Is APC dying out?

[braddsn]

I got my start in pyro 7 or 8 years ago, on this forum. I quickly felt connected to all of the folks here, and got good, solid information to get started. Priceless! There are other popular pyro forums that are useful too...I spent a few years as a member of a few. The thing that kept bringing me back here is that nobody here seemed to have a "know-it-all" attitude. I am not fond of that attitude... I have more of a 'science/research' based mind, in other words, I am always learning, can always improve, and am often wrong. I can't say that for some of the other forums. Some of you know what I am talking about. All of the advice that I got here placed a high value on safety, and much of it was coming from an actual chemist. Good stuff. The fact that this all comes free, is hard to believe and we shouldn't take it for granted. Let's not shit on each other (like earlier in this thread), it's counter-productive. 8 years in and I have built somewhere around 2,500 aerial shells, countless mines, tons (probably literally) of bp, and am a licensed pyrotechnician for a company in Illinois and shoot professional shows throughout the summer months. I am proud of those accomplishments, and couldn't have done it without APC. Made some good friends on here as well, hope you all are doing well, I haven't posted as much lately.. life is busy. I will get back to it one of these days. I am not going anywhere, APC is my pyro home.

[Wiley]

I started here. Later went to Ned’s site, which is definitely slowing down (on pyro anyway). There are clowns on the pay sites too, but maybe not as many, or maybe not as flagrantly clown-y.

 

Good to see you’re still doing pyro, Brad!

[SharkWhisperer]

I started here. Later went to Ned’s site, which is definitely slowing down (on pyro anyway). There are clowns on the pay sites too, but maybe not as many, or maybe not as flagrantly clown-y.

 

Good to see you’re still doing pyro, Brad!

Wiley, Brad, great to hear your inputs. This is one of the reasons that i started this thread; actually, I was soliciting not just positive, but also negative opinions/suggestions for improvement, too. And yes, this thread got a little off target, my inputs included. I believe we've all tamed down our sensibilities a bit and are back to straight talk and exchanging useful info, on a congenial basis.

 

I've learned tons here, long before I became a donor (Mumbles, word...status change please; I've been rather generous in donating cash). A lot of people lurk behind the scenes and just absorb, which is just fine--; especially new kids that are accumulating knowledge that will help them to retain digits!. I did for a long time, and learned a ton. There's a lot of bright people on this site. There are elsewhere, too; I have no personal complaints over Ned's site really--he's a great teacher and his free 101 videos maybe saved a few thumbs. He has a place, an important place in my eyes. And he needs to pay the bills. Could he do it on $20 instead of $40 per year? Dunno. Probably. Web hosting is cheap as chips, but monthly home/living bills maybe not so much at some point. However, It excludes a lot of folks around the world who simply don't have extra cash, particularly from poorer countries than the US. And a lot more people are going to be fiscally hurting pretty soon with this virus nonsense. Hey Ned, an idea--institute a sliding-scale fee depending on stated (hopefully honest) income and international exchange rates (i.e., what's their money really worth--poor Brits these days...)? Or accept donations at (and above) a slated minimum (say $10/year instead of $40)?

 

There's good people here on APC, smart and (mostly -- no not you, Kleb) available to assist or train in their specialties. It's really cool.

 

Peace, pyro peoples!

Edited March 20, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[memo]

If it ain't broke don't fix it

[Carbon796]

Could he do it on $20 instead of $40 per year? Dunno. Probably. Web hosting is cheap as chips, but monthly home/living bills maybe not so much at some point. However, It excludes a lot of folks around the world who simply don't have extra cash, particularly from poorer countries than the US. And a lot more people are going to be fiscally hurting pretty soon with this virus nonsense. Hey Ned, an idea--institute a sliding-scale fee depending on stated (hopefully honest) income and international exchange rates (i.e., what's their money really worth--poor Brits these days...)? Or accept donations at (and above) a slated minimum (say $10/year instead of $40)?

Pursuing fireworks as a hobby is a luxury. It may not really seem like it, but it is.

 

You need to have a luxury of money.

Your not really going to invest in anything that you'll be able to get your money back out of. 90% of what you spend your money on. WILL be burnt or thrown away. 99% of people building fireworks, will not save any money compared to buying them.

 

You need to have a luxury of time. Building fireworks takes time. A lot of it, if your a serious hobbyist. And, building more than just one or two consumer sized items at a time. It takes alot of time to learn and practice, building skills. For larger more complex items.

 

It takes a luxury of space, in order to practice your hobby safely. Weather its on your own land or you join a club. Pgi,wpa, and local clubs all have membership & event fees.

 

Spending another $40 for a serious hobbyist isn't going to dissuade them any.

