How to shoot a firework display like the pros!
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Ok admit it, you spend way too much money on fireworks!
That's right the very fact your reading this means you have smelt the smoke...there's no turning back! Let www.usfireworks.biz help you learn to shoot a professional style display right in your own backyard with consumer fireworks with this blog series. Let's start with a simple introduction, between now and the 4th of july we will post frequent updates from the very basics such as safety, fusing tips, how to set up angles boards and eventually discuss firing highly technical pyromusicals with professional firing systems. Your welcome to follow along and decide what level you are ready for...a great backtard display can be achieved for less than you might think! Here is two example videos of the ends of the spectrum we will cover. This first video is a simple angle board a customer shot on New Years Eve: firework video And here is a video of a 6 minute pyromusical (which usfireworks.biz supplied product for) shot at last years NFA convention by Dominator Fireworks. Here is the pyro musical Pyro Musical Stay Tuned.....
.....Welcome back! Angle Boards Today we will discuss how to achieve a display as seen in the first fireworks video above, which can be accomplished for under $200.00! That quick show was fired on New years Eve off of just one angle board as seen in this picture.
As you can see an angle board can easily be constructed from scrap lumber, likely you have what you need in the garage right now! A 2x4 on edge is all that is needed, and recomended for the angle this gives the fireworks plenty of separation in the sky to achieve the "V" shape with the smaller cakes firing, with the larger 500g cake firing straight up the center of those. The fuse used can be purchased on the web and is simple to obtain, we will go more into depth soon about fusing techniques for guaranteed firing of all items. The goal of an angle board is simple, to create something interesting, and symmetrical in the sky...we highly recommend for the smaller angled cakes you use a cake with colored pearls or tails such as the 200g cake Backyard Perfection as it rises to add another dimenion and really show off that "V" It is very important that you secure the fireworks to the board! We recommend either, liquid nails, silicone or even heavy duty duct tape...just make sure they are stuck good and cannot tip, and also make sure if they do that nothing is in range! Did you even finish reading this....or are you out in the garage looking for scraps to make your first angle board? Get it done and check back the 4th will be here before you know it and we have a lot of work to do if your gonna show up the city's display this year!
Next we will talk racks and fusing.... Hey pyro's! Let's talk racks. Racks is a general term for any device designed to SAFELY and securely fire a firework device. The standard cardboard, fiberglass and even hdpe mortars that come with reloadable shell kits work great, but we have all seen them tip over whle firing the shell and their uses is very limited before they are ruined. There is actually a new law that now requires the large cannister shell kits to come packed with 4 mortars now! Here is a picture of a standard consumer rack for firing 1 3/4" reloadable shells which includes the majority of all shells sole in the USA, with the exception of the smaller black box and festival ball kits which are closer to 1 1/2" and we do not recommend using those in these mortars as they may fit too loosely and not get proper height. The rack in the picture below is commonly combined with other racks, and/or stabilized with rebar rods to prevent tipping.
Too many people only think shells when discussing racks, when they actually have uses for a variety of fireworks! Here is a cool candle rack we found a picture and video of and is a great example of how someone used a creative rack idea to take a boring old roman candle and turn them into something awesome! They cleverly used plywood and inexpensive conduit clamps to safely hold the candles.
Here is the video, ROMAN CANDLE RACK FIRING you can see sticky match was used to fuse the candles to all go off, we will cover sticky match and fusng more in the next update. In the image below we see someone got creative with perforated angle iron (commonly used for garage door opener installations) and made a rocket rack, another inexpensive yet innovative idea! This is a much safer alternative than bottles or PVC pipe for firing rockets, we really would not recommend either. It looks like there's 2 sky rockets loaded and waiting for dark. Click here and check out our selection of Sky Rockets.
Check back soon for an update on fusing techniques to put all these ideas of angle boards and racks together and ready for an actual show, that you can sit back and enjoy with your audience! For those reading this blog, here is an unadvertised special on 1 1/4" high quality fiberglass mortars to fill the racks you need to build, At a price we guarantee you won't find at any other discount fireworks or online fireworks stores! FIREWORK MORTARS Getting excited about the 4th of July yet?
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USA leading the world in fireworks safety.
