LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods
Links below open in new window
ArcticMyst Security by Avery
Pyromania!
- Thread starter styropyro
- Start date
- Joined
- May 6, 2007
- Messages
- 419
- Points
- 0
i used to write swears in the lawn with petrol and light it on fire 
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 5,410
- Points
- 113
Homeade fireworks are only illegal if they are over the legal limits in size and weight (and if consumer fireworks are legal in ther area). Most of the homemade firework related injuries are when newbies mess with flash powder before they really know how dangerous it is. It does suck that the anti-firework idiots make it seem like all of the injuries are from consumer fireworks, when in reality most of the injuries are from "m80s".ixfd64 said:
personaly have only been involved with pyro related things since about 3 years of age. first time i was brought home by the police was for a molotov cocktail...i thought i invented that. scariest story: 5 yrs. old- smacking 22 long rifle carts w/ a hammer... still don't know how i lived this long.
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 5,410
- Points
- 113
Might as well post a video of pyro, here is what happens when two health risking hobbies combine! Laser is DIY red and flammable mix is homeade BP.
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2008
- Messages
- 3
- Points
- 0
This is a bit of a necropost I suppose, but I believe I have some useful stuff to add to this discussion! regarding homemade fireworks, naturally. In a nut shell, it may be better to point people towards a *relatively* safe start in the hobby as opposed to forbidding it and waiting for them to get their hands on some stupid crap like the "Anarchists cookbook".
Legality:
In most cases there are some legality issues with making homemade fireworks. People who do small scale experiments are generally not bothered, but it is a risk that you take if you want to pursue the hobby without proper licensing (which I will probably get once I am out of college). In certain cases in the US you could be committing a felony which is not something you want to have on your record! I don't know about other countries.
Safety:
The Pyrotechnic arts, and shell building in particular are something that I've been avidly involved with for years. It is nice to have the guidance of someone who has done these things before before you attempt them yourself. If nobody is available for such mentoring, there is online information, which you have to of course read with some skepticism, always seeking multiple reliable sources that agree, and also making safety the top priority. Safety precautions like static grounding belts, all cotton clothing, and safety glasses, not working in dry conditions, and plain common sense have kept me free of any accidents. I also understand all of the incompatibilities (like sulfur and chlorate which are a no-no).
Resources:
One of my favorite resources is the Amateur Pyrotechnics and Chemistry forums.
This is one of the few active forums that actually contains people that are into legitimate pyrotechnics (that is, trying to create beautiful displays, rather than "m80s" and "kewl bombz"). There are of course other good ones like the UK pyro and Rocketry forums.
There are also some books that many people swear by, like Tom Perigrin's Introductory Practical pyrotechnics.
Better than books or websites however would be learning legally from the pros or experienced amateurs. Most US states have pyrotechnics clubs that meet every so often, and of course there is the International Pyrotechnics Guild (PGI). The do require membership fees of course, but they are well worth it. The local club for me is MPAG (Michigan Pyrotechnic Arts Guild). I am not a member yet, but of course I intend to become one very soon.
Don't buy into any "Anarchist Cookbook" crap. It is based on juvenile destructiveness, and in addition to being outright useless it is harmful to the legitimate pyrotechnics community that are often erroneously grouped with such abysmal behavior.
Apparently I'm not allowed to post links in this topic, but if anyone wants to check out my stuff it is at youtube account "flyingfish555". There are many pyrotechnic artists out there that are worlds better than me, but I've found the non-pyros are generally impressed.
I'll have to copy this introductory "guide" for everyone else who expresses interest in pyrotechnics. At least, that is my justification for making such a long post! Guess I got carried away.
Legality:
In most cases there are some legality issues with making homemade fireworks. People who do small scale experiments are generally not bothered, but it is a risk that you take if you want to pursue the hobby without proper licensing (which I will probably get once I am out of college). In certain cases in the US you could be committing a felony which is not something you want to have on your record! I don't know about other countries.
Safety:
The Pyrotechnic arts, and shell building in particular are something that I've been avidly involved with for years. It is nice to have the guidance of someone who has done these things before before you attempt them yourself. If nobody is available for such mentoring, there is online information, which you have to of course read with some skepticism, always seeking multiple reliable sources that agree, and also making safety the top priority. Safety precautions like static grounding belts, all cotton clothing, and safety glasses, not working in dry conditions, and plain common sense have kept me free of any accidents. I also understand all of the incompatibilities (like sulfur and chlorate which are a no-no).
Resources:
One of my favorite resources is the Amateur Pyrotechnics and Chemistry forums.
This is one of the few active forums that actually contains people that are into legitimate pyrotechnics (that is, trying to create beautiful displays, rather than "m80s" and "kewl bombz"). There are of course other good ones like the UK pyro and Rocketry forums.
There are also some books that many people swear by, like Tom Perigrin's Introductory Practical pyrotechnics.
Better than books or websites however would be learning legally from the pros or experienced amateurs. Most US states have pyrotechnics clubs that meet every so often, and of course there is the International Pyrotechnics Guild (PGI). The do require membership fees of course, but they are well worth it. The local club for me is MPAG (Michigan Pyrotechnic Arts Guild). I am not a member yet, but of course I intend to become one very soon.
Don't buy into any "Anarchist Cookbook" crap. It is based on juvenile destructiveness, and in addition to being outright useless it is harmful to the legitimate pyrotechnics community that are often erroneously grouped with such abysmal behavior.
Apparently I'm not allowed to post links in this topic, but if anyone wants to check out my stuff it is at youtube account "flyingfish555". There are many pyrotechnic artists out there that are worlds better than me, but I've found the non-pyros are generally impressed
. I'll have to copy this introductory "guide" for everyone else who expresses interest in pyrotechnics. At least, that is my justification for making such a long post! Guess I got carried away.
