick while keeping as far away as you can from the cannon stick.
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7
Watch as the cannon stick whooshes away once the foil is lit.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also prop up the cannon stick with something else if you cannot find a bottle or tube small enough to work. Try a medium-size paper binder clip, lay it on the floor and prop your cannon stick on it.
Do not light the cannon stick unless an adult is present and supervising.
Do not attempt to hold the cannon stick in your hand or with your fingers when lighting it, as you could get burned.
