Electronic Ignition

The plan is to use the Mystical 'Predator' firing system to start each act in the show, and it is time to test it out. While this item seems idiot-proof given there is only green and red buttons on the transmitter, and a single on/off button on the receiver, my first test doesn't go so well. The instructions are easy to follow, but I don't get the desired result.

After several attempts, I refer to the "replace battery" section of the instruction guide, and decide it is probably wise to replace the junky looking, lightweight "Raymax" batteries and the little watch battery, even though the LEDs lit up as they were supposed to. As with most portable powered items made in China, the included batteries leave much desired.

The purpose of this kit is to pre-wire up to five fireworks / sets, or 'cues', and be able to retreat to seated comfort a distance away and remotely ignite the cues at the press of a button. On this device, the green button provides instant ignition (in numbered order on each e-match), while the red resets the whole program.

I'm using one inch strips of visco as the test subjects attached to the e-matches, since fireworks ignition runs against local bylaws today.

In the second attempt, there is some progress; though no visco ignites. I see light inside each e-match during every subsequent press of the button, which is more encouraging than take 1. Furthermore, the LED inside the transmitter stays on for a couple of seconds instead of a flash.

Closer inspection of each clip reveals some signs of combustion inside, but the lack of visco ignition is troubling.

For the third try - and using my second set of 5-gang e-matches - I tie in alternating quick-fuse and regular visco, thinking there might be a difference. At this point I discover that the e-match clips snap in when depressed with some force.

Take three worked out well. Didn't matter whether the visco was quick or regular, the problem was definitely with the locking clip position. I wish this was mentioned in the instructions, wouldn't have wasted a whole bank of e-matches. However, success is here so overall I'm pleased.

The plan for the show is to have three acts, though I'm now thinking the more it is divided, the greater the insurance policy that the show will go as planned. Five cues making five acts may be the better way to go.

Preparing Racks, Part II

A welcome drive-by sight last week, was running low on scrap wood.

Rack prep continues, though I'm well ahead of schedule with just over a month left until the show. The focus is now primarily on items that need support or their own rack assembly as opposed to being mounted directly to a pallet. Items that require this are typically fastened / secured in one way or another to a piece of wood that will in turn be fastened to the pallet prior to wiring all events up.

There are multiple ways of doing this, examples of which are pictured.
 
Depending on the effect, and at what point in the show it will ignite (and whether it will run in tandem with one, two or more other effects), spacing and angles must be considered. Spacing for the visco run, and angles depending on what the effect is. Most of the items being fired simultaneously are fanned to occupy as much sky space as possible.

If the plan is to have true simultaneous fire, the racks are wired up with visco, wrapped in tinfoil and stored for now. In some cases, some delay is desired so mixing visco speeds is needed - an endeavour I will undertake in the near future.

* * *

Six mines were mounted on angle scraps to a 2 x 8 chunk, which was attached to a small 12-shot Sky Rocket with Report rack.

36-shot fanned Air Bomb rack was built by pre-drilling cavities and pressure fitting the tubes (see the Rocket Attack post).

An 8-shot "Shotgun Shell" rack. Drilled right through this time, interestingly the plastic bases mimic real life shells in that the very bottom diameter is larger than the bore, which helped here. Glued the bases with PL before placing the charges back in & wiring.

Twenty four Mini Air Bombs. Didn't opt to fan this rack since the desired effect is strictly for the noise, and a separate wide angle event is planned for the same time slot in the show.

Two angled Angel Wings barrage tubes fastened to a vertical plank with zip-ties. The plan is to fasten the plank with screws through the underside of the pallet. 

More zip-tie action; seven Asteroids tubes angled 10 degrees apart, this rack will be fastened to two vertical posts sticking up through the pallet stringers, each tube's base will be touching the pallet to ensure none escape from blow-back.

Rocket Attack

Today we're building a small rack for multiple (sixty) mini single-shot mortars called "Sky Rocket With Report". A moment after ignition this item answers with a small caliber pop at mid-height (50-60'). They cost twenty cents each. On its' own, it is not very exciting. But based on last year's experiment, multiples all at once can provide an interesting interlude between longer lasting effects.

Once again the item diameter is measured. 0.41 is about 7/16.

Wanting to allow reasonable space between each tube to run the visco (½"), and depending on the config (4 x 15, 5 x 12, 6 x 10, etc) a corresponding-sized block of wood is required. Even numbers are more desirable to make the visco run economical - i.e. one visco fuse delivering ignition to two items at once, instead of one. I decide on 6 x 10, and find a block that is 7" by 15" in the scrap heap. Equidistant intervals are then marked (in this case every 13/16").

