I enjoyed how he said "always have a sober adult in charge", because that's an important distinction. There's probably an adult in charge, but are they really capable of being in charge at that moment?
@Uhaneole Sorry, but if you are not sober, you can't be trusted, and if you do not know what you are doing, you will be dangerous anyway, the only one that might theoretically be possible would be to trust a mature 15 year old with the fireworks, but that would be illegal.
@paddington1670 what does that even mean? You have to be in control of another person to have an idea of what they might be like? If you see a a garbage man pick up garbage, does that blow you away because you aren't in control of them? Must be a wild existence...
I remember the "Big Bay Bust" (I think they call the normal one the "Big Bay Boom") I was in the hospital so I couldn't go.. but I saw videos, and it was spectacular lol While I would have been a little bummed (if I'd went) that it was over so quickly, I'd have been thrilled to see it. 5 different fireworks barges, all with the timers set in seconds instead of milliseconds, went off all at the same time for about 15 seconds instead of 5-10 minutes.. I couldn't imagine how ashamed I'd be if I'd set that up.
To help with the last question about SC being obsessed with fireworks, it’s because fireworks are illegal in NC so all of us go down to SC to get our fireworks. That’s why there’s so many firework stores near the SC line.
The bit about "false finales" makes perfect sense; it's like that rising/falling action graph that they show you in middle school English classes. You want to have multiple peaks over the course of the 'story', with valleys in between to give the audience time to process what just happened. It's just that in a fireworks display, the 'story' you're telling is told via explosions.
or you can just add so much variety & thrills throughout that there's no need for that (I'm thinking the Sydney NYE ones that never do false finales, but certainly tell stories)
I trained as a Pyrotechnician back in the mid 90's (by the man who did the effects for the 1995 Judge Dredd movie with Stallone), I worked at some amazing places putting on not just a 'firework display' but combined fireworks, fire and people, 60 human fire eaters, dancers and flame throwers, human and mechanical, all with more explosions than allowed. Best Ever was right under Sussex Police headquarters in the UK, they tried so hard to stop it BUT the local fire service gave us the thumbs up and enjoyed the show (as did the police on site).
you should see Illinois anti firework commercials under the banned Pyrotechnic Use Act signed in 1942, people have been trying to change it but if you pass through Illinois you can people firing off fireworks anyways
@crefmag yes it was and yes they are used to fireworks but they didn't like it right under their noses, live bands, people enjoying themselves and we were not just using 'fireworks' but our own made explosions, wouldn't be allowed these days. We used to live in one of Harveys old Brewery cottages off the Cliff High st and my parents had a shop there too so were right in the middle of it all.
Now obviously they have internet, so don’t feel too bad for them if you think the question was dumb, but it could be an ESL person not knowing how to translate to compression or compressed gas so the closest they could get was blown air. If I was using my limited Spanish skills to ask this question in Spanish, I think I it may be very similar to how this person asked the question.
Not as crazy as San Diego... had a 60 shot cake malfunction near me and they all went off at once. That was a surprise! We prepped well though. Lots of open space around us, eye protection, fire extinguishers, a plan. Fireworks are fun but need to be treated with respect for the danger they could cause.
As s kid 20 some yes ago we had a cake get knocked over after being lit and began firing off in all directions. Had to jump ontop the hood of a car as one shot right under me.
They're probably written and chosen to be funny. That said, there's a real stigma about seeming too smart among a certain demographic and fitting in is always life's highest priority.
Of all the fireworks I've lit in my life the only one that ever hurt me was a sparkler. I was lighting it for someone and not thinking about the direction of ignition so it burned a hole in my thumb in less than a second. Lesson learned the hard way.
I don’t know who came up with the modern “fade” effect he described, but it’s one of my favorite things to see during firework displays. Something so magical about it! Thank you, inventor. And thank you, Japan, for the golden drippy drippy fireworks. I love them.
I'm sure you've noticed the dull "thud" sounds when some mortars explode, as well as a flare-burning sound akin to when bottle rockets go off. That's about as quiet as they can get. Everything else would be added either on purpose (such as the Salute or Report he mentioned), or as a byproduct of a visual effect.
6:34 I don't remember this myself, but when I was really young, we went to a fireworks show but there was a thunderstorm approaching so they decided to launch them all at once instead of rescheduling it, I'm told it was one of the best fireworks shows my dad has ever seen, sad that I don't remember it
@babecat2000 apparently whoever did it inside a garage in whatever country he said lol he’s obviously the idiotic moron who can’t handle a little gunpowder and magnesium lol 😂
I did a stint as a volunteer pyrotechnician and I have to say it was the most fun job I've had. At the time we were hand firing, so right up close to the action; The **Fssthp** of quickmatches passing fire followed by the immense THUD you could feel in your chest as lifting charges ignited, the smoke, and smell of burned black powder, a very visceral experience. The only downside was loading up all the mortar racks and searching downrange for rocket sticks and shell casings once it was all over. It's something that any lover of pyro should do at least once in their life.
For the last question about South Carolina, as a resident of a neighboring state, I believe the restrictions on fireworks and the taxes are lower in South Carolina than in neighboring states. So, I see more stores right when entering the border. ALSO, gas taxes used to be much less than in surrounding states, so there were lots of gas stations that also sold fireworks.
I really appreciate that you guys showed us the basic blueprint of a firework in the montage at +/- the one minute mark. It show respect for the audience and made me watch the documentary to the end.
Lots of talk about drone shows replacing fireworks this year but I'm sorry, you can't replace a good firework show, I love them and always go to several per year. Nice to hear fireworks tech is still innovating making them safer and cooler.
