DETERMINING THE BLASTIBILITY OF HAND BLASTERS
Megan Tunley
Cary Academy
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this experiment was to figure out if Hand Blasters would blast after being
submerged in different liquids. Hand Blasters were submerged in Mountain Dew, ammonia,
vinegar, and spring water. For the Mountain Dew it was hypothesized that the Mountain Dew
would fizz up and circled the Hand Blasters, also fade the color off. For the ammonia it was
hypothesized that the Hand Blasters would become smooth and not be able to blast. For the
vinegar it was hypothesized that the vinegar would dye the Hand Blaster a different color and the
Hand Blasters would not be able to work. For spring water it was hypothesized that the spring
water would rub off all of the flour-like substance around the Hand Blasters and the Hand
Blasters would not work. Hand Blasters were submerged in Mountain Dew, ammonia, vinegar,
and spring water and then taken out of the liquid to dry for twenty-four hours. The Hand
Blasters were blasted and the results were recorded.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the experiment was to figure out more about what happened when Hand Blasters
were put in different liquids including in ammonia, vinegar, spring water, and Mountain Dew. It
was wondered if the Hand Blasters would work and spark the same as without being put in the
liquid first.
Hand Blasters are non-flammable and non-toxic. They are made with potassium chlorate, sulfur,
glue, and a powdered glass called silica. When connected the Hand Blasters let off oxygen from
the potassium chlorate and energy from the silica. Some other examples of chemical reactions
are heating, mixing, and separating. Chemical reactions are another word for chemical changes.
Hand Blasters were first made for cap guns. Cap guns are toy guns that make a puff of smoke
and loud shooting sound, like a gunshot when you pull the trigger. Hand Blasters are an example
of a sound chemical reaction.
The hypothesis thought of was that when putting Hand Blasters in Deer Park spring water that
the water would rinse off all of the flour-like substance on the Hand Blasters. After all of the
flour-like substance has washed off, it was thought that the Hand Blasters wouldn't work. It was
hypothesized that when the Hand Blasters were put in mountain dew that the Mountain Dew
would rub off the color. It was once again predicted that the Hand Blasters wouldn't work. When
the Hand Blasters were put in the ammonia it was thought that the ammonia, known as a floor
cleaner, would once again rub off the flour-like substance and make the ceramic ball smooth. It
was predicted that the Hand Blasters would once again not work. Once the Hand Blasters were
put in the vinegar it was predicted that the vinegar would dye the hand blaster a different color.
This was predicted because it was known that vinegar is used for cooking and a helper to dye
other types of substances.
Some things that were observed when observing the Hand Blasters were that they were red,
green and both had little speckles of different colors. There was some type of flour-like
substance on the side. When the two Hand Blasters were connected a little smoke came out, and
there was a bombing type of sound. They had a really strong smokey type of smell when
connected. The Hand Blasters would not spark unless connected. The mass of one Hand Blaster
was 34.9 grams.
Some things observed about Mountain Dew included, it tasted really sweet, and had a tangy taste
between lemon and lime. It stung your tongue and had a lemonade taste. Mountain Dew tasted
like Sprite with a twist. It was really bubbly and when you poured it, it fizzed. One-half of a fluid
ounce of Mountain Dew had a mass of 16.2 grams. Mountain Dew was very thin and looked
yellowish green.
Ammonia had a strong type of chlorine smell. It stung your nose and was kind of a blocked
smell. The liquid was clear but had a tangy smell. The mass of 100 mL of ammonia was 98.5
grams. The density of 100 mL of ammonia was 1.02 grams.
Vinegar was clear and the smell was not that strong. When you poured it, it was kind of bubbly.
The smell was tangy, kind of good, had a sweet hint to it, and almost smelled bubbly. The mass
of 100 mL of vinegar was 90.6 grams. The density of 100 mL was 1.11 grams. If you smell
vinegar for a long time your jaw gets kind of tight.
