Fastest way to build flash inserts?

[50AE]

I'm currently into cylindrical shells with inserts and I'm building 6 3" shells with flash salute inserts. I made a shell with these, but they were very laborious to make, especially on the plugs. What is the most efficient way to make good, hard and safe plugs?

 

I;m thinking of the idea of cutting many small cardboard discs with a sharp-end tube.

But I've also seen another thing - many chinese firecrackers are plugged with something like a white clay - it smells like plaster of paris, but it isn't. It is like gypsum mixed with sand.

Edited March 31, 2010 by 50AE

[Ventsi]

Gypsum should be fine, just get it damp and ram/compress it into the tube. Or just a paper plug glued in. I'd go with gypsum though.

[Mumbles]

Gypsum or clay only allows you to seal one side. Those paper plugs don't work for shit in aerial shells. They're too leaky. I'd go with your cardboard disk idea, and paste over each end to lock down the disks, and seal it up from fire. Gummed tape or even masking tape would be fine if you have it. If you find they aren't confining well enough, try some strapping tape vertically to reinforce the ends.

 

How are you fusing these? Does it go through one of the ends, or the side?

[dagabu]

For quick, go with Durhams Water Putty, for cheap, go with gypsum and a smidgen of Elmers glue, just enough to bind it. You can compress flash, use a arbor press or go light on the hydraulic press, NO HAMMERS (yes, I know you know but they may not know), you want the tube to be compressed by the plug. Drill a hole in the side right above the plug before you fill them and lay in a piece of black match for passfire.

 

Fastest: Hot glue on top of a paper plug. Paper plugs can be made easily with a piece of copper pipe, use a file and grind the outside of the pipe to a sharp edge, use a piece of soft wood and set it on edge (grain sticking up), place a single sheet of chip board down, place the punch and smack lightly with a soft face hammer. Don't retrieve the plugs until you have several in the tube and just push them out the end with a stick.

 

This is much easier with a drill press and the bit will last a very long time.

 

D

[explomaan]

Is it really save to press flash? It would undergo a lot of friction wouldn't it?

[TrueBluePyro]

With your question "Fastest way to build flash inserts?" you could just use the yellow cap plugs from D, They really are worth it and are extremly cheap. So quick to put a bundle together and then load it into a shell.

 

If you don't know what I'm talking about here is a good tutorial http://www.creagan.net/fireworks/rockets/capplugs.html

[NightHawkInLight]

I make my flash inserts real quick. First I load a wad of paper into the tube, ram it once or twice with a mallet to form it into a disc, pop it out then do it again. The second disc is pushed back into the tube 1/4" or so and glued over. Add flash then push in the first disc you made, again about 1/4", and glue it over. They are fused through the side of the tube, the hole being made prior to making the plugs, and the fuse added right before the flash.

 

dagabu's method for plugs is similar, and sounds just as fast.

[dagabu]

Hawk,

 

I completely forgot about that one! I like that as well if not better then the water putty.

 

D

[50AE]

I'm fusing the inserts from the center. Thanks, I will try the cardboard disc method.

 

Edit: Wohoo, it's so fast! I did the method of punching discs with a sharpened tube. I made many discs for no time! I am gluing my inserts with PVA glue, they are drying now.

Edited April 1, 2010 by 50AE

[gordohigh]

I've been making little 3/4in cylindrical shells for a 3/4 rack I made and always use a galv nipple with a sharp point ground around the edge of one end. It is definately a fast way, like 30 or so plugs in a couple of minutes.

 

Although I have always used cardboard I am curious about the chipboard, is this like masonite, the brown colored stuff that you can also get as a perforated pegboard for hanging brackets on, (without the holes)? Reason I ask is because with 3/4in the tolerance for keeping it round is small and something a little stronger than waffle type cardboard might work better.

[dagabu]

Sure, you have to ask a paper question

 

Chipboard in the US is used to back note pads and the such. It is normally .020 to .030, thicker boards and ones made from other fibers (virgin) are called tag board, railroad board, Davey (book binders board) etc. Generally the board you are speaking of is Masonite or hardboard. It is very useful for canisters (larger ones) but shatters when punched so it must be cut to use.

 

I grab all of the children's hard cover books (old picture books are best) from garage sales and use the covers to make thick plugs.

 

D

[50AE]

I tried a method which seems to make very hard plugs (my inserts were very, inbelievely loud).

 

First I plug the tube ends with a first pair of cardboard discs. I push the plugs inside the tube to leave some empy space (1-2cm) from each end.

Then, I fill these spaces with a mixture of wooden shavings and PVA glue. This stuff hardens very hard.

I'm not sure if it desintegrates as clay does though. It may act as a wooden plug and it could hit someone. I'll have to do a test and see.

