Dimock's Pyro Page

You miss a website in this list? Use the contact form and give me a hint!

One of my main interests is Pyrotechnics. I am licensed as an explosives manufacturer and user by both the BATF and the New York State Department of Labor. I am a member of the Pyrotechnics Guild International, the Finger Lakes Pyrotechnic Association, the Crackerjacks, and I shoot shows professionally for Young Explosives of Rochester, New York. I also try to get to the PGI convention every year.

Fireworks Safety

Absolutely the most important consideration for anyone who loves pyro is safety. It is my fervent wish that all pyro lovers in the world will live their lives to their normal span, and with all of their body parts intact. Assuring this means paying a great deal of attention to safety! If you are planning to get involved with pyro at a hands-on level, make sure you know what you are doing. There are far too many news stories of young (and older) people getting hurt while working with energetic substances. Please read up thoroughly on safety before attempting to make any pyrotechnic substances yourself, and make sure that you are operating within your local laws.

Girandolas

Pyro Links

I try to keep this list of pyro links reasonably comprehensive, with a few exceptions. I do not list links to archives of all of the unbelievable (and dangerous) garbage such as the Jolly Roger Cookbook, The Big Book Of Mischief, etc.. These documents are filled with erroneous and extremely dangerous information. Trying to follow their instructions can leave you seriously hurt or dead!!

• Legal & Safety Pages
  • General Sources
  • Federal Regulatory Agencies Directly Effecting Pyrotechnics
  • Foreign, State and Local Legal Information
  • Getting Legal
  • Fireworks Safety Tips
• Pictures of Pyro
  • Some Pyro Pictures and Movies
  • Information on photographing pyrotechnics
  • Computer generated pyrotechnics
• Pyro Writings
  • Some Pyro Songs and Stories
  • A little pyro history
• People, Clubs & Associations
  • Personal pyro pages
  • Club home pages
  • Association home pages
  • Pyro Research Organization home pages
• Pyro Conventions and Displays
  • Conventions and Symposia
  • Show & Competition home pages
• Fireworks Vendors
  • Pyro Literature
  • Pyro Supplies
  • Display Operators and Class B
  • Class C
• Other Stuff
  • Pages that are clearly pyro related but unclassifiable
  • Interesting, if rather silly, pages
  • Anti-fireworks Pages
  • Outdated Pyro Pages

General sources:

• Tom Perigrin's Pyro Webbook - was probably the best single source of high-quality pyro information on the web, but it has gone off-line for a while. Check Tom's new page periodically, as that is where it will resurface when current technical problems are overcome. You should also seriously consider buying Tom's book "Introductory Practical Pyrotechnics". You can order it from Tom at:

  Pyro Safety Co.
  PO Box 940
  Athens OH 45701

  or from SkyLighter. In either case it is $44.95 plus shipping.

• The Pyrotechnic Formulary Page (PFP) contains a huge database of pyrotechnic formulations.
• Here's another page with some sobering pictures of the kind of damage your hands can sustain if safety is not your number one consideration.
• W's Fireworks Calendar is a great resource for those seeking out the biggest and best fireworks shows.
• Japanese Fireworks looks like an excellent jumping off place for Japanese sites.
• Markus Klatt's Feuerwerk.net is a german fireworks community with a wiki.
• rec.pyrotechnics FAQ is a good ascii text intro to pyrotechnics.
• The clove hitch is probably the most widely used knot in fireworks. This site shows you how to tie one.
• Kaboom. is the web page associated with a TV special on fireworks..
• Can't remember the atomic weight of Aluminum? This Periodic Table will help you with elemental chemistry info.
• Fisher Scientific is a great source of detailed information on the chemicals we use.
• 800 numbers for fireworks businesses
• Information on HDPE mortars
• Treating cardboard mortars for longevity.

