Received type 54 today/ Storage magazine deal of the century

[JP87]

Hello everyone. I’m a long time lurker here, but this is my first post. I received my permit in the mail today and I wanted to share my excitement with the group. I submitted my paperwork on the first of April and was really hoping to be approved before July 4th. No such luck. I had my interview the Friday before Engineer Cat, who received his permit in the mail on June 20th I believe, so I really thought I was going to be good to go. I have a cobra firing system, so I obtained a 1.4g pro certificate through Dave’s program last minute and was still able to put on a damn good show for my party. I’m curious if having my own magazine added to the wait time or if it was just bad luck.

Anyway, I just wanted to show off my dirt cheap storage magazine. My assigned investigator was from over two hours away, so he wanted to make sure I had my ducks in a row before he made the trip. I was planning on doing indoor storage in my barn with a job box. Well, I was going to have to build a room around it to create a barrier from spark producing objects (vehicles, tractor, bench grinder, etc.). I knew I eventually wanted to get an outdoor magazine, but I just wanted a simple magazine to get started. The agent suggested I withdraw my application and work on obtaining a shipping container. That was not an option for me, as I was still hoping to get licensed before the 4th. He was leaving that day for vacation, so I had a week to either build a room for the job box or figure out an outdoor container. The cheapest container I could find was over $3,500 with no guarantee I would have it in time for the interview/inspection. So I searched on govplanet, where government surplus items are auctioned off everyday. Normally the items I find are several states away and you only have a few days to pick up the item before they start charging storage fees. Well, I found a type 3 day box used to store dynamite for a local city tunnel project. It was located only 20 minutes from my house and had an opening bid of $150. I was the only bid and I won the auction for $150!!

My investigator was blown away at what I was able to pull off, both in such a short time and for so little money. The box is super heavy and I would assume would be worth at least $300-$400 in scrap metal alone. I added some shackle-less locks and a quick coat of paint on it to help it blend in to the surroundings. The 1.1D placards won’t be displayed, I just thought they looked cool for the pictures. Haha

Here are a few pics:

https://i.imgur.com/7AUl5TL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/f3Jp6oy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zLVu1OO.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/37iGnJQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6vtOG3n.jpg

[Smily0]

Awesome score man! I wish I was that lucky.

[displayfireworks1]

Wow.!!!! I don't think the first post on the forums get better than this, pictures and all. Congratulation on obtaining the ATF license and documenting your journey. I hope it inspires others. Every once and while I need a little something special for me to keep this website and forums going and this post is diffidently one of them. Glad you went from lurking to posting. Very impressive.
It did take you longer because you wanted to obtain the ATF license AND approved storage. I usually advise fireworks enthusiast to first obtain ATF license through contingency and then if desired move into your own personal storage. Doing both simultaneously takes a little longer. You apparently accomplished both. Now that you have the magazine if needed there are pyrotalk forums members that I am sure will be a good resource for you if you need help with bookkeeping etc. Also, thanks for purchasing my Articles of Pyrotechnic certification .

[Engineer Cat]

WOW what a steal! I had a huge smile on my face when I saw what you got for $150. Congrats on the mag and the 54. I don't have a magazine so I suspect that's why I was able to get my 54 so quick. But your timeline is still very good with having a mag.

Damn I wish I had space like that.

[BMoore]

That's an amazing find and congratulations! Also impressive is the amount of space it looks like you have available. Newly licensed and already living the pyro dream!

[Arclight]

That is a sweet magazine build! FYI, you can make the interior look like new if you buy a quart of gray wood stain and wipe down everything wood with a rag. It makes the water and other stains go away and all of the new/old wood look nearly the same. If you really want it to look pro, you can get an inexpensive placard made on Amazon:

6734

Here is the link to the custom sign guy on Amazon. They have lots of colors and sizes:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084DP2FKS

[JP87]

I’ve been a pyro for my entire life. My mom would always ask me as a little kid what I wanted for my birthday. From age 4 and on my response was always the same: FIREWORKS! I’ve followed Dave’s YouTube channel for at least 10-11 years and always wanted to get licensed, but didn’t have the space until recently. We moved to the countryside in 2020 and having the space for storage and firework displays/parties was at the top of my priority list. It took longer to submit my paperwork than I wanted, but I finally pulled the trigger.

Dave, I’m glad to have reignited your pyro spark! I follow a few other forums, mostly firearm related, but rarely ever post much. I thought this story was too good not to share.

The compliments I received this year for my show were incredible. But knowing next years show will blow it out of the water had me grinning from ear to ear.