So far the best nashiki shell I've found consumer wise is the raccoon brand one, we had them this last fourth and they were the hit of the night, BIG willows that just hung, people were able to take great pics cause the hang time, it was a rainy day so I wasn't worried about launching them
I almost lost my leg last year to a mortar shell that I put in upside down. The explosion happened prematurely and it shattered my right femur and destroyed all parts of my knee.
So the modeling software used was FWsim(really cool program) and to best explain cakes/shells is that if you know the physics of how weaponry(guns, cannons, mortor guns, and artillery pieces) a shell has the same physics. The fuse you light is the trigger(more literally if using a firing system) and the lift charge is what fires the shell(bullet) out of the gun(the tube shells are launched out of) firing systems do the same as you using a punk/lighter to shoot the show while allowing the techs to be at a safe distance especially with many shows that utilize 8, 10, and 12 inch shells
The biggest danger with mortars is people getting body parts over the muzzle. Having a mortar shell impact your noggin is a very good way to learn how to push daisies upwards. It happens pretty much every year, sadly. As you might guess, alcohol is usually involved.
I remember a big smoke bomb that just detonated instead of smoking. It really got my attention because there were people present who were holding the very same smoke bomb in their hands while it burned. 😬
Thank you for the educational update on pyrotechnic technology. I worked a couple of shows in the 1980's, lighting the fuses with a road flare. The scariest moments were reloading the tubes, since we didn't know if there was still any burning paper in there. We used the swing and drop method, with the rule of, "Don't put anything over the tube that you aren't willing to lose." Great video!
Awesome! I did ONE hand fired show in LA and was last before outlawed. Guys told of RELOADING a hand-fired show and how scary it was. Swing and drop...hope it goes to bottom... Lol!
@6:36 -- In my 20's (I am 70's now) I was once at a rural professional 4th of July fireworks show in California where one LARGE chrysanthemum burst lift charge malfunctioned and the burst was at about 15 feet. It was HUGE and luckily no others were set off. I still recall that vividly. I remember seeing the ground crew running for dear life! with one of them actually under the burst. I have never seen that again. (But, as a young kid I did set a Kansas field afire when a ground-launched kind of multitube roman candle fell over and launched several charges horizontally across the road into the dry field. scary!) These experiences gave me great respect and safety for all fireworks. My favorites are always the reports and salutes at professional fireworks shows.
Great job Patrick!! Me being a pyro all my life I knew alot of the answers but you definitely taught me a couple new things! Interesting video either way!!
I didn't either, but I'm not at all surprised Disney is doing it... and the pneumatic launchers. With the amount of firework displays they put on in a year, anything that makes the productions cheaper, safer, and more reliable is going to pay massive dividends.
ecstatic that that one show in San Diego was brought up!!! my best friend at the time lived so close to where they were set off, she said their windows were visibly bowing, they thought they were going to shatter. it was SO LOUD. glad that an event so personally iconic for me is still being talked about on the internet
@mehere8038 on the contrary, it was in 2012 and there are MANY different recordings of it! look up san diego fireworks 2012 or san diego fireworks all at once or similar and you will find many videos of it. i love going back and watching em every now and then. its truly spectacular how bad it goes
One of my favorite flights was Raleigh to Salt Lake City on 7/4/23. We were flying in just as everyone's fireworks were going off way down below us. It was gorgeous. 🎆
Sweet! Id have loved to see that. I did once get stuck at a truckstop in Avoca, PA on the Fourth. It sits on top of a hill with a steep bluff overlooking the valley. Appx halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. We saw everything!! Several pro shows, and everyone and their brother lighting stuff off all over the valley. It was awesome!
Here in Australia last year at The Entrance, we had a little malfunction with one of the fireworks. It wasnt serious but interesting. One of the fireworks exploded prematurely after leaving the mortar basically exploding close to the water.
The answer regarding coloring the fire went wrong by starting with black powder. The only common (and then only among amateurs, not the pros) color compositions based on black powder contain zinc. Strontium carbonate would give so little color to black powder, it would not be used; strontium carbonate does give a nice red with potassium chlorate or perchlorate, usually an additional chlorine donor, and a fuel other than the charcoal that fuels black powder. Charcoal makes too strong an orangish light for colors to show thru its flame. There are nitrate-oxidized color compositions, but with fuels that don't have that defect that black powder has.
cool video.. I wish I lived someplace where I could safely set off a fun display.. i know plenty of people in cities do it.. im just not on board with lighting off fireworks in neighborhood subdivisions
For the last question- because of the different laws in different states, I have found that very often the first few miles past the border tend to have a LOT of fireworks stores, more than anywhere else in the state would. New York has more allowed fireworks now than in the past, and we can buy them here now as well, but I remember a time when we could not buy most fireworks in state, but *could* set off most fireworks in state. So everyone would drive to Pennsylvania where, a mile in or so just off the interstate you could find 2 or 3 stores to buy fireworks and then drive back up into New York.
Yup. It's been several years now- and I still find it a cool novelty to be able to buy and shoot stuff IN NY. Not sure the paranoia will ever go away, though lol. Now we know how the Cali folks feel when tents/stands start popping up. One thing is for sure: having a bunch of fountain only states, has made a lot of manufacturers really up their game, making better and more creative fountains than ever.
Can't say I've ever noticed what I would consider a "false finale" in the Sydney NYE ones, they're just good the entire way though & when the finale arrives, you know it!!!!!!!!! (I mean it's the entire bridge alight for starters) I guess false finale's are only needed for lower quality shows?
