We got this great little homemade sparkler project from Kevin Shelley. Thanks, Kevin. Here’s how he makes this fast, neat sparkler using Skylighter flying fish fuse and falling leaves fuse.

"I'm writing to you to tell you how fantastic the flying fish fuse and falling leaves fuses are! There is any number of uses for these things, and I just thought I'd write about something we've been making with them: custom sparklers.

The way we make these sparklers is to obtain a bundle of wire marking flags from the local hardware store, after which we strip off the plastic flags. These will become the wires for our sparklers. Flying fish fuse is then clear-taped or tied in lengths to the thin metal sparkler rods. Taping to the sparkler rod is a little faster, but tying can be pretty quick too, once you get in the groove on the assembly line. We are careful to space the tape/string so that the lengths of flying fish fuses or falling leaves fuses maintain a close relationship with the sparkler rods.

Using this sparkler making technique, interesting surefire homemade sparklers can be quickly assembled. Mixing the lengths of different flying fish and falling leaves fuses on the same rod can increase the variety of sparklers. When mixing different fuses, we tape the ends of the different fuses in close proximity with one another on the sparkler so that the ignition train can jump the junctures. Using the red and strobing white falling leaves fuses, and the silver crackling flying fish fuses, your can assemble your own versions of the ever popular 'morning glory' sparkler-type novelty firework, with the exception that the end is way prettier than that of the morning glory sparkler.

More than one fuse can also be run 'full length' down the sparkler rod, which increases the singular effect of whichever fuse you use. The crackling flying fish fuses make an extra enjoyable experience when doing this (even to the point of being a little scary to firework tenderfoots). The green falling leaves fuse (GN1050), which is amazingly bright already, really responds well to doubling or tripling on the sparkler in this manner. It's like holding a miniature road flare in your hand. The red falling leaves fuse is also good. Although I'm unfamiliar with the other, new falling leaves fuses, I'm sure that they would also be excellent on these sparklers.

We also tape several foot-long lengths of crackling flying fish fuse together and then light the whole bundle without a sparkler rod. The racket is wonderful, and near the end of the burn the entire assembly sometimes takes to the sky."

--Kevin Shelley

To learn more fun uses for flying fish fuse read these articles:

"Flying Fish Fuse Mine"
"Flying Fish Fuse Rocket"