I’ll look into the gray wood stain. It appears that there was a pretty significant water leak at one point in its life, but it was repaired before I purchased it and has been dry ever since. I’ll definitely be picking up some of those placards. I showed several of my party guests the magazine and seeing their faces when they read the 1.1 placards was hilarious. It was a look of excitement and being terrified at the same time. Haha

I do have a quick question for you guys. I already have templates for my daily summary sheets and have all of that under control. But I thought it was a requirement to at least visually inspect the magazine once a week for signs of theft and/or attempted entry. And I thought a record had to be kept of such inspections. I asked my investigator and he said it’s not required. I thought I read that in multiple places, but maybe I’m mistaken. Does this sound familiar to you guys?

[Arclight]

I’ve been a pyro for my entire life. My mom would always ask me as a little kid what I wanted for my birthday. From age 4 and on my response was always the same: FIREWORKS! I’ve followed Dave’s YouTube channel for at least 10-11 years and always wanted to get licensed, but didn’t have the space until recently. We moved to the countryside in 2020 and having the space for storage and firework displays/parties was at the top of my priority list. It took longer to submit my paperwork than I wanted, but I finally pulled the trigger.

Dave, I’m glad to have reignited your pyro spark! I follow a few other forums, mostly firearm related, but rarely ever post much. I thought this story was too good not to share.

The compliments I received this year for my show were incredible. But knowing next years show will blow it out of the water had me grinning from ear to ear.

I’ll look into the gray wood stain. It appears that there was a pretty significant water leak at one point in its life, but it was repaired before I purchased it and has been dry ever since. I’ll definitely be picking up some of those placards. I showed several of my party guests the magazine and seeing their faces when they read the 1.1 placards was hilarious. It was a look of excitement and being terrified at the same time. Haha

I do have a quick question for you guys. I already have templates for my daily summary sheets and have all of that under control. But I thought it was a requirement to at least visually inspect the magazine once a week for signs of theft and/or attempted entry. And I thought a record had to be kept of such inspections. I asked my investigator and he said it’s not required. I thought I read that in multiple places, but maybe I’m mistaken. Does this sound familiar to you guys?

You don't need to keep a record of your visits. Just have someone go by and look at it at least once every 7 days. If you were to get a variance to use cameras or some other method of checking instead then you might have to keep records.

[Engineer Cat]

Out of curiosity. How the hell did you lift that thing to pick it up and put it in place? Did you have to pay for a crane?

[displayfireworks1]

Arclight

I want to thank you for offering suggestion and your expertise in the real explosive industry when the advanced pyrotalk members move into the explosive fireworks storage magazines. When I look at his apparent remote location , I bet the ATF would love if he would install a covert Trail Camera as a security measure. I am guessing he does not have power and or WiFi at this location from the looks of the picture he posted. I know one of my recent inspections/renewal they are starting to ask survey questions related to video security.

[JP87]

You don't need to keep a record of your visits. Just have someone go by and look at it at least once every 7 days. If you were to get a variance to use cameras or some other method of checking instead then you might have to keep records.

Ok, thanks for confirming. It’s actually really easy for me to check on it. It’s right off a path I keep mowed around the property. I ride the golf cart around it almost daily while taking the dogs out for a run. I just didn’t want to get dinged for not documenting it.


Out of curiosity. How the hell did you lift that thing to pick it up and put it in place? Did you have to pay for a crane?

My first post was already a little long-winded, so I didn’t want to over do it. But I was thankful to have Memorial Day weekend in between the scheduling of my interview and the investigator’s visit, because it took most of the three day weekend to get everything done. Luckily the place I picked it up from had a huge Lull/telehandler to load it onto my trailer. That was actually almost a deterrent to keep me from bidding on the auction. The description said there was no loading dock nor lifting equipment of any kind on site and any trailer other than a removable gooseneck trailer would be turned away and pick-up would be refused. So I almost didn’t bid. But when no other bids were placed, I figured what the hell, I’ll figure something out. It must have been a default description because when I scheduled pick-up they were more than happy to help load.

Anyway, I hauled the box back to my work where I swapped it over to a tilt-deck trailer and was able to borrow the warehouse forklift. With that, I was able to get it delivered and unloaded at my house and drop it in front of the barn for the welding modifications. My brother and I welded the puck lock brackets on and some makeshift “skis” to the bottom of the box under the forklift pockets. This allowed us to then use a 3/4 ton truck and some log chain to drag it into position about 200 feet behind the barn. Plenty of events and hurdles in between, but this is the short version. It was definitely a group effort.

https://i.imgur.com/dgHtxv1.jpg

I’m actually working on getting wifi to the barn now. We finally got Starlink at the house after being on the waitlist for 3 years. It’s the only service available where I’m at. I’m setting up a wireless bridge to get wifi from the house to the barn which is about 300 feet away. From there, I’m going to point a camera at the magazine, which is then another 200 feet behind the barn. I’m not too worried about about people messing with it as it’s not really visible to anyone. But I like having the ability to view it remotely just in case. I was asked if I had any provisions for security cameras during my interview as well.

