Spudmarine
Maker Camp is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the generous support of the Members of Make: Community.
20 Minutes
TO COMPLETE
WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
- 1 Potato
- 1 1/4-inch wooden dowel rod
- Baking powder
- 1 1/4-inch brass tube
- Kitchen knife
- Large jar of water
STEP 1
Cut the potato
Start by cutting your potato into a piece approximately 2 1/2 inches long by 3/4 of an inch tall and 3/4 of an inch wide.
STEP 2
Punch holes
Use the brass tube to punch out 3 holes in your potato. Start with the center hole and then cut the other two evenly spaced from it.
STEP 3
Cut the dowel
Cut about 2 inches of the dowel rod off and then place the cut piece into the center hole of the potato. You don’t want to push this the whole way through, only about halfway into the potato.
STEP 4
Check the buoyancy
Place your new nautical creation into a large jar of water and see how it sinks. We want it to sink very slowly.
If it goes down too fast, shave away more of your potato.
If it goes down too slow, trim away some of your dowel rod.
STEP 5
Prepare to dive
Carefully open the center hole a little with your knife — you just want to slightly angle the edge.
Pack the center hole with baking powder and then place it back into the jar.
STEP 6
Watch your spudmarine dive
As the baking powder reacts with the water, it will create bubbles of CO2 gas (the same thing you breathe out). These bubbles will cause the spudmarine to float back to the surface until the dowel rod makes it tip and spill out the bubbles. It will then sink again and go back and forth until the baking soda is depleted.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Try a wooden submarine by finding the proper ballast with screws. Can you find a way to make a larger spudmarine out of a whole potato?
Please Note
Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Make Community, LLC, disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.
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