Set Up

[JohnJr88]

I am new to the Forum but have really enjoyed reading the articles and even getting some feedback on one of my questions. Here's another one that I just cant seem to find much info on.

I am doing the automated firing system this year (Ignite) and I am planning on fusing everything up the day(s) before my shoot but here's my question.

When is too early to set up the site? Is the night before (with proper light obviously and weather permitting) too early if I cover with a tarp? Should I wait until the morning of the shoot? Just a few hours before?

Wanted to see what others have done in the past.

It normally takes me a few hours to set up but with the automated show and now doubling the size of my show and also adding a sound system, setting up a few hours before doesn't seem practical unless I recruit some help.

[Birdman]

That largely depends on weather and if you can mitigate the effects of any unfavorable weather conditions. A lot of people secure their product to sheets of plywood and get most of it ready to go. Then on shoot day all they need to do is place the boards, tie up any loose ends, confirm continuity, set up sound etc..

[JohnJr88]

Thank you so much!

[displayfireworks1]

Unless it is posted elsewhere and I'm missing it. Explain what "Fusing everything" what type of "Fusing" do you do? Since you are using the Ignite I assume you are using Initiators. How do you plan on connecting them to the product? Which type of Initiator are you using?

[JohnJr88]

Sorry @displayfireworks1. By "fusing" I meant set up. I'm using the Visco Shroud initiators from MJG and will be pulling back the Visco Shroud (I bought these before learning about this method) and inserting the initiator directly into my shells and cakes. I think what I am planning to do was to begin setting up my shoot site the night before we shoot for July 4th. We have an all day party and I don't want to be spending the hottest hours of the day in the Alabama heat setting up my show and missing the party.

I was just going to cover with a tarp (obviously all of this is weather permitting) the night before and have everything 75% done the day of.

Getting closer to shoot time, I'm thinking i'll connect the quick plugs to the modules and other small stuff.

I just didn't know if it was okay to leave fireworks in the sun or covered by a tarp in the sun. I know it takes A LOT of heat to light fireworks without igniting the fuse but I was just seeing what everyone else's experience was.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist so when people offer to help, while I'm very appreciative, I tend to feel as though it's more work to explain to them how to do things. I'd rater do everything myself so I know it's right. Thus, taking me a long time to set everything up.

[Salutecake]

Hi JohnJr88, Good luck, lol. I would 1st consider the size of the show and then your layout method. So as Birdman stated about others glueing cakes down on boards, a lot do that myself including myself.

So you say you are a bit of a perfectionist, which is great, I will go on the assumption that you have a master plan. I always have a master plan but sometimes specifics go out the window by show time, lol.

Storage is something to consider - if you start to poke and fuse your cakes you will want to keep them in a safe place, so nothing can go off, like in your garage, or the dog doesn't knock stuff over.

Using the board method, I poke and glue to thin plywood or particle board usually 2'x4' stips, last year I used scraps of wood and made racks so I was able to stack about 5 boards high, and that saves a lot of space. And when the time comes it makes it easier for me to connecto the modules.

Covering, I've used just about everything - baggies, aluminum foil, shrink wrap, tarps and so on. I've never had an issue but a guy I talked to years ago said he goofed by putting out his stuff to early, getting hammered with rain and the bottoms of some of the cakes getting wet and not firing. For the most part heat is not going to effect stuff, humidity perhaps over a long period of time, but I have already poked shell 5 months in advance with no issues.

Help - so I know you like to to it yourself, but, I would consider to start traing some help. Hopefully your show will get bigger and bigger, and when that happens, you probably won't be able to get it done by yourself and you definetly will not be able to enjoy your party.

Cakes vs mortars -- So 1 cake lets say a 30 sec cake about 5 sec to poke and another 2 seconds to connect with the quick plug 1 cue vs a mortar shell that it takes about the same time to poke and connect but now to cover the same amount of time you need, about 20 mortars (about 1.5 seconds apart) and now 20 cues.

Off the top of my head, that's some of the things i do to make things easier. I hpe you get more suggestions. Always good ideas here.

[MontanaMike]

I know Alabama can be a pretty humid place, so it may not be a good idea to leave everything set up in the field overnight due to one factor: DEW. Even here in Montana, in the summer, everything is almost always covered with a nice coating of dew in the early morning which can range from very fine droplets to looking like it's been out-and-out rained upon, and while I don't know if that would affect fireworks negatively if they were under a tarp, maybe it could. It may not be too good for your firing equipment either.

Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned, there's not really a good substitute for getting as much done ahead of time as you can; and then the morning of your show, get up as early as possible and set up in the field. If it takes you a few hours, you should be done before the mid-day heat.

[JohnJr88]

Thanks Salutecake & MontanaMike, this is all great info!

I do use the board method with liquid nails and will continue to do so. Easy clean up and I like the safety aspect more than anything.

I did not think about the Dew and you're right. It is rampant in Alabama that time of year.

I'm starting to think now maybe the night before just using some marking flags in the yard where I want to place things. This should make things much easier/quicker for set up time and then I don't have to worry about the tarps, dew, etc. and like you said MontanaMike, just wake up early and start setting up before the party starts..

Any other tips? I really enjoy all the feedback!

[BMoore]

The only think about tarps over a long period of time is you have to watch for dew and condensation. Don't let them directly touch the ground and use dark colored plastic up top. Anything that is white or transparent is going to cause a greenhouse effect and you'll inadvertently soak your product. I prefer black trash bags to weatherproof and keep them tight around the product to help prevent condensation.

My experience is that fireworks preparation is like water....always seeking it's highest level. No matter how early I start or what I try to do in advance I'm still making adjustments right up until show time. If you figure out how to actually relax and enjoy the party then Kudos to you!

[JohnJr88]

Very true BMoore! I feel like no matter how much I prep or how early I set up I'm going to be focused on the show all day.

Thanks!

[Birdman]

Very true BMoore! I feel like no matter how much I prep or how early I set up I'm going to be focused on the show all day.

Thanks!

I, and I'm going to assume many of us, can't relax until the show is shot and everything is as it should be, or at least close enough. That's just how it is when you truly care about something.

[Salutecake]

Agreed Birdman!

[Robbro097]

As my show is getting bigger again this yr but crew has not i wont b able to set everything up in a day and stero and have any moment to relax so am planning to put out the day b4. My plan is gluing all cakes down to boards and wiring everything into shunted slats then wrap them in black plastic and staple it to the bottom of the the board same basic thing with comet and slice racks so hopefully ill just b setting up speakers connecting cables, setting up fireballs and cpl other odds n ends. With everything wrapped in black plastic dew shouldnt b an issue but am still nervous about it

[displayfireworks1]

Sorry @displayfireworks1. By "fusing" I meant set up. I'm using the Visco Shroud initiators from MJG and will be pulling back the Visco Shroud (I bought these before learning about this method) and inserting the initiator directly into my shells and cakes. I think what I am planning to do was to begin setting up my shoot site the night before we shoot for July 4th. We have an all day party and I don't want to be spending the hottest hours of the day in the Alabama heat setting up my show and missing the party.

I was just going to cover with a tarp (obviously all of this is weather permitting) the night before and have everything 75% done the day of.

Getting closer to shoot time, I'm thinking i'll connect the quick plugs to the modules and other small stuff.

I just didn't know if it was okay to leave fireworks in the sun or covered by a tarp in the sun. I know it takes A LOT of heat to light fireworks without igniting the fuse but I was just seeing what everyone else's experience was.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist so when people offer to help, while I'm very appreciative, I tend to feel as though it's more work to explain to them how to do things. I'd rater do everything myself so I know it's right. Thus, taking me a long time to set everything up.

You not going to set off fireworks by leaving them out in the sun. They test all of these products under extreme heat against that sort of event. I personally get nervous storing product with electric match inserted when it is not attended. Some in the display industry do this all the time. They store it in the magazine and transport it with match in it. I don't agree but it is done. Be sure the wires on the electric match (Initiators) are shunted together if you do this. This all assumes you have secure storage or shoot site. Once you plug the Initiators into the system , I would dedicate all of you time and attention to the display from that point going forward and keep spectators not involved in the set up away from the shoot site at a distance.

[PG2159]

Can some one explain “shunting” and it’s technical rationale?

[Birdman]

Shunting is closing the circuit on electric igniters by connecting the wires you would place into your module. Wires come shunted. Wires with quick connectors will have a piece of metal placed into the quick connector. Standard wires are just twisted together and usually secured with something to ensure they don't come untwisted. In this state, with the circuit being closed, you don't have to worry about static electricity or some of source of electric charge igniting them. Hope that makes sense.

