This page describes how to make a "Five Fingers of Light"
tube holder. The tube holder can hold up to five tube fountains with
tube lengths of 4"-9" inches. After attaching 2-5 tube
fountains and igniting it, this "Five Fingers of Light" tube
holder produces a beautiful fan-shaped fountain. You can purchase
fan-shaped fountains at most fireworks stores, but they generally are
expensive because they are so unique. With this tube holder you can
make your own fan-shaped fountain using cheaper packages of tube
fountains. You also have the ability to design your own fan fountain.
You get to choose what types of tubes (color, size, duration, height,
noise, which angles and number of tubes) to place on the tube holder.
You can't do that with a purchased fan fountain!
MATERIALS
- 5" x 17" x 0.5" board. This is the base board.
- 11" x 17" x 0.5" board. This is the fan board.
- Two 2" 90 degree brackets with screws.
- Three 0.75-1" screws
- Latex Enamel Porch and Deck Paint
Procedure
Take the fan board (11"x17") and mark a spot
exactly half way (8.5") on one side of the 17" length of the
board. This is your midpoint or base point. Take a 6" protractor
and place it parallel to the edge of the board and centered on the
midpoint. You probably learned how to use a protractor in geometry
class and now you can use that knowledge for something useful! See
diagram one. Please, note that these are "hand drawn"
approximate diagrams. They are not to scale and the angles are not
exact.
Use the protractor to mark points at 45, 67.5, 90, 112.5
and 135 degrees. Remove the protractor and use a ruler to draw five
lines of exactly 10 inches from the base point through the five points
you made with the protractor. See diagram two.
Use the protractor to make a 1.5" line
perpendicular to the middle 10" line and centered on it
(0.75" on each side). This can be accomplished by placing
the base point of the protractor at the top end of the middle
line and upside down. Align it so the line crosses the 90 degrees mark
of the protractor. The base of the protractor is now perpendicular
to the line. Draw a line along the base of the protractor
0.75" on each side of the base point. See diagram three.
Measure down the 10" line about 7". You will
use the protractor to make another 1.5" perpendicular line.
Use a ruler to connect the ends of the two perpendicular lines
together. See diagram four. You have now made two parallel lines
0.75" offset from the first line.
Repeat the above process for the other four lines. You
will end up with parallel lines 0.75" from each of the five original
lines. See diagram five.
Now draw a 10" line perpendicular to and centered
on the middle line (or parallel to the bottom of the board)
2.25" from the base of the board. Have 5" on either
side of the line. See diagram six.
You now have a template or outline for the fan part of the tube
holder. Use a saber saw to cut this out.
Take the 5" x 17" base board and place the fan
board on edge and in the center of the base board. Place one angle
bracket on each side of the fan board about 1.5" off from the
center finger. Mark the holes for the brackets and drill small tap
holes. Screw the brackets and boards together. Sand and paint it
with "Latex Enamel Porch and Deck" paint
Take some tube fountains and cut the base from them
using scissors, tin snips or side cutter. Make sure you just snip off
the base. Leave the plug in the bottom of the fountain. If you
remove the whole base, some fountains will spill their insides out.
Now attach some tubes to the fingers using duct tape. Make sure the
tubes stick out about at least an inch above the fingers or the
fingers will get scorched. If you are fortunate enough to have quick
match, attach a length of quick match to each tube. You can do the
same if you have some fast visco fuse (burn rate of 0.5-1 second per
inch). If you just have regular visco fuse you can measure out
the same length of fuse for each tube. Attach one end of each fuse to
a tube and then connect all the other the ends of the fuses together
as one bunch. Ignite it and step back to see a beautiful fan shaped
fountain. Wow!
These pictures show the tube holder during
various stages of firing. Please note, that even though only the
center and right tubes are firing, it is still a pretty display.
I have also found that you get a very nice effect if you place the
tube holder on a stand several feet or more above the ground. The
sparks stream down to the ground. Click
here to see a video clip.
