Scissors, sheet metal cutters, and wire cutters will be available. You may use any of following materials in your launcher. One 12in piece of Tape Figure 1. Magnetic field around conducting wire. Field is strongest very close to the wire.
Electromagnetic things operate by making magnetic fields with wire that is conducting electricity.
Magnetic fields are invisible, but can be felt if two solid magnets are held close together but not allowed to touch. You will feel either attraction or repulsion. The magnetic field that is induced around a single, current carrying wire is shown in Figure 1. When a single strand of wire is connected to a battery, a current flows through the wire, and at the same time a magnetic field is produced right around it. Figure 3 shows what would happen if that single strand of conducting wire was placed close to a magnet.