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- Rockets
- Shells
- Stars, Comets and Compositions
- Mines
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Other Fireworks
- Consumer Fireworks
- Igniting Fireworks: Fusing, Electrical Firing
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Special Effects
- Everything Else
Consumer Fireworks
Learn the Easy Way to Make Versatile 8-Shot Fiberglass Fireworks Mortar Racks
How to make a 30-shot fireworks mortar rack for festival balls using milk crates and HDPE mortar tubes.
Learn how to make your 4th of July Fireworks Display better with visco fuses and electric firing systems.
How to make a fireworks chromatrope wheel using store bought consumer fireworks fountains.
How to set up a great fourth of July consumer fireworks backyard display.
An easy and reliable method to attach ematches to consumer fireworks or visco fuse for electric ignition.
How to best use your consumer fireworks festival balls, mortar tube selection, make mortar racks and fuse your artillery shells fireworks together.
How to make a 20-shot festival ball mortar rack for your Fourth of July backyard fireworks display with reusable fiberglass tubes.
How to plan a successful July 4th consumer fireworks backyard display, from setup to finale.
Here are 4 more projects to help fill your bucket of fireworks ideas for your July 4th fireworks display.
This project is for anyone who instead of firing one shell every minute or two, would rather blast 10, 20 or 30 shells into the air all at one time!
Igniting Fireworks: Fusing, Electrical Firing
How to use other firework fuses for cross matching including quickmatch, visco cross match and paper firecracker fuse.
Learn how to make ematches, also known as squibs or igniters, using firework chemicals and Skylighter's electric match heads.
An easy and reliable method to attach ematches to consumer fireworks or visco fuse for electric ignition.
Here's how to make electric matches (e-matches) to ignite fireworks for your July 4th display.
How to make Kraft paper match pipe for making homemade quickmatch fireworks fuse.
Learn how to correctly fuse fireworks mortar racks for use in July 4th backyard fireworks displays.
How to make a simple fireworks electric firing system using an electric fence power unit and dark flash powder.
How to successfully ematch and wire fireworks to an electric fireworks firing system for a consumer fireworks display.
Mines
How to make homemade reloadable consumer fireworks sized mines using the bag or piston method.
How to make a crackling mine firework cake using crackling stars (dragon eggs) obtained from consumer fireworks crackling balls.
How to make beautiful, ghostly, colored fireballs with methyl alchohol and pyrotechnic fire coloring chemicals.
Free project teaches you two different methods for making firework star mines. Optional kit for making 30 mines.
Flying fish mine kit for $15 - fuse, tubes, supplies and plans to make 10 mines in minutes.
How to make fireworks mines, an effect that shoots firework stars into the air from a mortar tube.
All you need for this project is quick and easy-to-make microstars, some tubes, Visco fuse, a couple of screens and a few things you can probably find around the house.
A gold/lampblack star mix that's a combination of Bleser's lampblack and Allen's gold star compositions.
Other
Make a rocket press with this free project. Shows you exactly how to make a fireworks press to make your own rockets and fountains.
How to make a science project volcano with ammonium dichromate. Optional kit with charcoal and aluminum for sparks.
Learn how to make a ball mill cabinet for soundproofing while ball milling chemicals.
How to safely and effectively use a ball mill to grind pyrotechnic chemicals and black powder.
Learn hand ramming techniques used to ram pyrotechnic compositions into tubes for making homemade fireworks.
Learn to make black powder coated rice hulls for burst powder in aerial fireworks shells. Download this free project now.
Learn how to make copper salicylate to use in whistle mix for blue rockets.
How to make a fireball in your back yard with coffee cremora and other flammable powders.
How to build a drying rack chamber to safely dry homemade fireworks stars and pyrotechnic compositions.
Pyrotechnic formula for creating an emergency fire starter, great for survival situtaions.
Learn how to make multi-shot homemade fireworks firing boards; these are like large firework cakes.
A comparison of the different grades of black powder and how they're used for fireworks.
How to make a force gauge for your arbor press to properly press your homemade rockets.
How to safely mill granular Potassium Nitrate with a blade-type coffee grinder.
Make your own black powder-aka gun powder-without expensive tools or a ball mill. Homemade blackpowder for a fraction of the cost of buying commercial BP.
Learn how to make a rocket press for pressing homemade black powder, whistle and strobe rockets.
