pyrotechnics equipment/tools

[kharford]

Hi All,

What do you all use to carry around from show to show your tools and equipment for setting up shows?

(i,e, copper awl, tape, igniters, fuse, fuse cutters, etc,etc,etc)

Do you use brief case, tote bag...??

Thanks for any help or suggestions

Ken

[Kooooou]

My XL fanny pack holds a copper awl, fuse cutter, 2 utility knives, different flavors of tape for cake repairs, lots of zip ties, zip tie cutter, a small but bright flashlight, Sharpies, enough ematch or firewire for a few slats, and an extra 9mm magazine. When the show starts the two drink holders contain 2 cans of First Alert EZ Fire Spray.

[gecko2015]

>and an extra 9mm magazine

LOL!!!! I love it.

[Arclight]

Blaster's Tool & Supply has powder punches and some of the tools you won't find elsewhere. I think they have worked with Dave before.

[Kooooou]

>and an extra 9mm magazine
LOL!!!! I love it.
But I wasn't lying. LOL

[Fox One]

But I wasn't lying. LOL

Exercising your freedom while celebrating freedom. Can't get any better than that!

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Jeep Grand Cherokee. Seriously!


I have a personal "go bag" in there with a change of clothes, extra t shirts, first aid, etc., another bag of misc tools [vice grips, hammer, screwdrivers. etc.] another smaller bag with "strictly pyro tools"--anvil cutters, scissors, scotch locks & pliers, several size awls, Duct tape, Magic Tape, electrical tape, etc.
a cordless drill & extra batteries, bag chair, cooler with water & power aid, clean out sticks, headlamp, spot light, small flashlight, 2 way Motorola radios, rain gear, blanket, hoodie, small sledge hammer & stakes, plastic garbage bags, etc--etc--etc.
The most common phrase heard on the shoot site is "Hey, Joe---do you have------"!

[Mattp]

I use a medium size tool bag.. which is strictly for pyro tools all of the above mentioned necessary hand tools, plus gloves, zip ties, ear plugs and safety glasses .. that?s for Easy to carry around and have everything I need on any shoot site.. then I have large totes for all of my equipment .. then as joe mentioned ? I?m no where near as prepared as him(you can tell he?s been doing it along time and prepared for any situation.. lol) ..but on pro shows I?ll have a have cooler,, extra clothes and shoes/boots, rain gear in my car

[Salutecake]

Much of what PyroJoeNEPA and Mattp said, but depends if I'm shooting for myself or someone else and where. So, tape I switched to Gorilla tape I love Dave's idea of U-Haul tape, I also carry a small handsaw and miter box, small shovel, just recently started carrying crimper tool and shunts for e-match/cobra modules torches, fuses, come to think about it, a lot of stuff, lol.

[Arclight]

Electrician's scissors are great for cutting tape and stripping/cutting scab wire:

https://www.amazon.com/Electrician-Scissors-Theater-Klein-Tools/dp/B000VL03NC/

You can get a 2-tool sheath that will hold these and a brass punch.

[N.E. Pyrotechnics]

We have a large 36"x24" wheeled storage tote that we call the"field box". Everything that we need to put up a show is in that box, other than the pyro.
Two way radios, safety boundary stakes, caution tape, ground stakes, stakes for racks, first aid kit, fire extinguishers, flashlights, spare batteries, hard hats, head lamps, several types of tape, duplex nails for racks, several different sized hammers, bailing wire, hand tools, cordless drill, driver, saw, gloves, contractors garbage bags, tarps, bug spray....
I actually have a check list that I go through a few days before hand to make sure that everything on the list is in the box.
We choose to not shoot from our home for a multitude of reasons, so if we are shooting a show, we are away from home, and I can't run to the garage, or basement to grab it. So everything goes in the box...

[mguerra]

Klein electrician scissors, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, non sparking anvil cutter, brass poke, duct tape on a dispenser, masking tape on a dispenser, extra wide painters tape on a dispenser, plastic packing tape on a dispenser. USE dispensers for your tape, picking tape off a roll is a massive PIA and time waster!!

https://youtu.be/fSnOYd9vHMI
Staple gun and staples, Cordless drill with hot batteries and spare batteries, T-20 and T-25 Torx bits, phillips bits and straight bits, 1/4" drill bit to drill mortars for the igniter loop knot, zoomable high power headlamp with hot batteries and spares, Gerber EAB knife and spare blades, multi-meter, Torx deck screws (re use them), to assemble rack end boards. Ematch to quickmatch connectors and ematch to visco connectors (from Pyroworks), fast gray paper fuse, reusable igniter extension wires with alligator clips (NO SCABBING), pre-made double and triple ematches or Firewire, UY-3M Scotchlock connectors and crimping tool, extra remote and module batteries (EVERY remote and module battery is tested in the 2 weeks prior to a shoot). Screwdrivers sized to fit every screw on every piece of equipment. Pry bar, sledgehammer, shade canopies and leg weights, stakes, and guy ropes. Plastic sheeting, plastic bags sized to bag all the cakes. Rain jacket, change of clothes, sunscreen, bug dope, pain killers, electrolyte tablets for water bottles, three fire extinguishers full and charged, glow sticks to place on the fire extinguishers to locate them in the dark. Wipes to clean your grimy self. Ice chest, cooling towel, 28 ounces per hour of rehydration, lunch, snacks, maybe dinner if not provided on site. Folding chair or chaise, folding table(s), hardhat, safety goggles, work gloves, full brimmed straw hat, not a ball cap. Eyeglass cleaning supplies, sunglasses. We put all our modules up on tripods to work at chest height landing cues, not squatting down on the ground all day. So, tripods with weight hooks, 5#barbell weights with bungee hooks zip tied to them for tripod stabilizing. Maybe a few things I forgot. It's a lot admittedly, but it allows us to assemble the show without panicking about something we need or forgot. I start loading the van using a checklist a few days ahead. I organize and load most of this stuff in to Cabela's Gear Bags, Flambeau 18" dry boxes and maybe some cardboard boxes.

[Birdman]

I usually have:

My pyro poke
Razor cutter
Several different speeds of fuse
Spent MJG wires in case I need splice for more length
Several different types of tape (scotch, electrical, duct etc)
Viso to MJG connectors

It all goes in a plastic shopping bag!

I was just saying I need to get a tool box or something.

[BMoore]

I keep a fireworks tool bag in my truck that includes:

Pyro Poke
Anvil Cutters
Tape (U-Haul, Foil and Packing)
Zip ties
Claw hammer
Small sledge hammer
Ear plugs
Flashlight
Head lamp
Hard hat

I also have a Leatherman Surge multitool that comes in quite handy.

[Salutecake]

Hey Arclight - when you get bored you can use those scissors to cut pennies in half, lol.

[hatsgoods]

i have a tool tote/bag with pockets i have just for pyro. i have a small amount of cotton string, propane torch head, map gas torch head and canister, wire strippers for small size wires and regular wire strippers, 3 utility knifes - 2 regular blade and 1 hooked blade, scissors, flashlight / work light, ceramic knife, wire cutters, electrical multi meter, zip tie gun, fuse - anvil cutter, sharpie marker, pliers, 4 and 8 inch zip ties, aluminum foil, masking - foil - duct tapes, plastic roll of plastic to cover up entire tool bag, tooth brush to clean my firing systems, anti static wrist band for working with ematch / firewire, bag of ematch to visco connectors, 16oz claw hammer, scotch crimp connectors of 2 and 3 wires, needle nose pliers, penny wrappers ( learned from Dave ), gloves, 2 brass awls - 1 for ematch and firewire and 1 for fuse and then my safety gear of hard hat, gun muffs and safety googles. then i have my personal day bag with 3 sets of clothes and 2 towels and in that bag i have my work light.

[Arclight]

If you want a cool ceramic knife, these box cutter blades are quite nice:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D37DKV2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

[Arclight]

If you want a cool ceramic knife, these box cutter blades are quite nice:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D37DKV2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details