# confetti cannon conversion



## renegade (Mar 13, 2009)

I was given several hand held pneumatic confetti cannons. does anyone have an idea how I could convert these to stationary? I would like to mount them and do away with the necessary operator at each cannon. Some type of electrically operated valve maybe? Ideas? Suggestions?


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## derekleffew (Mar 13, 2009)

Sorry, renegade; you're very close to crossing a line.

From CB's FAQs/Safety:

> The users of ControlBooth, in a effort to police themselves, have evolved the following: No discussion of "how-to" of rigging, pyrotechnics, and electrical will be permitted. Our stock answer to these questions is always "Consult a qualified professional."


See this thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/special-f-x/9886-confetti-cannon.html, and especially the safety warnings.


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## renegade (Mar 13, 2009)

Sorry, I just wanted to change valves. Didn't realize I was into taboo areas.


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## cdub260 (Mar 13, 2009)

renegade said:


> Sorry, I just wanted to change valves. Didn't realize I was into taboo areas.



Well renegade, there's really no need for an apology here. We're not insulted that you asked the question. We just can't answer it beyond giving very general and broad advice.

The reason we can't go into specifics on a situation like yours is that any time you are dealing with any form of controlled energy, whether it's electrical, kinetic, fire/pyrotechnics, or, as in your example, pneumatic, is that all of these areas require that very specific steps be taken in order to safely control said energy. If even a single step is either skipped or done wrong, people can potentially be killed or seriously injured. Setting aside the fact that we don't want controlbooth.com or any of it's members getting sued should anything go wrong, we don't want anyone getting hurt or killed because an unqualified individual took on a project beyond their capabilities based on something they read on the internet.

I'm going to make an assumption here that you are not qualified to make the system modifications that are needed to make your confetti cannons function the way you want them to. I could be dead wrong in this, but it's a safe assumption for me to make. Even if you are qualified, there is no way to know what the next person will do with the information posted here, so we try to steer clear of certain subjects.

I hope this clarifies, at least to some extent, why we cannot answer your specific question.

When time permits, I will post a sticky or stickies regarding the various taboo subjects here in the Special F/X forum, so that you all have a quick reference.

For your specific case, the general and broad advice I would give, is that if you don't know who in your area might be qualified to help with your issue, you should check with your local theatrical supplier. Even if they can't help you, they should at least be able to point you towards someone who can.


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## willbb123 (Mar 13, 2009)

Ok slight thread jack.
Last year we had the band OK GO and they had a large confetti cannon. They angled it so some of it went into the house. The majority of it nailed the first electric (had to fly it in and take apart every light post show) flew up into the catwalks. Some how it got up behind the plaster FOH, I really don't know how. The stuff got every where and we are still finding pieces. I thought it was in the rental contract that they could not use confetti, but it may of not been. I know it is now.


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## cdub260 (Mar 13, 2009)

willbb123 said:


> Ok slight thread jack.
> Last year we had the band OK GO and they had a large confetti cannon. They angled it so some of it went into the house. The majority of it nailed the first electric (had to fly it in and take apart every light post show) flew up into the catwalks. Some how it got up behind the plaster FOH, I really don't know how. The stuff got every where and we are still finding pieces. I thought it was in the rental contract that they could not use confetti, but it may of not been. I know it is now.



That's just the nature of confetti. It gets everywhere.:shock:

Mylar confetti is even worse than paper confetti. We're still finding it from our 2007 show.


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## Grommet (Jun 5, 2009)

we fire off confetti every friday and saturday. yesterday we made wire mesh covers for the chandelier lamps in the house. but what is worse is glitter. this one burlesque performer had a dozen eggs. 

which she cracked open over her pouring glitter all over her self. 

my jaw dropped with, "why on earth would you do that?"

I will take confetti any day as it will not cling to me and follow me home.


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## derekleffew (Jun 5, 2009)

Grommet said:


> ...I will take confetti any day as it will not cling to me and follow me home.


Ah, but it will! Many's the time I've found confetti stuck to the bottom of my shoes when I take them off at home at night. 

Along with bits of gaffers and electrical tape--we call this "gig shoe."

Anyone want to define gig butt (and the remedy) for the glossary?


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## gafftaper (Jun 5, 2009)

Grommet said:


> this one burlesque performer had a dozen eggs. which she cracked open over her pouring glitter all over her self.



WHAT THE?!? :shock:

I want to see what happens when she calls the plumber every three months to come unclog the glitter from her shower drain. 
"You see right here little lady... this is your problem..."


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## Van (Jun 5, 2009)

Grommet said:


> .... this one burlesque performer had a dozen eggs.
> 
> which she cracked open over her pouring glitter all over her self.
> 
> my jaw dropped with, "why on earth would you do that?"...


 
We had a group of Japanese Women who do performance art who came out semi naked in weird chicken outfits. They proceded to "squat" over electric griddles then pancake batter came from somewhere as if they were ... um... squriting it from themselves. Then they cook the pancakes and ate them.

God I love this business !!!!


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## gafftaper (Jun 15, 2009)

Van said:


> We had a group of Japanese Women who do performance art who came out semi naked in weird chicken outfits. They proceded to "squat" over electric griddles then pancake batter came from somewhere as if they were ... um... squriting it from themselves. Then they cook the pancakes and ate them.
> 
> God I love this business !!!!



Wow :shock: 

How was your day at work today dear? 
Well...


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## NevilleLighting (Jun 29, 2009)

ahhh, if I could go one day without Japanese women squatting and making breakfast food... Where was I? Oh yeah, pyro. On that subject I highly recommend searching out commercial products if at all possible. It will cost more per performance but you get to sleep at night and now wonder who you might hurt the next day.


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## TimMiller (Jul 23, 2009)

I reciently built my own confetii cannons and this is what i learned. To build them correctly its going to cost you around 400-500 a cannon. Retroing anything should be done with correct engineering in mind (engineers are great friends to have when it comes to retroing things saftely). Electric solenoids (electric valves) that will safely fire a peumatic device will run around 300-400 a piece. Also test firing even rented cannons (or if you work with them enough) you really get a feel for what pressure it takes to do a desired effect. Confetti firing across a venue and hitting the backwall is a very dangerous thing.

Also a safety note, DO NOT EVER REUSE CONFETTI, there are serious health and saftey risks involved. You never know what dust and other things get swept up off the floor with the confetti.


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## philhaney (Jul 24, 2009)

TimMiller said:


> DO NOT EVER REUSE CONFETTI, there are serious health and saftey risks involved. You never know what dust and other things get swept up off the floor with the confetti.



Reminds me of the time I was working Nutcracker and we got to the snow at the end of act one. All of a sudden there's a "clunk" on stage and something's lying in the snow (which is still coming down out of the trough). The Director gets on headset and says, "What was that?" One of the Spot Ops in the 1st AP replied, "Looks like a fork..."


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## MrsFooter (Jul 25, 2009)

The ballet company I danced for back in my ballerina days also swept up and reused the snow every night. The first couple shows weren't bad, most of what was falling was actual snow, but after a week of reuse you never knew what was going to fall on your head; hair pins, safety pins, screws, sequence, even once a child-sized wire coat hanger. (It was after this last incident that they switched to a bubble machine.)


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