Poking Cakes semi-newbie questions

[MontanaMike]

I've been poking cakes for a couple of years and have yet to get 100% fire. I'm sure there are a few things I'm doing wrong.

Specifically -- zipper cakes that have lots of tubes about 3/8" or so.... what's the best way to connect MJG initiators to them? In the past I've had a couple not go off, which I attributed (maybe?) to the shroud going all the way through the tube and touching the other side, effectively blocking the fire. Is it better to shove a piece of faster fuse in and connect that to the initiator? I always leave the shroud on the initiators, should I take it off for these small-tube cakes?

And, on other cakes -- NOABs seem to have this issue -- every video I've seen shows the poke hole being made right above where the fuse goes into the first tube, which makes sense. But, sometimes you poke in there and it's just air, can't feel the crunchy powder. So should a person poke somewhere else, or (again) use a piece of fast fuse alongside the regular fuse?

Any advice to help me get to my hoped-for 100% would be appreciated.

[BMoore]

Zipper Cakes - I leave the shroud on but don’t push in all the way. Just press in to where you are inside the wall of the tube. If it’s tight enough and you tape the wire to the cake it should be good to go. For extra security a dab of liquid nail will help hold it in position.

NOAB - These can be tricky. If you poke above the fuse and you feel air all the way across it’s likely that the shell has a BP slurry on the bottom that lights from the fuse running under it. Odds are the e-match will light it, but I’ll stick in a few slivers Of fast fuse just to get more fire as added insurance. Having said that NOAB’s can be constructed in different ways so unless you can get into a tube and see what’s going on there is some risk that it won’t fire.

[mguerra]

Don’t try to poke small bore tubes, do this:
https://youtu.be/BfI9Vfxxpus
Or this:
https://youtu.be/d9fLAYEuCv4

[hatsgoods]

what I do is match those types of cakes and like color pearl 48/96 shots cakes the day of the show in the field. i take my smaller brass awl to make hole in first tube or where ever i need to fuse it at and then pull back shroud to put in hole i just made and tape the shroud to hole on the outside. I never pull back shroud for anything else but those cakes. ill make a video on it this weekend showing safety I do too and what i mean cuz I honestly hate typing. lol.

[Birdman]

what I do is match those types of cakes and like color pearl 48/96 shots cakes the day of the show in the field. i take my smaller brass awl to make hole in first tube or where ever i need to fuse it at and then pull back shroud to put in hole i just made and tape the shroud to hole on the outside. I never pull back shroud for anything else but those cakes. ill make a video on it this weekend showing safety I do too and what i mean cuz I honestly hate typing. lol.

I've done the same. I only do it in the field with extra care.