Double Poke Overkill?

[Backyard Joe]

I’m starting to wire my show…I’m shooting all 1.4 to a pyromusical with cobra. I have four 9 shot cakes that I’m using as accents. I double poked each tube in series to make sure it fires. Is this overkill?

[jdels]

Is it overkill? Probably, but I must admit I do something similar with cakes or effects that I want assurance of ignition. As a backup I poke the second tube and add a short piece of visco with a second igniter but wire in parallel.

[Birdman]

I don't believe I ever double poked but I have poked and then also wired to the fuse using a visco connector as backup. I'll usually do this if it's a new cake and I don't feel any lift charge when I poke. Also if I've had any issues with anything firing in the past I'll double wire it. I don't think it's overkill where you want/need some insurance.

[Backyard Joe]

That’s what has me nervous…I didn’t feel the charge on a couple so I gave it the double poke and hope. I can’t do the fuse backup because of the timing needed. I need instant lift.

BTW, poking the middle tube on a NOAB is a pain!

[PyroFL]

That’s what has me nervous…I didn’t feel the charge on a couple so I gave it the double poke and hope. I can’t do the fuse backup because of the timing needed. I need instant lift.

BTW, poking the middle tube on a NOAB is a pain!

Not overkill if you think its needs it for backup I do it for a few things too. As birdman said cheap insurance! If you did all of your show I would say that's overkill.

Am glad you said it's NOAB your poking to give you a little more information.

I ran into a problem a few years back where I ended up with 6 NOAB that didnt fire. I checked all the MGJ and all of them fired, now I have 54 3" tubes that all didn't fire.

I ended taking a box cutter and cutting one apart to find out there was no lift charge in the bottom. How is this possible, they were all ball shells with a cap holding the charge with a fuse from tube to tube into each ball shell.6631

[Engineer Cat]

Damn. does anyone know if Raccoons Neon Jellyfish are like this? Was planning on turning 6 of the tubes into single shots.

[PyroFL]

Damn. does anyone know if Raccoons Neon Jellyfish are like this? Was planning on turning 6 of the tubes into single shots.

Sadly you have to sacrifice one not unless someone knows the answer.

Pull the fuse out of the first one going to the 2nd one without pulling it out of the 2nd. This will be where, if need be you will hook up your MJG.

To date the only one I've found in Fist Bump that is the ball shell, but I check all new ones now.

I know your safe with:

WHACKY TOBACKY
MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS
HOT AS HELL
BATTLE CRY
MAJESTIC BROCADES
DISCO BALL

[BMoore]

I've done it a few times on cakes that extremely important to my show. I'd also suggest putting the two initiators on separate cues if you have the ability to use alternate cues. Double poking will do you no good if you have an issue on the module end.

[barehm]

I guess I'll be the contrarian and say it's overkill :)

1) If you're using MJG, your failure rate is very close to zero (in terms of ignition of the match) and even if you did have failure, probability that it's on your 'important' cake/one-shot is low.
2) NOABs can indeed be a PITA, but if you poke the first one in the wrong spot, you're probably going to do your second one in the wrong spot too! Make sure you look carefully at the NOAB and trace that fuse - get the lift charge and you'll be good.

[Backyard Joe]

I guess I'll be the contrarian and say it's overkill :)

1) If you're using MJG, your failure rate is very close to zero (in terms of ignition of the match) and even if you did have failure, probability that it's on your 'important' cake/one-shot is low.
2) NOABs can indeed be a PITA, but if you poke the first one in the wrong spot, you're probably going to do your second one in the wrong spot too! Make sure you look carefully at the NOAB and trace that fuse - get the lift charge and you'll be good.

I’m curious how you “trace” the fuse. I pulled no less than 1.5 inches of fuse out of each tube and it’s impossible to say where it came from. I poked the hole and put the MJG as far as I could x2 on each tube. I’m talking about doing this to every tube on a NOAB…not just the first one.

Is there a better way?

[BMoore]

I’m curious how you “trace” the fuse. I pulled no less than 1.5 inches of fuse out of each tube and it’s impossible to say where it came from. I poked the hole and put the MJG as far as I could x2 on each tube. I’m talking about doing this to every tube on a NOAB…not just the first one.

Is there a better way?

I've come across three types of NOABs. Some have a lift charge sitting in the bottom just like you'd expect with a cake. Some have a ball shell with it's own lift cup with the fuse running into that lift cup. For those you are going to have two layers to poke through. The third type is a ball shell but the fuse does not actually enter the shell. Instead there is a BP slurry inside the mortar that catches and passes fire to the lift cup. Whenever I poke a NOAB and don't feel that crunch crunch I stick some blackmatch in the hole or tiny pieces of quickfuse. Get enough fire in there and odds are it will go.

[barehm]

I've come across three types of NOABs. Some have a lift charge sitting in the bottom just like you'd expect with a cake. Some have a ball shell with it's own lift cup with the fuse running into that lift cup. For those you are going to have two layers to poke through. The third type is a ball shell but the fuse does not actually enter the shell. Instead there is a BP slurry inside the mortar that catches and passes fire to the lift cup. Whenever I poke a NOAB and don't feel that crunch crunch I stick some blackmatch in the hole or tiny pieces of quickfuse. Get enough fire in there and odds are it will go.

Excellent advice - couldn't have said it myself. If you don't feel the lift charge, you're not done. Either keep looking, or stuff flammable material (e.g., fast fuse) and hope that at minimum it will catch the regular visco in the cake.

[jdels]

This is the only zipper cake in my show this year and the tubes are very small. So for backup I went with a three inch piece of green 30 second visco lightly zip tied to the connecting fuse.
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