Suppliers tell us that increasing labor rates, rising materials costs and a shrinking fireworks labor force are all contributing to fewer factories making smaller items such as the bottle rocket.  Add to this some of the strictest regulations around the globe enforced by the US government with demands such as a warning label on each and every sick rocket (who can read text that small?!?!)  instead of just on the main and secondary packaging where it’s actually legible and bottle rockets could soon become a collectable as other items in fireworks sadly have through the years.

  Firing shells form mortars in racks is how the pro’s do it, and for good reason.  Mortar racks are more stable, and the fiberglass mortars, or tubes commonly used are far superior and less likely to blow out when using some of the more powerful conumer shells such as large cannister style shells.

These large cannister, or cylinder shells as they are sometimes referred to can legally contain up to 60g of total pyrotechnic composition making them the loudest legal firework available in the USA.  Another big advantage to using a mortar rack is it gives you the ability to fuse multiple shells together, or load multiple shells for sequential firing without the danger of possibly reloading a shell into a mortar with burning embers in the bottom.  For shell kits that are marked for effects it can e really fun to separate them and load them in such a way that you create your own color patterns in the sky!

Fireworks made in the Oriental Tradition have become the standard commercial style of fireworks because the cost to manufacturer is lower.   Therefore, the Italian style shells are very rare and seldom seen in the USA.

What makes Italian style fireworks unique is that they use cylindrical construction, rather then spherical construction.

A photo of a Maltese style shell being constructed can be seen below:

What is special about Maltese fireworks is their huge size!   This shells is probably 30 pounds and 3 feet tall.  It is so large because it is actually  four shells stacked on top of each other.

The whole shell is loaded into a “mortar” and is fired like a cannon ball.  Gunpowder is used to send the shell flying high into the air.   Then precision fuses called spollettes allow each of the four shells to burst at progressively higher altitudes.

This photo shows even larger “shells” with some weighing over 100 lbs!

Malta is truly one of the last places on earth to see these very special fireworks devices.   The construction of these devices is often made by groups of men and women who compete against one another as part of church groups or factories.  The work is very dangerous and accidents unfortunately claim lives every year.

Each year Malta hosts an international Fireworks Competition and this year the top prize went to Lieto Fireworks of Italy, followed by Mt Carmel Fireworks Factory of Żurrieq and Focs d’Artifici Europa of Spain in third.

The Żurrieq company was also crowned audience favorite thanks to the public SMS voting system.

While the suspects may (or may not) have purchased fireworks, the amount claimed would not have near the power needed to produce the results we saw in Boston.  In Fact, there are many, many readily available common household items that are far more energetic than what the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission allows in Fireworks.

A national chain store is claiming that mortar fireworks similar to these were purchased by the suspects beforehand, so naturally people want to lay the blame SOMEWHERE!  They are claiming the “terrorists” were looking for the largest, most powerful fireworks available.  What everyone should know is U.S. regulations limit all fireworks imported into the USA to the exact same powder limits, or burst charge strengths per category of firework.  For the shells claimed suspected in the possible construction of the Boston Bombings, they are better known in the industry as 60g Canister Shells and perform as seen in this video:

Pretty aren’t they!  The fireworks in question are limited to 60 total grams of composition, and only a small portion of that (20g)is allowed to be energetic burst charge with the remaining 40g used in the colored effects, or what you see as pretty in the night sky.  The colored effects simply burn, they do NOT explode.  In summary, it’s highly unlikely fireworks were the main ingredient, unless new information comes forward that they purchased much, much more than currently being claimed, or it is found that the fireworks in question were overloaded and illegal for use in the USA.  We don’t see your fireworks going away anytime soon, it was John Adams himself that said, and we leave you with… “”The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.-I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”

Moving further into springtime, Memorial Day is right around the corner and typically kicks off the busiest couple of months to buy fireworks online.  Most of the items have arrived from China and smart shoppers will buy before the rush to make sure they get their favorite items before they sell out.  Over 1,000 different firework devices are legal for sale in the USA including firecrackers, reloadable mortars, spinners, multi shots, rockets, ground items and sparklers…what’s your favorite?  We love seeing pictures of peoples firework stashes as they stock up for the summer, now is the time to get started!

]]> http://usfireworks.biz/blog/2013/04/congratulations-to-virtual-egg-hunt-winners/feed/ 0 http://usfireworks.biz/blog/2013/03/large-meteorite-thought-to-be-fireworks-across-east-coast-of-united-states/ http://usfireworks.biz/blog/2013/03/large-meteorite-thought-to-be-fireworks-across-east-coast-of-united-states/#comments Sat, 23 Mar 2013 03:02:58 +0000 usf_admin http://usfireworks.biz/blog/?p=463 Continue reading →]]> Friday, March 22nd 2013

Reports are pouring in from Florida to Maine of a “very bright, blueish green streak that looked like large fireworks“  according to hundreds of witnesses posting to blogs and news sites.  There are a few reports of impact with earth and a loud boom but nothing official as of 11:00 EST.  News crews are on their way to the potential impact area thought to be somewhere in Delaware.

Although it seems like a very rare occurrence the earth actually has been pummeled through time with an average of 6 impacts per year. Luckily for the human race, those impacts are usually by an object that has burned up in our atmosphere to little more than the size of a marble before contact!   We will update this post as details become available.

11:20 EST Update:  Reports are now coming in that IF there was a meteorite impact it would have been in the Bridgeville Delaware area!  Here is a security camera video.

   Well there’s a welcome warning!  The largest river in the country is spilling over it’s banks from recent rains and snow melt and after last years devastating drought, things are off to a great start for this year weather wise.  Cool and wet are a great combination for all the upcoming product demo’s as new fireworks flow in from China, many ahead of schedule.

   Last years slow sales were heavily noticed in China as orders were down across the board allowing many factories to produce and ship USA orders slightly ahead of schedule.  Talks of a port strike in LA where most firework containers enter the USA have subsided since December and things appear to be going pretty smooth and hopefully setting up importers and distributors up for a bounce back from last years financial downfalls once we start seeing fireworks for sale.  One area that seemed to take a lesser hit was online fireworks sales, which has seen steady growth in market share for a decade and that trend is expected to continue in 2013.

]]> http://usfireworks.biz/blog/2013/03/drought-continues-to-subside-good-news-for-fireworks-in-2013/feed/ 0 http://usfireworks.biz/blog/2013/03/2013-virtual-easter-egg-hunt/ http://usfireworks.biz/blog/2013/03/2013-virtual-easter-egg-hunt/#comments Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:19:21 +0000 usf_admin http://usfireworks.biz/blog/?p=455 Continue reading →]]> Easter is Sunday, March 31, 2013.

Starting today US Fireworks is hosting a virtual, online Easter egg hunt!

Now through Easter simply search through our online superstore for the hidden Easter Eggs to win prizes!

• No Purchase necessary to enter.
• Eggs are hidden on several pages.  There will only be one egg per page.
• Find at least one egg to enter.
• Send an e-mail to US Fireworks Easter Egg Hunt
• Copy and paste the URL of each page you find an egg into the e-mail.
• Find at least one egg to be eligible for the weekly prize.
• Find two eggs and receive a free Rowdy Rampage on next order.
• Find 4 eggs and receive a free Rowdy Rampage & 500g Mind Warp.
• Make a note in shipping instructions (in check-out section) saying “Winner Egg Hunt” to remind us you are a winner.
• We will have a weekly drawing from anyone who finds an Egg and send the winner a free fireworks grab bag filled with posters, mug, pens, etc.Only one winner per household.

Can you find the “e” Eggs?  Happy Hunting!