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"Two men Killed by fireworks" "Hundreds Injured by fireworks" "Massive fireworks fire guts 5 star hotel" "Year of the Rabbit starts with disaster"
The Chinese New Year got off to a rough start, with the second high rise hotel in recent years being gutted at a cost of millions of dollars, and local residents all across China injuring themselves and bystanders with powerful fireworks, news very contradictory to their beliefs of the fireworks driving away demons and ensuring a healthy and prosperous year! Reports from just one hospital in Beijing state that in just the first night of Chinese New Year, Two men were killed and at least 223 injured in Beijing amid traditional New Year fireworks frenzy that lasted from Wednesday evening to Thursday noon, In Beijing Tongren Hospital, 78 of the 85 patients injured by fireworks received treatment for eye injuries, and children accounted for one-quarter of the injured. In reality the injured persons likely number in the thousands across the countryside. In China residents have access to much more powerful fireworks than we do in the USA, where 60g limits per shell and 500g limits per cake minimize stories like the above from happening here, and through efforts from organizations such as the National Council on Fireworks Safety injury numbers in the USA have steadily declined annually for over a decade now. Most serious firework injuries in the USA are caused by illegal fireworks, or homemade explosice devices. Consumer fireworks here simply don't pack the punch, and stricter testing standards have increased the level of quality packaging forther reducing incidents. The tides have turned so much in the USA, that the only deaths we were able to find documented in recent times were caused by professional display fireworks where accidents occured and caused severe injury, most commonly to the technicians in close proximity to the fireworks. Stories similar to the above headlines in China are being repeated in other countries, so the USA can hold it's head high with it's reputation as one of the safest fireworks using countries in the world. The FACT remains, that more people are injured every year riding bicycles annually in the US than celebrating with fireworks, yet government agencies such as CPSC, the NFPA and DOT continue efforts to further restrict their quality and availability, seemingly targeting the larger cakes, rockets and shells...while emergency room reports show the vast majority of injuries come from the smallest items such as sparklers and firecrackers. |
Valentines Day February 14th
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Valentines day is right around the corner, and fireworks are becoming an ever more popular way of expressng the "spark" in your relationship. Did you know...a gentleman hired a display company at the Pyrotechnics Guild International convention last year in Appleton WI to fire a 10 minute display that ended in burning lance work asking the love of his life to marry him in front of 5,000 people! What? That's right fellas...chances are you don't remember what you got her for Valentines day last year, but I guarantee she does! Fireworks are becoming more and more popular at weddings, and we know tying the knot is the ultimate show of affection! Need ideas to make this year memorable? Well stop trying to get her to "see fireworks" through your Hugs and Kisses and show them to her.....literally! HERE is a great little fountain that she can unwrap along with her chocolates, roses and card. The Hot Lips fountain is not only appropriately shaped for Valentines day, with it's long duraton it gives you plenty of time to step back and embrace the love of your life, trust me....no words will be needed as you wrap your arms around her and share a quiet moment watching it's beautiful display!
Another idea we have heard from our customers is using sparklers, or morning glories secured to a board and used to spell out a short message, or even just a large heart. Have a better idea to get her attention? Have you ordered yet? Men are procrastinators by nature so I'll help you. Click Here to buy now. So come on, don't be a lamo romeo do something special for her this year and we guarantee you both see sparks, do NOT write us to tell us how it went! |
Video and Photography of Fireworks
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Everybody's doin it! It used to be you had to hire a professional video guy with a high dollar camera to get decent video of your back yard display, and we see the question posed time and time again "How to video fireworks" Admitedly Fireworks are one of the more difficult subjects to videotape, but with a few quick tips we can get you posting beautiful videos in no time! First, let's discuss equipment. The camera we are using is a not a high dollar, professional piece of equipment you would expect to see on a Hollywood movie set, in fact it's a Panasonic Lumix we paid less than $300.00 for online! These newer, small enough to fit in your pocket cameras are truly amazing and include capabilities such as recording video in high definition at 30 frames per second!
These little cams do a great job right out of the box, however a few easy adjustments and tips that hold true to most video devices when it comes to fireworks will have you shooting like a pro in no time. (1) Exposure. Turn it down! overexposure can lead to letting way too much light in resulting in washed out colors, or even white out. On the Lumix we set it to -1 and it works great for 90% of fireworks, fountains and strobes being the brightest may require turning it all the way down, while subtle colors such as blues and golds in willows and brocades arent near as bright and will show up better on a higher setting, we just settled on -1 and leave it there. (2) Focus. Turn it off! The last thing you want your camera doing while getting video of your fireworks is trying to focus. Since the fireworks aren't always there...it struggles to focus on anything and will constantly adjust resulting in a lot of blurred segments. The fix?....turn it off. Simply turn off the cameras auto focus feature. (3) Tripod. A tripod is a must have tool, holding the camera never looks good as it ends up shaky and missing shots. For consumer fireworks a good rule of thumb is to get at least 300' back, set up on a tripod and this should give you a good field of view catching almost everything from the low ground effects to the highest breaks. What are you waiting for? Oh ya....dark! Actually when video taping fireworks the colors usually turn out more vivid and crisp right at dusk, as you will see in the video linked below. Notice how sharp the color and clarity is! You too can achieve these results, likely with the digital camera your already using....now buy some fireworks and try it for yourself! Check out the video here: Click for HD video Happy shooting! |
The move to legalize fireworks in more states.