[dagabu]

50, nope, you are good to go. They wont disintegrate but their weight is pretty small and will fall off very fast. Sawdust and glue have been used for over 100 years and a plug, binder, casing etc. You are enjoying the fruits of a lot of old ideas.

 

Keep going!

 

D

[al93535]

How about commercial salute cans? You can get them any size you want! The top has a fuse hole, so you glue the fuse with hot glue. Fill the can with flash and use methylene chloride (or xylene) to bond the top and bottom together.

 

I just made 32 of these yesterday and it took about 15 minutes after the fuse was taken care of!

[Seymour]

I'm with Mumbles with the idea of pasting over the ends. In fact, if you give it a few layers you will not need a cap underneath, and if you are cutting the caps, say, one by one with scissors, a few more pasted layers would be faster.

[Ventsi]

It may act as a wooden plug and it could hit someone. I'll have to do a test and see.

 

 

 

I just can't help but giggle at the sight at a two dozen inserts being ignited at ground level with a few "test subjects" wearing Safety Glasses wondering WTH is going on....

 

 

A heads up, hot glue is a BAD idea unless you're far away, I was testing an insert shot out of a star gun and my camera man said he got hit and showed me the blob of hot-melt I used to seal the flash insert.

[Salandor]

Pardon for reviving an old topic, but has anyone ever tried using Great Stuff insulation foam as plugs? I've not tried it myself, but the thought is intriguing.

[Mumbles]

The only thing I've ever used it for is locking bottles for lampares inside of the tubes. I don't think it'd be all that efficient, or cost effective for smaller tubes or more delicate operations. I know it's a poly urethane foam, but that is about it. There could be incompatibility issues.

[handymanherb]

How about commercial salute cans? You can get them any size you want! The top has a fuse hole, so you glue the fuse with hot glue. Fill the can with flash and use methylene chloride (or xylene) to bond the top and bottom together.

 

I just made 32 of these yesterday and it took about 15 minutes after the fuse was taken care of!

 

I ordered some 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 cylinder shells, I got the lift caps to hold the black powder, my question should I send them fuse up and pass fire or down and let the lift charge light it, also does it need a cardboard disks on the lift side to stop flower pot with these shells, Thanks for the help

[azure]

My method of making end plugs for flash salutes is to take some aluminum foil and make a little sausage by rolling it between my handpalms.

I then ram this into a tube of the right diameter using a mallet and dowel.

The plugs can easily be removed from the tube using the same dowel and hammer. These plugs are shiny , very tough and look like they are made out of solid aluminum but still fragment into foil afaik.

 

I then drill a small hole using a dremel tool in the ones that are gonna be the top plugs and stick a piece of visco through the hole.

I ram the bottom plugs in the salute tubes leaving a little space at the end for some hot glue.

Then fill the salute with report composition, and press or carefully ram the fused top plugs in (depending on composition) .

Again securing the plugs with some (hot) glue at the end.

 

Pretty fast and convenient.

Also very suitable for tubes made out of (soft) pvc or plastics.

[Ralph]

mmmmmmmmm tastey PVC pipe bombs

[SjeefOne]

mmmmmmmmm tastey PVC pipe bombs

I think he said (soft) PVC. The timed cap reports are made from soft pvc as well

Edited May 27, 2011 by SjeefOne

[MadMax]

I cut 0.25" to 0.5" long sections of dowel and tap them in with a bead of superglue. A spray with CA accelerator dries them instantly. For the primed side I just do the same but drill a small hole feeding in a small piece of visco and bp slurry & prime the end.

[pyrojig]

My method of making end plugs for flash salutes is to take some aluminum foil and make a little sausage by rolling it between my handpalms.

I then ram this into a tube of the right diameter using a mallet and dowel.

The plugs can easily be removed from the tube using the same dowel and hammer. These plugs are shiny , very tough and look like they are made out of solid aluminum but still fragment into foil afaik.

 

I then drill a small hole using a dremel tool in the ones that are gonna be the top plugs and stick a piece of visco through the hole.

I ram the bottom plugs in the salute tubes leaving a little space at the end for some hot glue.

Then fill the salute with report composition, and press or carefully ram the fused top plugs in (depending on composition) .

Again securing the plugs with some (hot) glue at the end.

 

Pretty fast and convenient.

Also very suitable for tubes made out of (soft) pvc or plastics.

 

 

Please correct me If I'm out of line but.....

 

I dont know If I'd consider tubes made out of Pvc a safe thing for flash shells... Foil just seems like a bad idea being a projectile and a conductive danger as well...

 

 

[dagabu]

I think the idea was to use the rubbery vinyl cap plugs that are made from polyvinylchloride, or PVC rich in vinyl. The stuff that pipe is made from has binders, clay and other stuff that makes it able to shatter into shards. That's the stuff we don't want to use.

 

-dag