The San Diego malfunction was caused by a design flaw in the electronic firing setup where the computer that was commanded to test and check all the shells for electrical continuity at once sent the full firing voltage to the e-matches instead of a lower voltage that's normally used for continuity checks that won't sent them off, just be enough to see a complete circuit. With the full voltage, when the computer tested all the shells at once, it fired all the shells at once. I'm an LA based pyro tech, and this was the story I ended up hearing through the grapevine.
Interesting. I had heard that it was a mistake in the scripting rather than a malfunction in continuity check. The short of what I heard is that a script with a "fire all" cue (that's usually issued at end of the show) was "merged" rather than "appended" to the actual show's script. Thus, the "fire all" cue was sent at 0:00:000 of the show. Northeast based Pyro here (NLPC, PA PyroArtists, CJ's, PGI member)
@Wayneright could be! Whether it was a mistake in the test all or end of show fire all command, could've been a scripting issue either way. I'm not particularly familiar with fully computerized systems, ones I worked with were usually a computerized firing controller with manual switches for power control, if they were computerized at all. At the time I was working with stylus pegboards or fully manual shows
@LracElosetab I've been doing pyromusicals for about fifteen years now. A mistake in the "test all" (i.e. continuity check) would be an unlikely culprit, as each module in the field usually only supports 32 cues. For the error you're describing to have caused the San Diego event every single module would have to be faulty.
@colinmclaughlin9605 Ah okay, interesting. I'm much more used to 50 cue racks with non computerized systems. That was just the story I heard though the grapevine but that does make sense.
Like a smaller San Diego, the best firework show I've seen had the fireworks on a boat. It wasn't quite dark when I saw a flash on the boat followed by dudes jumping off the boat then 15 seconds of mostly ground level explosions of color. 🎉
One of the cooler projects was making an E ignitor unit based on a DMX lighting controller for a pyro crew up in Wausau WI. They didnt have readily available e matches but estes rocket ignitors plus a little black powder worked well. That was way back in the 90's btw. Seeing how they got precise computer control and wireless is awsome ❤
This was extremely informative. I just had a conversation with my brother on this last 4th and we were talking about the different colors and how the shapes are made. Now I know for next year!
When I discovered that Pennsylvania had legalized the sale and use of aerial fireworks, I was ECSTATIC. I had a picnic where we basically spent three hours straight popping balloons in a homemade shooting gallery with roman candle fire. Fireworks are such a treat when you get to experience them up close.
@kirkstinson7316 I don't know what size roman candles you're using, but these were the small ones with a couple inches of empty cardboard at the bottom. I'm not even convinced the tiny powder charges used to shoot out the fireballs could have ruptured the casing.
The other part of the answer to the question about South Carolina involves North Carolina. NC’s fireworks laws are much more restrictive than SC’s, and NC’s biggest city, Charlotte, is right on the border. Lots of people will take a quick nip across the border the week before July 4th and grab some technically illegal but impossible to meaningfully enforce fireworks.
You don't have to drive too far out of NJ to find roadside fireworks stands around this time of year... And sometimes cops looking for NJ driver's licenses at those stands.
There's nothing like hand lighting. I get the logistics and impracticality when doing a big show, but the rush of a bunch of dudes all scrambkjng and lighting em 1 at a time... ugh its cool
Easily the most common “missing finger” injuries happen when someone holds a large firecracker to light it, planning to throw it. The fuse is bad or short and it explodes before they toss it. NEVER light a firecracker while holding it. Firecrackers are reptilian. No matter how often you’ve handled them, you will get bit at some point. Best advice - and I’m sure the pros follow it - is to handle every item, every set-up, and every ignition sequence expecting it to go wrong. Expect everything to detonate because someone sneezed or for no reason at all. Even though “uninitiated” problems are not all that common, all it takes is one. That’s how you keep all your parts undamaged and attached. Oh, and treat loaded mortars like loaded guns. Never put any part of your body in line with the tube. Saw a technician lean over a large tube that fired. Earned him an ambulance ride to the hospital to check extent of blunt force chest injuries. 😬
We attended one of those one-minute fireworks shows, at an AF base, when I was a kid. The entire set of mortars went off at once just after the start of the show. It was fantastic! (Not particularly artistic, though, and too short for my liking.)
Only professionals can buy mortars in my country because of accidents like the ones you mentioned, I remember anyone above the age of 18 could walk into a fireworks shop and buy huge shells in the 90s but they stopped it because people were killing themselves with the things. I remember seeing one incident in the news where a headmaster putting on a display for his students got his head cut off in front of everyone there.
To provide some clarification, there is no such thing as 3" or 4" consumer fireworks shells. In professional fireworks, the size refers to the diameter of the firework shell, so a 3" shell is 3" in diameter. Same with 4", it would be 4" in diameter. Any consumer fireworks labeled as such are likely just 3" or 4" long, and is a complete marketing gimmick, as USA law doesn't allow for consumer fireworks to be larger than 1.75" in diameter. Consumer fireworks can't contain more than 500 grams of net explosive weight so it doesn't matter how physically large the firework is, it can't legally contain any additional explosive material, otherwise it falls into the professional firework category.
