Do not DIY: Give summer a final salute with a DIY molten metal launcher
As autumn soldiers on and the days grow shorter and shorter, I find myself longing for the simple joys of summer. I miss grilling hotdogs and hamburgers over an open fire. I miss the warm breeze against my cheek as I walk my dog through the neighborhood. I miss the smell of sulfur in the air as fireworks light up the night sky. Before winter can fully take hold, give summer one final salute by building your own molten ferrocerium launcher. This DIY air cannon heats and then propels molten metal into the air, sending sparks dancing across the sky. In a recent video, YouTuber NightHawkInLight demonstrates how to build a launcher for molten ferrocerium metal. Please, don't try this at home.
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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