mjkonopka Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 Hey all. I am brand new to pyro. I have no tools or anything yet. I was wondering if someone could help me to get started. My ultimate goal is to make a gorgeous show for my friends and family. But I know thats going to take awhile. Any tips on tools or books to get right away? What chemicals and wicks should I stock up on? Thanks in advance. -Mike
Mumbles Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 What sort of devices are you ultimately interested in making? Different ones tend to have different appropriate books and chemicals. For a start, getting the chemicals needed to make black powder are always a good spot to start. A few other things like atomized and flitter aluminums, granular magnalium, and some delay/color agents will expand your scope quite a bit.
brimstoned Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 Indeed, BP is a great place to start!For a little rapid gratification, small flying-fish fuse starmines make a nice effect and require few materials.
killforfood Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 Mjkonopka, My advice to you would be; read, read and then read some more. In this hobby knowledge is what keeps you alive. My first batch of Black Powder was made 4 years ago. My ball mill jar was a section of 8 inch steel pipe with steel end caps. My grinding media was solid carbide cutting inserts. If that last sentence didn’t immediately peg your panic meter, then you need to read more. It was after dark when I first emptied the contents of that jar and was met with a shower of sparks! God watches out for Fools and Cowboys and I’m not a Cowboy. Everything you need to know can be found by doing a search in this forum or at Skylighter http://www.skylighter.com/how_to_make_fireworks.aspIf you have questions, post it, these guys will give you honest answers.Stay away from youtube for now. Lots of bad, dangerous info there. Do your “homework”, stay safe and have fun. KFF
ollie1016 Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 Mjkonopka, My advice to you would be; read, read and then read some more. In this hobby knowledge is what keeps you alive. My first batch of Black Powder was made 4 years ago. My ball mill jar was a section of 8 inch steel pipe with steel end caps. My grinding media was solid carbide cutting inserts. If that last sentence didn’t immediately peg your panic meter, then you need to read more. It was after dark when I first emptied the contents of that jar and was met with a shower of sparks! God watches out for Fools and Cowboys and I’m not a Cowboy. Everything you need to know can be found by doing a search in this forum or at Skylighter http://www.skylighter.com/how_to_make_fireworks.aspIf you have questions, post it, these guys will give you honest answers.Stay away from youtube for now. Lots of bad, dangerous info there. Do your “homework”, stay safe and have fun. KFF Kill, I was almost crying when I read what your ball mill jar and material was! Glad you've changed it! I started off with a 4" jar with 150 1/2" steel ball bearings. That did me about 2kgs of BP then I read about only using no sparking , and lead, brass etc. Never used the ball bearings since! READ, READ and read some more! It's the best way to go forward with pyrotechnics safely! You do want to be at your show in one piece hopefully! PM me if you have any questions, ill try answer them ( if I can, or to the best of my ability) Stay safe , Ollie
mikeee Posted July 13, 2013 Posted July 13, 2013 Pick one item and learn how to build it and move to the next favorite.There are too many items to learn at one time.There are plenty of websites to visit and learn from.http://wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/index.html is a good site to visit.Danny Creagan is the president of the PGI, he has some good tutorials on the site.There is also http://www.pyrobin.com/index.php which has some information and pdf. files that will help you.You should also locate a Pyro club in your area if you have one and visit a build and shoot outing.
mjkonopka Posted July 17, 2013 Author Posted July 17, 2013 I am in the chicago land area. Does anyone know of a pyro club around here?
Mumbles Posted July 17, 2013 Posted July 17, 2013 Heartland Pyro Association is probably the closest one. http://www.heartlandpyro.org/ They hold shoots in northern Indiana and southern Michigan, and occasionally Illinois. Most of the other clubs in the region are at least a 3-5hr drive away.
mjkonopka Posted July 17, 2013 Author Posted July 17, 2013 Mumbles, I would really like to learn how to make shells. Different colors, sizes and multiple breaks would be awesome. But I know I have alot to learn before I get to that. Thanks everyone for your replies. I am really eager to start learning and building. I will probably be asking ALOT more questions in thr near future. -Mike
mikeee Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 Mike, You can find a few good video's on Youtube that will show you some of the basics.You will need black powder for a burst charge and you will need stars.You will also need to make your own black match and quick match and time fuse.You will need to learn how to make these before you can get into the shells, unless you have a source to buy them.If you start with some small shells, you can get by without some of these items.
Mumbles Posted July 18, 2013 Posted July 18, 2013 If you ever need any help, don't be afraid to contact me or most of the other members. I live in the Chicago area as well right now. I'm not really able to build anything, but maybe I'll see you around at some of the HPA shoots.
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