Building racks...

[CozmicRooster]

I?m going to start building racks for my tubes soon and have a few questions:

What factors do you consider when deciding how many tubes to put in a single rack? Are there any specific reasons to build a rack of 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 tubes?

I plan to make single racks that can be put together 5 wide in either vertical or splayed configuration. What angles do you find work best for good spread and effect from a single firing location?

[Crush630]

I have a friend who makes racks, close to Chicago area and can ship.

[CozmicRooster]

I have a friend who makes racks, close to Chicago area and can ship.

I appreciate the referral but half the fun is in the building for me. I just don’t want to build a bunch of 5 shot racks when I should have made them 6 or 8 instead. I tend to do a lot of thinking about the design and details of a project before getting started.

[PyroKing31]

I appreciate the referral but half the fun is in the building for me. I just don’t want to build a bunch of 5 shot racks when I should have made them 6 or 8 instead. I tend to do a lot of thinking about the design and details of a project before getting started.

Hi there Cozmic, most us build them in multiples of 6 since that is the way most shells are packed these days. Makes it easy for math as well when your doing shell count or loading. I tend to make racks of 24 so its a full box of canister shells or 2 boxes of ball shells.

[Big Worm]

I have built all of my racks in multiples of 6. I believe I have 10 12shot racks and 6 6shot racks. All of my racks are single lines of tubes, this way i can angle the racks if I choose too. Most of the time i have three racks together because that is about all i can carry at once.

[CozmicRooster]

I have built all of my racks in multiples of 6. I believe I have 10 12shot racks and 6 6shot racks. All of my racks are single lines of tubes, this way i can angle the racks if I choose too. Most of the time i have three racks together because that is about all i can carry at once.

This is pretty much what I’m looking at. I’ve noticed that most racks are 6 shot, with a few 10s here and there. So it really is just a matter of mathematical convenience then? I’ve also noticed that most firing systems tend be in multiples of 6 as well, such as 12, 18, 36, and 72 cue output modules. I wonder if there’s a chicken/egg relationship there. I’d like to tie 5 racks together to get multiple angles for particular effects and whatnot.

What angles do you find most effective?

[PyroFL]

- 6 per row but wouldn’t do over 18 per rack. I built a 36 rack and it’s a pain to move by myself and why I only have one of those.
- Handles make it nice and easier to move as needed

For Angle I would say whatever safe for your shoot site and look your going for. What would work for some will not work for others

[jdels]

Multiples of 6 are what I do too. Mostly 24, but I do have an 18 and a 48. The 48 is a beast when loaded but sure helps on space as my set up is very confined.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5630&stc=1

[jdels]

15 degrees for most consumer cans will provide max spread with little to no overlap in my experience. If I build another one I'd probably back off to 12 degrees. Here is a pic of three TIKI BOMBS maybe one third up at 15 degree angle.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5631&stc=1

[Salutecake]

A lot of the racks I bought are in 10s. Now, I use a cobra firing system so I build racks of 9 or 18. 36 to me gets to big, bulky, and heavy when you become an old fart like me.

[topshelfpyro]

http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5632&stc=1

I prefer racks of 6 as you can see (currently at 120). Very versatile, normally I take 4 of the 6's and make them into a 24 which hold a box of cans and is still manageable for 1 person to move.

[Salutecake]

What size are those? they look like at least 3" mortar tubes.

[PyroKing31]

What size are those? they look like at least 3" mortar tubes.

Those are Dr11 1.91" ID

[PyroJoeNEPA]

I have all of my 1.4g racks in 10 shots. When you get past the "this number of shells in a kit" and start filling totes up with shells 5,6,8 shot racks don't matter much. 10 is easy, and you end up with a 2 foot rack that can be made into pods quite nicely. easy peasey!

[rfgonzo]

I like to make 1.4G racks in 10 shots also.http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5646&stc=1

[displayfireworks1]

I don't know about anyone else. but I certainly feel better see that roll of Dave's Magic Tape in the last picture. LOL The racks, the Initiators , the individual markings for each mortar. It looks great. I keep saying the advanced fireworks enthusiast is looking more and more like a display company than we are like our pyrotechnic roots of mixing chemicals and shell building. The gap between a professional display company and an advanced fireworks enthusiast is getting closer and closer every year. Great pictures, thanks for posting

[jamisonlm3]

I'd got further and say that it's pretty much the same.

[rfgonzo]

Dave, Thanks for the kind words! I knew you would like the Dave's magic tape. I started using Cobra systems 3 years ago and I'm up to sixteen 18M's one 72M, 18R2 and a audio box all thanks to you and the rest of the good people on this site. I have learned a tremendous amount of information from this site. Thank You!