Excuses for why you do this.

[Guest Mark_the_pyro]

Yes, I know a whole lot of parents could care less if their kids do this, but for some of us (clears throat loudly), this is pretty hard to do, or even talk about, without our parents giving us skeptical looks. What do you guys use?

[kbk]

I had to talk my parents into letting me do it. What I told them was it was educational, and something I actually enjoyed, and as long as I'm careful, and don't destroy anything, it should be ok.

[thathad2hurtbad]

Ive tried that approach KBK, It just doesnt seem to work on them!

My mother when she was about 13 in New York watched her friends leg get blow off with 3 M-80's that went off in his pocket...

So now shes paranoid that I will be stupid enough to hold a Flash salute in my pocket...

Any other ideas?

[Swany]

My parents have lost all hope of curing me, and now they rather enjoy it. Mother was/is not pleased about the 1 year old TNP stains on the table, but, she lives.

 

The beginning, and initial defusing of stereotypes was the hardest. It was all downhill from there. They get nervous, and subsequently reminded by succesful devices that there is no reason to be. I prefer to do 'tests' by myself. Such as the effects of 7g of whistle on a tube and some stars.

[evilgecko]

It was the warm into it and they get used to it technique that worked for me. Started of scraping the red stuff of matchheads and have progressed to bigger and better things ever since...

[Draco_Aster]

Wow, Evilgeko! Thats exactly how I started out(mathcheads).

Then my uncle was finally convinced to give me 100g ok KNO3.

 

My parents have always supported my and my father even gave me a "sink on a stand" and a 2x1m shelf for chems

[Von Bass`]

Wow, Evilgeko! Thats exactly how I started out(mathcheads).

Then my uncle was finally convinced to give me 100g ok KNO3.

 

My parents have always supported my and my father even gave me a "sink on a stand" and a 2x1m shelf for chems

and that was exactly how i started! It was two years before my parents finally let me buy a few chems!

[evilgecko]

If only parents knew the hidden dangers of letting their children play with a innocent looking box of matches! (I'm not talking about the danger of lighting the house on fire).

 

My parents were cautious but at the same time supportive. I didn't have many toys like most kids when I was little (not that I was asking to be spoilt), and being out in country and next to nobody I had to make do with what I had. So I think that was one the reasons why they let me experiment with fire.

[Frozentech]

I guess I never needed an excuse. My dad was a pyro from way back.. damn near killed himself when he was about 15 in the mid 1950's... he first showed me how to make BP when I was about 11 or 12. I got to watch some cool stuff of his even before that though. My mom was cool about my 'laboratory', up to the day of the near-tragic incident of the neighbors dog and my liquid fuel rocket engine experiment. ( damn Pekingnese can't understand " Get Away!" It damn near got a lesson in how Napalm works )

 

Then I gave it up for many years while I was in the military, didn't want to risk my security clearance. But now I just need to avoid scaring the neighbors... I see my only 'next door' neighbor has a 'For Sale' sign up this week... I didn't think those CATO's were all *that* loud ? Hopefully the new owners will be pyro-friendly, because this neck of the woods has a lot of folks who enjoy lighting up the sky with commercial stuff anyhow, and a few who are commercial fishermen with access to 'seal bombs' ( M-80's basically, used to scare seals and sea lions away from the salmon catch ). I think there must be a rare species of land seals rampaging the area some nights !

[Mumbles]

Seriously, any excuse you try to give your parents as to why you have 10 pounds of chemicals in the closet they are going to see right through. I find the best way to do it is to be honest with them. It's better them to know you are making fireworks, than suspect you are making meth. Show them you have done your research and can do it safely. From talking with you online, it seems like you have a genuine interest in pyro, and not just boomers. See if they will allow you to make something simple under their supervision. I would recomend a fountain, or a smoke device, or something like that. Over time you can build up hopefully if you can show them that it is safe. Later you can work with wheels, and rockets hopefully. Once you get to home made rockets, I feel you are pretty much home free as far as building stuff. You can add headers and such without much difficulty hopefully, and that just leads into making starmines and straight shells.

[BigBang]

I would say, as mumbles said, show them the research and prove you're responsible first. Then maybe a smoker for a first device, then work your way up. I did this and last new years, my dad wanted to see some salutes So then I said "sure." That night I had earned his respect enough to allow salutes, one about 35 grams, overkill but proof that I can work with some of the most dangerous devices and NOT die!

[Pyrohawk]

Yup, I used pretty much the same method....just ease them into it. Though I actually started with taking apart comercial fireworks and using the stuff inside (which I at the time had little idea of what it really was). Hehe its scary to think about how many firecrackers and bottle rockets I busted apart and never got hurt I showed them that I knew what was inside and how to use it properly and such...but I never actually got anything to work. Well I finally got them to let me ordr a few little things and so on. Now I have free rein to do anything I want! Plus hehe they ouldn't know what I was doing even if I was doing to big of stuff.

 

My mom was fairly simple to convince but my dad was very stubborn about it. If he didn't argue I would have been making fireworks atleast a year before I did. He lived on a farm and I think never saw a firework asside from 4th of July displays until I started this hobby. My mom howevor had spent her childhood throwing firecrackers at eachother!

