Uploaded October 2014 | Updated September 2026, 18 hours ago
This video is designed to walk students through the steps of building an Estes rocket from scratch. Feedback/comments are always welcome.
Since a lot of folks have made this comment, I’ll explain. The instructions in this kit call for white glue for attaching the fins to the body tube. I use hot glue for this step with my students because it dries faster and they get straighter results than when they have to hold the fins for a long time with white glue. Super glue would also give a quick bond, but I prefer not to use it with kids in my workshop as it can make a big mess that is hard to clean. The drawback of hot glue is that it can remelt when the rocket launches, and fins may come off, though I have run into this problem very few times. If you aren’t comfortable with using hot glue, use the white glue as specified in the instructions.
This video is designed to walk students through the steps of building an Estes rocket from scratch. Feedback/comments are always welcome.
Since a lot of folks have made this comment, I’ll explain. The instructions in this kit call for white glue for attaching the fins to the body tube. I use hot glue for this step with my students because it dries faster and they get straighter results than when they have to hold the fins for a long time with white glue. Super glue would also give a quick bond, but I prefer not to use it with kids in my workshop as it can make a big mess that is hard to clean. The drawback of hot glue is that it can remelt when the rocket launches, and fins may come off, though I have run into this problem very few times. If you aren’t comfortable with using hot glue, use the white glue as specified in the instructions.