Safety precautions and advice for using a hot glue when making fireworks.
How to properly define metal particle sizes and shapes.
How to turn a 5 gallon bucket into a screen for separating ball milling media from milled chemicals.
How to make high quality charcoal out of any wood for your homemade blackpowder and fireworks.
Make beautiful sky lanterns, flying paper lanterns, at home using this detailed tutorial with videos.
Learn a simple technique for rolling round fireworks stars in a large bowl.
How to make black powder: quick, cheap and easy. Optional kit with all the chemicals needed to make black powder.
How to make and test your own high-powered black powder. Optional kit makes 12 pounds of black powder.
How to make a better rocket nozzle using a mix of bentonite clay, grog and paraffin wax.
Learn how to cut, treat and roll your own fireworks tubes for making homemade fireworks.
How to understand mesh sizes and microns and how to convert one to the other.
Learn the different metal powder particle shapes used in pyrotechnics and how to understand particle size descriptions.
How to choose the appropriate media for safely ball milling black powder and pyrotechnic chemicals.
Learn how to make your cardboard paper end plugs fit better into your firework tubes.
Make a briliant red firework fountain using this free project plan with videos. Every step shown in detail. Optional 20 fountain kit.
How to coat aluminum powder with boric acid to stop corrosion of the aluminum powder in firework star compositions.
Learn how to easily rewrite fireworks formulas from parts per weight to percentages.
How to make black powder with a red gum binder for fireworks lift. Optional kit with chemicals for making 12 pounds of black powder.
How to test your firework stars with a star gun and how to use that star gun to make a flying fish fuse cake.
Black Powder Cheat Sheet - Everything you wanted to know about black powder in one place.
How to make thermite with iron oxide and aluminum powder. Optional kit makes 4 pounds of thermite.
How to thicken methylene chloride with styrofoam packing peanuts to make a glue perfect for gluing together plastic firework shell halves.
How to use the grain of kraft paper to your advantage while making fireworks.
How to properly weigh chemicals for homemade fireworks and make yourself a nice set of mixing screens.
How to make wooden bases for your cardboard fireworks mortar tubes.
How to optimize a 6 pound ball mill to safely and effectively ball mill homemade black powder.
A form of black powder which has been mixed by hand, without any milling or corning.
Several different ways to mill your chemicals to reduce the particle size.
How to ran clay nozzles for rockets, fountains, drivers, and more.
Learn what it takes to make fireworks legally, and how to make a magazine inexpensively to use for legal storage of the fireworks you make.
Other Fireworks
Double-voice crackers are effectively a mortar shot without a mortar tube. You can pump these out really fast, and have aerial effects in no time!
How to make more advanced spinning, sparking saxon fireworks.
How to make spinning saxon fireworks that make impressive spinning showers of sparks. Instructions with videos.
Learn how to make blue fireworks fountains, also known as gerbs.
How to make bright white fireworks strobe pots using a simple pyrotechnic formula.
How to make a fireworks chromatrope wheel using store bought consumer fireworks fountains.
How to make fireworks fountains in a rainbow of colors, includes six fountain formulas.
Learn how to make a firework crack ball. Throw it on the ground to make a loud bang!
How to make sparklers the easy way with falling leaves and flying fish fireworks fuses.
Learn how to make colored smoke bombs without organic powdered dyes.
An excerpt from the Westech Manual explaining how to make firework wheels including a flying Dutchman, saxons and comet wheels.
Make spinning wheel like fireworks known as saxons with gold and silver sparks.
Learn how to make tourbillion spinning fireworks, also known a whirlwinds, geysers and table rockets.
Fireworks formula and instructions for making a waterfall fireworks effect.
How to make fireworks fountains, also known as gerbs, for a stand alone effect or for use in set pieces.
A guide to making roman candle fireworks from the Best of AFN IV.
How to make roman candle fireworks with the new Smith Method of roman candle making.
How to make senko hanabi traditional Japanese sparklers that produce delicate, branching sparks.
How to make bright silver, popping, homemade sparklers. Includes and optional kit to make 72 sizzler sparklers.
Free instructions for making white and pink flashing fireworks strobe pots. Optional kit makes 10 white strobe pots.
How to make red sparklers with a strontium nitrate pyrotechnic formula.
This project is a slight modification of the famous Spirit of America titanium sparkler formula.
How to use your homemade fireworks fountains as waterfalls, wheel drivers, set pieces and line rockets.