Federal Regulatory Agencies Directly Effecting Pyrotechnics:

• The U.S. Code is the federal law of the land. The parts applicable to pyro are Title 18, Chapters 39 and 40.
• The Department of Transportation arguably has more direct effect on pyro than any other agency. Their Hazardous Materials Transportation Guides are of particular interest to pyros.
• Most people assume that role would fall to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, but they are almost exclusively concerned with safe storage issues. The BATF regulations are published in the Orange Book . You can try to get a copy from the BATF (they are frequently out of stock), or you can purchase it from SkyLighter. The BATF also publishes annually the List of Explosive Materials, in case you're wondering how they define the term "explosive".
• The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates class C fireworks.
• If you are a big enough manufacturer to fall under OSHA's gaze, you'l need to know about their Fireworks Manufacturer: Compliance Policy
• A site called Safety OnLine has the complete OSHA regulations available. Search on "Fireworks" to get the ones that are relevant to us.
• If you are shooting professionally, these is a pretty good probability that the local authorities will want you to operate according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) fireworks code. Codes of paticular interest are 1123, 1124, and 1126. The full text is not on-line, you have to buy them.
• Concerned about taggants? Hodgdon Powder has an interesting page of information.

Foreign, State and Local Legal Information

• Canada has an organization called the Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory which does very useful research in the area of display pyro.
• Alaska Statutes, Title 18, Chapter 72, contains the Alaska fireworks laws.
• The California State Fire works Laws are on line.
• Indiana Code, Title 22, Article 11, Chapter 14, contains the Indiana fireworks laws.
• Here's the Minnesota Statutes relating to fireworks.
• Pennsylvania fireworks manufacturing laws are in Title 34, Chapter 5, Subchapter C. Other fireworks laws are in Title 35, sections 1151-1235, but those do not appear to be on-line. Title 37, Chapter 711 has the laws on Registration for Fireworks Displays.
• The Revised Code of Washington, Title 70, Chapter 77, contains the Washington State Fireworks laws.
• A legal case study discussing the immunity from liability of municipalities for accidents during fireworks shows.

Getting Legal

• Pyrotechnics as a hobby has some serious legal pitfalls. But it is possible in many states to get legal. The Getting Legal web site contains information on the process of getting legal at the Federal level and at the state level in New York State.

Fireworks Safety Tips

• Explosives Training is offered in Australia for both blasters and pyrotechnicians.
• National Council on Fireworks Safety has a whole site dedicated to fireworks safety.
• The State of Washington supports quite an impressive site on Fireworks Safety.

Some Pyro Pictures and Movies:

• Artbeats sell broadcast quality video clips. Their two new collections are ReelFire 1 and ReelExplosions 1.
• Pyro-Constellation Feuerwerk is a german site with lots of large scale fireworks pictures.
• Burch Communications, a photography studio in Canada, has some very spectacular pyro photos in his portfolio.
• Ebisu-kou Fireworks has a site with lots of avi and mpeg movies of their fireworks.
• Pyro Photo Album by an anonymous pyro.
• Some of my own pictures from the 1995 and 1996 PGI Conventions.
• In it's quest to have the biggest phallic symbol in the world, Las Vegas built the Stratosphere Tower. Of course the grand opening had fireworks!
• A very nice picture of a red to silver streamer shell.
• Nine3 (whoever they are) has a site with some fireworks pictures.
• Here's an interesting picture of David Hall, a performer whose performances involve pyrotechnics strapped to his body! He sent me one picture entitled Perseus.
• If you want REALLY BIG scale fireworks, check out this picture of the Fireworks Nebula.
• Alan Simmons sells fire videos. They're aimed at firefighters, but some were shot on the 4th and have fireworks in them.

Information on photographing pyrotechnics:

• If you're interested in photographing pyrotechnics, check out these fireworks photography tips from the staff at the Smithsonian Institution.
• Fireworks in California is page with a lot of useful tips for photographing fireworks.

Computer generated pyrotechnics:

• If your browser is JAVA enabled, take a look at this rocket simulation.
• Xaos Tools product called Pandemonium is an image processing product for Unix with specific support for drawing fireworks.

A little pyro history:

• Lavoisier the gunpowder specialist is the title of an article in Revue 6 of the Musee des arts et metiers in Paris. And yes, it is in English or French.
• A Complete System of Pyrotechny ca. 1829
• Another account of the origins of Guy Fawkes day is given on the Gunpowder Plot pages.
• Brief History of Rockets aimed at school teachers.
• William George Armstrong got his name attached to Armstrongs Mixture, one of the most dangerous pyrotechnic compositions known.
• If you're a teacher, you could use this Fireworks - Mini Unit.

