So I know that fireworks are kind of a controversial topic and some people hate them and some people love them. I just wanted to post this as a little reminder to keep everyone safe since the media is not great at giving advice on fireworks. These are just a few tips I have learned over the years.
-Always have water on hand. This is an obvious one but sometimes things are out of your control and you have to be prepared.
-Know what you are lighting. Again, kinda obvious but read the description and know what the firework does. Some cakes(repeaters) shoot at angles. Sometimes that's the only way the cake shoots, sometimes it's just a few shots.
-Make sure to have proper distance around the firework. Typically you should really have at least 100 feet between and around any spectators or objects. Sometimes this is hard to follow but never shoot fireworks where you have very small distances, i.e. between two houses.
-Never let small children hold metal sparklers. Metal sparklers account for the majority of firework injuries.
-Remember your A.B.C.'s or, Always Brace you Cakes(repeaters). Cakes have a tendency to tip over, even when placed on flat surfaces(which they always should be) If you don't have bricks to place around them, you can tape a few together to make a larger foot print. This typically only applies to smaller cakes in the 200g category. Round cakes are the worst and almost always will tip.
-Brace your mortars. Place bricks around your mortar tubes so they can't fall.
-Wait a few minutes between shells. Firing shells in rapid succession could result in mortar failure or could cause a shell to go off in the tube if there are hot embers in the tube.
-If you get adventurous and try and make a rack for your shells, NEVER EVER USE PVC OR ABS PLASTIC TUBES. If a shell were to go off in the tube, it will shatter into splinters and could cause serious injury. The only material suitable to make a rack for shells out of is HDPE. Check out pyroboom.com for examples of racks.
-Never put any part of your body over any firework. If it fails to ignite, wait at least 10 minutes, then douse it with water.
-NEVER hold roman candles. The sidewalls on roman candles can and will blow out from time to time and can cause you injury. I had one blow out last year but I had it in a rack.
-A lot of people want the "loud" type of firework. These are salutes and are ILLEGAL for an unlicensed person to handle. Most don't realize what they really are and only want the boom. They are extremely powerful and if anything were to go wrong, it would go bad, FAST. If you get your hands on these, don't shoot them. The same goes for larger fireworks in the 1.3g or professional grade firework category over 2 inches. These shells go MUCH further than consumer fireworks and will cause serious destruction if something were to go wrong. I know it's tempting to want these types of fireworks but in this case, leave it to the licensed guys.
-Rip the paper off the tops of your cakes. Not really safety related, but makes cleanup much easier
I'll add on to the list if I think of anything.
If you are shooting fireworks, post up some pictures! I'll post some pictures of my setup after I get it up tomorrow.
Have fun and be safe!!
Edit:
Here's my stash, two cases deep.
-Always have water on hand. This is an obvious one but sometimes things are out of your control and you have to be prepared.
-Know what you are lighting. Again, kinda obvious but read the description and know what the firework does. Some cakes(repeaters) shoot at angles. Sometimes that's the only way the cake shoots, sometimes it's just a few shots.
-Make sure to have proper distance around the firework. Typically you should really have at least 100 feet between and around any spectators or objects. Sometimes this is hard to follow but never shoot fireworks where you have very small distances, i.e. between two houses.
-Never let small children hold metal sparklers. Metal sparklers account for the majority of firework injuries.
-Remember your A.B.C.'s or, Always Brace you Cakes(repeaters). Cakes have a tendency to tip over, even when placed on flat surfaces(which they always should be) If you don't have bricks to place around them, you can tape a few together to make a larger foot print. This typically only applies to smaller cakes in the 200g category. Round cakes are the worst and almost always will tip.
-Brace your mortars. Place bricks around your mortar tubes so they can't fall.
-Wait a few minutes between shells. Firing shells in rapid succession could result in mortar failure or could cause a shell to go off in the tube if there are hot embers in the tube.
-If you get adventurous and try and make a rack for your shells, NEVER EVER USE PVC OR ABS PLASTIC TUBES. If a shell were to go off in the tube, it will shatter into splinters and could cause serious injury. The only material suitable to make a rack for shells out of is HDPE. Check out pyroboom.com for examples of racks.
-Never put any part of your body over any firework. If it fails to ignite, wait at least 10 minutes, then douse it with water.
-NEVER hold roman candles. The sidewalls on roman candles can and will blow out from time to time and can cause you injury. I had one blow out last year but I had it in a rack.
-A lot of people want the "loud" type of firework. These are salutes and are ILLEGAL for an unlicensed person to handle. Most don't realize what they really are and only want the boom. They are extremely powerful and if anything were to go wrong, it would go bad, FAST. If you get your hands on these, don't shoot them. The same goes for larger fireworks in the 1.3g or professional grade firework category over 2 inches. These shells go MUCH further than consumer fireworks and will cause serious destruction if something were to go wrong. I know it's tempting to want these types of fireworks but in this case, leave it to the licensed guys.
-Rip the paper off the tops of your cakes. Not really safety related, but makes cleanup much easier
I'll add on to the list if I think of anything.
If you are shooting fireworks, post up some pictures! I'll post some pictures of my setup after I get it up tomorrow.
Have fun and be safe!!
Edit:
Here's my stash, two cases deep.
Doing anything like that is illegal, the general public can't even own a salute let alone make them. But, people still get their hands on them. Flash powder is crazy sensitive and can cause serious damage. Can't say I'm innocent of trying to make something loud though :whistling: