Greetings from NC!

[Icecold Dan]

Hi All,

I've been watching Dave's and other peoples videos for a while now, as well as lurking here on the forum.

We have a neighborhood block party on or around the 4th every year, and for the last two years, I have really stepped up the display game using the tips I've learned here and on YouTube. I've gotten into fireworks in a whole new way. I've gone from buying some cakes and mortars that I would run up and lite one at a time, to planning small, one fuse shows.

I still have many questions, and a lot to learn. One of the things that confuses me most is how to buy fireworks wholesale. I'm not a large consumer, but would love to know more about how I can have bigger, better shows for around the same $600 or so that I spend for the 4th. As it is now, I make several trips to Myrtle Beach and have found that Stateline Fireworks has better pricing and selection then many of the others, but I can't help but think I could do more with my money.

This year some of my goals are to build a mortar rack as well as a rack for Roman candles to add to the show.

That's enough rambling for now,

Dan

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Welcome aboard Dan! Sounds like you are where I was a few short years ago. This is a very expensive (but fun!) hobby. Always looking to stretch my pyro $$ like you.

Have you thought about doing a group buy with other pyro-minded people who live close? Is there a pyro club in NC you can join? That might be a great way to network with other pyro folks in your area.

My buddy and I always combine our orders so we get the best pricing.

Just a thought.

Again... Welcome aboard!!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

By the way... Love to see some pictures/vids from your shows!

[Icecold Dan]

Hi Rick, thanks for the kind welcome. I don't have any pictures of the shows in progress, but here are the boards.

This first board was my first attempt. It is fused using zip ties. There is some very fast gray paper fuse along with some 10 second a foot.
http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a581/Icecolddan/IMG_20150621_115355024_zpsgqkwssyq.jpg (http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Icecolddan/media/IMG_20150621_115355024_zpsgqkwssyq.jpg.html)
These next 3 boards were from last year. Fusing is about the same. I connected the 3 boards with safety fuse, which was a big mistake. Huge gaps in the show between boards. I know better now.
http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a581/Icecolddan/IMG_20160629_171346565_zpsrdzbt5zu.jpg (http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Icecolddan/media/IMG_20160629_171346565_zpsrdzbt5zu.jpg.html)
http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a581/Icecolddan/IMG_20160629_171648258_zpspopqqmfs.jpg (http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Icecolddan/media/IMG_20160629_171648258_zpspopqqmfs.jpg.html)
http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a581/Icecolddan/IMG_20160629_171231690_zpsklrzh1lm.jpg (http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Icecolddan/media/IMG_20160629_171231690_zpsklrzh1lm.jpg.html)

How did I do? Any criticism is welcome.

[shake the cove]

nice set up. just remember very few hobbies are cheap. All depends where you decide to spend it. . Shoot targets at the gun range, cost of gun ammo and range fee. Shydive cost of chute and to hitch a ride up. Take pontoon boat out 4-6 gallons gas hr etc. Enjoy but remeber racks firing systems and bigger and bigger effects cakes are addictive.
If you get 2-3 buddies together and spend 2500-3000 dollars dave's sponsers will give you a good discount .

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Hi Dan & welcome to PyroTalk. One thing I would point out to you is that the grey paper fuse is VERY susceptible to moisture. The least amount of dew will "dampen" your show=----yeah, pun intended. You might want to look into the pink fast visco that burns around 2 sec a foot or the yellow fast fuse that is around 4 sec a foot.
Like Rick mentioned above--see if you can network with some other pyros in your area to get a larger volume buy discount. Don't know where to find them? You are here & it is as good a place to start as any.
How about it NC pyros--how about reach out to our new member!

[Icecold Dan]

Thanks! I don't know if we will ever get to that dollar amount unless I could convince them to spend 4 year's budget up front. I'm not sure all the sponsors here, so forgive me if mentioning Spirit of '76 is a phopa, but it looks like if we can hit $1K we might do alright. From the items I've put in my cart, it appears the shipping would cost about $185. Not sure if that's too much or not, and not sure yet if that added expense makes the whole point moot. Your thoughts?

[Icecold Dan]

The biggest problem with NC is that we really aren't supposed to have air horn stuff. Oddly enough, it can be shipped here. That being the case, it's not easy to network with like minded pyros. Now South Carolina is a whole different story and very close to me.

[displayfireworks1]

Welcome to pyrotalk, great pictures. It looks like you are in the long fuse phase of pyrotechnics. Next stop is a firing system. It going to be difficult to get real deals on consumer fireworks at your budget level. Some enthusiast order in groups of two or more people to get their budget up and bring the shipping cost down. Other people ask for money from friends and family coming to the event in addition to what they contribute. Many of my advertisers are running sales with deep discounts this time of year. Here is a listing of all the Sponsors of pyrotalk. Check out their website and get on their email list.
.
Sponsor Page Link
http://www.pyrotalk.com/sponsors.php

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Dan - The boards look great!! Great assortment. Great variety! Don't sweat the black sky stuff man. Use it as a motivator to switch things up next year! Like PyroJoe said, there are plenty of fuse options out there. Play with them. The one thing I've learned dealing with visco is, close is going to have to be close enough. Unless you wire everything with 2 sec per ft fuse and stack everything right next to each other, there's no way you're going to NOT have black sky. If you really want to control what goes up and when, you need to make the jump into electronic firing.

In the mean time, there's nothing wrong with black sky. I'm sure your spectators are quite happy with what they see. If someone complains, tell them to go do their own show!

I'm sure you'll be hearing from some NC pyro's soon if you haven't already. Spirit of 76 is one of Dave's sponsors, so it's not verboten to talk about them. My buddy and I placed an order with them this year and we're really excited about the products we have coming. Shipping is just something you're going to have to factor in the budget. If check out places like WF Boom that are offering a 40% discount right now, I'm sure you'll find you can get a lot more for your $$ even with the shipping added in.

I have a spreadsheet I use to make buy lists. This year I made a list from 3 different vendors. I set a target price and then start picking out 200G cakes, 500G cakes, mortars and special effects. Once I hit the target price I stop. Then I compare the lists and see who can provide the most for my target price. Very time consuming, but it works for me.

[PyroManiacs]

Welcome to PyroTalk!