Excalibur Mortars

[Cerus]

Hey all - quick question for the experts here. I started cutting the flanges off some left over xcal mortars today and noticed the bottoms are a little dimpled inward. The flanges were a little warped too. They've been sitting in the garage since last year but I don't recall them looking like that when I bought them last 4th.

Picked up some new xcals today and the mortars look slightly different and the bottoms are pretty flat. Same overall design far as I can tell. Would these be safe to use or should I toss them?

Thanks for your help :)

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Totally safe to use. The entire tube is one molded piece so the part that acts as the plug is intact. I've done many of them & bought a cheapie angle grinder at Harbor Freight to round out the bottom sides after I cut the bases on the table saw. Works great & fit in a rack nicely.
Some guys say they use a router to trim the bottoms but that is not in my "level of expertise".....

[Cerus]

Totally safe to use. The entire tube is one molded piece so the part that acts as the plug is intact. I've done many of them & bought a cheapie angle grinder at Harbor Freight to round out the bottom sides after I cut the bases on the table saw. Works great & fit in a rack nicely.
Some guys say they use a router to trim the bottoms but that is not in my "level of expertise".....

Do you leave the reinforcing collar off then as well? Hadn't started the rounding off process yet and couldn't think of an easy way to do it cleanly. Never thought about using my router. That will make it super fast and easy - thank you :)

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Yes, I take the collars off so the tubes sit tight against each other in the rack. I only use spacers on my 1.3g 3" & larger racks. Don't really see a need for them in consumer racks although a lot of guys use spacers. The collars come off pretty easy. If you get a stubborn one, give it a shot od WD40 & let it sit a few minutes. It will come off easily. Good luck with your rack build!

[Cerus]

Thanks again for the tip. The old ones are coming off easily but the new ones look very tight. I've got 15 mortars coming from pyroboom so it should make for a nice family show this year. Even if I dinked around til the last minute after telling myself I'll be prepared this year...maybe next year lol. Doing a few cakes for the first time as well so we're pretty excited.

My whole neighborhood went nuts last year - should be even better this year.

[Tplay103]

Not sure if you have seen the video online, but very easy method is to turn tube upside down on a solid surface with base facing up. Tap on the bottom (around the edges just outside where the collar meets the tube) with a hammer. Work your way around and the base will come off cleanly with a round mortar tube. No square edges to worry about.

[Cerus]

I have but it seems a little risky - knowing my luck I'd break the mortar. My small router with a flush bit made quick work of the rough edges.

[nayslayer]

I tried the hammer and I might as well wacked myself in the head. I think they changed the design. A jigsaw did decent job, then polished it up with a dremel with sandpaper attachment. Fit in rack perfectly. Just did this today, was frigging hot.

[Cerus]

Mine were different than last years and the ones in the video mentioned. They don't have the little braces now - just a solid piece for the base. The collars were on REALLY tight as well. Shot em all with WD-40 and had to hold onto the collar and hammer the tube onto some towels to get them free.

Jig saw and a router flush cut bit made quick work of the flanges with just a little sanding to remove the burrs. Was a huge mess of black plastic and still hot as hell in my garage last night but they're ready to go. I'll be hitting up Lowe's or HD tomorrow for some wood for the racks.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Jig saw and a router flush cut bit made quick work of the flanges with just a little sanding to remove the burrs.
Did you use a table mounted router or a small hand held? Since I am "carpentry challenged" I could use your input. Can you post a pic of the router bit & router you used?
Don't laugh guys--I can solder blindfolded but I can't cut straight with a table saw! [but I still manage to get my racks built---so, If I can do it, anyone can!! LOL.

[Cerus]

It's a small handheld router by Dewalt (model DWP611) that I picked up several years ago. Almost ended up returning it but I have used the heck out of it since. Set it on medium/low speed, held it on my lap and rotated the mortar on the base.

Here's a picture of the router with a 12" ruler for scale and the laminate trim bit. It uses 1/4" sized bits. Laminate/flush cut bits have a guide collar the same diameter as the bit so they don't remove extra material. The bit I have is just "tall" enough for the flanges thickness. Flush cut bits don't work too well or at all when the material is thicker than the cutting area of the bit if that makes sense. Routers also only really cut in one direction and will kick back and make a rougher cut otherwise. You'll know if you're going the wrong direction.

This one is very simple to use and pretty quiet. It was around 2am when I was trimming my mortars in the garage.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Thanks for sharing that. Old dogs CAN be taught new tricks. Now, as long as I don't tell my wife I am buying it for something pyro--------

[Cerus]

Haha - I can't even remember why I originally bought mine but at least the wife didn't object. I've got a full size plunge cut router that I haven't used since buying this one. It's big, bulky and heavy and I've yet to run into a project that the little one can't handle just fine.

Probably a good idea to replace the bits when they start looking like mine though lol

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Thanks for sharing that. Old dogs CAN be taught new tricks. Now, as long as I don't tell my wife I am buying it for something pyro--------

C'mon now! Don't tell me you're afraid of your wife! Why I'd just bow up on her and say "Yes dear," then sneak out one evening and buy it behind her back anyway! :p

[PyroJoeNEPA]

C'mon now! Don't tell me you're afraid of your wife! Why I'd just bow up on her and say "Yes dear," then sneak out one evening and buy it behind her back anyway! :p

No, I'm not afraid of her--we will be married 40 years this October so I have her pretty well figured out--or, at least, as much as is humanly possible for a male to "understand" a female!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

No, I'm not afraid of her--we will be married 40 years this October so I have her pretty well figured out--or, at least, as much as is humanly possible for a male to "understand" a female!

Lol... Amen to that brother! This Wednesday marks 32 years for us, and I'm still trying to figure her out! (I think she gave up on trying to figure me out a long time ago!)

Congrats to you and the Mrs.!! I think 4 years is kind of a record these days. 40 is almost unheard of anymore.

[PapaBearPyro]

Congrats to you both, Momma Bear and I just celebrated 32 years this past April, we have long had the deal, the more tools I have, the more I can do, now I'm busier than a 1 armed paper hanger and my honey do list is longer than a Giraffe's neck LOL PBP

[Cerus]

So is the UHaul tape still the best thing to use for fusing or have they changed it for the worse?

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Congrats to you both, Momma Bear and I just celebrated 32 years this past April, we have long had the deal, the more tools I have, the more I can do, now I'm busier than a 1 armed paper hanger and my honey do list is longer than a Giraffe's neck LOL PBP

Ditto to you too then! :-) The wife and I have a similar deal (sorta) As long as the lights stay on and the bills are paid, she doesn't ask me how I spend my money, and I don't ask her where she spends her money. We both work hard for it, we're both entitled to enjoy it. That's how I see it anyway.

[StigMatic]

Very safe excals have extremely good material.