Deer Park spring water has no smell. Deer Park water tastes fresh and clean. It is clear and has a
mass of 84.6 grams for 100 mL. The density of 100 mL of spring water was 1.18 grams.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
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2 100 mL Beakers
100 mL of Mountain Dew
100 mL of Ammonia
100 mL of Vinegar
100 mL of Spring Water (Deer Park)
A Red and Green Hand Blaster
Goggles
Gloves
Stopwatch
Tongs
For the first experiment, gloves and goggles were put on.. A beaker was filled with 100 mL of
Mountain Dew. One red hand blaster was put gently into the Mountain Dew and was filled. A
green hand blaster was put into a different beaker of Mountain Dew. After one minute, the red
and green Hand Blasters were taken out with a tong and tried to blast. Observations were
recorded. Mountain Dew was dumped out and the experiment was repeated three other times
with ammonia, vinegar, and spring water. The results were compared.
Gloves and goggles were worn for safety reasons. Since some of the liquids could be chemicals,
it was a must that goggles and gloves be worn.
The control of this experiment was spring water. The control was spring water because that was
the normal or the brand that was used the most of the liquids. The Independent Variable was
putting Hand Blasters in different liquids. The Dependent Variable is what happens when you try
to blast the Hand Blasters.
Figure 1 - When the Hand Blasters were put in Mountain Dew
For the second experiment, a green and red Hand Blaster was taken out of the box and put in the
UV chamber. The Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber in a small container so they
wouldn’t roll around. The timer was started after the door to the UV chamber was closed. The
Hand Blasters were taken out after one minute and the data was observed. The Hand Blaster was
put back in the UV chamber for five minutes. The Hand Blasters once again was taken out of the
chamber and the observations were recorded. The same thing was done once again for 10
minutes.
The Purpose of this experiment was to see if UV rays, just like the sun, affect the blasting of
Hand Blasters. The hypothesis was that the when the Hand Blasters were put into the UV
chamber when they would not be able to blast because the UV chamber would rub off all of the
substance. It has not been concluded that when Hand Blasters flour-like substance came off the
Hand Blasters would not blast.
When using the UV Chamber, do not touch the bulb at the top and bottom. Touching the bulb
will result in electrocution. The control for this experiment was the UV chamber. The control
was the UV chamber because the UV chamber was not charged. The Independent Variable was
putting Hand Blasters in the UV chamber. The Dependent Variable was what would happen
when the Hand Blasters will came out of the UV chamber.
Figure 2 - How the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber
For the third experiment, a Hand Blaster was put in a red balloon. The other Hand Blaster was
put in the other red balloon. The balloons were tied with a knot at the end, while the Hand
Blasters were still in the balloons. The Hand Blasters were blasted together. The timer was
turned on for one minute. Blasting was stopped after one minute and the observations were
recorded. The experiment was done three times and the results were compared.
The purpose of this experiment was to see how many times in one minute Hand Blasters could
blast inside a balloon that wasn’t blown up. The hypothesis that was made was that Hand
Blasters would not blast because the balloon was too thick.
Balloons are choking hazards so you need to keep away from small children. Safety goggles
should be worn. The Independent Variable was putting the Hand Blaster inside of a balloon. The
Dependent Variable was how many times the Hand Blasters blasted.
Figure 3 - When the Hand Blasters were cut out of the balloon
For the fourth experiment, the surface of the Hand Blaster was covered with play-doh. The Hand
Blasters were blasted together and the observations were recorded as to how many times the
Hand Blasters blasted in one minute. The surface of the Hand Blaster was covered with silly
putty. The Hand Blasters were blasted together and the observations were recorded as to how
many times they blast in one minute.
The purpose of this experiment was to see if wrapping play-doh and silly putty around a Hand
Blaster affects how much it blasts. The hypothesis made was that the Hand Blasters would not
blast because the play-doh and silly putty were too thick.
Silly putty or play-doh should not be put in your mouth. Play-doh and silly putty are not edible.
The control for this experiment was the silly putty because when doing science experiments silly
putty is used more often than play-doh. The Independent Variable was whether the Hand
Blasters blasted or not. The Dependent Variable was if the Hand Blasters did blast, how many
times would it blast?
Figure 4 – After the silly putty was taken off the Hand Blaster
For the fifth experiment, string was tied on top of a flat surface. Hand Blasters were tied on to
the string. The Hand Blasters were pulled 1 cm, 2cm, 3cm, 4cm, 5cm, etc. away from each other
until there was a blast. The test was done three times. The date was compared and recorded. The
purpose of the XPT was to see how many centimeters it took for the Hand Blasters to blast
together. The hypothesis was that it would take 9 centimeters to get them to blast. It was
hypothesized that it would take 9 cm because it was known that only a little force put on the
Hand Blasters would not make them blast.