How to make whistle mix with potassium perchlorate and sodium salicylate that you can used in whistle rockets and drivers.
Quick and easy instructions show you how to make white smoke with potassium nitrate and sugar.
Make the world's smallest spinning fireworks wheel.
Rockets
An introduction to the different types of fireworks rockets including black powder, whistle and strobe rockets.
New to rocket making? Here's the perfect rocket project for you to start with.
Make super small 2-ounce fireworks rockets, great for a quick pyro fix or a small backyard.
Make stinger missile fireworks rockets in 5 minutes or less. No stick, no fins needed. Optional 25 rocket kit - tools, chemicals, fuse and tubes.
Detailed instructions for our Model Rocket kit. Kit includes tooling, chemicals, fuse, tubes, and model rocket parts (nose cone, fins, fuselage), enough to make 50 rockets.
Learn how to make blue strobe rocket fuel using a simple pyrotechnic formula.
Pyrotechnic formulas for making red, green, blue, and green homemade rockets with pyrotechnic chemicals.
How to make end-burning black powder rockets for set pieces, drivers or just to fly.
How to make your own caduceus rocket
How to make black powder model rocket engines reverse engineered from Estes rockets.
Learn a pyrotechnic formula for making rocket engines using firefly aluminum powder.
Free article teaches you how to make a beautiful rocket with a glittery tail and charcoal star heading. Optional glitter star kit.
Formulas to give your homemade fireworks rockets beatiful red and green tails.
Free black powder rocket making project. Learn to make a rocket using homemade black powder and professional tools. Optional kit to make 50 rockets.
How to make half-inch nozzleless fireworks rockets, no clay required just black powder fuel.
Learn how to make a rocket press for pressing homemade black powder, whistle and strobe rockets.
How to make black powder rocket engines using Skylighter's 4 ounce rocket tooling.
How to make a better rocket nozzle using a mix of bentonite clay, grog and paraffin wax.
How to easily cut your own rocket sticks from a length of wood using a tablesaw.
How to make a unique fireworks rocket engine that flashes like a strobe when it flies.
How to make quick and easy sugar rockets using potassium nitrate, sorbitol and red iron oxide. Includes a kit to make 25 1/2-inch sugar rockets.
How to make rockets using visco fuse as the rocket engine.
How to make the pyrotechnic composition whistle mix for whistle rocket fuel.
How to make a whistle rocket with potassium perchlorate, sodium salicylate whistle mix.
How to get more power, or more noise out of your whistle rockets.
How to make white strobe firework rockets using a simple pyrotechnic formula.
How to make a quick and dirty rocket with a spolette tube.
How to make a small homemade rocket powered by flying fish fuse.
Easily make homemade rockets using your blender.
Shells
An introduction to the different types of firework shells including ball shell, cylinder shells, mulit-break shells and more.
This tutorial shows you how to make professional rocket headings for your fireworks rockets.
Free firework shells project gives you all the details to quickly make plastic cylinder shells just like the pros. Optional kit makes 12 shells.
Free project plans for making basic 3-inch plastic ball shells. Includes optional kit with shells, fuse and mortar tube.
Learn how to make high quality 3-Inch paper pasted plastic ball shells with a rising tail.
This project is geared toward building professional-style ball shells with a symmetrical and spherical burst pattern.
Free fireworks shell making project shows you how to quickly make plastic ball shells just like the pros. Optional supplies kit to make 20 shells.
How to coat rice hulls with homemade black powder to make fireworks burst charge to break fireworks shells.
How to make homemade aerial fireworks using film canisters as shells.
How to make Go Getter firework stars, an animated star used in aerial shells or mines that swims all over the sky.
How to make a firework shell that creates a star pattern when it bursts in the sky.
Part 1 of a 3 part series on how to make an 8-inch tiger willow firework shell in 3 days.
Part 2 of a 3 part series on how to make 8 inch tiger willow shells in 3 days.
Part 3 of a 3 part series on how to make 8 inch tiger willow shells in 3 days.
How to make "Festival Ball" sized paper shells from start to finish.
How to make a simple daylight smoke shell without using chlorate based smoke compositions.
How to make one of the most spectacular yet simple and inexpensive fireworks shells.
How to make mini firework shells with 3D printed parts.
Special Effects
How to make a poof of smoke stage special effect with flash powder and a flash pot.
