DR11 tube vs. cardboard tube that comes with shells:

[Squonk]

Hey guys. Quick question from a noob. Will the launch sound different out of a DR11 tube compared to the tube that come with shells? Was curious if it would sound a little more like a "doomp" than a "bang". Sorry for such a silly question. lol
BTW, got the bug after this last 4th. Gonna build my first rack.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

More doomp than bang. Welcome aboard.

[CozmicRooster]

BTW, got the bug after this last 4th. Gonna build my first rack.


^^Me about a year ago...welcome to the coolest place on earth :)

DR11 and milk crates is a good start. I was going to build fancy racks this year but ran out of time. Here’s what I did this time around:
https://youtu.be/bdp2-G1AdCY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdp2-G1AdCY&feature=youtu.be
Plenty of good advice here. I recommend searching previous posts. You’ll find pretty much anything you need to know. Good luck.

[Squonk]

Thanks. I'm pretty good with my hands. I'm sure I can make some really nice racks. Kind of surprised, this seems like an untapped market (fancy, colorful tubes/racks). I think there are people willing to pay extra for something that looks really cool. Not that I plan on making a business out of it, but, I promise mine are gonna look really nice. :p

[Squonk]

DR11 and milk crates is a good start.
Hey, that milk crate idea looks awesome, especially if you plan on putting on a fairly large show. Looks like 25 tubes fit in quite nicely.

I am also wondering, since I plan on using 'Talon Electronic Starters', would I then be able to use 15" tubes without issue? I'm not trying to start a 15" vs. 12" flame war. Anything that could help in the slightest in launch height and more "doomp" than "bang". What do you think?

p.s. I want more "doomp". lmao!

[Fulliautomatix]

^^Me about a year ago...welcome to the coolest place on earth :)

DR11 and milk crates is a good start. I was going to build fancy racks this year but ran out of time. Here’s what I did this time around:
https://youtu.be/bdp2-G1AdCY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdp2-G1AdCY&feature=youtu.be
Plenty of good advice here. I recommend searching previous posts. You’ll find pretty much anything you need to know. Good luck.

Nice show. What kind of canister shells were you using?

[CozmicRooster]

Nice show. What kind of canister shells were you using?

The racks on the first board used a combination of Raccoon and Platter River Claws Out canisters. You can see I have them fused as pairs.

Here’s a side-by-side test video on YT:
https://youtu.be/gMDzL_7V8oU

The 3 crate finale at the end used those 2 plus Platte River Nuclear Nebula canisters. Those were fused together in sets of 3. I chose the combination of those 3 because they have slightly different break heights and the Nuclear Nebula have some more vivid colors.

[CozmicRooster]

Hey, that milk crate idea looks awesome, especially if you plan on putting on a fairly large show. Looks like 25 tubes fit in quite nicely.

I am also wondering, since I plan on using 'Talon Electronic Starters', would I then be able to use 15" tubes without issue? I'm not trying to start a 15" vs. 12" flame war. Anything that could help in the slightest in launch height and more "doomp" than "bang". What do you think?

p.s. I want more "doomp". lmao!


Yes, the crate fits 25 nice and snug. One of the things I learned on the forum is to put a piece of plywood in the bottom of the crate to keep any tubes from bouncing out from the recoil.

I’ve not used any electronic igniters yet but there is no issue using them with 12 or 15” tubes. There are plenty of discussions on the forum about 12 vs 15. My understanding is it pretty much boils down to personal preference. I use the 12” because it’s easy and convenient, not to mention slightly less expensive.

As far as “doomp” vs “bang” I can’t really help you out with that one. One of the more experienced folks here will have to take that question.

[Fulliautomatix]

The racks on the first board used a combination of Raccoon and Platter River Claws Out canisters. You can see I have them fused as pairs.

Here?s a side-by-side test video on YT:
https://youtu.be/gMDzL_7V8oU

The 3 crate finale at the end used those 2 plus Platte River Nuclear Nebula canisters. Those were fused together in sets of 3. I chose the combination of those 3 because they have slightly different break heights and the Nuclear Nebula have some more vivid colors.

How about the ones that look like Nishiki Kamuro? There's around 7 of them in a row starting at @4:20 in your show video.

There's also what appears to be a canister shell (sounds like one) with a red lace effect around @3:49 that I'm curious about, it reminds me of Lace Combustion/Lace Impulse/Silky Sweet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9bHgpPqBCc

[CozmicRooster]

The Nishiki breaks are the Willow Beach NOAB by AFW. Very impressive. I used 4 of them, a single on the first board, another single at the beginning of the second board, and 2 of them with the 3 crate finale at the end. There is a spot where there would have been dark sky if it weren’t for the Willow Beach still putting up shells. That was just lucky timing. Those breaks were ginormous.

[Squonk]

Boy, I think I have a lot to learn on this sight. I need to do some surfing on here. One thing I want to do that I haven't seen anyone build yet is I want my rack up off the ground, at least a foot. Don't have to bend over as much. I know you would have to build a wider base for stability but I think it would be worth it.

Oh also, why do you have to buy tubes with your shell purchases? Is it a legal thing?

[CozmicRooster]

Oh also, why do you have to buy tubes with your shell purchases? Is it a legal thing?

It’s a legal or regulatory thing that the mfg has to include a tube (usually fiberglass) with every 6 shells. That’s my understanding. Those tubes are reusable but have limited durability. Most people who do this more than once will invest in HDPE tubes that are designed for long term reusability, and are also way more convenient and space saving for building custom racks.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Do yourself a favor. If you have the carpentry skills to build nice solid wood racks, build them. Do not use milk crate racks. Also, if you're serious about this hobby and if you plan to grow your show over time, don't concern yourself with doomf vs. bang. When you're sending up 500 mortars in a finale, no one is going to hear either one of them. Buy DR11 tubes and build as many racks as you think you'll have money to fill. IMHO, the extra 1' in height you *might* get from a longer tube isn't worth the money, and no one is going to notice the extra 1' in height anyway. So keep it simple. Finally, you need to forget about using talons and start using firewire initiators. Talons are unreliable as hell, and they only work on products with a visco fuse. If you plan on getting into the 1.4 Pro stuff you're going to need to use initiators. Initiators also give you instant ignition of your effects. You're going to want that when you start doing pyro-musicals. With talons all you're doing is lighting visco and waiting for the fuse to hit the charge on the first tube. No way to get your timing down using those things. When they do chose to work.

My $0.02.

[Squonk]

I'm guessing MDPE tubes are a no no?

[Mattp]

I'm guessing MDPE tubes are a no no?


i know HDPE is the goto tube... but ive used MDPE with no issues at all... it still has the same concept of absorption during a cato....as far as building a rack that sits off the ground.. ive never seen that before.. and i think its because.. you know if its on the ground your on a solid surface... you dont want to underestimate the recoil on these things..if you dont want to wire them bent over...then i would suggest wiring/fusing the rack on a table then placing it on the ground when ready to shoot .....or get yourself a nice comfy seat and do it on the ground ..LOL. and im with rick on the doomf and bang thing... really dont think your going to notice a big difference either way

[AquaticPyro]

YES! the cardboard mutes the sound. Fiberglass vibrates so it sounds different too. I have several video I shot of designing and building racks. I prime and paint mine unlike 99% of users. I use exterior satin black.

[TheClevelandPyro]

Any good kit of cans is gonna come with an HDPE or fiberglass gun.

That being said, nothing beats the sound of HDPE in my opinion.