Help poking a particular cake

[PyroGyro]

I was poking cakes for an upcoming show and one of the cakes I am trying to poke is a fan cake. I poked the cake right where the fuse was and reamed it out and pushed the awl in quite far, but when I wiggle the awl around I don't feel the crunchiness of the lift charge so I'm not sure what to make of it. As you can see from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNyMkMlKvTE&feature=youtu.be this is is a mine type cake so I'm not sure what to expect when I poke.

That said I have 4 of these in part of my finale and if these don't fire it will ruin my show.

Advice?


Thanks!

[Robbro097]

Iv come across cakes i didnt hear the crunch on and never any probs long as the match fires cakes fired. But bein part of finalemay wanna try n shine a lil light in theyr and look or mayb poke the tube next to it and try it

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Fan cakes usually have a finer grain black powder [4FA] lift charge. That may be why you are not hearing the "crunch" like you do with cakes with a larger grain [2FA] black powder.
After you poke one ---tip it on its side to see if a little amount of BP comes out--it most likely will look like coarse ground black pepper. Be careful not to spill too much out--a tiny bit will confirm this is what you are dealing with.

[PyroGyro]

Fan cakes usually have a finer grain black powder [4FA] lift charge. That may be why you are not hearing the "crunch" like you do with cakes with a larger grain [2FA] black powder.
After you poke one ---tip it on its side to see if a little amount of BP comes out--it most likely will look like coarse ground black pepper. Be careful not to spill too much out--a tiny bit will confirm this is what you are dealing with.

So I tipped it on it's side a bit and I can see that there are little black balls about 1/2 the size of a black peppercorn inside the poked hole. Is this the 2FA?

[PyroJoeNEPA]

So I tipped it on it's side a bit and I can see that there are little black balls about 1/2 the size of a black peppercorn inside the poked hole. Is this the 2FA?
The little balls are what we call "dragon eggs". They are like micro stars that give you the crackle effect in the mine. The black powder would either be mixed in with the dragon eggs or just below them. If you are poking into the tube right where the fuse is and not above it you should be fine. Nice cake BTW.

[PyroGyro]

The little balls are what we call "dragon eggs". They are like micro stars that give you the crackle effect in the mine. The black powder would either be mixed in with the dragon eggs or just below them. If you are poking into the tube right where the fuse is and not above it you should be fine. Nice cake BTW.

Damn now I'm wondering if the BP is mixed in with the eggs or is actually below them, and whether I should now poke and additional hole just below the fuse to see if that's a better spot. FWIW I poked right where the fuse entered the tube, not above it and not below it. Should I poke a hole below now and try that? And will having 2 holes now create a problem?

[Rick_In_Tampa]

If you poked where the fuse is, you're fine. Stick the match in, tape it over, and call it done. It will work. Don't sweat it.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

^^^^What Rick said.