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Description

Build a catapult from a mousetrap and a few other household objects. Safety Note: A mousetrap is actually a bit dangerous, the snapping of the spring mechanism could possible hurt you or even break a finger. This is what they are designed to do. So please be careful when arming and firing it!

Resources

Wooden Mousetrap
Pliers
Plastic Spoon (Or a metal one)
Electrical tape (or another type of tape)
A projectile; wadded tape, wadded paper, grape, marshmallow, something soft and not dangerous!

Instructions

It is amazing how powerful this little catapult is. All you need is a few household items and a mousetrap and you can have this project done in a few minutes. You should be able to get your projectile to fire a good 10m or more and the mousetrap used in this example is just a small one. You can get a bigger mouse/rat trap.

Safety Note: A mousetrap is actually a bit dangerous, the snapping of the spring mechanism could possible hurt you or even break a finger. This is what they are designed to do. So please be careful when arming and firing it!

1. Using a pair of pliers remove the trigger arm and the trigger mechanism from the mousetrap. Leave the big square swing arm and it's spring.
2. Insert the spoon into the mousetrap, facing down.
3. Tape the spoon to the metal bar using electrical tape if possible. Make sure the spoon isn't lodged under the spring, move it forward a little bit if necessary. Tape the whole thing tight
4. Carefully hold it upright so you can tape around it. Once this is done you are ready to put a soft and safe projectile in the spoon, crank it back and fire it!!!

Tags

• catapult
• construction
• creative
• models
• pioneering
• Trebuchet

Badge Links

• Model Maker - Model