@thedarkemissary Correct in that that is what the marketing is referring too, but according to the Consumer Product Safety Commision, Title 16, Chapter II, Subchapter C, part 1500, § 1500.17, "Reloadable tube aerial shell fireworks devices that use shells larger than 1.75 inches in outer diameter and that are imported on or after October 8, 1991." So in other words, they are marketed as such, but are not actually 3" diameter shells, despite what the colorful wrapping and what appears to be a 3" tube, as it would not be legal to sell them as consumer if they were actually 3" shells. This is in addition to NFPA regulations that state consumer fireworks shells can't contain more than 60g of explosive composition, so even if they were 3" in diameter that still wouldn't contain the amount of composition that an actual 3" shell would. No matter how you look at it, they wouldn't legally be able to see them as a consumer product if they were actual 3" shells, hence, marketing ploy, a very effective one at that. Appreciate the discussion, have a happy 4th!
Listening to people who love their job is so inspiring.
Some call it "competence pron".
@sophiamarchildon3998 this!!!
@sophiamarchildon3998 Being competent and loving your job are two distinct things.
And he explained it with details with no ego or arrogance
Too bad his passion and knowledge is wasted on the dumbest questions. A “little fan” underneath a firework…?
I enjoyed how he said "always have a sober adult in charge", because that's an important distinction. There's probably an adult in charge, but are they really capable of being in charge at that moment?
It just adds a little excitement to the show lol.
And he missed out on knowledgeable. It is not enough to be sober and adult, you need to know what you are doing.
As long as you have 2 out of the 3 should be fine. Sober, Adult, Knowledgeable are the three qualities btw.
@Uhaneole Sorry, but if you are not sober, you can't be trusted, and if you do not know what you are doing, you will be dangerous anyway, the only one that might theoretically be possible would be to trust a mature 15 year old with the fireworks, but that would be illegal.
Yeah found that out last night. Oops
Was not prepared for the tattoo 💀
im not really prepared for anything anyone does or says, that's because I do not control other people. shrug
Yeah that’s a crazy flex for sure 😭💀
@paddington1670 what does that even mean? You have to be in control of another person to have an idea of what they might be like? If you see a a garbage man pick up garbage, does that blow you away because you aren't in control of them? Must be a wild existence...
Maybe he was surprised by his dedication? I dunno though, the skull can mean so many things.
It was great, wasn't it? It's his creativeness and dedication to a theme that impressed me.
Did someone really ask if there was a fan under the fireworks?
If they were actually serious that’s just sad..😂
A kid maybe
Well Disney IS using compressed air to launch their shells now days
Yes people are that stupid ☠️
It was probably a kid lol
"Do it have a small fan underneath" made me lose faith in humanity
i think and hope it was a joke
Sounds like it was, and was most likely a younger kid wrote it. But, still wouldn't surprise me if it was an adult.
And the ozone worriers.
And the one who doesn’t to set it off.
Done made me lost faith in humanity
The hesitation when he says "Dont set off a 200ft firework in your apartment.... Parking lot" Haha. There is a story to be told
Google bootleg firework on RUclips for the answer
shut up
I thought he was going to say "... balcony."
I remember the "Big Bay Bust" (I think they call the normal one the "Big Bay Boom")
I was in the hospital so I couldn't go.. but I saw videos, and it was spectacular lol
While I would have been a little bummed (if I'd went) that it was over so quickly, I'd have been thrilled to see it.
5 different fireworks barges, all with the timers set in seconds instead of milliseconds, went off all at the same time for about 15 seconds instead of 5-10 minutes..
I couldn't imagine how ashamed I'd be if I'd set that up.
... could be a short fuse story 😂
To help with the last question about SC being obsessed with fireworks, it’s because fireworks are illegal in NC so all of us go down to SC to get our fireworks. That’s why there’s so many firework stores near the SC line.
Do they still have the hundreds of "South of the border..." signs on southbound 95?
@x--. yes, yes they do😂
Same thing with Maryland and PA.
Same in Illinois. We just go over the border to Missouri or Indiana.
@benn454 As a resident of western Indiana, can confirm, there are more fireworks stores than Starbucks in the Terre Haute area.
The bit about "false finales" makes perfect sense; it's like that rising/falling action graph that they show you in middle school English classes. You want to have multiple peaks over the course of the 'story', with valleys in between to give the audience time to process what just happened. It's just that in a fireworks display, the 'story' you're telling is told via explosions.
Exactly!!👍
or you can just add so much variety & thrills throughout that there's no need for that (I'm thinking the Sydney NYE ones that never do false finales, but certainly tell stories)
I trained as a Pyrotechnician back in the mid 90's (by the man who did the effects for the 1995 Judge Dredd movie with Stallone), I worked at some amazing places putting on not just a 'firework display' but combined fireworks, fire and people, 60 human fire eaters, dancers and flame throwers, human and mechanical, all with more explosions than allowed.
Best Ever was right under Sussex Police headquarters in the UK, they tried so hard to stop it BUT the local fire service gave us the thumbs up and enjoyed the show (as did the police on site).
you should see Illinois anti firework commercials under the banned Pyrotechnic Use Act signed in 1942, people have been trying to change it but if you pass through Illinois you can people firing off fireworks anyways
@knightwolf3511 It's only really an issue in the cities. The sheriff's departments in the rural counties don't really care.
Assuming it was in Lewes, they're pretty used to fireworks!
@crefmag yes it was and yes they are used to fireworks but they didn't like it right under their noses, live bands, people enjoying themselves and we were not just using 'fireworks' but our own made explosions, wouldn't be allowed these days.
We used to live in one of Harveys old Brewery cottages off the Cliff High st and my parents had a shop there too so were right in the middle of it all.
"if you fire at us, we'll fire back" looooool
There's a story there somewhere...
