Reloadable bombette batteries

[AdmiralDonSnider]

I´m currently trying to get the materials necessary to build reloadable bombette racks, as seen here (by Zink Fireworks Germany; the commercial ones are expensive as hell):

 

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/9385/bombardrack.jpg

 

Does anyone know the material the tubes are made of? I assume it is plain aluminum tubing... Furthermore I´m not sure which technique to use for fixing the tubes to the metal base. Any ideas? Just don´t want to use found paper tubes anymore, as they tend to desintegrate after a few shots.

 

Thanks for your help!

[sparky]

I´m currently trying to get the materials necessary to build reloadable bombette racks, as seen here (by Zink Fireworks Germany; the commercial ones are expensive as hell):

 

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/9385/bombardrack.jpg

 

Does anyone know the material the tubes are made of? I assume it is plain aluminum tubing... Furthermore I´m not sure which technique to use for fixing the tubes to the metal base. Any ideas? Just don´t want to use found paper tubes anymore, as they tend to desintegrate after a few shots.

 

Thanks for your help!

you could use hdpe or if tou are confident they wont blow up in the tubes schedule 80 pvc works that is usually what i use i had a excaliber blow up in one and it left the tube intact

[TheEskimo]

I agree, looks like Al. Probably wouldn't be SS, for price, and weight. Looks like its either welded or solderd. Soldering would be cheaper for the home pyro, unless you have access to a metal shop. Just a propane torch, and some flux, and you're good to go. That might take some testing; I'm not sure how it can stand up to high, intense pressure. Welding is the more expensive option, unless you have a buddy with the equipment, or works in a shop. It looks like its attached to an Al plate, which are bolted to wooden planks. As sparky said, use HDPE. I assume that this is for a backyard display, so only HDPE or fibreglass will do. If you don't have access to it, go with the Al, or some stainless steel. That stuff can take a lot.

[Ventsi]

You could also try using fiber glass tubes and casting them into a resin base. That way it will be light and last forever. Or use HDPE tubes which would be cheaper

[dagabu]

I'm about 90% sure they are aluminum welded with a wire feed gun. I welded aluminum for a decade in another life in the 90s.

 

If you want to repeat this, just go to Discount Steel: http://www.discountsteel.com/index.cfm/go/main.home and price up some tube and plate. I added 4" x 8'- 1/4" plate and 1/3" x 8' tubing for $54.00 to my cart. Then go to Go Daddy for some alumaloy http://shops.godaddy.com/AAA-BRAND-BATTERI...e-Of-Brassaloy/ for aluminum brazing rod.

 

You heat your base metal to 700° F and whet it in like solder. Cut your tubes at angle with a hack saw, sand with plumbers paper and braze.

 

Dave

[Arthur]

Those tubes are alloy, I've seen some in the UK with a professional user. HOWEVER there is a complexity with them that makes their use difficult.

 

Once you have PIC or Visco threaded through the holes in the tubes, then you need to put BP in the tubes as lift, then drop the bombettes into the tubes.

 

Carrying bottled BP in the quantities needed to lift big bombettes in bulk can mean a small show becoming a major exercise with BP ( a 1.1D HE ) in transit with fireworks and maybe needing HE ADR transport. A firework with that much BP would still be a 1.3 or 1.4 firework and be MUCH easier to transport.

 

To make a plate of tubes like that get the flat plate and the tubes (cut as needed and get them MIG or TIG welded by an aluninium welding specialist.

 

While the idea of reloading tubes is nice, having mortar racks for 2 - 3inch shells is easier as you can put a complete firework in the tube in one action rather than having to feed fuse through, then weigh out BP in the field, then insert the bombette. Also there are no classified bombettes on the UK market so likely none on the EU market.

 

Basically a bombette is a shell without lift, but the shell with lift is easier to buy fully classified ready to use so no-one now uses the Zink reloadable bombette racks. Also with the demise of PIC fast, there are fewer speeds of visco available so fusing options are fewer also.

 

Added

Metal tubes are going out of favour due to the shrapnel hazard as well, so several reasons for not using them. You may find them uninsurable in professional use. The Japanese use steel mortars for their HUGE shells 24" and bigger but they are completely buriedand the tops well sandbagged to keep shrapnel risks down.

 

With that amount of hand welding of alloy those racks WILL be expensive regardless of who makes them.

Edited September 26, 2009 by Arthur

[dagabu]

Those tubes are alloy, I've seen some in the UK with a professional user. HOWEVER there is a complexity with them that makes their use difficult.

 

Once you have PIC or Visco threaded through the holes in the tubes, then you need to put BP in the tubes as lift, then drop the bombettes into the tubes.

 

Carrying bottled BP in the quantities needed to lift big bombettes in bulk can mean a small show becoming a major exercise with BP ( a 1.1D HE ) in transit with fireworks and maybe needing HE ADR transport. A firework with that much BP would still be a 1.3 or 1.4 firework and be MUCH easier to transport.

 

To make a plate of tubes like that get the flat plate and the tubes (cut as needed and get them MIG or TIG welded by an aluninium welding specialist.