[Engineer Cat]

Damn! You are very resourceful!

[Smily0]

I’m actually working on getting wifi to the barn now. We finally got Starlink at the house after being on the waitlist for 3 years. It’s the only service available where I’m at. I’m setting up a wireless bridge to get wifi from the house to the barn which is about 300 feet away. From there, I’m going to point a camera at the magazine, which is then another 200 feet behind the barn. I’m not too worried about about people messing with it as it’s not really visible to anyone. But I like having the ability to view it remotely just in case. I was asked if I had any provisions for security cameras during my interview as well.

Have you picked out equipment yet? I'm using the older Ubiquiti UAP-AC-M on both the exterior of my garage and the exterior of my barn. This acts as both a bridge and services clients. The garage is hard wired to my POE switch, and then the barn AP ethernet runs to a small POE switch in the barn, which connects to a second AP in the barn (single does not go through the metal walls at all) as well as some Ring cameras for monitoring. I'm right around 300' line of site between the garage and barn and it works awesome! The cameras are much more stable on POE with the Ubiquiti bridge than their own wifi. If I were doing new, I'd use the U6-Mesh (newer) AP, but the rest would be the same.

[Arclight]

Have you picked out equipment yet? I'm using the older Ubiquiti UAP-AC-M on both the exterior of my garage and the exterior of my barn. This acts as both a bridge and services clients. The garage is hard wired to my POE switch, and then the barn AP ethernet runs to a small POE switch in the barn, which connects to a second AP in the barn (single does not go through the metal walls at all) as well as some Ring cameras for monitoring. I'm right around 300' line of site between the garage and barn and it works awesome! The cameras are much more stable on POE with the Ubiquiti bridge than their own wifi. If I were doing new, I'd use the U6-Mesh (newer) AP, but the rest would be the same.

I also second the recommendation for Ubiquiti gear. For 300' you can use the dish or the stick type units. Get some outdoor-rated CAT5/CAT6 if possible and avoid CCA (copper-clad Aluminum). The Ubiquiti "Toughcable" is awesome and used by a lot of rural ISPs for their equipment.

While ATF doesn't require any security measures above a properly locked magazine, they are starting to ask about it at interviews and renewals.

[Arclight]

One other suggestion: You might want to attach a drip edge of some kind to the roof in order to direct water away from the door seal. My magazines have it installed from the factory:

6736

[displayfireworks1]

Great point Arclight. The magazine you have picture , the manufacture definitely added a professional touch with that feature. A drip edge also termed a "Weep Screed" is an important consideration for longevity. This is particularly evident in masonry projects when you drive by a home and see the brick falling apart (spalling) directly under an external porch or street brick mailbox. You can tell the absence of a Weep Screed ( drip edge ) over the years. I am impressed with the company that built your magazine Arclight

[Salutecake]

Hey Arclingt and JP87, Love the mags and of course jealous! Just a quick question, and I hope I phrase it right. On Arclight's mag for example, on the right hand side of the door at the hinges, are there inner pieces holding the door in other than the hinges?

[JP87]

Yep, I’m going with Ubiquiti. I’m not exactly sure which components, my boss just gave me his old system in a big box. I haven’t completely gone through it yet. But that’s the consensus around the office, everybody has been really happy with their ubiquiti setups.

I have plans to install a drip edge as well. I oriented the box with the door facing away from prevailing winds and put some weather stripping around the door. I also slightly pitched the box so if there was any water intrusion it would run out the door instead of pooling in the back end. Luckily if I decide to weld on the drip edge, I can borrow a gas drive welder and do it in place out in the middle of the field.

My investigator was super nervous about my hinges being exposed. He had to make some calls to make sure it was ok. If I had to break into my magazine, I think cutting two 7/8” steel plate hinges would be my last plan of attack. Haha

[Arclight]

The actual requirement is:

"Hinges and hasps attached by welding, riveting, or bolting (nuts inside door), and installed to prevent removal when doors are closed and locked."
https://www.atf.gov/file/58711/download

So that is all you are legally required to do. I did add a couple of inside pins when I refurbished this one, but it's not required.

[Knightmare]

How long did you have to wait for Fingerprint Cards?

I never received my cards yet for application. It has been about four weeks.

[JP87]

I already had a stack of fingerprint cards, as I’m also into NFA firearms (machine guns, suppressors, destructive devices, etc). Each transfer of such item has similar requirements to the type 54 application: duplicate fingerprint cards, passport photos, and a year long wait. I know you can get free cards from the ATF, but I usually just order from Amazon. There is a 3 pack of cards with next day delivery for less than $4. For NFA transfers you’re actually allowed to do your own fingerprints on the FD258 cards. I asked if I could do the same for the FEL and they said it was fine. It didn’t cause me any issues.

[Knightmare]

Thank you for the information here.