Do fireworks have a small fan underneath 😂okay
Talk about a ridiculous question 😂😂😂
🧠🤏
Girandolas technically do
Ignorance isn't the same as stupidity (though ignorant people can be stupid also, of course).
@technojoe
No, they really do not.
Wait. Somebody seriously asked if fireworks have a fan on the bottom that shoots them up? 😂💀
They say the only stupid question is the one you're too proud to ask but that one does make me wanna know the age of the submitter
Now obviously they have internet, so don’t feel too bad for them if you think the question was dumb, but it could be an ESL person not knowing how to translate to compression or compressed gas so the closest they could get was blown air. If I was using my limited Spanish skills to ask this question in Spanish, I think I it may be very similar to how this person asked the question.
That's the hook
Lmfao I think dinsey atleast in Cali they used compressed air to launch them hire
The average person is kinda stupid, but there's a percentage of the population that's even more stupid.
11:53 he was about to say gold shower but stopped himself 😂
Not as crazy as San Diego... had a 60 shot cake malfunction near me and they all went off at once. That was a surprise! We prepped well though. Lots of open space around us, eye protection, fire extinguishers, a plan. Fireworks are fun but need to be treated with respect for the danger they could cause.
Cowabunga it is
How did that happen? Cakes fire in sequence, fast for sure! But how did they go simultaneously?
The most dangerous fireworks depend on how the person uses it. It's kinda like guns. Its not the guns that are dangerous but the person using them.
As s kid 20 some yes ago we had a cake get knocked over after being lit and began firing off in all directions. Had to jump ontop the hood of a car as one shot right under me.
@dousiastailfeather9454 I have no clue, definitely unexpected.
I am continually amazed by Wired’s ability to find the stupidest questions imaginable for these videos.
Legit who looks at a literal explosive and says "yeah idk how this is propelled, the most logical answer is A Fan" 🥴
Well they do it for comments like these to increase engagement
They're probably written and chosen to be funny. That said, there's a real stigma about seeming too smart among a certain demographic and fitting in is always life's highest priority.
All of you need to chill, these questions were mostly fine. Except for the first one. That was fuckin' stupid.
lol yeah "do it have a fan"
11:36 you just know "gold drippy drippy" was the second name they had for it
Especially with how funny Japanese translations can be.
God, I love the smell of fireworks.
Same
Same
Same
It smells like....victory
Yaaaaas 😩🤌🏻
Of all the fireworks I've lit in my life the only one that ever hurt me was a sparkler. I was lighting it for someone and not thinking about the direction of ignition so it burned a hole in my thumb in less than a second. Lesson learned the hard way.
I don’t know who came up with the modern “fade” effect he described, but it’s one of my favorite things to see during firework displays. Something so magical about it! Thank you, inventor.
And thank you, Japan, for the golden drippy drippy fireworks. I love them.
Was at a show where fireworks fired into crowd. Fairly terrifying.
Lol happened this year in utah
At Burning Man, early years saw a LOT of product flying into audience! Makes great video!
Took a roman candle shot to my forehead one time. 5/10 would not recommend
@bubsyfinnigan4462only a 5/10 don’t sound that bad tbh
@123isaacg
It's only 5/10 because I looked like a badass till it healed fully.
Spinning fireworks are my fav, love seeing a whirling ball of light whipping into the sky, then kaboom! A classic star burst.
6:21 SO you're adding the Loudness ??? exactly how muted could the fireworks be ?
I'm sure you've noticed the dull "thud" sounds when some mortars explode, as well as a flare-burning sound akin to when bottle rockets go off. That's about as quiet as they can get. Everything else would be added either on purpose (such as the Salute or Report he mentioned), or as a byproduct of a visual effect.
Some effects like Horse Tails are pretty quiet. Just a light pop and the burning bits just fall out of the shell that’s launched into the sky
I mean there are people who just like the sound for some reason. Thats why sound bombs or whatever they are called exists, all they do is make a boom
@MSusername69 “Salutes” are what they are called. Just flash powered that goes boom
@WyattWintersoh, do not hold in hand! Duh!
6:34 I don't remember this myself, but when I was really young, we went to a fireworks show but there was a thunderstorm approaching so they decided to launch them all at once instead of rescheduling it, I'm told it was one of the best fireworks shows my dad has ever seen, sad that I don't remember it
Yesterday there was an incident in my country where 1.000 kg of firework exploded in someone’s garage. Funny this video was uploaded the day after
Prob why ur country shouldn’t have fireworks
@NateDawg5050 Not everyone is an idiot with fireworks.
Excuse me, that's a bomb at that weight
@babecat2000 apparently whoever did it inside a garage in whatever country he said lol he’s obviously the idiotic moron who can’t handle a little gunpowder and magnesium lol 😂
@gerber8915 grow up and grow a pair lol 😂
I did a stint as a volunteer pyrotechnician and I have to say it was the most fun job I've had. At the time we were hand firing, so right up close to the action; The **Fssthp** of quickmatches passing fire followed by the immense THUD you could feel in your chest as lifting charges ignited, the smoke, and smell of burned black powder, a very visceral experience. The only downside was loading up all the mortar racks and searching downrange for rocket sticks and shell casings once it was all over. It's something that any lover of pyro should do at least once in their life.
applause
I see yall using the “GET THE WATER” video at 10:11 😂😂😂
It's going down! 😂
those mfing bootleg fireworks!
For the last question about South Carolina, as a resident of a neighboring state, I believe the restrictions on fireworks and the taxes are lower in South Carolina than in neighboring states. So, I see more stores right when entering the border. ALSO, gas taxes used to be much less than in surrounding states, so there were lots of gas stations that also sold fireworks.
