lloyd Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I think you do miss the issue, Dag. In commercial applications, we usually require that the match shoot fire in all directions, not only "out the end" of the shroud. And we have TINY spaces in which to fit them. The shrouds are a fairly large diameter, and don't fit well down into the lift powder of small (say 22mm) mines and comet tubes. Only a bare match head is small enough to do those jobs, and most commercial "close proximity" manufacturers either slip the shroud back up the wire, or remove the shroud in order to make the bare head exposed. It's not "dangerous", because the match heads are protected in the units in which they're installed. But it's "necessary" due to size constraints. Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Gotcha! Thank you Lloyd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 (edited) Most commercial fireworks [THAT I SEE] come with ports now, so the shroud is a benefit. Edited June 3, 2016 by ddewees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 No, they don't. SOME brands in SOME styles do... certainly NOT 'most'. Most come with leaders. LLoyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 HEH! <G>Yeah...THAT applies well to ANY disagreement! <BSEG> LOVE it! Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Most commercial fireworks [THAT I SEE] come with ports now, so the shroud is a benefit. Interesting observation, all the shells I have dropped over the past decade have had ports, must be the chosen manufacturer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I'm not sure... I rarely see them without ports now, they usually have both... or have that twist thing (Vulcan). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I should re-state what I said. Match ports are ubiquitous, but you can order shells with or without them from most any Chinese vendor. Even though the savings are small, if they are not necessary to the application (like, for instance, re-packaging for close-prox work), then there's no benefit to having the match port there. It's just one more thing that needs to be handled (and perhaps thrown away). For 1.3 shows, sure... they are helpful. They'd have saved us heaps of time on some of the bigger theme park shows, where we always matched directly into the lift (for timing accuracy). The "Y" type ports at the far ends of the leaders are worse than useless, in my opinion. I prefer the sort that is in the side of the lift bag. LLoyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Now (again, from what I've seen), the Y is more like an L... meaning, the ematch port leader is only 6-12 inches long, but the true leader (with the visco or exposed black match) is the required length for the mortar. We usually just cut off the leader (without the port), and use it for something else. Vulcan uses an odd set up... their black match leader has a quick disconnect where you can plug in an ematch... but you still have the full length of quick match to burn through. The last time i saw shells that didn't have ports, was on Lidu 12 inch shells interestingly enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I'm trying to picture this port and am having no luck. Can someone explain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Patrick,shogun.com.hk/file/newsletter/f4c748680a38dc.pdf Here's an example (although Shogun normally uses a special 'twist-lock' match... the idea is the same). In some brands, they also stick one in the side of the lift bag for very precisely-time pyromusicals. LLoyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Looks like these. I removed these from shells I had on hand. As you can see, they're very short in length (typically). You plug in the ematch (with shroud), then wrap the wire around the "ears" so it doesn't fall out. http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/20150920_110357_zpsxjvprnya.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Those are fountains... The left one is a standard port, the middle is a Vulcan and the one on the right was directly matched... all fired (near) simultaneously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 The one on the far left is what I am used to seeing. Yes, 1.3 shows where there is LOTS of product being dropped, the ports are a real time saver. We cut them off the finale chains and they get repurposed for homemade shells and rockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldMarine Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 (edited) Ah, thanks guys. I was way overthinking that one! Edited June 4, 2016 by OldMarine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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