Personal pyro pages:

• Larry Crump has a pyro page with some info and quite a few pictures.
• Danielik has a pyro site in Italian. 4
• DJ has a pyro site with some very interesting info on nozzleless black powder rockets.
• Freeman has a pyro page in German featuring many video clips.
• Wally Glenn (aka PyroBoy) is a pyro performance artist.
• Lindsay Greene has a page with lots of how-to information.
• Nick Gunn has a page he did for a project ( Infromative and well laid out).
• Ray Mancy has a page that has some all around info.
• Peter Mcmalley has a pyro page featuring some very nice looking tools.
• G. Millar has a page with a fair amount of pyro info from Australia.
• Richard Nakka has an experimental rocketry site which will be very interesting to aspiring rocketmen.
• Nick has a pyro page.
• Feuerwerk.eu is a little, german fireworks blog.
• See the General Sources section for info on where Tom Perigrin's Pyro Webbook - probably the best single source of high-quality pyro information on the web - has gone.
• Dirk Ender's Kalender covers mostly German events.
• Petri Pikho's home page is pretty amazing!
• Wouter Visser's pyro page is available in both English and Dutch.
• Pyrotechnics is a dutch pyro-page with lots of technical details.

Club home pages:

• Pyrotechnic Guild International (PGI) is the grandaddy of pyro clubs. It's annual convention is heaven for the dedicated pyro!
• Bluegrass Pyrotechnic Guild has a home page.
• Crackerjacks are a superb fireworks club in the Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland area.
• Michigan Pyrotechnic Arts Guild serves the pyros in the Michigan area.
• MoPyro is the Pyro club for the Missouri/Illinois area.
• Northern Lighters is a long standing pyro club in Minnesota.
• Pyrotechnic Artists of Texas - aka the Fireants -is a new club for Texans.
• R-BP is an Email based group for BP Rocket enthusiasts.
• Skyrockers is a volunteer fireworks club that puts on shows.
• Western New York Pyrotechnic Association serves pyros in western New York. Even if you don't intend to join, click where it says to to get an application... Much useful information will be revealed!

Association home pages:

• American Pyrotechnics Association is the premiere trade association for the American pyro industry.
• Explosives Industry Group in Britain covers the entire explosives industry, and has a very active pyrotechnics subgroup.
• International Pyrotechnic Society is covers industrial and military pyro, as well as fireworks.
• National Fireworks Association was formed to fight against overregulation of fireworks.
• Verband der pyrotechnischen Industrie is the German association of fireworks manufacturers.

Pyro Research Organization home pages:

• Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center is a division of New Mexico Tech.

Conventions and Symposia:

• The PGI convention is a must for any serious pyro fan.
• The International Symposium on Fireworks is probably the most technical of all. It is aimed at the fireworks trade.

Show & Competition home pages:

• Burning Man is a major happening which includes a lot of pyro. Wired magazine's on-line version did a story on the '95 Burning Man.
• Desert Blast is an infamous, by invitation only annual event. It has been written up many times, including an article first published in Wired, another story in a UFO fanciers newsletter, yet another in the Planet Wally site and several in the Radical & Extreme Hobbies site - the latest is the coverage of DB99.
• Fallas de Valencia 99 home page. This is quite a festival, with lots of fireworks. This site has sound and video clips. There is also a page for Fallas 97.
• Festival of Fireworks at Shugborough Estate sounds like a good time.
• La Merce 95 was quite a show in Barcelona.
• Rhythm & Booms is a huge annual show and traffic jam in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Survival Research Labs does some rather extreme performance art involving many pyro effects.

Pyrotechnic Literature:

• American Fireworks News is the fireworks magazine no pyro should be without!
• Burning Sage Publications publishes several books and periodicals especially of interest to the Class C aficianado.
• The Journal of Pyrotechnics is a scholarly periodical on pyrotechnics published by Ken and Bonnie Kosanke.