I really appreciate that you guys showed us the basic blueprint of a firework in the montage at +/- the one minute mark. It show respect for the audience and made me watch the documentary to the end.
Being born on the 4th, I have been obsessed with fireworks my whole life.
That’s cool!
My dads Bday is 4th of July so he has a blast drinking and watching
Happy birthday!
JustnormalOofficial Thanks!
@benn454 Thanks!
Lots of talk about drone shows replacing fireworks this year but I'm sorry, you can't replace a good firework show, I love them and always go to several per year. Nice to hear fireworks tech is still innovating making them safer and cooler.
This was actually very interesting and informative. Appreciate how knowledgeable this guy is down to the chemistry of the fireworks.
The Finale demonstration surprised me. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 had a great mock version of that program (simplified obviously). I can’t believe it.
So far the best nashiki shell I've found consumer wise is the raccoon brand one, we had them this last fourth and they were the hit of the night, BIG willows that just hung, people were able to take great pics cause the hang time, it was a rainy day so I wasn't worried about launching them
I almost lost my leg last year to a mortar shell that I put in upside down. The explosion happened prematurely and it shattered my right femur and destroyed all parts of my knee.
Pyrotechnik ist doch kein Verbrechen! 🙌🙌
5:04 Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has changed its naming to Notice to Air Mission (same acronym, NOTAM). Just FYI.
Really nice guy that loves what he does. Great guest.
So the modeling software used was FWsim(really cool program) and to best explain cakes/shells is that if you know the physics of how weaponry(guns, cannons, mortor guns, and artillery pieces) a shell has the same physics. The fuse you light is the trigger(more literally if using a firing system) and the lift charge is what fires the shell(bullet) out of the gun(the tube shells are launched out of) firing systems do the same as you using a punk/lighter to shoot the show while allowing the techs to be at a safe distance especially with many shows that utilize 8, 10, and 12 inch shells
I stand corrected... finale 3D
"small fan underneath them" 💀
blud was high
Interesting! I have questions about air quality FOR SURE and I also am curious how the new drone shows are impacting the fireworks industry.
The biggest danger with mortars is people getting body parts over the muzzle. Having a mortar shell impact your noggin is a very good way to learn how to push daisies upwards. It happens pretty much every year, sadly. As you might guess, alcohol is usually involved.
"I wonder, is this mortar loaded"
It was .
@jimaanders7527 More like I KNOW I lit this, why didn't it launch?? Better go look down the tube to see why.... And Darwin claims another one.
@pyroman6000another one bites the dust 😂
And on the kits, reloading to fast. One glowing ember in the tube can cause the new shell your lowering to fire instantly
I remember a big smoke bomb that just detonated instead of smoking. It really got my attention because there were people present who were holding the very same smoke bomb in their hands while it burned. 😬
Lol I had one blow up in my hand once or twice learned my lesson 😆😆 but also had them blow up on the ground too
Piccolo Pete's explode too!
One of the other awesome innovations was adding racks to drone shows too. Like you basically have a combat drone but put a mortar tube on it.
Thank you for the educational update on pyrotechnic technology. I worked a couple of shows in the 1980's, lighting the fuses with a road flare. The scariest moments were reloading the tubes, since we didn't know if there was still any burning paper in there. We used the swing and drop method, with the rule of, "Don't put anything over the tube that you aren't willing to lose."
Great video!
Awesome! I did ONE hand fired show in LA and was last before outlawed. Guys told of RELOADING a hand-fired show and how scary it was. Swing and drop...hope it goes to bottom... Lol!
Even with electronic firing systems that rule still applies as a general safety precaution while setting up.
@6:36 -- In my 20's (I am 70's now) I was once at a rural professional 4th of July fireworks show in California where one LARGE chrysanthemum burst lift charge malfunctioned and the burst was at about 15 feet. It was HUGE and luckily no others were set off. I still recall that vividly. I remember seeing the ground crew running for dear life! with one of them actually under the burst. I have never seen that again. (But, as a young kid I did set a Kansas field afire when a ground-launched kind of multitube roman candle fell over and launched several charges horizontally across the road into the dry field. scary!)
These experiences gave me great respect and safety for all fireworks.
My favorites are always the reports and salutes at professional fireworks shows.
The fan question off the bat was wild. Some producer decided that was a good question.
My teacher at school was Reverend Ronald Lancaster and such an awesome teacher, do fireworks companies/people still regard him?
Great job Patrick!! Me being a pyro all my life I knew alot of the answers but you definitely taught me a couple new things! Interesting video either way!!
Pyrotechnician is the coolest sounding job name I've ever heard.
I learned something today. Thank You.
I did not knw about embedding a microchip in the firework to time exactly when it will go off. Fascinating.
I didn't either, but I'm not at all surprised Disney is doing it... and the pneumatic launchers. With the amount of firework displays they put on in a year, anything that makes the productions cheaper, safer, and more reliable is going to pay massive dividends.
that reminds me of "whats my purpose master?" poor thing was made just to go kaboom
My favorite is the big circular ones with concentric rings inside!
ecstatic that that one show in San Diego was brought up!!! my best friend at the time lived so close to where they were set off, she said their windows were visibly bowing, they thought they were going to shatter. it was SO LOUD. glad that an event so personally iconic for me is still being talked about on the internet
I wanna see the video of it - but guessing it was back before everyone videoed everything?
