Click here to see our Rack Design page. With Destructive Testing

It explains why we build racks the way that we do. A great deal of destructive testing was done before we settled on our current design.

Fiberglass mortar destructive testing

Fireworks Safety is the sole responsibility of the shooter.

A few basic rules to remember when shooting fireworks:
bullet If you don't want to loose it, keep it away from the mortar.
Keep your head back!

  • LIFT CHARGE POINTS DOWN! You want the business end of your device pointing towards the sky!
  • Keep your head back, light the fuse, and GET AWAY! The side of your fireworks say "Shoots flaming balls" for a reason.
  • Kids should be watching, not shooting. Leave the shooting to the adults.
  • Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface.
  • NEVER attempt to re-light fireworks. Keep a bucket of water handy to dispose of "duds". A smoldering shell can wait hours to ignite.
  • Stay at least 100' away from buildings, roads and spectators.
  • Wear protective clothing, including long sleeves and eye protection.

    Mortar Safety:

  • Allow your mortars too cool after shooting 7 shots. After 7 consecutive shots, the mortar will become hot and loose structural integrity. Wait until it is cool to the touch before shooting again.
  • If you are using an Older PyroGear Rack, be sure the swivel base is extended 90 degrees. Check after each shell firing.
  • Plugged Mortars being buried in sand should be buried to 2/3 their height.
  • Never burry Mortars in Gravel or Rock.
  • Ensure Mortars are clear of debris and sand before loading. A Mortar with sand or trash in the bottom will prevent your shell from reaching full lift.
  • A Mortar must be plugged, you can not simply burry a length of pipe into the sand!

    After a show, wait at least an hour before clearing your mortars for the night. KEEP YOUR BODY AWAY FROM THE TUBE. A shell can smolder for a long time, firing unexpectedly from a mortar over an hour later.

    This string of triple shot shells did not fire during a finale sequence. Since this was a failure at the fusing, and not a shell malfunction, the safest way to dispose of these shells is to simply light them. Following all normal safety precautions.

    Walk around your shoot site to look for debris and unexploded fireworks. This 24 caliber consumer shell was found the next morning during the site walk. As you can see, the lift charge failed to ignite the timing fuse. If a child had found this and tried to light it, the results could be tragic
    Inspect all cakes before throwing the m in the trash. This 500 gram cake failed to ignite 4 out of the 5 rows. You can see as the unfired tubes are not blackened. This is still a very live and dangerous explosive. It can not be safely fired, and must be soaked in water to be disposed of. Click the image on the right for a larger view.
    Keep it safe !