The control for this experiment was the Newton’s Cradle. The control was the Newton’s Cradle
because that was what was used in science. The Independent Variable was the Hand Blasters.
The Dependent Variable was how far away the Hand Blasters would have to be pulled from each
other to get them to blast.
Figure 5: The structure built to perform the experiment
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Figure 6: The first experiment showing how many times Hand Blasters blasted after being
submerged in different liquids
For the first experiment, figure 6 shows how many times Hand Blasters blasted after they were
put in different liquids. When the Hand Blasters were put in Mountain Dew they blasted 5 times.
When the Hand Blasters were put into ammonia they blasted once. When the Hand Blasters were
put in vinegar and spring water they didn’t blast at all.
As the Hand Blasters were put in Mountain Dew they started to fizz around the Hand Blasters.
The red Hand Blasters had more fizz, or bubbles around it than the green Hand Blaster. The
Hand Blasters did blast five times but very slightly and the red coloring came off on the glove.
When the Hand Blasters were taken out of the Mountain Dew, the flour-like substance came off.
After waiting a day for the Hand Blasters to dry, they still didn’t blast.
In the first 30 seconds of the experiment nothing happened. When the Hand Blasters were put in
the ammonia only the red Hand Blaster was getting eaten away. Once again the Hand Blasters
looked like they were surrounded by fizz, almost like there was a shield of bubbles surrounding
the Hand Blaster. When the Hand Blasters were getting taken out of the ammonia, the color on
the Hand Blasters was faded and the dye from the red Hand Blaster was coming off on the glove.
After a sitting out for a period of time the Hand Blasters would not blast again.
After putting the Hand Blasters in the vinegar they once again made a shield of fizz around both
Hand Blasters. When they were taken out of the vinegar, the dye from the green and red Hand
Blaster came off on the glove. The Hand Blasters didn’t blast after taken out of the liquid; all of
the flour-like substance came off. Even after a day of drying, the Hand Blasters still would not
blast.
Time in the UV Chamber (minutes)
1
5
10
Blasted
No
No
No
Figure 7 - Shows when and if the Hand Blasters blasted after being taken out of the UV
chamber
For the second experiment, the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber to see how many
times it blasted. When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for one minute it would
not blast. When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for five minutes the Hand
Blasters would not blast. When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for ten minutes
they once again would not blast.
When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for one minute they would not blast. When
the Hand Blasters were taken out of the UV chamber, they were cold and would not blast. The
Hand Blasters let off smoke as if they were going to blast but they did not blast. The Hand
Blasters looked as if nothing had changed.
When the Hand Blasters were taken out of the UV chamber after five minutes they did not blast.
The Hand Blasters were warmer than before but not hot. The color was faded and smelled like
lint and laundry detergent. The Hand Blasters didn’t blast but let out much more smoke than last
time. It looked like it was going to blast but did not.
When the Hand Blasters were taken out of the UV chamber after ten minutes they did not blast.
The Hand Blasters were smooth and had a stronger smell than any other time. It looked like there
was a crack in the green Hand Blaster that wasn’t there when they were put into the UV
chamber. The color rubbed off so much that you could only see a little paint but mostly the
ceramic ball. When the Hand Blasters came out of the UV chamber they did not blast or let out
smoke.
For the third experiment, Hand Blasters were put inside a balloon and it was calculated how
many times they blasted. The Hand Blasters made a spark but did not blast. The Hand Blasters
left a mark on the balloon after they were pushed together. After the Hand Blasters were taken
out of the balloon the red Hand Blasters color was faded away and on the green Hand Blaster
there was a red mark. It could be inferred that the balloon left the mark on the green Hand
Blaster knowing that the balloon was red and the red and green Hand Blasters never came in
contact with each other directly. When the Hand Blasters were taken out of the balloon it was
noticed that a little bit of the flour-like substance had come off but they still blasted very well.
When the Hand Blasters were taken out of the balloon they were smooth.
