How to Pop a Balloon on a Mouse Trap Car
A mouse trap car uses a deflating balloon to release the spring of the mouse trap so that the wheels can spring and propel the car forward. You can practice your "shooting" eye and pretend to be a saboteur by popping the balloon on the the mouse trap car as it makes its way across the floor. A few household supplies are all that you will need.
Things You'll Need
- Paperclips
- Plastic straw
- Utility knife
- Bonding glue
- Wooden block, 1/2-inch thick
- Hammer
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Nail, 4 inches long
Instructions
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Straighten a paperclip. Insert an end of the paperclip into an end of the plastic straw. Hold the other end of the plastic straw to your lips as if it was a blow-gun. Have an assistant blow up the balloon attached to the mouse trap car, place it on the floor and release it. Blow the paperclip at the balloon as the mouse trap car moves with a burst of your breath. The balloon will pop if you hit it before it is deflated.
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2
Straighten a paperclip. Sharpen the end of the paperclip with the edge of a utility knife. Place the un-sharpened end of the paperclip against the metal bar at the top of the mouse trap so that the other end points down. Apply bonding glue to the paperclip where it meets the metal bar. Hold the two together for a minute so that the bonding glue can take hold. Let the bonding glue set for 4 hours. Blow up the balloon and set the mouse trap metal bar up against the balloon. Place the mouse trap car on the floor and release it. The sharpened end of the paperclip will pop the balloon when the end makes contact with the side of the balloon as it deflates.
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3
Place a wooden block on a work surface. Hammer a nail through the wooden block. Turn the wooden block over. Sharpen the end of the nail which is protruding through the wooden block with fine-grit sandpaper. Place the wooden block on the floor with the nail facing away from you. Inflate the balloon on the mouse trap car. Place the mouse trap car on the floor so that it will travel past the nail. Release the mouse trap car and watch as the point of the nail pops the balloon as the mouse trap car travels past the wooden block.
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