[kwstag]

You shouldn't have trouble making LE's and such with your parents or something..... Now HE's is a different story, but I told my parents I wanted to make HE's instead of doing other things such as smoking or drinking or doing other drugs and they agreed that it would be ok.. So then I cleaned up my basement and made a nice lab, ordered chemicals and visited stores all around.. Got safety stuff and everything is perfect!

 

--Now I need to get my grades up so I can start again.. Temporarily banned from pyro..

[Mumbles]

All parents are different when it comes to this stuff. Despite what I have done, I honestly don't think I would let my kids fool around like I have. HE's would be all but banned unless they could demonstrate some serious research and chemistry knowledge. This is indeed a tricky subject. Bring it up in conversation sometime, and just feel it out. Say you saw some TV show, or talked about it in school, or something like that.

 

Perhaps we could get some of the older members here to shed some light on the subject. How they would react if their kid(or theoretical kid) brought it up. Perhaps some things the rest of you could try. I know roughly how old a lot of you are, and everyone but one person that has replied is not in the age to be having children I think. Frozentech is the one person who is old enough. No, I'm not calling him old, but I know for a fact he has a daughter. There was some video either here or over at UKrocketry with her voice in it. Sounds like she may already have the bug.

[Frozentech]

All parents are different when it comes to this stuff. Despite what I have done, I honestly don't think I would let my kids fool around like I have. HE's would be all but banned unless they could demonstrate some serious research and chemistry knowledge. This is indeed a tricky subject. Bring it up in conversation sometime, and just feel it out. Say you saw some TV show, or talked about it in school, or something like that.

 

Perhaps we could get some of the older members here to shed some light on the subject. How they would react if their kid(or theoretical kid) brought it up. Perhaps some things the rest of you could try. I know roughly how old a lot of you are, and everyone but one person that has replied is not in the age to be having children I think. Frozentech is the one person who is old enough. No, I'm not calling him old, but I know for a fact he has a daughter. There was some video either here or over at UKrocketry with her voice in it. Sounds like she may already have the bug.

Heh... go ahead, call me old, that's ok. My young daughter, just turned 6, is who you hear expressing her glee at a successful rocket launch or shell break on the vids. Yes she's got the bug.

 

I'm older than you think, I have two "kids" grown and on their own. My oldest son was allowed to use any firework that I could buy while I was in the service... sometimes pretty good ones from Indian reservations. He also learned to shoot at a young age, and to follow safety rules. I didn't allow him to experiment much beyond black powder when he was young, nothing too energetic in the way of chemistry experiments. He did take AP chemistry and physics in HS though, and knows a lot more than his old man does about those topics ! He's now a reactor operator in the US Navy.

 

I think I would strongly discourage HE and 'over the top' pyro experimentation these days. A young person is never certain where life will lead, and believe it or not, youthful indescretion can hold one back later on. If my son had *ever* gotten in trouble with the law for making HE or anything else, it would have prevented him from getting the Top Secret clearance he now holds. It was the same way for me all those years ago, thankfully I never got in legal trouble for any pyro stuff, and I was able to get waivers for my tickets, etc.. and get a TS clearance to be a Navy electronics technician.

 

Another adult who reads this forum, and occasionally posts, would probably say the same thing. If he had ever gotten busted for making HE's, he never would have become a USAF radar tech, and later an Instrumentation Tech at the Nevada Test Site, taking measurements of underground nuclear tests !

 

I see guys on here who say they want to work for Raytheon, Lockheed, etc. Those guys who design weapon systems, work in high energy physics research labs, and even operate military high tech, are the ones who kept squeaky clean. I guess what I am saying is that while the possibility of injury might be controllable by careful following of safety rules, long term damage to one's future can come from other directions ? Don't hurt yourself, and don't scare the public...

[kwstag]

If I saw my kids doing what I'm doing, I don't think I'd allow some, but I would allow it if they could prove they are responsible, and have knowledge on the subject, as long as I'm there.

 

My parents see my lab.. My chemicals... My info.. My books.. My HE's in bags and containers... They do get worried sometimes

 

What you need to do is prove you're responsible and can handle this, not all parents will approve so don't be too dissapointed if yours don't.

[Swany]

I have basically taken over the house, or at least the kitchen for the winter. Nothing that is white and crystalline is assumed to be salt (well NaCl), and no white powders are assumed to be powdered sugar.

 

Parents have given up all hope of converting me away from what I do, as far as I can tell.

 

I have about 1/10th as many chems (weight wise) than Mumbles, but this is enough to make them worry some. What I have in my room now, temporary storage(wintertime, expirements in the kitchen) caused my girlfriend to smile when we passed by the... small mountain.

 

I really don't have any excuses. I am terribly eccentric, and everyone has exepted that and I have found my niche in the social structure. I am well known, and don't have any enemies. I have friends on the top and the bottom, and nearly everywhere in between. They come inside and we go to sit at the table or something, they take it in stride while I take time to grab and armful of beakers and bottles to put in a corner to clear room for them.

