Preventing moisture in fireworks

[Liftanddeafen]

Hello, just had my first dud firework in along time. The lift went of well but I didn't see the time fuse burn at all and I think it's the moisture not allowing the time fuse to burn I crossed matched it and I've never had any problems with it. As I have a fireworks show this weekend can anyone tell me a very good way of keeping them from the moisture? Cheers will

[mathiasxx94]

Put the shells etc. in an airtight plastic container with some dessicants inside. As a dessicant you can use calcium chloride, silica gel or other hygroscopic materials.

[ollie1016]

Do what Mathias said. Use a large tupa ware box with a small pot of anahyrdous calcium chloride. Works a treat.

 

Did you BP slurry prime your shells? Possibility of the slurry not drying or dampening the timefuse inside?

[Seymour]

I just dry everything in the air. Once dry, I leave it exposed to the air.

 

Unless you use excessively hygroscopic chemicals or techniques that result in trapped moisture, fireworks should be moisture stable and have no issues with drying or staying dry.

 

Admittedly this means, at least where I live that I do not use Strontium nitrate or prime timefuse with water based slurreys. However this does not stop me from making any firework I want.

 

While using drying boxes of various kinds is a legitimate option, especially at meet ups where you want to get everything dry as fast as possible (or day to day pyro if you lack patience...) it is in no way necessary.

 

I agree with Ollie in that if you added a water based slurry to your timefuse, this is the problem.

[Mumbles]

If you can find the shell, that would give you the most information. You will be able to tell if it was a failure in the fuse taking fire, staying lit, or giving fire.

 

If you did use a slurry, you can disregard the next part, as that could be the culprit.

 

I've never heard of moisture affecting the timefuse or crossmatch without affecting the lift too. I don't think moisture is your problem. I'm sure you don't want to admit it, but it was likely a defect in your manufacturing. Poor splitting of the time fuse can lead to poor contact of the match and fuse core. Alternatively, getting glue in around the core can affect things. If you're not careful, you can occasionally dislodge the powder in the fuse core and cause poor ignition. There are other issues, such as a gap in the powder core of the time fuse, which does happen from time to time, especially with lower quality fuses. There is some concern, though I don't feel it's valid, about hot glue melting the tar layer and causing issues with the core as well.

[LambentPyro]

I think what Mumbles says is quite valid. Try and find the shell (regardless) and melt the glue around the time fuse and pull it out and inspect it. Look at the part facing inside the shell, and look at the outside part. Take a lighter and see if you can light the part that was facing outside, if you can. It's a lack of prime. If you can't light it and if the other end still has the BP core intact, you need better quality time fuse. If it did burn all the way through and didnt ignite the contents, I suggest priming both ends, and fill the passfire tube (if any) with some granulated BP and put a piece of tape over the top so it's compressed.

 

I've had a few shells from the Fourth that failed to ignite. This is a result from the time fuse not being cross matched. I have to dip mine into a BP slurry and cross match with visco. Some people prefer to use black match, though, I don't make it, I never needed it, but that's personally me.

 

I poke a hole through the time fuse as splitting it opens up the powder core, and if the time fuse has a very powdery or small core, then it's considered a poor quality fuse. Which if poor quality, the dust falls out easily when splitting and the less there is of the powder core, so the less chance of the fuse burning all the way through.

 

I remember one of my time fuses failed to burn all the way through. There's honestly not much you can do about that, except get a better quality time fuse.

 

Overall, prime heavily on both ends regardless of time fuse quality, and ensure you have top notch quality so it burns consistently. Nothin like someone getting hit in a head with a burning hot 140 gram 3" shell coming from a few hundred feet in the air.

[Liftanddeafen]

My time fuse is monetti pl6 and pl10 it's very high quality time fuse with a rubber outer coating to protect the BP. My normal method of priming a fuse I punching a hole in the time fuse and inserting a length of black match through the hole, then when I add the quickmatch it slips into the black match simultaneously igniting the lifting charge. Never had any problems with it until now. I'll have to find the shell if I can and inspect it, cheers will

[LambentPyro]

My time fuse is monetti pl6 and pl10 it's very high quality time fuse with a rubber outer coating to protect the BP. My normal method of priming a fuse I punching a hole in the time fuse and inserting a length of black match through the hole, then when I add the quickmatch it slips into the black match simultaneously igniting the lifting charge. Never had any problems with it until now. I'll have to find the shell if I can and inspect it, cheers will

Yes, please search for it.

 

Try another shell in the meantime and prime with BP slurry this time.

 

Also, make sure the time fuse is buried inside the lift charge, this is always the way to go to ensure ignition.

[FlaMtnBkr]

It was one failure. It happens sometimes. If it isn't common I would keep doing what you have been doing. Splitting and cross matching is the most reliable way to prep the fuse in my experience and the way I was shown by pros.

[pyrojig]

As said, and I will second this, failures are a part of pyro. The slightest variation in consistency of your fuse or priming , or the simple contamination of the core BP is not uncommon. Even with the most consistent commercial products , duds are not unfamiliar . As stated by FlaMtnBkr, your best and most reliable method of crossmatching is the split time fuse , BM inserted and the split tied together. One can add to the strength of the split and aid in ignition by a dip in slurry bp.Nc, but this only gains very little, and adds more time .

 

One grandmaster taught me that the use of multiple time fuses helps eliminate the odds of a dud. I use this wise advise on all my larger shells (5" and above). It is a shame to see such hard work ( and expensive ) made shell go up and be a dud. I dont see the need for smaller shells( double fused) .

[Arthur]

I've seen Chinese hemis with one two or three holes for fuse, Sometimes I will block them but usually for 6" shells two bits of time fuse isn't a problem and should I make 10 12 or 16" shells than three fuses would be belt braces AND safety pin. Professionally you need to now that the big shells will fire because 25 kilos coming back down from 1500feet would KILL.