A grid is drawn lining up with the 13/16" marks. Given the 6 x 10 layout, it is decided that the length will face the audience, and the effect will be fanned perpendicular as a result. Mounting angles will be 2, 7, 12, 17 and 22 degrees in both directions. These angles are marked on the grid lines.

The drill press plate is angled to accommodate the desired angles. The drill press has a built-in angle gauge but it is not very fine, an angle finder is used for tuning.

Holes are drilled, stopping short of going through the block using the limiter on the drill press. The block is turned around to drill the same angle in the other direction.

All sixty holes are drilled on the grid, at the desired angles. The act/sequence number is written on the rack to ensure proper firing order in the show.

"Sky Rocket with Report" is unpacked. The plastic points used to help submerge the tube in soil (and make the 'live' end more obvious to the user) are removed easily.

Quick fuse visco is cut to estimated length needed. Zip ties are pre-pulled to make fastening easier. The first two tubes are inserted into the drilled cavities and fastened, starting a pattern that will continue until completion - each tube's ignition fuse running in the same direction as the linking visco. This provides greater contact in the off chance a portion of either fuse does not spit fire / ignite.

Drilling the holes the same size as the diameter of the tubes makes for a perfect pressure fit, avoiding the need for any adhesive use.

Zip ties are hung on the length of visco to make the process more efficient.

The Sky Rocket's green fuse is long, and this will be used to our advantage; when attaching each pair of tubes, the previous two are included in the zip-tie bundle virtually guaranteeing ignition.

After each row is complete, the surplus pulls are cut from the zip ties.

The efficiency of the visco run can be seen running in an "S" pattern, with two tubes served per pass.

The rack is complete and can be considered armed.

Prior to putting this away, it is wrapped in tinfoil and taped up, making it reminiscent of a shiny store bought cake. This is simply for safety, much like a tape fuse covering found on any consumer firework.

The plan is to repeat this process with racks of 60 Air Bombs, 36 mini Air Bombs and 12 more Sky Rockets for other parts of the show.

Proto wheel #2 was tested to mixed results. Not sure I'll bother with a third.

Hard to conclude whether the problem is lack of thrust, too much resistance in the whole axle mechanism or a combination of both. When it was spinning it performed very well, and offers a great alternative to wheels that cost the same or more. Just seems that the quantity of work required to make sure the thing spins flawless is a little too much. I could probably figure it out, but I've now burnt up 8 Carmel Fountains, and may need another 12 before perfecting it.

Trying Fountain Wheel Again

If at first you don't succeed, try again.

The cardboard supporting 'proto wheel' had to be extinguished with water.

Having looked at 'proto wheel' a little closer I think it got hung up on the mounting post. A new wheel was fashioned, though this time paying much closer attention to the mounting and ensuring it spins freely.

Proto wheel #2; narrow cardboard strips instead of a full card backing.

Far greater gap between post & wheel, no zip tie knuckles to get in the way.

Testing this evening after sun down.

Happy Victoria Day

Happy Victoria Day. Testing was last night. "Proto wheel" was a gong show. It managed perhaps a quarter-turn. There either just wasn't enough thrust to get those fountains spinning, or it got hung up.  I wonder whether prodding it with with a stick would have helped it along. I'll never know.

To add to the surprise, one of the four Circus Wheel sections blew up unexpectedly. The vid shows a comparison between Circus Wheel (first) and 'proto wheel' (last):

As much as the proto wheel sucked, the Hot Tamali mod was a success. I'm not thrilled with the video I captured of the event (should have set the camera further back), but it clearly demonstrates the difference between the two. I had anticipated the proto to blow off in a matter of 1-2 seconds, instead it was nearly simultaneous.

I'll be proceeding with Hot Tamali mods, but not a fountain wheel for the big show.

T Minus 45 Days

Two mortars I was interested in when ordering from Victory last month were not in stock, so I decided to check out Rocket's retail trailer set up at the mall this week, for their Victoria Day sale. Both Valentine's Kiss and Spring Fling are new from Hands in this year's retail line-up, and I'm drawn to the 'glowing ring' effect they both have, unique among 1.4G offerings available in Ontario. I didn't think to set aside the budget to pick them up locally, instead spending the lot on my original order. Anyway, Rocket didn't have the Spring Fling in stock but did have Valentine's Kiss, so I purchased two - blowing my original budget of $1000 by $18. I also failed to take into account that I'll need another $8 or so to replace my test mods - or not. It depends on whether they work.

Rack construction continues. Next step is adding rope handles to either side of each pallet to make them easy to stabilize and (two-person) carry to the blasting site. They are pretty heavy so the handles make sense, and being heavy is beneficial as they are in no danger of tipping over during the show.

