looking for a better, faster way to fuse shells

[chrish]

by july fourth I have to have 1400 visco shells fused for various racks.

I personally like the knot method best, it keeps the timing easy because the 4 sec per foot fuse of the shell has little effect on the main fuse.

however, even though I am rather fast at this method I am looking for a better/faster way while being able to keep the timing true.

I have used tape and zips but you have to be careful or your timing will be fast due to the 4 sec/ft shell fuse.

I am looking at the clips, but the fire passing looks sketchy. its a T connection.

any other methods out there?
how do pro's fuse op their shows, or is this where hired labor comes into play?

btw, the racks are cobra fired, but they behave likes cakes. one cue sets the rack off and then fuse manages each rack.


also, 400 of the shells are 1.75 1.3 shells. they have a visco end, but are quick matched after three inches of visco. the three inches of visco is the perfect amount for a knot, but would a better way be to slit the quick match and thread the main fuse through and then tape secure it. this would make a T connection but with quick match this would not pose a problem.


thanks for any input

[Mattp]

not a fan of those T connectors... they definitely dont have a great success rate.. i am a fan of zip ties and tape...to slice into every quickmatch may take alot of time too.. sounds like your knot method may be the fastest though for fusing that many at a time... i don know about all pro companies.. but the one that i just finished training with runs every shell back to the modules.. and the sequence is regulated by the show creator... unless they are pre fused chains..

[joewad]

My hands are cramping just thinking about fusing 1400 shells.

[displayfireworks1]

If I have someone cutting the tape and handing it to me I can move pretty good on fusing the artillery shells. Remember when using zip ties get the very end of the fuse next to the fire fuse. Visco is meant to resist side ignition. Be great to see a picture of that setup once it all fused.

[chrish]

I agree, visco does not lite easily from the side. I use a cow hitch or larks head knot which gives a double strand contact to the main fuse. it gives a very nice clean run of fusing connections. if water proofing is needed then a strip of tape can be applied length wise down the main fuse over all the knots.

even though visco resist side ignition I have had really, really good luck with this method. I have lit 2400 shells the past three years like this with only one, yes one, that didn't light the fuse. It looks like I will be lighting 2000 more shells this summer over a few shows. I like my method, but it gets hard on the fingers, so I was looking for perhaps a better way.

I may have to play with tape again and just account for the timing issue (or buy $10,000 more cobra gear).

the shell count and shows seems to be increasing every year which is cool, but a few years ago I never considered the ramifications of shooting a 1000 shells (fusing them).

I think more and more that 1.4 pro is some of my favorite stuff. easier rules of use than 1.3 and it has ignition ports.

I will get some pictures this year.

matt, thanks for the info. sort of confirmed what I thought.

thanks all

[Pyro Dave]

Carousel Automatic Tape Dispenser, KNOKOO Electric Tape Dispenser Machine RT-3000 with Motion Sensor, Electronic Packing Tape Cutter for 5-25mm Width Tape https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HDZLZFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tK-6Cb6GTZ8EB

[joewad]

Carousel Automatic Tape Dispenser, KNOKOO Electric Tape Dispenser Machine RT-3000 with Motion Sensor, Electronic Packing Tape Cutter for 5-25mm Width Tape https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HDZLZFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tK-6Cb6GTZ8EB

For me it would be hard to get this past the little woman, $200 ! I don't even think a marathon of the Hallmark channel would be enough.

[Pyro Dave]

For me it would be hard to get this past the little woman, $200 ! I don't even think a marathon of the Hallmark channel would be enough.

Sometimes you have to lessen your fireworks budget for equipment. If you're fusing up thousands of consumer shells or matching tons of 1.4 cakes I could see this investment being worthwhile.

[joewad]

Sometimes you have to lessen your fireworks budget for equipment. If you're fusing up thousands of consumer shells or matching tons of 1.4 cakes I could see this investment being worthwhile.

Say it aint so............

[chrish]

Sometimes you have to lessen your fireworks budget for equipment. If you're fusing up thousands of consumer shells or matching tons of 1.4 cakes I could see this investment being worthwhile.

agreed, no different than purchasing more modules.

I did test this out:
purple perfect fuse is ~4.5 sec/ft. this is about the same speed as the green fuse used on consumer shells. this means if you tape the green shell fuse to the purple fuse timing is basically unaffected. so now it comes down to which can I do faster, tape or tie?

if tape is the answer I could see buying this machine.

[Pyro Dave]

Tape is definitely faster then zip ties in my experience. I have always used small zip ties if I'm going to be prefusing days in advance though. I worry about the tape just sitting around in the heat and getting gummy.

[pfm1700]

Wrap your shell fuse a couple times length wise around your trunk line (be sure it's facing in the direction the fuse is burning) then place a small tape around that. I've never had a problem doing it this way and it's pretty quick.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I'd be interested in seeing pictures of your work if anyone has some handy. :cool:

[upNdown]

Just thought I'd drop this here too. This crate was fused with knots. They all fired and the timing was pretty good. Not perfect, but shell fusing never is. In my opinion, the knots were faster and easier than tape.
https://youtu.be/jbrdZHTPWwo?t=205

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbrdZHTPWwo&feature=youtu.be&t=205
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=4473&stc=1

[joewad]

Just thought I'd drop this here too. This crate was fused with knots. They all fired and the timing was pretty good. Not perfect, but shell fusing never is. In my opinion, the knots were faster and easier than tape.
https://youtu.be/jbrdZHTPWwo?t=205
4473

I tried this method a week ago and also in a milk crate rack of 25 with 100% success. I ran 1 length of fuse for EACH row and 1 length as initiating fuse of each row. Fuse used was 30 seconds per foot. I added a small piece of "magic tape" folded over each knot after I trimmed off any excess fuse. I was surprised to see a lapse of 45 seconds from first lift to last burst. Reason for test was I am thinking about replacing my wooden racks for milk crate racks for roughly 225 mortars. I like to put up around 75 per 30 seconds from 3 shooting points (1 straight and 2 angled) and it appears I can now do that with a faster fuse without committing a sky puke. A lot cheaper and a lot less time. Now that will probably open the flood gates regarding safety comments from others but for me it's not an issue since all shots are behind an earthen damn and remotely shot. And yes, there's about a three quarter of an inch of plywood in the bottom of milk crate.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Well that's just slicker than snot. That would be a huge time saver over the zip tie and tape thing I've been doing. I'm going to have 400 mortars in my show next year and that system would save me a ton of time. I've got a dozen mortars laying around and I think I've do a test run. Thanks for posting the picture!!

[upNdown]

Just another knot update. I shot 101 shells on Saturday, at least 6 different brands, all knotted to pink or gray fuse, and every shell went up. I'm still 100% with the knot method. Oh and I figured it out - the knot I use is a COW HITCH. Fast, reliable, and when you're using shells of the same brand it's very good for timing if you pay attention to what you're doing.

[joewad]

Just another knot update. I shot 101 shells on Saturday, at least 6 different brands, all knotted to pink or gray fuse, and every shell went up. I'm still 100% with the knot method. Oh and I figured it out - the knot I use is a COW HITCH. Fast, reliable, and when you're using shells of the same brand it's very good for timing if you pay attention to what you're doing.

Could you re-post video, original seems deleted. I'll download it this time for future use.

[upNdown]

Hmm,, I never posted a video of me tying knots, I think I just posted a video of them firing successfully. It's a simple knot, the cow hitch, and after doing it 8 or ten times I can do it without thinking about it.
Maybe next time I'm fusing a crate, I'll make a video. But that might not be for another year. I'm not the biggest pyro.