Info

Chances are that at sometime you've seen or will see a show in your lifetime that uses our mortars. They are the number one brand of mortar used in the world today. Mighty-Mite and Pyro-Pipe mortars are used every day of the year and on every continent except Antarctica!

Award winning display companies and world famous theme parks use them as well as some of the premiere shell builders and just plain folks. Our original prototype production run from 1983 is still being used today, a testimony to the durability of these lightweight little tubes.

The following is general information about HDPE mortars and our Mighty-Mite and Pyro-Pipe mortars.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a thermoplastic. It comes in many configurations, colors and with a number of different specifications. It can be blowmolded, as out Mighty-Mites are or extruded as our Pyro-Pipes are. Not all HDPE is the same and not all manufacturing processes are the same.

Most HDPE pipe has a nominal Inside Diameter (ID) and is used for gas and oil and other industrial applications. It is often welded to each other and thus the emphasis is on the outside diameter (OD) instead of the ID. As a result it may not always meet the requirements for use as fireworks mortars.

All HDPE pipe and tubes have a slight ovality (egg shape) to it, they are never 100% round in shape. This presents no problem as long as the ovality does not exceed 5%. However if it exceeds 5% it may not accommodate a round object such as an aerial shell fitting properly.

With HDPE mortars with wood plugs, because the plugs are turned on a lathe, they will be rounder than the pipe and there will always be a small gap between the two on one side. No glue or caulk will fill this gap and hold since the lift gasses expand the HDPE slightly. There are no glues that stick to HDPE that also won't damage the plastic. This slight gap presents no significant loss in lift pressure.

All mortars should always be inspected for any dents (especially around the mortar mouth), cracks or other signs of weakness especially before each use. With HDPE one can take a pocket knife and usually smooth these out. One does not want a shell to get nicked on the way out at the high speed they are moving, as this may damage the shell or change the trajectory from a high arc to a low screwball.

In the event of a shell malfunction HDPE presents a much lower risk of lethal shrapnel from the mortar than from steel or cardboard mortars. Steel is less likely to fail, but if it does the shrapnel has more mass and will fly father with more energy, increasing the risks. Cardboard also has more mass than the HDPE and the wood plug and common fastening method of nails and screws also mean these may fly farther, and thus risk is increased.

With HDPE the mass is less than most other mortar materials and the type of shrapnel is usually small bits of stretched plastic. Mighty-Mites have the lowest mass of any HDPE mortar. Pyro-Pipes have a large wood plug with bolts all the way through, so the pressure is equalized and thus is less likely to present a shrapnel risk.

Fiberglass mortars provide similar low shrapnel risks but they have other problems. Mortars made of fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) are less durable in the rough handling that mortars are typically subjected to in the loading and unloading from storage buildings to trucks to the display site. The mortar ends are easily cracked or dinged with all that handling and bouncing around and once damaged they are difficult to repair.

REMEMBER! No mortar materials presents a zero risk and the blast pressure from a malfunction, especially a salute, can itself be potentially lethal or dangerous. Dirt and stones from the earth as well as wood and nails from a rack are also can become shrapnel as well, so the risk is not only in the mortar material, but the mortar placement, ignition method and many other variables.

One can fire most commercially available heavy shells such as multiple breaks like color and reports, color and tourbillions, crossettes and the like from Mighty-Mite and Pyro-Pipe mortars and not have any significant problems with shell performance or mortar malfunction. However it is important the mortar be placed correctly and is secured well enough to handle these shells and if these shells are extraordinary in size or power alternative methods of mortar placement need to be used.