Mini-racks were fashioned to secure some simultaneous-fire mortars at varying angles, these will be attached to the pallets at the same time as fastening cakes, prior to wiring. Note that every rack is labeled with it's act and order number; this will help make sure no mistakes when mounting.

Silver Shrapnel mounted at -25 / 0 / 25 degrees, Tarantulas mounted at -15 / 0 / 15 degrees.

The customized fountain wheel was attached to the top of offset doubled-up balusters with a pointed base to hammer into the earth. Once set in place it will be over 60" above the ground, which should be plenty of clearance to see the effects unimpeded. Testing will reveal not only whether the item itself will operate, but the mounting & height of it as well.

Close-up view of fastening "proto wheel"

 



In demonstrating the speed of quick fuse to a friend of mine, it quickly became apparent that the newest batch I obtained is not the same speed as the original, but slower. This was a fluke; had we not done this I may have been disappointed with the show results. I only have about 20 feet of the 6-foot-per-second stuff left, so the choice of where to use it will have to be made selectively. I'll also need to determine the new stuff's speed to apply it accurately.

These two types of quick fuse are obviously different...

Value Shopping

While YouTube is the DIY pyro's best friend in planning a show, it is tough to really nail down what effects will blend well with others, and make fair comparisons between items by their vid - what with all the varying conditions, editing, zoom, compression and differing videocam fidelity, both audio and video-wise. See links below for examples.

In an ideal world, a larger distributor of fireworks here in Ontario would ignite each of their offerings one-by-one in a row, filmed by a camera fixed in place, so the buying pyro may make accurate determinations on size, sound and effects. (Ed. note to any retailers reading: I would take this challenge on, for nothing greater than the fun of doing so, and do an amazing job of it - would only need a 1-each SKU of your entire inventory.)

The closest I've seen of the above wish comes from the Powerhouse line of fireworks. But they look like they had their YouTube clips sloppily chopped into a series of 5 to 60-odd second segments from a master tape. Each one briefly titled in Times New Roman but poorly edited, in the port lands of some unknown city, between stacked sea containers (with resulting audio qualities). What annoys me though, is in watching the fountain vids; the dudes igniting these things seem bored.

So, overall there's some hit & miss qualities to the show planning via retailer's video offerings, which means there's a mild 'buyer beware' since the playing field isn't exactly level. Last year's show which was ordered based on video clips made this clear to me.

My value picks are strictly my opinion and first-hand experience based on bang for buck (sorry). I list manufacturer to show I don't have any allegiances. I just like good value.

My top ten, with video links:


10. Keg Fountain (BEM): This thing comes in a really stupid plastic container that it is NEVER properly secured to. No matter, I remove it / toss in blue box, and glue down what remains for a nice loud, long lasting, cheap fountain.

9. Roman Candle (Pick one - all manufacturers make them): On their own they're a bore. Blow off many multiples and they're quite pretty. They belong in this list since every retailer seems to have a deal on candles, whether 5, 8, 10, 12 or 15-shot. Good value is at, or less than $0.10 per shot. This can be negotiated, if not found. Very versatile.

8. Detonator* (Hands): This is a MSRP $60 firework that is rapid, noisy and tension-building. Asterisk is there because it appears on this list as vendor-specific: Victory is selling them for $32 this year. Helluva deal, I bought 2.

7. Goldeneye (Mystical): Totally shocked at this, at first the video sold me, but then when blowing it off for the first time saw that the video really did it justice. For a >$3 mortar that reached the 80' range, diameter of the lingering willow was nearly 20'. I ordered many multiples.

6. Asteroids (Powerhouse): I think all the accolades went to the heads of the makers of this thing, or inflation hit it especially hard. Last year these were just over $3, gone up in price in 2012 but still an excellent effect - I particularly like the consistent 40-odd foot height, great if trying to fill multiple parts of the viewing area simultaneously.

5. Hot Tamali (Mystical): Touched on their value in a previous post. It may be because there are so few cakes available for under $5 that I have an affinity for these, but the effect just seems so worth it. Each of the ten comets crackle sharply, and as with Asteroids effects are consistently mid-height.

4. Menace (Mystical): It doesn't last very long, but the slow-ish automatic gunfire deployment and bursting flower-to-wide field crackle is impressive. From what I've read, this item has been on the Mystical roster for some time, and is very popular. I can see why. (Still cannot understand why it is the only firework to come in its' very own plastic bag, though).

3. Molten Fury (Mystical): Similar to Menace, though longer lasting, slower overall, and strobe effects to add to the floral bursts and (more subdued) crackle. Yet Molten Fury is typically half the price of Menace - it can be had for $14. Seriously good value.

