Very interesting stuff, Ned. I'm a firework enthusiast, and a carpenter, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed with your work station set-up for spiking shells. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck, Christopher.
i bought one from Caleb, it works great. the roller takes some time to get used to. the spiking station is great. I know there was some talk about using the roller if you could get enough tension. no problem with that. great job ned
Very nice system you put there together, Ned. Folks here have posted suggestions and I'd like to add one more, about adjustable stops on the center axis between the rollers to help you prevent the shell from sliding toward your station esp. when doing verticals. Those stops, one on each side, could use simple fixed casters with wheels positioned horizontally, and your shell between them would be pretty much held in place from four sides with you applying force only from above to keep your shell down in place. I think it would make the spiking job much easier.
Nice suggestion. Together with my suggestion (to add another pair of adjustable rollers in parallel to the existing two), the shell would be fixed completely, while still fully turnable on the twistable tabletop, with the string still free to apply.
Thanks. I agree, the ideas of holding the shell in place with minimum effort are definitely worth trying. Then all that's left is only firmware updates ;-)
Hi Ned, first, I want to thank you for your very entertaining and thoughtful videos. I really enjoy watching those tutorials and tests of yours. Brilliant work! Your calm, thought-through and organized way of doing and explaining is absolutely perfect and your many years of experience are inspiring. Thanks a lot. After watching many of your videos here on youtube, I decided to comment on this one, with an idea: What about a second set of conveyor-rollers, that are adjustably mounted in parallel and atop the existing pair. Using some bolts and nuts to adjust the height, those rollers would fix the shell while not blocking the string to wrap around (as the string comes from the side all the time). The shell would stay in the center of the four rollers, fixed in all but two directions and still turnable. That way, you would be able to get both arms relieved and free to turn the shell and twist the contraption. I'd love to hear your opinion on that idea. Keep up those wonderful videos.
Thanks for the nice feedback, Mr C. The more I use the roller turntable, the more I use it comfortably, as is, by just resting my right arm atop the shell, rolling it as necessary, and then using he left hand to turn the table and guide the string. Like many mechanical things, it's easier to do than it is to explain. Bottom line of for now is that I'm very happy with the setup and how it works. Best, ned
Curios, has someone invented a sock like device, or pre- measured mesh net to use for spiking. You could just slip it on and the synch it up to save time?
I have an extensive library of pyro books, AF, and do refer to them on occasion. But, if I was starting out in all this again, I'd rely on the online resources and discussion lists. I think folks learn best from photos, videos, some writeups, and conversations with experienced folks.
It's been done a few times, Joe, but in the end traditional cylinder shell builders are pretty basic and enjoy the handwork associated with the shells. In a commercial setting, though, it could be useful.