Figure 8 - Shows the amount of times that Hand Blasters blasted in 1 minute wrapped in Silly
Putty and Play-Doh
For the fourth experiment, Hand Blasters were wrapped in Silly Putty and Play-doh. When the
Play-doh was wrapped around Hand Blasters they blasted 13 times in one minute. They didn’t
blast until all of the play-doh had fallen off. Play-Doh stain marks were left on both Hand
Blasters. When the Hand Blasters still had play-doh on them they left small holes in the middle
of stain marks. When the silly putty was put on the Hand Blasters they blasted 4 times in 1
minute. The Silly Putty also made a small hole. When the Silly Putty was put on the Hand
Blaster it did not fall off within the 1 minute.
Figure 9 - Shows the number of times you need to pull the Hand Blasters 30 cm away for
them to blast.
For the fifth experiment, a structure was made like a Newton’s cradle. A string was stuck with a
Hand Blaster tied to it on top of a flat surface. The Hand Blasters only blasted when they were
pulled away from each other 30 centimeters. The table shows on which try did the Hand Blasters
blast. On the first trial the Hand Blasters didn’t blast until the second try. On the second trial the
Hand Blasters blasted on the first try. On the third trial the Hand Blasters didn’t blast until the
second try.
The Hand Blasters were unable to be pulled back 1, 2, 3, and 4 centimeters. When the Hand
Blasters were pulled back 5 centimeters they didn’t make a sound. When the Hand Blasters were
pulled back 7 centimeters they didn’t make a sound. When the Hand Blasters were pulled back 8
centimeters they only made a clinging sound. It was thought that the experiment was going
nowhere so the Hand Blasters were pulled back 15 and 25 centimeters and only a clinging sound
came out. Finally 30 centimeters was tried and the Hand Blasters blasted. The trials are shown
above.
CONCLUSION
For the first experiment the hypothesis for the Mountain Dew was that the Mountain Dew would
rub off all of the color was incorrect. The part of the hypothesis that said the Hand Blasters
wouldn’t work was correct. The hypothesis was that the ammonia would rub off all of the flourlike substance and the Hand Blasters would not work. That hypothesis was confirmed correct.
The hypothesis stating that the vinegar would change the color of the Hand Blasters was
confirmed incorrect. The hypothesis stating that once again the spring water would rub off all of
the flour-like substance and the Hand Blasters would not work was correct. The purpose of this
experiment was to see why Hand Blasters would blast and why they wouldn’t. It was concluded
that Hand Blasters wouldn’t blast unless the flour-like substance was on them.
This experiment could be improved by trying more different varieties of liquids and since spring
water is pretty much already known it could be illuminated. For a future experiment one could
see how much ph Hand Blasters give off when the Hand Blasters are put in Mountain Dew,
ammonia, vinegar, and spring water.
For the second experiment it was hypothesized that the Hand Blasters would not work after
being taken out of the UV chamber. The hypothesis was experimented correct. The Hand
Blasters did not work after they came out of the UV chamber. It was thought that this happened
because the UV chamber takes off all of the germs and maybe the Hand Blasters flour-like
substance around it was a type or had a germ in it. The purpose of this experiment was to see if
UV rays affect how much Hand Blasters blast when taken out of the UV chamber.
For the third experiment it was hypothesized that the Hand Blasters would not blast because the
balloon was too thick. The hypothesis was found correct. This happened because latex balloons
are supposed to be very thick for when they are blown up. The purpose of this experiment was to
try and figure out how many times Hand Blasters blast inside of a balloon.
For the fourth experiment it was hypothesized once again that Hand Blasters would not blast
because the Silly Putty and Play-Doh would be too thick. The hypothesis was part right and part
wrong. Once the Silly Putty and Play-Doh fell off, the Hand Blasters started to blast. This is
probably because silly Putty and Play-Doh were made to stick to things and are supposed to be
thick. The purpose of this experiment was to see if Hand Blasters would blast with silly Putty
and Play-Doh wrapped around them.
For the fifth experiment it was hypothesized that it would only take 9 centimeters for a Hand
Blaster to be pulled back for it to blast. This hypothesis was found to be incorrect. It took 30
centimeters for the Hand Blasters to be pulled back for them to blast. This happened because a
lot of force is needed for Hand Blasters to blast. The purpose of this experiment was to figure out
how far Hand Blasters need to be pulled away from each other to get them to blast.
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