9 replies to this topic

[Arthur Brown]

After several years nurturing a friendship, an invitation was made available to me privately, to go o the USA, to a site licensed by BATFE and the local authorities there,  and build a shell!

 

This was something special of an invitation so it had to be something special of a product. PLUS I had to travel there totally inert, and return by air totally inert too. BUT ingredients could be ordered to be delivered at the site.

 

Here is the video, This is what a Brit did under a BATFE licence in the USA.

 

 

This was my first attempt at a shell! But a lot of design effort went into it. Probably 100 people from the USA were making things under the licence, some were recognised as being good builders and one UK builder made his mark.

 

I'm in a truckstop  on the way to LAX at the moment, so may not reply for some days.

 

I'll continue writing up the build with a couple of pictures from home, maybe next week. 

 

NO I will NOT share the invitation unless I know you well. No I will not advise you what to do. A 16" shell may be above 100gNEQ -I could barely carry that shell.

 

To all the ELO's watching, enjoy! It's pretty and it was all lawful in the BATFE licensed place. I have the skill to do it but the wisdom to NOT do it in the UK! I have to get through US and UK border protection yet!

 

[NeilB]

Wow, that  looked awesome, good job.

 

Neil. 

[martyn]

Nice. Out of interest, what do you reckon it cost in materials $$$.

Anyway, I reckon that was Hampsted heath and a mate with an american accent  

[Arthur Brown]

The cost of the pre-ordered stock was about $250, all arranged by my host and the club. A little trading around the members made up for some materials unavailable, plus a trip to Safeways found some Rice Krispies! There were three WASPS on site!

 

Day one was spent cutting the top off a 16" hemi -they are hard to cut because the saw blade keeps jamming on loose layers in the card. This is necessary because I intended to load the inserts from the top then put the top lid on, I can't hold half of a 16" shell in each hand to turn them together. 

[RichardH08]

That's impressive! I bet it was lots of fun, too.

[Pyro-centric]

Yeah, tha looks great.  Well done

[Arthur Brown]

Four days among like minded pyros WAS a lot of fun, Three of those days were 80F or more -factor 50 and a hat! but the second day was a sign of their winter weather to come -a hail storm with wind! next morning the mountain tops were covered with snow and the Yosemite Pass was closed -likely for the winter! Hang on this is September. Driving in the Yosemite was fun! The road snakes up to over 9000feet, and the first thousand of that is within an arm's length. The white line that marks the road edge is crumbling away down the hill, and there is a white van behind me (almost in the boot!) trying to push me to go faster. White van man really does get everywhere.

 

Their breakfast dish "Biscuit and Gravy" is really white sauce made with sausage fat poured over a plain scone and by the time the scones have been kept warm for an hour or more .. -well they seem to love it but... 

[Arthur Brown]

 

Anyway, I reckon that was Hampsted heath and a mate with an american accent

There is no point in shooting it on Hampsted heath! They wouldn't appreciate it! Plus you can't dig a mortar in on there! That mortar was dug in completely.

[Arthur Brown]

It's a while, sorry!

 

Take a 16" pair of hemis, find which way they fit best (they are never truly spherical!) and cut off the top of one of them.

 

Drill and tube the fuse holes. and place the 3" shell inserts.

add tissue inside the 3" shell layer. Pour willow stars into the interstitial gaps between the hemi and the inserts. Then add an instant fused 6" shell in the centre and fill the space between tissue and the 6" inner petal with break on rice hulls (available from USA rice growers!). Then attach the upper ring of hemi and build up the tissue, inserts and willow stars to the top, then firmly fit the lid of the hemi.

 

After an initial pulling together and taping, the ball was passed to someone with a wasp and for the donation of lots of tape, it came back well wrapped and ready to fuse. The magnets were found and removed and the three pieces of time fuse fitted and crossmatched. 3lbs of coarse lift was in a bag and had a long QM leader and fixed to the bottom of the shell. Then I had to plait and affix the handle and the lowering rope so that it could be lowered gently into the tube. When it was all finally dried in the sun it went to the ready box for the dug-in mortar site and was dropped into the mortar in turn. 

 

Additionally the mortar tube was so far in the ground that there were steps down to the muzzle! A muzzle break would probably have been retained!

Edited by Arthur Brown, 26 October 2017 - 07:38 PM.

[starseeker]

Excellent Rodger, it would be interesting to see any photos if you have any