@mehere8038 on the contrary, it was in 2012 and there are MANY different recordings of it! look up san diego fireworks 2012 or san diego fireworks all at once or similar and you will find many videos of it. i love going back and watching em every now and then. its truly spectacular how bad it goes
Thunder over Louiseville, craziest fireworks show in the world
I absolutely love the way fireworks smell myself. Great informative video.
14:44 Part of the fun of fireworks is seeing whether the fire works 😂
One of my favorite flights was Raleigh to Salt Lake City on 7/4/23. We were flying in just as everyone's fireworks were going off way down below us. It was gorgeous. 🎆
I'm guessing you mean 7/4/23.
@tkreitlerOops. Fat fingers. 🫣
Sweet! Id have loved to see that.
I did once get stuck at a truckstop in Avoca, PA on the Fourth. It sits on top of a hill with a steep bluff overlooking the valley. Appx halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. We saw everything!! Several pro shows, and everyone and their brother lighting stuff off all over the valley. It was awesome!
You did an amazing job explaining a complex topic. Well done!
This episode is a blast, not gonna lie
Here in Australia last year at The Entrance, we had a little malfunction with one of the fireworks. It wasnt serious but interesting. One of the fireworks exploded prematurely after leaving the mortar basically exploding close to the water.
2:00 The tatoo everyone talking about
Thank me later
Theres even 6 inch cannister shells now. Theyre pretty cool. I just bought some for my new years firework show
The answer regarding coloring the fire went wrong by starting with black powder. The only common (and then only among amateurs, not the pros) color compositions based on black powder contain zinc. Strontium carbonate would give so little color to black powder, it would not be used; strontium carbonate does give a nice red with potassium chlorate or perchlorate, usually an additional chlorine donor, and a fuel other than the charcoal that fuels black powder. Charcoal makes too strong an orangish light for colors to show thru its flame. There are nitrate-oxidized color compositions, but with fuels that don't have that defect that black powder has.
cool video.. I wish I lived someplace where I could safely set off a fun display.. i know plenty of people in cities do it.. im just not on board with lighting off fireworks in neighborhood subdivisions
This is the most interesting video. I really never thought about fireworks in detail before. Happy (almost) 4th all!!
I wasn't aware of the innovations Disney were using ,that's really awesome. I'm sure it'll trickle down to all displays in the future.
Thanks. You explained a lot!
I really didnt know about the not-so-fun part of fireworks show which is how to safely dispose of duds or unused shells.
Fun and informative video!
For the last question- because of the different laws in different states, I have found that very often the first few miles past the border tend to have a LOT of fireworks stores, more than anywhere else in the state would. New York has more allowed fireworks now than in the past, and we can buy them here now as well, but I remember a time when we could not buy most fireworks in state, but *could* set off most fireworks in state. So everyone would drive to Pennsylvania where, a mile in or so just off the interstate you could find 2 or 3 stores to buy fireworks and then drive back up into New York.
Yup. It's been several years now- and I still find it a cool novelty to be able to buy and shoot stuff IN NY. Not sure the paranoia will ever go away, though lol.
Now we know how the Cali folks feel when tents/stands start popping up.
One thing is for sure: having a bunch of fountain only states, has made a lot of manufacturers really up their game, making better and more creative fountains than ever.
Love the grand jury shells in the video. Got those in 2022 nye and 2024 Fourth of July.
fun and informative. thanks for sharing
Can't say I've ever noticed what I would consider a "false finale" in the Sydney NYE ones, they're just good the entire way though & when the finale arrives, you know it!!!!!!!!! (I mean it's the entire bridge alight for starters)
I guess false finale's are only needed for lower quality shows?
The San Diego malfunction was caused by a design flaw in the electronic firing setup where the computer that was commanded to test and check all the shells for electrical continuity at once sent the full firing voltage to the e-matches instead of a lower voltage that's normally used for continuity checks that won't sent them off, just be enough to see a complete circuit. With the full voltage, when the computer tested all the shells at once, it fired all the shells at once. I'm an LA based pyro tech, and this was the story I ended up hearing through the grapevine.
Interesting. I had heard that it was a mistake in the scripting rather than a malfunction in continuity check. The short of what I heard is that a script with a "fire all" cue (that's usually issued at end of the show) was "merged" rather than "appended" to the actual show's script. Thus, the "fire all" cue was sent at 0:00:000 of the show. Northeast based Pyro here (NLPC, PA PyroArtists, CJ's, PGI member)
@Wayneright could be! Whether it was a mistake in the test all or end of show fire all command, could've been a scripting issue either way. I'm not particularly familiar with fully computerized systems, ones I worked with were usually a computerized firing controller with manual switches for power control, if they were computerized at all. At the time I was working with stylus pegboards or fully manual shows
@LracElosetab I've been doing pyromusicals for about fifteen years now. A mistake in the "test all" (i.e. continuity check) would be an unlikely culprit, as each module in the field usually only supports 32 cues. For the error you're describing to have caused the San Diego event every single module would have to be faulty.
@colinmclaughlin9605 Ah okay, interesting. I'm much more used to 50 cue racks with non computerized systems. That was just the story I heard though the grapevine but that does make sense.
Like a smaller San Diego, the best firework show I've seen had the fireworks on a boat. It wasn't quite dark when I saw a flash on the boat followed by dudes jumping off the boat then 15 seconds of mostly ground level explosions of color. 🎉
1:58 He Who has smelt the smoke is never free Again!
One of the cooler projects was making an E ignitor unit based on a DMX lighting controller for a pyro crew up in Wausau WI. They didnt have readily available e matches but estes rocket ignitors plus a little black powder worked well. That was way back in the 90's btw. Seeing how they got precise computer control and wireless is awsome ❤
Just in time for July 4th
Woah, almost like it was planned
This was extremely informative. I just had a conversation with my brother on this last 4th and we were talking about the different colors and how the shapes are made. Now I know for next year!
