OhmsOutlaw
07-15-2020, 10:08 PM
Hello from Little Rock, Arkansas! I do have some questions after my spill, and feel free to skip directly to those.
So, I caught the bug this year (no, not that bug). I have loved fireworks since I was a small kid and used to save all of my money from the year to spend on fireworks in June/July. I always just hand-fired everything one at time. After growing up, joining the Army, and getting married, I just couldn't afford it and unfortunately lost interest. 15 years later my life has completely changed. Due to crowds or outright cancellations, many of my friends and family would not be attending a professional fireworks display for the 4th. About a week before the 4th, I (quite easily) talked myself into putting on a show they could enjoy.
I went out and grabbed The Max assortment from Brothers and some extra 500g cakes. From watching YouTube videos, I learned about using a long fuse to chain-fire fireworks. I went about researching the duration and effects of the cakes I had. I planned out 3 separate fuse runs to fire the whole show. I didn't want everything on one fuse, as I was afraid of a malfunction and being unable to stop the show, so I added a couple break points. Everything went great despite a couple of moments of black sky, everything fired with no malfunctions, and it was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the show with everyone else. Everyone loved it and even the neighbors came over to say it was amazing.
Now, I can't wait to do it again, but bigger and better. I keep finding myself in thought about what combos I would like to try, equipment I want, and designing an epic finale. In fact, the hours of research and planning were as enjoyable as watching the show. The kid who loved the smell or black powder, who could spend hours in a small fireworks tent, who would obsessively count and organize his stash, and who would light firecrackers all day long, is back and I want to do all of the things he dreamed about.
I do have a couple of questions and any answers would be greatly appreciated.
1) Anyone know of a wholesale store near my area? I?m not sure how to find them. I'll have a budget of least $1000-$1500 for next year, and would rather buy by the case anyways. At this time, Spirit of '76 is an attractive option if I want to make a drive. But if I'm willing to do a long drive, Nite Lites (saw Dave?s tour) seems to have great prices. Problem is, I don't know about the laws of transporting fireworks. If there is no great option inside Arkansas, I may just order online and eat the shipping cost.
2) Are there any pyrotechnics club near me? I've been looking, but haven't found any in my state. I see some in Missouri or Oklahoma, but nothing closer. Maybe this is due to laws in Arkansas? I want this to become a more serious hobby. I also want some experience in the pyro world as I'm very likely to spiral into 1.3 at some point.
Please let me know if there is a better place to pose these questions besides the Introduction forum.
So, I caught the bug this year (no, not that bug). I have loved fireworks since I was a small kid and used to save all of my money from the year to spend on fireworks in June/July. I always just hand-fired everything one at time. After growing up, joining the Army, and getting married, I just couldn't afford it and unfortunately lost interest. 15 years later my life has completely changed. Due to crowds or outright cancellations, many of my friends and family would not be attending a professional fireworks display for the 4th. About a week before the 4th, I (quite easily) talked myself into putting on a show they could enjoy.
I went out and grabbed The Max assortment from Brothers and some extra 500g cakes. From watching YouTube videos, I learned about using a long fuse to chain-fire fireworks. I went about researching the duration and effects of the cakes I had. I planned out 3 separate fuse runs to fire the whole show. I didn't want everything on one fuse, as I was afraid of a malfunction and being unable to stop the show, so I added a couple break points. Everything went great despite a couple of moments of black sky, everything fired with no malfunctions, and it was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the show with everyone else. Everyone loved it and even the neighbors came over to say it was amazing.
Now, I can't wait to do it again, but bigger and better. I keep finding myself in thought about what combos I would like to try, equipment I want, and designing an epic finale. In fact, the hours of research and planning were as enjoyable as watching the show. The kid who loved the smell or black powder, who could spend hours in a small fireworks tent, who would obsessively count and organize his stash, and who would light firecrackers all day long, is back and I want to do all of the things he dreamed about.
I do have a couple of questions and any answers would be greatly appreciated.
1) Anyone know of a wholesale store near my area? I?m not sure how to find them. I'll have a budget of least $1000-$1500 for next year, and would rather buy by the case anyways. At this time, Spirit of '76 is an attractive option if I want to make a drive. But if I'm willing to do a long drive, Nite Lites (saw Dave?s tour) seems to have great prices. Problem is, I don't know about the laws of transporting fireworks. If there is no great option inside Arkansas, I may just order online and eat the shipping cost.
2) Are there any pyrotechnics club near me? I've been looking, but haven't found any in my state. I see some in Missouri or Oklahoma, but nothing closer. Maybe this is due to laws in Arkansas? I want this to become a more serious hobby. I also want some experience in the pyro world as I'm very likely to spiral into 1.3 at some point.
Please let me know if there is a better place to pose these questions besides the Introduction forum.