Post by londonfan on Jul 5, 2018 8:13:59 GMT -5
This post started out as a reply to Grisom, and then I realized that I wanted to share with all. 
HI Grisom: and now all:
I was thinking about posting a picture of my stash and then a clip of the finale in the showcase. I'm just waiting for my cousin who recorded it to get me a copy and then someone younger to help me post it. (I am miles from being a computer genius)(I just tried attaching a stash pix here and was told that the file size was too big. Something for me to work on.)
The first thing I did a few years ago before I set off a single firework here, was to ask permission of the neighbours. Everybody said yes please!
Mine is a "street event" based in a grass area about 150' x 200', surrounded by paved road, in the centre of 14 houses. Any of my neighbours that are home are out on their driveways in lawn chairs with family and friends. Hoses are at the ready. I had close to 50 people on my driveway and front yard, plus all the neighbours, we were a group of close to 125 this year.
Once I got past the first smaller kid friendly stuff and into the $10 to $13 cakes and the rest of the subdivision realized what was going on, the street feeding our area was covered with onlookers. We even had someone from one street over bring over a Kaboom UFO to fire off for him with our stuff.
I have a wired switch system (home made) that my assisting nephew says looks like something built by a Bond villain in the 60's that I use during the main show, as well as an RC 150 that I use for my finale. Minutes before we started firing stuff off I realized that the remote was in my pocket still and I had broken the antenna off. A sweaty, panic filled Mcgyver later and the remote tested OK with a spare talon igniter.
I double ignitered every piece that was not hand lit and every cue fired perfectly. This was the first perfect firing of both my switch and the RC150.
The show was a huge success with my "sky puke with style" finale lasting almost 3 minutes, blowing everyone including me away. (full list in "your opinion on finales"post)
I have 3 steel bins that I put sand in the bottom of and fire loose cake from these. My opening kid friendly stuff is pre-loaded in sand buckets or glued to boards. The finale is glued to boards. I have a board of small cake fillers(Grape Soda, Mini Menace type (wanted Sidewinders, but were not available)) that I fire with my switch to go off during the bin reloads. Hand lighting the main cakes and reloading the bins as fast as safely possible it still took over 35 minutes to fire everything off.
A note here...
Safety says not to use a steel container, but about 10 years ago I didn't get something into the sand well enough and it tipped over in a plastic bucket, blowing a hole clean through the side. I think it was just a very small Cosmic Blast??? Fortunately it went in a harmless direction, but it still scared the crap out of me. I was just trying to entertain my family in the backyard at that time. I chose tapered steel bins because if something does tip over the shot is more likely to bounce up than sideways. The bins are big enough to not compress or contain the blast, just re-direct it, so they should prevent errant explosions.
One of my friends brothers lives in Niagara Falls and a neighbours daughter lives in Ottawa. Both loved everything, especially the finale, and plan on being here instead of at home for next years fun. The neighbours and family wouldn't stop thanking me. Some one has named me their "King of Canada Day".
So I guess it all went incredibly well!
Grisom and I split on a case of The Out Of Space earlier this year and he also asked what I thought of it.
It is not a long lasting cake for the price, BUT... it packs a great punch. None of the area retailers stock it. I would assume because of it's price per shot/time value, but I would highly recommend this cake to anyone. It has a few varied effects, great light and colour, and terrific noise. Very well worth the money if you have the physical space to fire one off. (not your usual street/back yard piece)
It took me close to 2 hours the next morning to clean up as many of the blown cardboard tube and the bits of scorched paper that I could find. (Helpful tips please)
This really long post (if you have made it this far) is basically a huge thank you to everyone in the forum for your advice and always ready to share insight.
THANK YOU!!!
HI Grisom: and now all:
I was thinking about posting a picture of my stash and then a clip of the finale in the showcase. I'm just waiting for my cousin who recorded it to get me a copy and then someone younger to help me post it. (I am miles from being a computer genius)(I just tried attaching a stash pix here and was told that the file size was too big. Something for me to work on.)
The first thing I did a few years ago before I set off a single firework here, was to ask permission of the neighbours. Everybody said yes please!
Mine is a "street event" based in a grass area about 150' x 200', surrounded by paved road, in the centre of 14 houses. Any of my neighbours that are home are out on their driveways in lawn chairs with family and friends. Hoses are at the ready. I had close to 50 people on my driveway and front yard, plus all the neighbours, we were a group of close to 125 this year.
Once I got past the first smaller kid friendly stuff and into the $10 to $13 cakes and the rest of the subdivision realized what was going on, the street feeding our area was covered with onlookers. We even had someone from one street over bring over a Kaboom UFO to fire off for him with our stuff.
I have a wired switch system (home made) that my assisting nephew says looks like something built by a Bond villain in the 60's that I use during the main show, as well as an RC 150 that I use for my finale. Minutes before we started firing stuff off I realized that the remote was in my pocket still and I had broken the antenna off. A sweaty, panic filled Mcgyver later and the remote tested OK with a spare talon igniter.
I double ignitered every piece that was not hand lit and every cue fired perfectly. This was the first perfect firing of both my switch and the RC150.
The show was a huge success with my "sky puke with style" finale lasting almost 3 minutes, blowing everyone including me away. (full list in "your opinion on finales"post)
I have 3 steel bins that I put sand in the bottom of and fire loose cake from these. My opening kid friendly stuff is pre-loaded in sand buckets or glued to boards. The finale is glued to boards. I have a board of small cake fillers(Grape Soda, Mini Menace type (wanted Sidewinders, but were not available)) that I fire with my switch to go off during the bin reloads. Hand lighting the main cakes and reloading the bins as fast as safely possible it still took over 35 minutes to fire everything off.
A note here...
Safety says not to use a steel container, but about 10 years ago I didn't get something into the sand well enough and it tipped over in a plastic bucket, blowing a hole clean through the side. I think it was just a very small Cosmic Blast??? Fortunately it went in a harmless direction, but it still scared the crap out of me. I was just trying to entertain my family in the backyard at that time. I chose tapered steel bins because if something does tip over the shot is more likely to bounce up than sideways. The bins are big enough to not compress or contain the blast, just re-direct it, so they should prevent errant explosions.
One of my friends brothers lives in Niagara Falls and a neighbours daughter lives in Ottawa. Both loved everything, especially the finale, and plan on being here instead of at home for next years fun. The neighbours and family wouldn't stop thanking me. Some one has named me their "King of Canada Day".
So I guess it all went incredibly well!
Grisom and I split on a case of The Out Of Space earlier this year and he also asked what I thought of it.
It is not a long lasting cake for the price, BUT... it packs a great punch. None of the area retailers stock it. I would assume because of it's price per shot/time value, but I would highly recommend this cake to anyone. It has a few varied effects, great light and colour, and terrific noise. Very well worth the money if you have the physical space to fire one off. (not your usual street/back yard piece)
It took me close to 2 hours the next morning to clean up as many of the blown cardboard tube and the bits of scorched paper that I could find. (Helpful tips please)
This really long post (if you have made it this far) is basically a huge thank you to everyone in the forum for your advice and always ready to share insight.
THANK YOU!!!
