Cleaning Up Used Mortar Tubes And Racks

[DexTee]

Happy Sunday everyone… It is beautiful weather here, so I decided to get outside and start to clean up my recently purchased used motor tubes and racks.

The tops of the 3 inch tubes were a little rough, so I took off a short bit with a chop saw. Now I am lightly beveling the inside edges of the tubes, and drilling holes in them to secure the igniter wires. The 6 inch guns are in great shape, I will just bevel those inside edges a bit and drill the igniter wire securing holes.

So I do have a question… Is there any recommended device or procedure for clearing out the soot from the inside tube walls? I was thinking probably just use a hard bristle brush, and then perhaps rinsing them out with water. Any suggestions are very appreciated.

Also, special thanks to Celebration Fireworks for the great price on these tubes and racks. I was very happy to give my business to one of Dave's many great sponsors here at PyroTalk.com.

[DexTee]

To me, they are fun even to just look at! ... :)

http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=2112&stc=1

[displayfireworks1]

If you really want to clean the inside of the mortars of residue, I am thinking a wire type toilet bowel brush. You can form the brush part to fit inside various mortars. I know you want to keep things clean but I don't think that little bit of residue on the side of the mortar will matter. I like the idea of drilling the hole for the electric match. For those that do not know about it here is my video on it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucIFFsyVREc

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Not necessary to clean out any BP residue on the walls. Do look inside with a flashlight for any signs of cracks in the plugs & also check the bottoms of the plugs [referred to as "bungs" in larger guns]. Also check the bolts in the 6" for tightness. Putting water in them to clean them is not a good idea--you want to protect the plugs from water.

[DexTee]

Not necessary to clean out any BP residue on the walls. Do look inside with a flashlight for any signs of cracks in the plugs & also check the bottoms of the plugs [referred to as "bungs" in larger guns]. Also check the bolts in the 6" for tightness. Putting water in them to clean them is not a good idea--you want to protect the plugs from water.

Thank you very much Pyro Joe, great advice. I was also thinking that about the water, so I won't use any .. and I will do the checks you suggested, and not worry about the black powder residue.

[Kenny East]

I got a bunch of tubes second hand... Biggest issue was lift cups....kinda cool to see where they got most of their products at... As well as what they were shooting.. I don't worry about bp residue unless i can't get shells in the tubes....most of it comes off fairly easy just by running a stick up and down the inside of the tube... Get fancy and get a broom stick... Put a couple screws through it in a v shape... Points sticking out ... Makes a handy tool for getting lift cups out... Get the angle right and you can even pull a dud out of your tube... Very rare but ive heard of it happening... Never had anything other than some old canister shells do that... Fuse stopped right at the over wrap...

[RalphieJ]

The company I was associated with has thousands of mortars and except for inspection and dumping out lift bags/overwrap I've never seen them brush them out. Don't worry, you can rest assured that the next shell popped will take away everything left behind from the previous shell.