Learn how to make blue flames in your campfire with copper chloride, also known as campfire blue.
Learn how to make a colored flame projector for stage special effects, colored fire flames or backyard fun.
Stars, Comets and Compositions
An introduction to the different types of fireworks stars and inserts for firework shells.
Four quick tests to guarantee your stars will work every time.
Complete instructions to make six colored and two effects star formulas updated from the Spanish Papers.
This project shows you how to make go-getter fireworks stars in all basic colors, with and without spark tails.
Go-getter stars are used in aerial shells. They never fail to entertain audiences as they zip around the sky.
A formula for red homemade fireworks stars for firework aerial shells, mines and other pyrotechnic effects.
Learn how to use black powder and flash powder to make the break charge for homemade crossette comet firewoks.
Learn how to make a mortar rack to shoot individual fireworks stars like mini comet fireworks.
The sizzling colored comets described in this article have brilliantly colored heads, have short white tails and produce a sound much like frying bacon.
How to make fireworks dragon eggs crackling stars cheaper with bismuth subcarbonate in place of bismuth trioxide.
Learn about pyrotechnic chemicals known as chlorine donors, their uses in pyrotechnic formulas and the amount of chlorine they give off.
Two pyrotechnic formulas for firework stars using the firework chemical copper benzoate.
Fireworks star compositions that use copper powder to create green and blue firework stars and strobe pots.
Fourteen formulas for making homemade firework cut stars.
How to make cut stars for fireworks in an hour or less by Ian von Maltitz.
How to evenly dampen small and large batches of firework star compositions with water.
A bright green firework star formula using barium nitrate as the oxidizer.
How to make glittery firefly cut stars for homemade fireworks. Optional kit includes chemicals to make 5 pounds of firefly stars.
Make beautiful gold glitter comets perfect for using on rockets, for tails on firework shells or fire them from mortar tubes.
How to make green firework stars using barium carbonate instead of barium nitrate or barium chlorate.
Learn how to make pillbox firework stars including color pyrotechnic formulas for pink stars, red stars and yellow star.
How to make beautiful yellow glitter firework stars great for your homemade brocade shells.
Free fireworks star plate project, videos show you how to make hundreds of stars per hour. Optional kit with enough chemicals to pump 5 lbs. of stars.
How to make realoadable D1 glitter comets. One of the most popular fireworks glitter effects. Optional kit makes 10 pounds of D1 stars.
Methods and tools used for pressing fireworks comets including comet pumps and comet plates.
How to size your round firework stars with a star sizing screen when making coloring changing stars.
Learn a few pyrotechnic formulas for making willow firework stars and comets.
A collection of old fireworks formulas using the chemicals orpiment (arsenic trisulfide) and realgar (tetraarsenic tetrasulfide). .
A formula for black powder using charcoal made from palm tree fronds.
How to make cylindrical stars with a star pump that come out perfect every time. Includes optional kit for making 10 pounds of pumped glitter stars.
Screen sliced rubber fireworks stars can be made and dried in 3 hours. Detailed free project with optional chemicals kit shows you every step.
Make fireworks stars the easy way. Screen-sliced rubber stars in all colors can be made and used in 3 hours using this detailed project with videos.
How to properly test your firework stars using a star gun to see how they will look in the air.
An award winning blue fireworks star formula from an FPGA blue star competition.
Learn how to make blue fireworks stars with copper powder, includes many blue pyro star compositions.
A comparison of pyrotechnic formulas for blue fireworks stars using various pyrotechnic chemicals.
An easy pyrotechnic formula color system for making fireworks stars using various fireworks chemicals.
Learn what firefly aluminum powder is and how to make firefly stars with several pyrotechnic formulas.
This is an examination of the fundamental black powder compositions known as Chrysanthemum 6 & 8.
Formulas for bright, high magnalium content stars suitable for cut stars, as well as for round stars.
Formula for strobes that uses nitrate instead of dichromate.
For those of you who have problems with stars failing to ignite, here's a formula that has worked every time for – with beautiful results.
Here is a collection of different formulas for making (mostly) stars using magnesium powder.
A microjet star project from The Best of AFN III.
Easily make comets using a blender to mix your chemicals.
An article on why fireworks stars fail to light from The Best of AFN III.
Tutorial shows how to make cut fireworks stars. Formula for zinc stars included. Use same method for any type of cut stars in fireworks making.