Daddy Dee Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Had a nice evening with my family sitting on the tailgate of my truck watching the community fireworks display. It was a pretty good show for a small town and there were a few things I hadn't seen before... like a happy face and pretty good Saturn. Threre were a few other variations on the traditional displays. Anyway, as I was watching I was wondering if anyone of the forum was familiar with some of the particulars about these big mortar type commercial fireworks. Does anyone know the approximate altitude reached by these things? Also, some of the particular explosions results in immense displays. I was wondering what the range of diameter that can be achieved in these big rascals. My favorites are the big booming reports. Great fun. Happy birthday America! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 no but heres a pic from our backyard show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 NO TRIPOD gang, I just lay on my back a safe distance from Ground Zero, set Nikon to F8, Bulb shutter speed (manual release), manual focus at infinity minus a little, then waited for the burst. The last one was a single, here's what happens when you hold it open for 3-4 bursts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 oh yeah, I set film speed ISO to 1600, and used the shadow WB mode. Couldn't use custom WB or auto, Incadenscent might have been close. Fluor, flash, sun would have also been wrong, so I guessed and used shadow mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Had a nice evening with my family sitting on the tailgate of my truck watching the community fireworks display. It was a pretty good show for a small town and there were a few things I hadn't seen before... like a happy face and pretty good Saturn. Threre were a few other variations on the traditional displays. Anyway, as I was watching I was wondering if anyone of the forum was familiar with some of the particulars about these big mortar type commercial fireworks. Does anyone know the approximate altitude reached by these things? Everything commercially made is made by hand surprisingly. Each fireworks or alchemist is very adamant on his own formula and recipe. Sorta like the secrecy of the audio world, no one shares openly. And most are done by hand meaning mixing, making, setting, etc. So back to the question is how much powder you put in and the fuse length determines the height. I suppose anything like 1000 feet or so seems right, before 9/11 I believe they could barely be seen over the WTC Also, some of the particular explosions results in immense displays. I was wondering what the range of diameter that can be achieved in these big rascals. Again that is how much you decide to pack. They use cardboard tubes just like the ones they use for rolling things like carpet or fabric or plastic or paper sheets, as they are different sizes they can be different diameters My favorites are the big booming reports. Great fun. You can make fireworks make different noises with different chemical fills from the whistling to the shimmering to the bright whites. I believe Aluminum powder+ Flash powder (aka german aluminum) = equals the bright whites. Barium makes the green, etc Happy birthday America! http://www.skylighter.com/ http://www.unitednuclear.com/chem.htm http://www.unitednuclear.com/stars.htm http://www.unitednuclear.com/shell.htm http://www.unitednuclear.com/exper.htm SAYS CLEARLY ON TOP of WEBPAGE "PAY ATTENTION... OR DIE!" are where to get the materials and info if you want to know/make more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 How high do fireworks shells go? As a general rule of thumb, you can figure 100-feet per diameter inch of shell. http://www.elitepyrotechnics.com/fireworks9.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 hmmm those web sites look interesting. I have an old PA buddy who has his pyro license, wonder what it takes to get licensed? M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Hey Michael - if you would be so kind, check your email please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Hey Michael - if you would be so kind, check your email please. I have nothing in email or PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 Gentlemen, Thanks for the excellent links. I had no idea a DIYer could build such. Some of these rascals are HUGE. Michael, great pics. I'm going to show these to my daughter who was taking some pics with her digital last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 We went out last night to watch our local fireworks show and in SD County they are virtually synced county wide so you can listen to your radio and have music play to match the display. Well this worked fine except at our local display there was no finale it just kind of stopped!!?!?!?![*-)] Everyone was kind of surprised expecting the final burst of multiple shots to go up and poof nothing![:@] The only thing worse than this was the year the sprinkler system went off in the park while it was full of people watching the show! <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Sometime back National Geographic magazine did a feature on an Italian family I believe based out of Chicago (don't hold me to that) that has been creating firework displays for like 3 or 4 generations. Wish I could remember the family's name. Anyhow, they had won numerous international competitions and the article was very, very interesting. As pointed out in a previous post, the formulations are a guarded secret, but what got me was the "mom & pop" nature of how the shells and the components were constructed. For instance....the family described how they mixed various elements in order to get the color they wanted. And the photos showed someone mixing this stuff with a wooden spoon, then pouring out the slurry onto a big baking sheet where it would harden so they could slice it up into hundreds of