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Good news in the USA! It's looking better and better for firework enthusiasts in more states as legislaters are pushing bills to legalize fireworks, at least at some level! Fireworks are responsibe for some of the fondest memories for many of us from our youth, and today in the United States millions of Americans do not have the freedom to even light a sparkler to celebrate our Nations Birthday, much less fireworks for a wedding, birthday party, graduation or any other celebration...robbing them of some of the memories we take for granted in MOST states. In the USA New Years eve and Memorial day are second and third behind the 4th of July in holidays celebrated with fireworks, and they are becoming more and more and more popular at weddings, graduations and retirement parties. Organizations like the National Council on Fireworks Safety and the National Fireworks Association are working hard to make sure fireworks are given a fair rap and fighting for re legalization of what once all states were free to enjoy. Im most recent times Indiana firework lovers were given back full statewide use of aerial fireworks, and business is booming as well as the states tax benefits. Arizona is the most recent to follow the trend, with safe n sane fireworks becoming legal for sale again as of December 1st 2010. I talked to friends in Arizona that said "It was just a good feeling to drive through town and see the tents, it felt like something had been given back to us" As of this writing, Massachusets, Maine and Rhode Island are all consideing legalization at some level, even if only safe n sane it's a good start! Even NY has a group working to get a bill on the table. With our low cost firework delivery service we're certainly rooting for the day when every US citizen has the choice to once again smell the smoke! If your one of the fortunate ones living in one of the many legal states we hope you'll browse our site and consider a purchase so we can continue to support the organizations fighting for legaization in every state...the way it used to be as depicted in the image below from the Saturday evening post in the 1950's Click to Buy Fireworks On-line
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The Sky is Falling!
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Well, things are falling from it anyway. Recent reports from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and now even Sweden of freak incidents of birds tumbling from the sky and one of the biggest culprits their blaming it on is.....FIREWORKS! Wait.....what? Ah yes I remember the days, jumping into the car with Mom and Dad and heading down to the towns fireworks display on the 4th of July and just waiting to see who forgot their helmets and got a beak in the skull first from the blizzard of falling birds!
Sound rediculous? Ok I agree, we all know if humans really wanted to wage war on these pteradactyls we would use fireworks more apt for the job. I remember as a youngster waking up early in the morning and creating a SMOKE SCREEN to disorient the feathered foes. In the younger years I was limited to what Mom and Dad would let me play with and quickly learned I couldn't throw a SNAP POP very far. Soon I discovered that the WHIRLWINDS had incredible range but I could never get my timing right...GRRRRRR!
As I grew I began getting serious, and tossing HAND GRENADES as a distraction, then launching ROCKETS skyward, not once did I so much as ruffle a feather! Hmmm...just doesnt make sense that I dedicated a portion of my life to knockin off a feather and suddenly someone figured out how to drop 5,000 birds in one night with pyro?
Ok, hopefully the story I just told was as rediculous and obviously made up as I feel their blaming the phenomonons on fireworks is. I swear, no birds were harmed in creating this blog, and since it's electronic no trees suffered either! Check us out on Facebook just search US Fireworks. |
Ring in the new year with Fireworks!
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New Years Eve is the highest global firework consuming holiday of them all, far surpassing the 4th of July, Independence Day in the USA or Bonfire Night in the UK, in fact it surpasses both of them combined! Almost every country, even China who doesnt recognize the standard new year and holds their own celebrations at a different date celebrates the eve of December 31st every year with fireworks! Look at this pictur from Iceland..they may have one of the craziest celebrations as fireworks appear to be coming from every single house in the picture!
Let US Fireworks help you make your celebration extra special!
Search through our site for your favorite firework whether it's ROCKETS with a red glare, ARTILLERY SHELLS with their familiar thump out of the tube and exciting professional looking breaks, or simply a few packs of FIRECRACKERS to let the neighbors know your still up at midnight this new years eve!
For the safe n sane or areas where aerial fireworks are not allowed we recommend some great FOUNTAINS or SPARKLERS to ring in the new year in style. |
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