 

The litmus paper dispenser on my computer amuses them. I won't go into details of what they do with that... it amuses them though.

 

I really have it pretty nice, I guess.

[TheSidewinder]

Well, I think I qualify. I'm turning 51 in a few months.

 

 

I have no kids of my own, but I raised 4 of them as a stepdad as I wandered along the path of life.

 

Would I let my child do what a *few* of you have done?

Over my dead body.

 

Would I let my child do MOST of what you all have done?

Absolutely, with proper supervision.

 

That bit about "with proper supervision" is the key. While I was growing up my Dad let me do pretty much what I wanted, with respect to things others might consider dangerous, as long as he knew about it fully ahead of time, and had the final say as to whether I could or could not do it. Pop taught me how to handle any gun at a rather young age (8) and I was field hunting at his side by age 10 at his side with a shotgun (BY THE WAY, NICE FUCKING JOB SHOOTING YOUR HUNTING PARTNER, DICK!!! Sorry, had to get that off my chest). I played with chemistry sets along the way and never made any really dangerous compounds, but both parents knew what I was doing.

 

And with respect to things actually dangerous? if I were foolish enough to try and deceive them about what I was doing, and got caught, I'd have gotten my ass whipped and lost the privelege of playing for a LONG time.

 

I agree with Frozentech about the climate of the day. When he and I was growing up, things were simply different. But he's right, don't hurt yourself, and don't scare the public.

 

(OT: I suspect you might have gotten away with a LITTLE more than you think though, Frozen. A friend of mine went nuke Navy and did fine, even though he had had quite a childhood. Nothing really serious, but he did get caught blowing up mailboxes as a youth and had to do some community work. Of course, this was back when juvenile cases were handled by sensible judges and his record only reflected a Gross Misdemeanor when it was all settled, so I'm not sure how that worked out. He was very upfront about it at enlistment time, which probably helped, and by then had turned out to be a fairly responsible adult.)

 

So, for those of you considering doing something you'll look back at and say "ooops", I'd suggest re-thinking your actions. And by ALL means, get your folks involved in what you do. It's the smartest course.

 

Enough rambling from the old fart, I guess...

 

M

[Swany]

I belive our beloved elder members put it quite nicely.

 

Be nice to everyone, and know that you would be protective of your loved ones as well, as in understand them. Blowing up your appendages, or mailboxes, is not good.

 

 

"Would I let my child do what a *few* of you have done?

Over my dead body."

 

Chances are you may be referring to some of my... interests. If I ever raise any children, chances are I may get worried when they request, well, most anything that I have in my 'restricted' area of the lab. Pyrotechnics and chemistry have now been clearly defined in my mind.

 

"Would I let my child do MOST of what you all have done?

Absolutely, with proper supervision."

 

Sounds like a good idea! Proper pyrotechics is fairly harmless, though this is relitive to what could be going on.

 

My parents are happy that I don't do thinks that are popular around here; drugs, ethanol, smoking, whatever. Since I stay clean of that, and use my ethanol for fulimates and dissolving stuff, they are quite genial about what I do, and mutually support my interests.

 

Interesting to see what some people who have actually raised children think. Perhaps some perspective for us rebellious young people?

[TheSidewinder]

LOL @ Swany....

 

Now, now... I won't name names.

 

It sounds like you have your head screwed on relatively straight. Were I your Dad, I'm sure I would have approved of *most* things you did. And staying otherwise straight with respect to "recreational chemicals" is a big plus in the eyes of parents.

 

"Perhaps some perspective for us rebellious young people?"

 

Ahhh... yes.... well... let's just say that.... I'm not the one to ask about rebellious youth.

 

Fifth Amendment and all that.....

 

M

[h0lx]

You people could try starting telling parents from small stuff, and if the accept gradually move to bigger stuff. A friend of mine did that. But my parents are weird, they weren't worried, when I detonated 100g EGDN dynamite at the distance of 8m, but are worried about letting me go to nightclubs.

[Spoony]

My parents used to worry about what I was doing, then they gradually accepted that I know what im doing.

 

It started off with match heads, then smoke mix, bp and flash. Im now going further into pyrotechnics than just making salutes and polumnas, but I am also going into HEs, doing my first nitration soon

[kiknet]

Im thinking about approaching my mum because all this sneaking around is getting her very suspiciuos plus if she agree's i can order proper equipment and chems without her asking what the hell is that big package containing bottles and glassware for.

 

so far my points are

 

*its educational

*if i have her support i can be doing it much safer than sneaking around

*i have researched reliable sources for months

*i have no other hobby or anything for amusment and enjoyment all i do is school and work.

*she seemed to enjoy an illegal firework a friend gave her so she can watch me do some of my stuff, 12kg ANNM j/k

[FUZE]

I was honest with my parents at first. My dad is a ex. cop so I was scared at first but honesty works alot of the time. After the long! talk about the dangers and legal hazards, My dad took me outside with a big smile and showed me how to make BP. I suggest just offering them a little example ie.(smoke mix,fountains,ect) something small and once they build up trust with you and your hobby bang your in the clear.

[kwstag]

BTW, Fuse is with an S in it.. Not a Z