 

While the idea of reloading tubes is nice, having mortar racks for 2 - 3inch shells is easier as you can put a complete firework in the tube in one action rather than having to feed fuse through, then weigh out BP in the field, then insert the bombette. Also there are no classified bombettes on the UK market so likely none on the EU market.

 

Basically a bombette is a shell without lift, but the shell with lift is easier to buy fully classified ready to use so no-one now uses the Zink reloadable bombette racks. Also with the demise of PIC fast, there are fewer speeds of visco available so fusing options are fewer also.

 

Added

Metal tubes are going out of favour due to the shrapnel hazard as well, so several reasons for not using them. You may find them uninsurable in professional use. The Japanese use steel mortars for their HUGE shells 24" and bigger but they are completely buriedand the tops well sandbagged to keep shrapnel risks down.

 

With that amount of hand welding of alloy those racks WILL be expensive regardless of who makes them.

 

Trust me, you can make this for the cost of materials, propane and your time to braze. All Aluminum is an alloy, these are likely 6160 Aluminum. Not rocket science here.

 

Dave

[Arthur]

My friend has a 1.1 factory fully licensed. He has full clearance with 1.1 HE. He still does not use the reloadable bombette racks that he has simply for the legal and logistical difficulty of handling loose BP on a firing site and in transit. It''s easier and cheaper for him to load racks of small shells with lift attached, for the same effect.

[Richtee]

My friend has a 1.1 factory fully licensed. He has full clearance with 1.1 HE. He still does not use the reloadable bombette racks that he has simply for the legal and logistical difficulty of handling loose BP on a firing site and in transit. It''s easier and cheaper for him to load racks of small shells with lift attached, for the same effect.

 

Isn't that interesting. I mean really... if there WAS a problem in transport, I'd rather have it be with a container of BP than 100 loaded tubes. I dunno... just what I'd think anyhoo.

[AdmiralDonSnider]

Some good points, thanks Arthur! However, the major part of your argumentation seems to apply to professional shooters only and I´m not one of them.

 

I´d usually preload the bombettes and take the fully loaded rack to the (amateur) display.

 

I remember I´ve recently followed a discussion at a german professional forum; they were talking about the use of Zink bombettes (the only ones I know that are available as projectiles). I was shocked when one educated guy revealed the recommended lift charges (3/4FA) for these small items. Here is a quote:

 

cal.24 - 10g

cal.45 - 20g

cal.60 Zylinder - 30g

 

This seems to be an enormous (!) amount given the weight of these units, but it matches with what you said about the necessity to have huge amounts of grain at hand if you load them in the field. But why?

 

I figured that the reason for these amounts is the lack of a perforated disk placed below the bombettes. These disks are so common in consumer fireworks and drastically (!) increase the lift heights of a given amount of powder. However, I guess this would be a tedious loading process for the operator and is thus avoided and compensated with enormous charges. Just my two cents...

 

I forgot to mention that I recently discovered the material of the tubes seen in the pic (at top) which is "Al Mg Si 0,5", as well as their dimensions:

cal.24 260 x 30 x 2,5mm

cal.45 300 x 50 x 2,5mm

cal.60 300 x 65 x 2,5mm

 

Note that the clearance between the unit and the tube´s wall is quite large, also wasting some force.

 

I personally lift my cal.30mm units with one gram of homemade 3/4FA equivalent; I also use a disk - works great; in this case the amount needed to load a 100 shot cake in the field would be 100 grams...

Edited September 26, 2009 by AdmiralDonSnider

[Arthur]

In professional use a small shell is 1.4 or 1.3 so carriage and storage is simple from a regulatory point of view even though they contain BP. Carrying a bottle of BP to load the tubes in site means having 1.1 in transit also it means having weighing or measuring equipment on the firing site, All of which add difficulties. Several firework display companies don't have 1.1 storage or approvals. -That's why the Zink bmbette racks are less used.

 

From an amateur point of view, find a good commercial cake that has tubes the right size and hack the used casing a few times, Use an awl or spike on a handle to puncture the tubes to make a fuse hole.

 

From any point of view, loading a tube in Europe or America takes time and this costs money having the tube loaded in China costs less money, a LOT less money.

[andyboy]

Still, that's mostly from a commercial fireworkers point of view.

 

 

As a hobbyist I would love to have some reloadable, affordable tubes that I could reuse 1000 times without deterioration, who wants to pick up old tubes once a year and hope they last until next new years eve.

 

 

 

With that said, those racks look awesome. I like my hobby taking time, I wouldn't be pasting my own shells if I was going commercial, I would buy the chinese shells. And for me it's already illegal to make HE's and LE's so I don't really care as to what regulations apply.

[AdmiralDonSnider]

Lately I´ve been into reloadable bombette racks again. The aluminum ones seen in the first post are not offered any longer, but PE based ones are available instead, which seem to be pretty durable too.

 

I just wonder how one would successfully attach PE- tubes to a PE base. Is it some sort of glue that is used best?

 

Also, how durable do you expect such a battery to be? Would comets e.g. wear the tubes?

Edited October 25, 2010 by AdmiralDonSnider

[Arthur]

PE cannot be glued It is usually welded with either a hot plate or a heating wire incorporated into the joint.