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Make a Smoke Bomb out of Ping Pong Balls
by VicAlexander91 on March 4, 2008 Table of Contents intro: Make a Smoke Bomb out of Ping Pong Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Making A Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Cutting The Other Balls into Pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Combining the Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Aluminum Foil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Final step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make Magazine Special Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
intro: Make a Smoke Bomb out of Ping Pong Balls
Have any ping pong balls lying around? I have an idea... how about making a few easy and effective smoke bombs out of them? Everyday household materials is all you will need. Very useful for paint ball or air soft matches, or just to have fun. Materials: 1.) Ping Pong Balls (4 or 5 is enough for one well done smoke bomb) 2.) Scissors 3.) A Straw 4.) Aluminum Foil 5.) A Lighter or Matches Optional: - A Drill Preparing Time: About 3-5 Minutes Take a Look At the Video First, and then follow the steps!!
Video
Be Sure to check out our other instructable on how to make money that doesn't burn! Enjoy!!
Image Notes 1. Sweet Ping Pong Smoke Bomb!!!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
step 1: Making A Hole
So first, go ahead and Grab a ping pong ball. Grab the scissors and anywhere you'd like poke and make a whole about the width of an average pen. If you have a drill, just go ahead and drill a hole as well. IMPORTANT, Make sure you only make 1 hole!!!
Image Notes 1. Make a normal size hole (the width of a pen).
step 2: Cutting The Other Balls into Pieces
After you've made a hole in the ball, set it aside. Now grab the rest of the balls and poke them with the scissors, but this time cutting the whole balls into pieces. It doesn't matter what size, but not too big.
step 3: Combining the Balls
After you finish cutting the ping pong balls, go back and grab the first ball which you made a hole into. Grab the pieces of the other balls and slowly (Don't cut yourself) insert them through the hole. After you're done with that, grab a straw and cut about a 3-inch piece. Grab that piece, and insert it through the whole and push it down.
Image Notes 1. Cut around this size.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
step 4: Aluminum Foil
Now pull out the Aluminum foil, and cut a small piece (enough to wrap half a sandwich). Cover the ball with the foil, don't cover the straw, just where it meets with the ball. Make sure to cut off excess aluminum foil.
Image Notes 1. Cover the ball but leave part of the straw visible
step 5: Final step
Now Grab your creation because its ready to light. BUT!!! Make sure you light up the bottom of the smoke bomb because if you're just going to place it on the floor, it'll direct the smoke out through the straw. Now if you throw it, it'll direct the smoke through both holes (The one you cut, and the one you burned through) The point I'm trying to make is, that if you want to direct the smoke in a certain direction, place it rather than throw it, therefore burn the bottom. Enjoy!! Watch our Video for a better idea, we'd appreciate it!!! Chemical Pranks Productions More Coming Soon... Also check out our other Instructable Making Money That Doesn't Burn!!
Video
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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 138 comments
May 8, 2009. 6:43 AM REPLY
thecman says:
so what exactly burns the bing pong ball?
pyromaniac2 says:
how much do ping-pong balls cost?
Feb 23, 2009. 1:08 PM REPLY
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
totos says:
In Russia they cost 42 rubles (about 1.50 US dollars) for a pack of 6 balls
Mar 12, 2009. 6:20 AM REPLY
Optimus Primerib says:
.Really? I get them for 40.
May 6, 2009. 1:57 PM REPLY
totos says:
diffferent shops sell them for different prices. I've recently seen 3 balls for 150 :-0
May 6, 2009. 9:42 PM REPLY
ski539 says:
Apr 26, 2009. 7:48 AM REPLY so are you cutting a hole in the bottom to light it or are you just heating it up enough? I tried to make these several times and there wasn't enough oxygen for it to stay lit. Any suggestions?
koocoojoe=) says:
would Christmas baubles work?????????
Apr 16, 2009. 3:31 PM REPLY
ScienceMMM says:
No, those are usually glass or clay.
Apr 20, 2009. 1:48 PM REPLY
ScienceMMM says:
Sweet! I could make, like, 5 of these, and connect them together to a master fuse...
Apr 20, 2009. 1:47 PM REPLY
shawntherobot says:
cool !!!!! ill definately try this.
Apr 20, 2009. 10:10 AM REPLY
alester27 says:
why?
Apr 19, 2009. 11:02 AM REPLY
jmanjman says:
if you add food coloring it changes the color of the smoke.:))
Mar 11, 2009. 1:24 PM REPLY
pyro4226 says:
sweet! thanks man.
Apr 18, 2009. 5:43 PM REPLY
pyro4226 says:
can you dye the color of the smoke?
Apr 18, 2009. 5:41 PM REPLY
koocoojoe=) says:
would christmas baubles work
Apr 16, 2009. 3:32 PM REPLY
pyro4226 says:
i like the idea of the sparkler.also, try a fuse.
Apr 16, 2009. 4:10 AM REPLY
belac45 says:
this is a neat idea it would work really well for paintball XD would you be able to use other plastics or just ping pong balls
Apr 14, 2009. 2:51 PM REPLY
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
RoddyTheGreat says:
nice, the wind managed to blow all the smoke into my house though =P
Apr 11, 2009. 9:05 AM REPLY
firefreak says:
would adding salt change the coulour of the smoke or is that just crazy talk?
May 5, 2008. 2:24 PM REPLY
totos says:
i dont know whether salt changes the smoke color but food coloring does.
Mar 12, 2009. 6:47 AM REPLY
grizzly g says:
Apr 5, 2009. 1:16 PM REPLY on the ping pong balls?...o yeah...do you think there is anyway to make it more of like a fuse or a pull pin or something? thx
totos says:
Apr 6, 2009. 11:13 AM REPLY u could try. But be careful, if you get the bomb on fire, it will make a fireball. Maybe a fuse wrapped in aluminium foil will work.
grizzly g says:
hmm...like taped on the bottom?