When I discovered that Pennsylvania had legalized the sale and use of aerial fireworks, I was ECSTATIC. I had a picnic where we basically spent three hours straight popping balloons in a homemade shooting gallery with roman candle fire. Fireworks are such a treat when you get to experience them up close.
So you held them in your hand? Even though Roman candles say not to right on them? They CAN explode! Ask how I know. Luckily still have all my fingers
@kirkstinson7316 I don't know what size roman candles you're using, but these were the small ones with a couple inches of empty cardboard at the bottom. I'm not even convinced the tiny powder charges used to shoot out the fireballs could have ruptured the casing.
I love the ones that just go up and big boom only bigger better
Unless you're making your fireworks with air conditioning refrigerant chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), they aren't impacting the ozone layer.
Absolutely 💯 love this Q&A. Thank you🎉
I was born in 1985, I'm almost 40 and this video has answered every single question I've ever wondered. 39 years of answers
This was a great one! Can we have him on again but with more focus on stage-stuff?
thats moreso what i think of when I think of pyrotechnicians
The other part of the answer to the question about South Carolina involves North Carolina. NC’s fireworks laws are much more restrictive than SC’s, and NC’s biggest city, Charlotte, is right on the border. Lots of people will take a quick nip across the border the week before July 4th and grab some technically illegal but impossible to meaningfully enforce fireworks.
Pyrotechnik ist doch kein Verbrechen🇩🇪🎉🎆
I love to listen to educational videos like these .
“Does it have a fan underneath”
Some people have the IQ of a raspberry.
Wait, aren't those new fireworks called "drones"?
And they have "fans"!
The guys hands tell a great stroy about the love he has for and the dangers that come with his craft
His knowledge is lit
😂
You don't have to drive too far out of NJ to find roadside fireworks stands around this time of year...
And sometimes cops looking for NJ driver's licenses at those stands.
Pyrotechnik ist doch kein Verbrechen🗣️
I love my state, glad to see SC mentioned.
There's nothing like hand lighting. I get the logistics and impracticality when doing a big show, but the rush of a bunch of dudes all scrambkjng and lighting em 1 at a time... ugh its cool
I got ONE under my belt!
Easily the most common “missing finger” injuries happen when someone holds a large firecracker to light it, planning to throw it. The fuse is bad or short and it explodes before they toss it. NEVER light a firecracker while holding it. Firecrackers are reptilian. No matter how often you’ve handled them, you will get bit at some point. Best advice - and I’m sure the pros follow it - is to handle every item, every set-up, and every ignition sequence expecting it to go wrong. Expect everything to detonate because someone sneezed or for no reason at all. Even though “uninitiated” problems are not all that common, all it takes is one. That’s how you keep all your parts undamaged and attached. Oh, and treat loaded mortars like loaded guns. Never put any part of your body in line with the tube. Saw a technician lean over a large tube that fired. Earned him an ambulance ride to the hospital to check extent of blunt force chest injuries. 😬
1:03 That firework model looks yummy.
We attended one of those one-minute fireworks shows, at an AF base, when I was a kid. The entire set of mortars went off at once just after the start of the show. It was fantastic! (Not particularly artistic, though, and too short for my liking.)
@11:50 "that lasting gold... impression in the air." i wonder what word he was avoiding lol
Only professionals can buy mortars in my country because of accidents like the ones you mentioned, I remember anyone above the age of 18 could walk into a fireworks shop and buy huge shells in the 90s but they stopped it because people were killing themselves with the things. I remember seeing one incident in the news where a headmaster putting on a display for his students got his head cut off in front of everyone there.
To provide some clarification, there is no such thing as 3" or 4" consumer fireworks shells. In professional fireworks, the size refers to the diameter of the firework shell, so a 3" shell is 3" in diameter. Same with 4", it would be 4" in diameter. Any consumer fireworks labeled as such are likely just 3" or 4" long, and is a complete marketing gimmick, as USA law doesn't allow for consumer fireworks to be larger than 1.75" in diameter. Consumer fireworks can't contain more than 500 grams of net explosive weight so it doesn't matter how physically large the firework is, it can't legally contain any additional explosive material, otherwise it falls into the professional firework category.
3" NOAB
@thedarkemissary NOAB is not a real 3" shell, only a marketing ploy.
@PyroInnovations Yes, I know. But it IS 3" marketing that refers to diameter size, not length.
@thedarkemissary Correct in that that is what the marketing is referring too, but according to the Consumer Product Safety Commision, Title 16, Chapter II, Subchapter C, part 1500, § 1500.17, "Reloadable tube aerial shell fireworks devices that use shells larger than 1.75 inches in outer diameter and that are imported on or after October 8, 1991." So in other words, they are marketed as such, but are not actually 3" diameter shells, despite what the colorful wrapping and what appears to be a 3" tube, as it would not be legal to sell them as consumer if they were actually 3" shells. This is in addition to NFPA regulations that state consumer fireworks shells can't contain more than 60g of explosive composition, so even if they were 3" in diameter that still wouldn't contain the amount of composition that an actual 3" shell would. No matter how you look at it, they wouldn't legally be able to see them as a consumer product if they were actual 3" shells, hence, marketing ploy, a very effective one at that. Appreciate the discussion, have a happy 4th!
trying 11:55 you were trying so hard to not say "golden shower"