little squares. I mean, if you didn't know better you'd think you were looking at some kinda baking operation. And the photos of their factory, hardly looked like a factory at all. More like a old converted house. I mean, you'd think they'd be working n some type of special controlled enviroment or summat. Anyhow, hard to relate - guess you'd have just had to have seen the article. BTW, this might be a fun convention to go to: http://www.pgi.org/2006conv.aspx Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted July 5, 2006 Moderators Share Posted July 5, 2006 I trust everyone still has all their digits today? I think everyone here in Indiana went crazy. Since they lifted the home fireworks ban this year, you'd think no one had ever lit even a sparkler before...all sense of logic just flew out the window. While home-spun shows were going on all around me, there were some idiots in front of my house in the middle of the street (nice, quiet, family-type neighborhood) lighting rockets on their sides so they'd shoot down the street instead of in the air.... then there was a genius who lit something (have no idea what it was), threw it about 20 ft into a small crowd of his friends where it promptly landed on a girl's leg.. She appeared unhurt, but the laughter that followed was clearly insane. I guess the ban had it's place. I believe I would welcome it back. Needless to say, I watched the goings on from the safety of my living room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I'm going the other way Amy. Setting off those rockets the other night reignited in me the love of fire. I fondly remember blowing up the explosion-proof chamber in Chemistry class and constructing all sorts of neighborhood gadgets that surely were illegal. I have a good buddy in the PA industry who is in that Pyrotechnicians Guild. I might have found another hobby! But some of those people were clearly insane the other night . Lets do it beautifully and safely fellow Hoosiers! Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted July 5, 2006 Moderators Share Posted July 5, 2006 I'm going the other way Amy. Setting off those rockets the other night reignited in me the love of fire. I fondly remember blowing up the explosion-proof chamber in Chemistry class and constructing all sorts of neighborhood gadgets that surely were illegal. Yet another reason why I would favor the ban reinstatement! [] [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I enjoy both: watching and setting off fireworks. I have no problem with other, responsible people doing so. What I did not enjoy last night was some jackarse 7 doors down who got the bright idea to begin setting off mortar shells at Midnite last night from his tiny backyard. They were lighting up my whole bedroom until almost 1 AM! I had to close all of our windows and turn on the A/C. No brains or consideration at all. Fireworks aren't even legal here. I get up at 5AM. Needless to say, it's been a real slow morning for me! What an *-Hole! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 well thank god fireworks are not high explosives but realtivly safer (i use that loosely) gunpowder based explosions. High Explosives means the shock breaks the speed of sound causing malicious bodily harm much more than a lost finger or eye. But remember guys one thing, sparklers are hotter than the surface of the sun...... It looks all cute and safe but that white light means its burning really freaking hot. I believe in the order of 3000 degrees centigrade. picky was it anything like this that kept you up [] http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/37822/Proper_Use_Of_16_000_Firecrackers.html?autoplay=true atleast they were really safe about it, really note the sparkler set off on the rope away from people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 LOL......growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the guys in my neighborhood would go to the beach (we all lived only about 2 blocks away) at 4th of July and have bottle rocket wars. You'd dig your foxhole and then, using your trusty home-made launcher tube, fire bottle rockets at each other. How none of us got hurt is still unknown. LMAO....I remember one guy having a rocket land in his arsenal bag that contained fireworks other than bottle rockets. The sight of him bailing out of his foxhole as his whole bag starts going off. LOL....all of us were ducking for cover. LOL..... What was that you were saying Amy about baning fireworks?? LOL........ Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Trust me: If anyone knows explosives, I do! I was an Aviation Ordnanceman (Aircraft Weapons Specialist) in the U.S.Navy for 4 years. I used to hang 2,000 pound bombs and handle C3 & C4 plastique. I have no clue as to whether or not this imbecile was being careful or not. The simple fact that he was igniting mortar rounds in such a confined space tells me he was an idiot with no regard for his own, much less his neighbors' property. To do so after Midnite says even more about his lack of intelligence and consideration. An explosive doesn't have to be Class A (High Explosive) to cause big problems. Pyrotechnics are an excellent method for igniting roofing materials. This jerk should have been out in the middle of a field! Not in a tight, neighborhood backyard surrounded by trees and dwellings! I'll like to shove one of those sparklers you spoke of up his you-know-what! I'll have to try the video at home. it won't run here at the office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 have idiots like that in our city too.... They used maybe half sized mortar (compared to the macys parade style full blossoms in a city of 65000 with house next to house. BTW all 65000 live in around the area of one square mile. They shot it anyways...... every year, it even hit some houses...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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