[displayfireworks1]

Here is a short video I made about "Shunting" . We should not assume everyone knows the fireworks lingo , so thanks for telling us you did not understand.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rInhwNrXX6E
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Here are two video I made 11 years ago about electrical firing .You should explore the rest of pyrotalk website, I have all my videos categorized , many explain in detail setting up fireworks displays.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A09q3HzgiA&t=803s
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wecr5DxLMaE&t=2s

[JohnJr88]

Thanks for all this Dave. Everyone on here has been a huge help and it is much appreciated.

So, I am using the MJG quick plugs this year and they do have the copper piece in the quick plug like the one in the video you made. If I leave this piece in the quick plug, do I still need to Shunt, or is the initiator already Shunted with this copper piece in the quick plug?

[displayfireworks1]

Thanks for all this Dave. Everyone on here has been a huge help and it is much appreciated.

So, I am using the MJG quick plugs this year and they do have the copper piece in the quick plug like the one in the video you made. If I leave this piece in the quick plug, do I still need to Shunt, or is the initiator already Shunted with this copper piece in the quick plug?

Watch the videos. Spend some time to learn it

[JohnJr88]

I see now, I missed the part where you said that taking the copper piece out of the quick plug meant it was un-shunted. Thanks again!

[cody138]

Get some friends lol, all my 1.4 is matched a few days prior and labels attached to the wire, I have a diagram and know that odds go on the left and evens on the right, all 200's at one point and 500's at another, I know where my mods are going and if I need slats or not. Then the day of the show myself, my wife and a friend or two go at it. I place the mods in the field then a friend and myself start setting out the cakes and the wife stars plugging in, when I get all the 1.4 out I start doing the 1.3, by the time I am half way done my wife comes and assist me with the 1.3 and a 16-18 min musical is usually finished in 3 hours or so with just 3 of us. I dont glue to boards I drive stakes in the ground and tape to stakes, some cakes are 1 to a stake others maybe a pod of 4-6 depending how close they fire to each other in time. I would be worried about leaving product out overnight due to a few things, weather its July even if it says no rain pop up's happen and if winds pick up and you lose a tarp etc.

[Engineer Cat]

I'd like to learn more about this "wife as a show helper" part of pyro. :D A number of you guys have mention this "helper wife" but it's been elusive to me.:) She does watch me do all this work scripting and helping me when I think something doesn't work well. She also probably knows how the show should go off better then anyone cause I make her watch my simulations so much..... so how do I get her to do some leg work on shoot days. :p The only thing I have seemed to achieve is her not saying the dreaded words "you are buying MORE fireworks!". Is that step 1? LMAO

Nice gender revel Cody. Crazy how that smoke kept lingering.

[Birdman]

Get some friends lol, all my 1.4 is matched a few days prior and labels attached to the wire, I have a diagram and know that odds go on the left and evens on the right, all 200's at one point and 500's at another, I know where my mods are going and if I need slats or not. Then the day of the show myself, my wife and a friend or two go at it. I place the mods in the field then a friend and myself start setting out the cakes and the wife stars plugging in, when I get all the 1.4 out I start doing the 1.3, by the time I am half way done my wife comes and assist me with the 1.3 and a 16-18 min musical is usually finished in 3 hours or so with just 3 of us. I dont glue to boards I drive stakes in the ground and tape to stakes, some cakes are 1 to a stake others maybe a pod of 4-6 depending how close they fire to each other in time. I would be worried about leaving product out overnight due to a few things, weather its July even if it says no rain pop up's happen and if winds pick up and you lose a tarp etc.

This is pretty much how I do things. I get some help placing the fireworks but I do most of the wiring because the others have usually started drinking by that time. I also have trust issues when it comes to wiring my show. Last year the wife would confirm with my script that I had everything on the right mod/cue.


I'd like to learn more about this "wife as a show helper" part of pyro. :D A number of you guys have mention this "helper wife" but it's been elusive to me.:) She does watch me do all this work scripting and helping me when I think something doesn't work well. She also probably knows how the show should go off better then anyone cause I make her watch my simulations so much..... so how do I get her to do some leg work on shoot days. :p The only thing I have seemed to achieve is her not saying the dreaded words "you are buying MORE fireworks!". Is that step 1? LMAO

I think my wife helps out of pity.