Shell Assembly, page
1

The following is the procedure
that we've used to assemble Aerial Shells for the past 11 years. Aerial Shells
are launched from a Mortar  (a specialized cardboard, plastic or metal
pipe) sending the shell high into the air with its time delay fuse lit. When the
shell reaches its maximum altitude, it explodes, igniting the colored stars
inside and throwing them a great distance.  Like all
fireworks, these are by no means safe to manufacture and doing so is illegal in
the United States unless you are licensed by the BATF. An assembled Aerial Shell
"going off" on the ground in front of you (instead of hundreds of feet in the
air) will most likely kill you or leave you disfigured for life. These
directions will work for 4" through 8" shells, the sizes most commonly used by
shell makers. We show the assembly of a 6" shell because it's a little easier to
work with & to photograph. Shells smaller than 4" generally can be assembled
in a simpler fashion (we'll cover that procedure in another section) and shells
larger then 8" get a lot more complicated which we're not going to cover at
all.

To save time
& trouble, we pretty much stick with using plastic shell casings (as opposed
to paper). Although these directions will apply to any size you may be using,
the sizes we normally use are 4",6" and 8". One thing to do before you even
think of assembling a plastic shell is to make sure the 2 halves fit together
without effort. This may sound strange, but we've run into several bad casings
that just don't fit together (and it can be quite aggravating to find this out
after you've spent time loading your shell). Everyone seems to have their own
way they put shells together... this is they way we've chosen. We've literally
made thousands of shells over the past 11 years and we have yet to have a
failure. It may sound like an exaggeration, but it is in fact true.

Part One,
Fusing

The time-delay fuse used in
aerial shell is known as 1/4" Time Fuse or Oriental Time Fuse. It is available
in coils of different lengths and has a nominal outer diameter of 1/4" (although
occasionally you will see other diameters for sale, stick with the 1/4") . All
shells we make use the same length of fuse, 1.25" (1-1/4").

It is important that time fuse is cut with a blade and not a
scissor-type device. The powder core is somewhat fragile and if cut with a
scissors or similar device the end is crushed (to varying degrees) and the
powder loosened from its packed state, increasing its burn rate.

Notice the difference in the scissors cut and blade cut
end.

Insert the 1.25" long fuse into the bottom half of the shell, leaving
about half the length sticking out the bottom of the shell.

Using a Hot Melt Glue Gun, lay an even bead of glue around the base
of the fuse sealing it to the casing. When cool, do the same on the inside of
the shell. It is important that there be no gaps in the glue which could allow
fire to enter the shell during launch.

Slip a Plastic Drinking
Straw over the fuse end on the inside of the shell and glue into place. There
are some straws that are just either too small or too large to fit over time
fuse. Unfortunately, these are the "free" ones you'll find at your favorite fast
food restaurant. What will fit are the "Flexi-Straws" found in just about every
supermarket. They come in boxes of 100 and are very inexpensive.

Cut the straw off so it's just under the rim of the shell.

Fill the straw to within 1/4" of the top with granulated Black
Powder. We use granulated Homemade Black Powder. Its manufacture is described in
the Black Powder & Rice
Hulls section. Commercial 3FG or similar may also be used.

Roll up a small ball of Tissue and push it into the end of the
straw with a nail or pencil. It shouldn't be too tight, just tight enough to
hold the powder in and not fall out when the shell is turned over.

The completed, fused shell. Lay a ruler across the rim to make sure
that the fuse tube does not protrude over the edge. If it does, just clip it
short.