 

If someone isn't motivated enough to keep all their digits intact for free. Spending an extra $40 probably isn't going to help them much. Its not a hazard, risk free hobby. That is something that every hobbyist needs to really understand and accept. If they are going to pursue it as a hobby.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Carbon796

[SharkWhisperer]

Pursuing fireworks as a hobby is a luxury. It may not really seem like it, but it is.

 

You need to have a luxury of money.

Your not really going to invest in anything that you'll be able to get your money back out of. 90% of what you spend your money on. WILL be burnt or thrown away. 99% of people building fireworks, will not save any money compared to buying them.

 

You need to have a luxury of time. Building fireworks takes time. A lot of it, if your a serious hobbyist. And, building more than just one or two consumer sized items at a time. It takes alot of time to learn and practice, building skills. For larger more complex items.

 

It takes a luxury of space, in order to practice your hobby safely. Weather its on your own land or you join a club. Pgi,wpa, and local clubs all have membership & event fees.

 

Spending another $40 for a serious hobbyist isn't going to dissuade them any.

 

If someone isn't motivated enough to keep all their digits intact for free. Spending an extra $40 probably isn't going to help them much. Its not a hazard, risk free hobby. That is something that every hobbyist needs to really understand and accept. If they are going to pursue it as a hobby.

Sure it's a hobby, and yes our creations and expenses are set afire, but is does not necessarily need to be a luxurious sport restricted to the wealthy elite. You don't need to buy a friggin' polo pony, a yacht, or buy into Mar a Lago to successfully troubleshoot some rockets and 4" shells, ffs. You're excluding a lot of very bright and talented people that are serious hobbyists, but work projects as they can afford them, and for many people that $40 is a luxurious expenditure. Thankfully not mandatory, due to sites like APC. With that $40 that some might be able to scrape together only with difficulty, you can buy chems to make a very nice "hobbyist" quantity of BP, , buy some fuse and incidentals like paper and glue, and cornstarch for dextrin, build some oak tooling (wow, maybe even metal), and maybe even splurge on some metals--and have a blast while developing talent, banking experience, and making significant advances in the sport. Pyros with fewer fiscal resources tend to be the most creative in furthering themselves in this hobby in my experience. Requiring, instead of requesting, money contributions for "joining the team" is not necessary to become an excellent, and safe, skypainter.

[Carbon796]

You seem to be assuming too much. No where did I mention that you need to be in the wealthy elite. Luxury is equivalent to ability or freedom to pursue.

 

If someone doesn't have the money, to feed themselves properly, or keep their lights on. They probably don't have the luxury to pursue building fireworks. If someone works two jobs, a 100hrs a week, their not going to have much of a luxury. To spend time pursuing fireworks. If someome lives in an apartment, or cookie cutter housing tract. They will not have the luxury of space to practice their hobby, legally or safely.

 

I am not excluding anyone. They exclude themselves by choosing not to participate.

 

There's no team to join. People are free to pursue their choosen hobby however they see fit.

 

Is there a distinct difference between APC and FW'ing ? I think there is. Is it worth $40 ? I bet to some it is, if its not to someone else, just don't join.

 

Also, don't forget that passfire charges a fee to join. Maybe you could complain to Kyle about that also.

[Piccaso]

I am a member of both of these forums as well as two others. Each forum has it's own advantages and disadvantages. There is not one thats better than the others just different. I donate to APC and pay for a membership at Fireworking. I will continue to support each site as they both are useful to me. I do currently prefer Fireworking right now though because of some members behavior here.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Piccaso

[justvisiting]

Passfire was a hotbed of negativity, and imploded. Negativity needs to be cut out like a cancer, so the rest of the organism can survive. Ned has a scalpel, and uses it judiciously. Maybe he can lend it out

[robbo]

I joined Passfire after a long hiatus from pyrotechnics, hoping to see a lot of respected acquaintances having technical discussions. After a couple of years I let my subscription lapse since I was tired of wading through the vitriol to find the nuggets. I thought it was just me being dissatisfied with the level of discourse... I didn't know others were disillusioned as well.

 

Online forums, free or paid for, can attract some interesting personality types since anonymous forums insulate them from any serious consequences. Anyone familiar with Chris deHont?

 

And do look up NPD disorder on Wikipedia. It may give us some clinical perspective... although it won't relieve the itching.

[Carbon796]

Im sure most of the longer based members are aware of him, that was a mess. And, craker before him wasn't much better. Then there was the fuse guy can't remember his name . . .

[deepdixie]

The articles section of Fireworking.com is worth the $40 alone. There is a ton of useful information for both the novice and advanced fireworker.

 

I respect that on Fireworking.com Ned won't permit flaming or uncivilized discussion. Things are kept civil and the discussion there on the forum is respectful for the most part.

 

Another really great thing is getting in on the group buys for chemicals. I have saved bunches of money getting in with 15 or 20 other people and buying a small amounts of metals, or other chems.

 

I got my start on APC before I joined any other forums. I learned a lot here! I hope there will always be a place for sites like APC.