Leaving Racks loaded and fused

[PyroKing31]

So due to a mixture of events beyond my control neither my 4th or Labor day show were able to go. So I have racks and crates and racks of fused up shells ready to go.

How long is it safe to keep them racked up/ moisture/ sticking/ etc vs having them in their totes/ 5 gallon buckets with lids.

I'd prefer to not undo all of my fusing but I will if its the best course of action.

I've got some 3" that is racked up and fused as well but not E-Matched.


Thanks!

[Mattp]

Personally,, i wouldn't be to worried about it.. as long as they're in a dry and safe environment.. can keep them that way as long as you need to,, they make shell chains that sit in storage until used or sold. .. and fireworks already have fuses on them, so whats the difference if they're all tied together.. just make sure they're locked up safe, dry / away from kids,, or anyone or thing else that can damage them.. and if you have electric matches in any thing,, just make sure the ends are shunted

[BMoore]

I'd definitely unload the 3" racks. Generally 1.3 shells are supposed to be inspected AFTER arriving at the display site. Many jurisdictions won't let you start loading shells until after the AHJ has signed off.

As for consumer racks I'd probably still unload them unless I planned on shooting in the very near future. It's always wise to inspect your racks before a shoot and time can certainly affect mortar integrity especially if temperature swings and humidity changes are involved.

[Mattp]

I did not realize you were talking about 1.3g too.. which bmoore is correct.. 1.3g items should definitely be unloaded and put into proper storage..

[Salutecake]

If the 3" you have racked up is 1.3-- unless you have your own magazine, they should have been returned to your magazine, returned to contingency storage, or shot off.

[Arclight]

FYI, I attended that ATF seminar and I confirmed that low explosives (1.3 and 1.4) with an electric match (igniter in ATF terminology) attached can be stored with other non-fused explosives in the same magazine. And boxes of igniters (i.e. e-match or similar that doesn't have high explosives like a blasting cap) are classified as "low explosives" and not "detonators" for purposes of storage. They can be stored in the same magazine as fireworks or other product.

[PyroKing31]

I'll make a correction to my earlier statement. the 3" 1.3 is in home made chains but not currently in racks. which should be fine I would think. They are in my mag.

The consumer stuff I will have to find a tote to unload into as the next shoot I have planned isn't until memorial day next year. Ill just unload the chains intact.

Thanks

[displayfireworks1]

Tearing down and or tearing apart a 1.3 electric display that did not fire as planned has been determined to be a high risk for an accident to occur. I know years back at least one professional display company had a policy that if a display was set up and the sponsor backed out they would shoot the show anyway.
It sounds like you did not use any electric match. Sometime it is very difficult to get display shells out of mortars once they are dropped. I covered some of that once. To simplify it, you need a stick to reach in and move the shell as you pull on the leader. You can damage the leader if you pull too hard.
I don't even want to ask where the loaded racks are being stored. I know when I worked on some of large displays that took multiple days to set up, a security firm would baby sit the loaded racks until we returned the next day. He spent the night in his little trailer with his 357. LOL
I'm side tracked with a memory. LOL We were doing a multiple day set up show working on a barge docked at the river bank in Pittsburgh at the end of a road that ended at the river. The road went past a salvage yard and near the bottom of a major bridge. At night it was scary and dark as hell. When we came in the AM I would always ask the security man guarding the set up how the night went. One time he said about 3 AM this woman comes down the road and parks at the end of the road and just shuts her car off. He said she just sat in the car for about 20 minutes in the dark. Then a second car comes with a man in it. They talked for a minute and they both drove away. I ask him , did you think they were going to have sex? He got upset and said, no I thought she was going to commit suicide. LOL That short road near the river is so scary even Google Maps backs off before it hits the river. LOL
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Riverside St Pittsburgh Pa.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4437853,-80.0264109,3a,75y,318.85h,84.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxJuksNb0_kCW6SvTUwKiZw!2e0!7i1 3312!8i6656

[BMoore]

I’m picturing a small show with 1.4 racks and a handful of 1.3 chains. Show was cancelled so he threw the loaded 1.4 racks in the truck, pulled out the 1.3 shells and went home. The 1.3 shells went into his magazine and he’s asking what to do with the 1.4 racks. I hope that’s the scenario here or else there are bigger issues to discuss! To Dave’s point tearing down a show is risky not to mention a pain in the a**. Once I’ve made the decision to start setting up there WILL be fireworks that night. Loading the first shell is the point of no return for me. All that aside it sounds like you are properly storing the 1.3. Whether or not to unload the 1.4 racks is a personal preference but personally I’d unload them especially since you have no plans to shoot them near term.

[PyroKing31]

I’m picturing a small show with 1.4 racks and a handful of 1.3 chains. Show was cancelled so he threw the loaded 1.4 racks in the truck, pulled out the 1.3 shells and went home. The 1.3 shells went into his magazine and he’s asking what to do with the 1.4 racks. I hope that’s the scenario here or else there are bigger issues to discuss! To Dave’s point tearing down a show is risky not to mention a pain in the a**. Once I’ve made the decision to start setting up there WILL be fireworks that night. Loading the first shell is the point of no return for me. All that aside it sounds like you are properly storing the 1.3. Whether or not to unload the 1.4 racks is a personal preference but personally I’d unload them especially since you have no plans to shoot them near term.

You are dead on. Show was set, then cancelled. I have shunted all the poked 1.4 and de-matched all the 1.4 racks. the 1.3 chains are in the mag . I may still take apart the 1.4 racks, they aren't any less exposed to the elements in totes vs racks but if anything where to happen they wont have any way to "lift"