2. Golden Rain Willow (Vulcan): I absolutely love how long the willow effect lasts in the sky, combined with the heights it reaches. Not as loud as it seems in the vid (I wish). GRW elicited many oohs and aahs in my 2011 show, and that was using one. This year, eight will make up part of the finale. Not a cheap shell, but well worth it.

1. Air Bomb (BEM): I just love air bombs. I've always loved loud shells, $0.60 buys among the loudest available 1.4G fireworks in Ontario. I combine many for a brain rattling experience.

Fountain Wheel Mod

This isn't really a modification, though I'll be using a firework in a manner it wasn't really intended for.

'Circus Wheel' is a lower priced novelty that's been a kid-pleaser in past shows - I wouldn't otherwise include it this year. The $4 price tag got me thinking. I bought multiple 'Carmel Fountain' six-packs for less than a fiver each; they apparently spray a shower of sparks to six feet, where the Circus Wheel sprays a diameter of 5 feet. Essentially this wheel is four small fountains fused in series mounted to a board with a plastic grommet that acts as a bearing when nailed to something vertical. If I can create the same thing with 4 Carmel Fountains, I'll get an effect more than double the size at less cost!

The length of the fountain is measured. It is 5" long and 1" thick.

Found something rigid and lightweight. Two 6x6" squares are cut out and marked up to determine the exact center.

Fuses on each fountain are freed up (like most fireworks, they are taped down).

Fountains are laid out to ensure the concept makes sense.

Card pieces are stapled together. 3/8" hole drilled in center, holes marked and cut where the inside of the fountains meet the card stock.

Washer with the same diameter is placed over hole, duct-taped and cut. Same thing is done on other side.

 Zip ties are drawn through the pre-cut holes.

Zip ties are pre-pulled to easily allow fountains to be fastened. The fountains are oriented in a manner that will rotate the wheel in a clockwise direction. Wheels always seem to spin that way. I wonder if someone did a study to see what is more visually appealing?

At this point I add two "Hummer-oo" whistles. Why not add some noise to the light effects? The fountains are secured by drawing through the zip ties, the Hummer-oos added on opposite sides for balance.

 Zip tie surplus pulls are cut off, axle hardware is prepared (found in my surplus hardware parts bin).

Tested the axle to make sure it freely spins. Added a few washers and nut to compensate for the zip tie knuckles; don't want this thing to get hung up when tested.

Quick fuse visco is cut to length and added, starting about 1 inch from the end of the first fountain's wick. It should be stated that lighting quick fuse directly is never a good idea, it is prone to some serious spitting and overspray that can burn skin in a fraction of a second.

The quick fuse is attached in sequence, one through four (but only to Carmel Fountains).

The Hummer-oos will ignite using a 3" stretch of slow-burn visco, allowing for a 6 second delay until their effect is heard, well after the fountains start.

The final product isn't pretty, but so what. It also seems heavy, but I think the propulsive power of four simultaneously burning Carmel Fountains should be adequate to get it spinning in turbo mode.

Adding the two Hummer-oos increases my costs by $0.80, making this slightly more expensive than Circus Wheel, but I couldn't resist adding the effect. Comparative testing will take place around May 21. Should it work, I'll make another and integrate it into the Canada Day show.

Scouting GZ

Reconned my #1.5 location today. I still don't have a #1 location, I call this one 1.5 since it's half way to being #1. I just find too many downsides to all the other spots I've checked out. Anyway, one-dot-five meets most of my needs except being close to home, and it isn't even really that far. Maybe I'm talking myself into it. It's a large field with four soccer pitches next to a sleepy industrial park. Comes complete with bleachers, which is kinda cool; there's often a few spectators that forget to bring a fold-up to sit on.

There's a field of weeds next to it that would be even better, but my concern is the city may not keep it cut, can't fire pyrotechnics off in an overgrown meadow. But access is great, there's even a small track leading to what could be a great blasting zone. Laser measurement shows the nearest hazard to proposed ground zero is over 130 feet.

That it's next door to the sewage treatment plant may complicate matters; wind in the wrong direction could add an unpleasant sensory dimension to the show. I imagine there may be other amateur pyros with fireworks in tow headed there too. We'll see. Perhaps I just get there earlier than them to lay claim, I'll need the set up time anyway.

The act II pallet was finished off tonight. Two more little racks to accommodate five "African Lion" candles (known as the farting firework, popular with the tots) and a couple "Snow Gun" barrages. Not skilled carpentry, but functional. Must say I'm pleased that I hang on to scrap wood!