1. Setup (do this in daylight)
- Flat, hard surface. Concrete or packed dirt. No grass.
- Spectators: 50 ft from 200g cakes, 200 ft from shell kits + finale racks. Mark the line.
- Stage cakes in the order you’ll fire them. Cluster shells with the mortar tubes.
- Bucket of water + hose, both ready. Long lighter or punks.
- One designated lighter. Everyone else stays back.
2. Light the fuse
- Use a long lighter or punk — never a match held by hand.
- Light the fuse, then walk away. Don’t run.
- For shell kits: light the fuse on the shell, walk back, wait for it to launch. Then reload.
- Watch for the burn rate. Most consumer fuses burn 1 inch per 5 seconds — gives you a 3–5 second walk-away window.
3. Misfires (the 15-minute rule)
If a cake or shell doesn’t fire, wait 15 minutes before approaching. Soak the unfired item in water for another 15 minutes before disposing.
Never re-light a fuse. Never look down a mortar tube. A delayed ignition will fire whether your face is over it or not.
4. During the show
- Pace yourself. 200g cakes are ~30s, 500g are ~50s.
- Keep a 15–20 second pause between heavy items.
- Watch the wind. If smoke or fallout is drifting toward spectators, pause and let it clear.
- No alcohol on the firing line. Save it for after.
5. After
- Soak every spent item in water for 20 minutes.
- Sweep cardboard debris. Hot embers ignite dry grass.
- Walk the firing line in daylight the next morning.