Apr 6, 2009. 5:07 PM REPLY
pljm says:
Apr 6, 2008. 4:37 PM REPLY Today, I finally got it to work. It was my third try and I got a giant ball of smoke. I think that the reason that they sometimes catch on fire is that the lighter lights the ball, not the foil. When it lights the foil it makes the ping pong ball heat up. I believe the heat is what causes the smoke. Nice instructable when prepared properly. It has great april fools day potential and can be used for ninja like ways. it's good that ping pong balls are cheap(I got mine 6 for $1.29) this is something I will tell my friends about when spring break ends. oh yeah, to find out about the plastic the ping pong ball is made of, check out wikipedia. The plastic is called celluloid.
grizzly g says:
wikipedia is the worse source lol
Apr 5, 2009. 1:11 PM REPLY
pljm says:
Apr 5, 2009. 3:50 PM REPLY well, i only use it when i need to find out about something fast or when I want to learn something stupid. It just depends on how much time I want to spend on google to find info.
totos says:
Mar 12, 2009. 6:55 AM REPLY wow old photo film was made of celluloid... some people used it in homemade rocket motors. I think that making rocket motors is another use for them. i'll try it out soon.
pedro11 says:
Great instructable, how much smoke does it produce?
Apr 19, 2008. 9:48 AM REPLY
totos says:
it produces VERY much smoke in a very small amount of time (about 5 seconds)
Mar 12, 2009. 6:49 AM REPLY
Paulper says:
May 18, 2008. 12:48 PM REPLY ummm this is an exelent cost efficent smoke bomb but im having trouble.... its takin like 5 min to burn through the foil should i clear a small area in the foil to ignite the ping pong ball?
totos says:
you don't have to ignite the ball. You have to heat it through the foil. I use a jet lighter for this.
Mar 12, 2009. 6:45 AM REPLY
killer towels says:
DUDE MY SMOKE BOMB JUST MADE A JET OF FIRE AND BURST INTO FLAMES!!! but i only used two ping pong BALLS
Aug 9, 2008. 10:03 PM REPLY
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
ac1D says:
Mine also do that! a 2-3 foot jet of fire for 2-3 secondes then a 10secondes of flames!
Sep 16, 2008. 12:56 PM REPLY
totos says:
Mar 12, 2009. 6:41 AM REPLY that happens because you light the plastic. You have just to heat it without exposing it to fire. Mine did the same when i lit the plastic. But when i heated another one through the foil it made lots of smoke.
abalone4 says:
culd u just skip the straw and use the hole u burned thru???? cuz i dont have straws and im about to make 1
Aug 13, 2008. 6:31 AM REPLY
totos says:
u dont burn a hole thru the foil. You just heat the plastic without exposing it to fire. I use the hole i put the other balls in
Mar 12, 2009. 6:36 AM REPLY
hobie says:
Jun 6, 2008. 3:31 PM REPLY I had this idea. if I took maybe 3-4 inches of a sparkler and put it through the straw, could it be used as a fuse and would it still work just as good?
totos says:
Mar 12, 2009. 6:32 AM REPLY NO! If you get a sparkler or any other source of open fire in contact with the plastic, it would be a napalm bomb rather than a smokebomb
sowrdsman94 says:
probably better but you know that's just me
Oct 7, 2008. 2:08 PM REPLY
zimmemic25 says:
do i have 2 burn through the aluminium foil, or just heat it?
Oct 24, 2008. 7:42 AM REPLY
totos says:
you just have to heat it... And then run away quikly!
Mar 12, 2009. 6:28 AM REPLY
Noodle god says:
Dec 20, 2008. 10:19 PM REPLY I think the cause of the rapid smoke is because if you light a piece of paper on fire and blow it out but have a lil bit of glowing paper left it will smoke. I lit a ping pong ball on fire then blew the flame out a lil bit was still glow and it burnt it fast making smoke but very quickly. Paper = small amount of smoke but for a while ping pong ball = alot of smoke but for like 6 secounds.
totos says:
u are right! when it goes on fire it just burns pretty quickly. But if it is "glowing" like paper it will produce a lot of smoke. That' s what the foil is used for
Mar 12, 2009. 6:26 AM REPLY
totos says:
for what is the straw used? I tried it works excellent without the straw.
Mar 12, 2009. 6:17 AM REPLY
Mr.Floopy says:
doesn't the tin fol just burn up?
Nov 25, 2008. 3:23 PM REPLY
tehjigsawkiller!!! says:
metal dosent burn smart one
Dec 30, 2008. 8:22 AM REPLY
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/
Rs master says:
(removed by author or community request)
Jan 24, 2009. 8:09 PM
Rs master says:
smart one metal dose burn at the right amount of heat
Jan 24, 2009. 8:15 PM REPLY
why do you think titamin cost so much??(cuz it burns at the temp needed to melt it so the have to melt it in a place with no oxygen so the metal dosent burn) what im trying to say is that most anything will "burn" if at the right temp
totos says:
metals really don't burn but they do oxidize. Burning is oxidizing with release of heat. An oxidizing metal(except some of them, such as magnesium)doesn't release any heat. So it could be melted but it wouldn't burn. This smoke bomb doesn't produce enough heat to melt aluminium
Mar 12, 2009. 6:10 AM REPLY
Kilsmer says:
Feb 7, 2009. 2:34 PM REPLY titamin? are you a ten year old or something? and its so expensive because its strong and light, not because you need to melt in the absence of oxygen.
view all 138 comments
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Smoke-Bomb-out-of-Ping-Pong-Balls/