Pyrotechnic Supplies:

• SkyLighter, my favorite pyro supplier, has a great web site! The entire catalog is on-line (including new items not listed in the current printed catalog), and Harry accepts E-mail orders from established customers.
• Davey Bickford, is the well-known French manufacturer of ignition products.
• Caplugs make plastic pipe plugs that are very useful for protecting mortars before a show - especially on multi-day setups.
• CMB Insurance offers insurance to the pyro trade in the UK.
• Custom Rocketry has an interesting offer.
• Elephant Brand Black Powder home page.
• ElectroStatics sells systems to control static electricity and the related contamintaion.
• FireFox Enterprises is a major supplier of pyro and rocketry supplies.
• Four-D Enterprises, developed StickMatch, which makes lancework reasonable.
• Goex Black Powder home page. One of our most important vendors!
• Hummel Croton, is an industrial chemical supplier, and has a lot of information on pyro chemicals on their web site.
• Luna Tech manufactures the very well regarded PyroPak line of precision pyrotechnic products.
• MagicFire manufactures an electronic shell fuse which allows very precise timing.
• Midwest Wood Specialties manufactures wooden plugs for fireworks mortars.
• Oxral is one of the largest manufacturers of electric matches for the fireworks industry.
• Plásticos Gamón is a plastics manufacturer in Spain that has a fascinating collection of plastic items for the pyrotechnic manufacturer..
• Precision Weighing Balances has an amazing selection of balances at excellent prices.
• Precocious Pyrotechnics is a top rate supplier from Minnesota - the president is a PGII Grand Master!.
• Pyro Magic is a supplier of firing systems in California..
• PyroMate sell excellent firing systems.
• Pyro Safety Co, operated by Tom Perigrin, sells firing panels and low power FM transmitters, with more products on the drawing board.
• Pyro Tech, is a British supplier of pyro equipment and shows.
• Pyrotek, supplies many chemicals needed for pyrotechnics.
• Pyrotek is also the name of a special effects supplier in Canada!
• Rabbat Productions sells fake fireworks for use where the real thing can't.
• Seminole Wire, supplies that ubiquitous yellow wiring we use by the mile for electrically fired shows.
• H.A. Stiles, may be just the place for those 4,000 plugs you need for your new mortars.
• The Supply Cache sells safety gear that can be used when shooting fireworks.
• Theatre Effects has quite an extensive line of special effects products.
• Sam Woodward makes what appear to be some very good fire control panels in Great Britain.

Fireworks Vendors (Displays and Class B):

