Metal Tubes?

[sjfireworks]

I need about 500 tubes and I was thinking maybe I could make some metal tubes instead of buying 500 HDPE tubes. Is there any problems with using metal tubes such as the tubes move alot and busts out of a wooden rack or a shell not launching into the air. Anyone hear of any problems? And how should I setup a rack?

[wrtiii]

The problem is that if a metal tube bursts, you've got shrapnel. This is a very frequently asked question, and the answer is another question: "Why not accept the accumulated wisdom of the pyro community on safety?"

This same question was posed for the umpteenth time this week on the Pyro Mailing List, and the response from those much more experienced than I was basically "Do it the way we know to be safe, even if it costs you a bit extra." Remember that any accident you have affects all of us.

[Spyder207]

Remember that any accident you have affects all of us.


Very true!

[johnny_boomboom]

Metal pipes need to be buried in the ground to be used... or at least in a large box of sand. Most display companies use some metal mortars and ther are buried in the gorund or boxes of sand...

[Murph']

the weight of 2" schedule 40 steel pipe is 3.6 pounds per foot, what will you haul 500 feet with? :eek:

[Don F]

not to meantion the cost of metal pipe .
I'd bet you can buy and ship fiberglass cheaper than buy cut and weld plugs on steel

[Murph']

Metal pipes need to be buried in the ground to be used... or at least in a large box of sand. Most display companies use some metal mortars and ther are buried in the gorund or boxes of sand...
JBB is right these are the only Thing approved for launching Salami Shells and multi-breaks, but must be buried 2/3 depth!!

[Don F]

I thought we were talking 1.4 hells here

[sjfireworks]

Well I guess metal tubes are out of the question now.I been calling my local home depot and asking for HDPE but they say that they never heard of it is there another name for it. Also what department would it be in?

[Murph']

I thought we were talking 1.4 hells here

I thought it was tubes ~~ ;)

Been slow lately.....no controversy so we need some excuse to post :D

Murph'

how much does a 4" mortar weigh?

[Murph']

Well I guess metal tubes are out of the question now.I been calling my local home depot and asking for HDPE but they say that they never heard of it is there another name for it. Also what department would it be in?
High density poly-ethylene. Homey wont sell it. you would need to get it from a wholesale distributor...hard to find. I have a manufactor within 40 minutes of me that delivers here for free with a minimum order. you would be better to check with Colin or Noel for prices and delivery charges. my advice would be to get 25-30% of what you need then build all the racks at once to accomidate (SP) the rest of the tubes till you get them..

I cut all my own HDPE and plugged them and it was still time consuming

[FWX006]

Metal mortars are totally illegal in New Zealand and Australia.

A couple of years ago some guy in Queensland did a 1 day pyro course and thought he knew everything. He loaded a shell into a steel mortar at a school show and it was either upside down or someone put something on top of it.

When it blew the shrapnell killed one child, inured several others and blew the guys legs off.

If you take the cost of your time and materials into account fibreglass mortars are real cheap, not to mention a whole lot safer!

[DennyMo]

Well I guess metal tubes are out of the question now.I been calling my local home depot and asking for HDPE but they say that they never heard of it is there another name for it. Also what department would it be in?
Like Murph' said, you won't find it at your local box store. I'm not sure where to find it in your area, but check out this web site to learn more about the product:
http://www.isco-pipe.com/default.asp

[JoeRatman]

Yes, the home improvement stores usually have ABS and PVC. The ABS is black like HDPE. Don't let anybody try and tell you this stuff would work good for mortars. It shatters if shell breaks in the tube.

[wrtiii]

Now that we've turned you away from the Dark Side of metal tubes, allow me to suggest that you consider fiberglass mortars. They are light, come pre-plugged so you don't need to deal with that, and the lift charge lights them up in a cool way. I have several racks of HDPE mortars but my new ones are all fiberglass mortars.

Colin's prices are the best I've seen, although depending what you're shooting you might want them less than 15" long.

If you do go with HDPE, look at pyrogear.net (thanks, Dewey!).

[Deweycoon]

It is pyrogear.net.

[dfluke]

If you really want HDPE, I went about finding some by contacting local plumbing companies. Most plumbing companies get their pipe in bulk from somewhere, and that somewhere is where you want to look. In my home town we do have a pipe distributor, but they didn't carry any SDR-11 (HDPE) small enough, so I got a name for a company located 60 miles away. I travel to that city often enough that I picked up two 20' sticks and cut it down for transportation in their parking lot. The owner of the place I talked to basically said, "Just go to the window and tell 'em you need some tubes for fireworks, they'll know what you want. We have a lot of people out in the parking lot come June/July cutting the stuff down so don't feel embarrased or anything."

That said, it wasn't a big deal. If you want something plugged, I'd ask Colin for a quote on fiberglass tubes, just as everyone else is saying.

[Chris]

Check this out...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/fireworkdude2/june82005001.jpg

[wrtiii]

:lol: OK, if those are steel and you're welding them that way and use them only for 1.4G, I can't imagine there would be a safety issue. Of course, hauling 50 of them around would be interesting (the original poster needs 500 tubes).

For 1.3G, above-ground steel tubes are still a no-go.

[Chris]

The rack I posted is only for 1.4 shells. It sure is a heavy weight for a 10 shot rack though.