How Are Fireworks Made?

Today's the 4th of July, when we celebrate Independence Day in the United States of America. I'm not going to discuss all the standard topics which will be done to death in every other blog. Instead, I am going to talk about fireworks.

Years ago we met Troy. Troy works for a major travelling fireworks company. Typically they set up a month before the 4th of July in major cities that will allow it. They offer an amazing variety of fireworks that they design and manufacture themselves. It turned out that Troy was an excellent designer (called a pyrotechnician) who was excited to be heading for the Olympics (Yes! They have a pyrotechnic category in the Olympics!)

I had always wondered how fireworks were made. I'm sure many of you have, too. When you're a child, it's an awe-inspiring discovery to see a squiggle of flame spurt up from the ground and suddenly burst into something that defies your imagination. (One 4th of July when I was very young, I became so excited with anticipation that I got myself sick over it and couldn't go at all.)

Well, Troy took the time to explain fireworks. He talked animatedly, drawing on a paper napkin with a felt tip pen at a local Denny's one night. Basically, a cardboard tube is made to house the firework and it's plugged at one end with clay (to prevent the fireworks from shooting off in more than one direction). A little black powder charge is poured in and then small shells are placed inside. Those small shells together comprise the patterns that we see when the tube explodes. These patterns are put together very carefully. If you don't pour a pattern correctly, then it might not shimmer with the right colors, or spread into the proper visual (such as a dragon, or a chrysanthemum, or a palm tree).

It's really very mathematical. You need to know how to plan to scatter the shells in an equal distance from each other, and you need to be able to calculate their rate of fall and the timing of each explosion. It also can be quite dangerous when you're working around gunpowder. But despite all this, Troy adores fireworks and the magic that they bring to the crowds. I can't imagine him ever doing anything else.

So when you go to the displays tonight, remember the pyrotechnicians and the vast amount of planning that goes into each and every show that you see. And have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!