Hook for 8" shell?

[pyroguy1960]

I started my first 8" shell today and now that I have it filled and pasted....I'm wondering how I'll be able to attach the quickmatch so I can hold it by that and drop it down the tube....didn't realize how heavy this sucker was going to be. With my 4" paper shells I usually just tape the quickmatch to the side of the shell and that's sufficient enough support to hold the shell by that.

 

What's the proper way to do this? Attached is a pic of the shell (time fuse up at the moment) and it weighs 5lbs (80.00 oz)

[Algenco]

loop a piece of string over the quickmatch and glue it to the top of the shell

[pyroguy1960]

Do you mean make a loop of string, glue that to the shell, then thread the quick match through it and drop the shell in by holding the quickmatch?

 

Or glue string to the top of the shell, wrap it around the quickmatch and use the string to lower it into the shell?

 

Also I plan on using 8 oz of commercial goex 2FG to lift this shell, seems like a lotta powder to me compared to only using about 1.5 oz on my 4" shells. Any problems forseen here?

[Algenco]

Do you mean make a loop of string, glue that to the shell, then thread the quick match through it and drop the shell in by holding the quickmatch?

 

Yes

 

any heavier and you'll have to attatch stringd directly to the shell for lifting/lowering

[Mumbles]

You can probably get away with hot gluing a loop of string to the top of the shell to use to lower it. I don't think I tried using the leader to lower my last few 8" shells. I still use the loop to keep the leader pointed upwards, but I do believe I tied the lowering rope to this loop itself.

 

8oz of 2Fg is going to fire that shell out of the gun like a missile. You could easily use probably half of that. 5oz of 2FA would be typical, but with your faster powder could probably get away with less than that. I'd really use no more than 5oz.

[pyroguy1960]

Understood, I thought 8oz of that faster powder seemed like a hell of alot, I'll use 4-5 oz of 2FG, because 2FG is almost twice a strong as the same amount of 2FA right?

[Arthur]

Get a length of string and form a loop in the middle with a simple knot, comb the two tails out to finer strands then glue these to the crown of your shell and paste paper over the strands. This way you have a fixed loop.

 

For larger shells the leader may not be the best string to lower them with, so get a long piece of thick string pass it through the loop and lower the shell with it doubled -this way you can remove the string before firing the shell. If you leave the string attached, it may cause the shell to rise in a particular orientation and may be added drag that means the shell fails to achieve full height.

[dagabu]

Commercial shells up to 8" are dropped by their leaders, 10" and up have strings. I have never seen anyone drop a cylinder shell bigger then 4" multibreak by its leader though.