• Alonzo Fireworks Display is a display operator in upstate New York.
• American Fireworks is also the name of a company in Hudson, Ohio. If you're more comfortable reading Spanish, try Latin American Fireworks, which is the same company with a latino twist.
• Ampleman Pyrotechnics is a very well known Canadian display operator.
• Artifi-Ciel is a display operator in Quebec.
• Atlas Enterprises operates out of Fort Worth, Texas.
• Avantgarde Drachen & Feuerwerk in Germany features shows that combine kites and fireworks!
• Bay Fireworks has a page with lots of graphics - be patient!
• Brezac Artifices is a large French display operator.
• Broekhoff is a Dutch display operator.
• Cienfuegos is a manufacturer, display operator and fireworks retailer in Argentina.
• Dymax caters to the entertainment industry.
• Entertainment Fireworks Inc. is a major display operator in the Pacific Northwest.
• Fantastic Fireworks is a British display operator.
• Feuerwerkerei Anton Schwab is a German display operator.
• Fiatlux is a world class Canadian display operator.
• Fireworks F/X handles a complete line of consumer and professional fireworks in Nova Scotia.
• Fivestar Fireworks is a display operator in Wisconsin.
• Foti's International Fireworks is one of the larger and better known Australian display operators.
• Göteborg Fireworks Factory is a fireworks manufacturer in Sweden.
• Groupe F is a French display operator (site in French only).
• Fireworks By Grucci is one of the best, if not the best display operator.
• Hands Fireworks supply both family and display fireworks in Canada.
• HFM Pyrotechnics is a display operator in Great Britain.
• Infinity Visions does large scale pyromusical and laser shows.
• JAN Feuerwerk is a German display company.
• Kimbolton Fireworks is the famous fireworks company founded by Rev. Ron Lancaster..
• Lantis Fireworks & Lasers is a display company that also does laser effects.
• Legion Fireworks is a display vendor in eastern New York
• Marmajou is a French display operator.
• Masters of Fire is a display provider in Germany.
• Melrose Pyrotechnics is a dislay company from USA.
• NICO Pyrotechnik is a German pyrotechnic manufacturer.
• Parente is a major Italian display operator.
• Partner Pyro is a German display operator and retailer of garden fireworks.
• Prinz Feuerwerk Laser is a German display operator.
• Pyro-Art is a German display operator.
• Pyroflash is a German display and special effects operator.
• Pyro Spectaculars is a major display operator, doing world class shows.
• Pyro Tech supplies shows and shooting systems to the British market.
• Pyrotecnico may be a fairly new company, but the Vitale family has been a force in american fireworks for many generations.
• Royal Artifices is a display operator in France.
• Rozzi's Famous Fireworks puts on some of the most beautiful shows I've ever seen. .
• Sandling Fireworks sells firework packs and operator fired displays in the UK.
• Shellscape sells many things in the UK, as they say, "From complete event managment to safe and sane fireworks packs".
• Skutka is a fireworks company in both halves of the former Czechoslovakia.
• Sundravel Match Industries in India manufacture fireworks "well known for its 100% safe explosion and princely performance". They also manufacture potassium chlorate for export.
• Sunny Fireworks is a fireworks manufacturer in China.
• Supreme Fireworks is a British display operator.
• David Whysall Fireworks is a Canadian manufacturer, display operator, and retail sales outlet.
• Young Explosives is a display company in upstate New York that has the excellent judgement to employ me as a shooter!.
• Zambelli Fireworks is a great international display company out of Pennsylvania.
• Zenith Pyrotechnology is a special effects company.
• Zündwerk is a fireworks company in Germany.
• Spectacular Fireworks provide professionally managed firework displays in the UK, as well stocking a huge range of DIY fireworks kits.

Fireworks Vendors (Class C):

• A&W Sales Co. sales class C out of Muncy, Pennsylvania.
• ACME Discount Fireworks - isn't that where the Roadrunner got his materials for harassing Wiley E. Coyote?.
• Big Bang Canada is a Canadian fireworks retailer.
• Black Cat Fireworks are one of the best known of all trademarks in the Class C arena.
• Bem Fireworks Sells Class C in Quebec, Canada.
• Chinese Fireworks Co. Ltd. sell fireworks in the North of England.
• Commonwealth Displays sell Class C in Southgate, Michigan.
• Fyrvaerkeri sells consumer fireworks in Denmark.
• Hands Fireworks sell class C and display fireworks in Ontario, Canada.
• Jerry's Discount Fireworks is in the great state of Alaska, where the nights can be very short, or very long!
• Kellners Fireworks home page.
• London Fireworks sells consumer fireworks in Thunder Bay, Canada.
• Magic Vision sells consumer fireworks in Germany.
• Marty Olsen sells class C in Appleton, Wisconsin around the 4th of July.
• Niles Fireworks sells class C in Russell, Pennsylvania.
• Patriotic Fireworks is one of the few Class C fireworks manufacturers left in the US.
• Phantom Fireworks is one well known vendors of class C.
• Ray-Vin sells minature carbide cannons.
• Shelton Fireworks sell class C in Missouri & Indiana.

Pages that are clearly pyro related but unclassifiable:

• Pyrotechnia Pyrotechnics Group - one thing for sure, whoever put this page up is clueless about HTML.
• Fireworkstown A magistral Chinese fireworks information website with product informations and videos.

And here are a couple of interesting, if rather silly, pages:

• Ever have a really bad dream about dud recovery?
• Fun with grapes
• Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow Torches
• Interested in fire breathing?
• How about getting your flaming juggling torches to have colored flames?

Pages that are hostile to fireworks:

• And a reminder that those things can put your eye out!
• The National Campaign for Firework Reform in England is trying to tighten fireworks regulation in the UK.

This page last updated March 16, 2007 by Jonathan: Feuerwerk.