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Over 750 Products for Making Fireworks & Pyrotechnics
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Pyrotechnic Tools & Screens


Buy Ball Mill, Star Plates, Mixing Screens, Black Powder Rocket Tooling, Stinger Missile Tooling, Star Testing Gun

If you want to make fireworks like rockets and fountains, your success rate improves dramatically if you use fireworks tools designed especially for that device. No fireworks maker can do an effective job without the right tools. Skylighter carries a variety of tools for making fireworks and pyrotechnic devices. Check out the rocket tool kits, screens, fountain tools, star guns, screens, and rammers. More resouces on making fireworks and using pyrotechnic tools. If you need a tool for making fireworks that we don't have, let us know. We may be able to get it for you or direct you to someone who makes it.

 
Machines and Scales
Item No. Description Unit Price Qty.

TL5010


Ball Mill, One Gallon

Heavy duty ball mill designed by a fireworks maker for fireworks makers. Use it to make high quality black powder in 2-3 hours, or to grind any chemicals. Ships in two boxes.

Order Mon-Thur by 12:00 EST - Use Tomorrow - Overnight Shipping Available

ea.

$373.69

Quantity:

TL5020


Pocket Scale, 222 Gram Capacity

Pocket scale weighs up to 222 grams (about 8 ounces, 1/2 lb.) within 1/10 gram accuracy. Backlit LCD Display. Weighs in grams (g), ounces (oz), or penny weight (dwt). Has tare function. This scale comes with batteries already installed and ready to go. Snap-on plastic cap to protect the scale. 3-1/2" x 2-38" x 5/8" thick.

ea.

$17.19

Quantity:

TL5030


Scale, 7000 (15.5 lb.) Gram Capacity

Versatile digital scale weighs up to 7000 grams (about 15.5 lbs.) within 1 gram (1/10 ounce) accuracy. Backlit LCD Display. Tare function, and switches weighing modes in an instant. This scale comes with batteries already installed and ready to go. 6" wide, 8" deep, 1.25" high; weighs about 1.5 lbs.

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ea.

$74.69

Quantity:

 

Aluminum Rods (Rammers)

Whenever you are making fireworks such as rockets and fountains, you should do everything you can to prevent accidental ignition. When you are pressing or ramming a pyrotechnic mix into a tube, you want to use a non-sparking rammer. Our's are cut from aluminum bar stock and have flat tops and bottoms. You can use them either with a hammer or a hydraulic or arbor press. They will outlast wooden or plastic rammers in making rockets and fountains, and can withstand greater pressures.

 
Item No. Size (inches) Unit Price Qty.

TL1012


1-1/4 x 14 Rammer

ea.

$69.77

Quantity:

TL1010


1 x 12 Rammer

ea.

$36.96

Quantity:

TL1009


7/8 x 12 Rammer

ea.

$28.95

Quantity:

TL1008


3/4 x 10 Rammer

Temporarily out of stock

ea.

$20.93

Quantity:

TL1006


5/8 x 8 Rammer

ea.

$14.66

Quantity:

TL1004


1/2 x 6 Rammer

Temporarily out of stock

ea.

$10.32

Quantity:

TL1002


3/8 x 6 Rammer

Temporarily out of stock

ea.

$8.71

Quantity:

TL1000


5/16 x 6 Rammer

ea.

$9.23

Quantity:

 
Fireworks Shell Building Accessories
If you're making fireworks shells using our plastic components, these are other useful accessories.

Item No. Description Unit Price Qty.

MS0100


Microlite

Black flashlight. Uses high intensity LED for a very bright light in a small package. Battery included.

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1 ea.

$21.09

Quantity:

MS1101


Shell Warning Labels

Gummed labels you can attach to your shells to warn people handling them that they are dangerous. They are 5-1/4" x 2-1/8". There's space for you to write your shell description. 100 labels per pack.

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100

$10.04

Quantity:

TL4000


Solvent Applicator

1-1/4 ounce, oval shaped, polyethylene squeeze bottle with a 1 inch long, hollow, steel needle and a dust-proof cap that retards evaporation. Reusable.

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ea.

$6.50

Quantity:

TL4001


Wool Dauber

Use it to apply methylene chloride, xylene, or thickened methylene chloride or xylene to your plastic shell halves. Each dauber has a wire loop handle, is five inches long, and has a little half-inch-diameter ball of wool on the end for all your daubing needs. No good dauber should be without them.

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10 ea.

$7.33

Quantity:

TL4002


Hole Punch

Use this simple little tool for punching holes in time fuse for cross match, for punch holes in tubes for visco fuse, etc.

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ea.

$1.94

Quantity:

TL4030


Star Testing Gun Set

We keep hearing from people who don't test their stars before using them in fireworks. Everybody will test burn a star on the ground. But some folks never test fire stars out of a star gun to see how they will perform in the air. When fired out of a gun, if your star doesn't light, you may have one or more problems. You may have put too much lift powder under your star, propelling the star so fast that the flame actually blows out. Test another star with less powder and see if it ignites. Remember, if the star is a close fit to the firing tube, then it will only take a very small pinch of powder to do the job. If the star still does not light, even with a smaller amount of lift powder, your problem is likely priming. Either the star is not primed or the prime you are using isn't hot enough to light the star composition.

We have had some nifty, multi-barrel, star-testing guns made for us. Each star tester has five steel tubes welded vertically onto a steel plate. The tubes have inside diameters of about 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, 9/16, 3/4, and 1-1/16. The guns are mounted in a straight line with Visco fuse holes drilled into the base of each tube. They are finished in a hammered-look industrial coating. They'll never wear out. The different inside diameters of the tubes let you shoot just about any sized star using almost no lift powder. They shoot so silently our next-door neighbors can't even hear the thing when it fires! What more could you want?

"I just wanted to tell you that I just received my star testing gun, that was back ordered. I love it! It is everything you said it was, I was testing stars that I had made previously the same night it arrived. I didn't believe that it would be as quiet as you said it would in your ad but it is. Now I have a quick, quiet, simple and fun way to test my stars before launching them in my shells. Thank you and keep up the good work. I am having a lot of fun because of you and your employees." --Neil G.

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ea.

$48.24

Quantity:

 
Fountain Tooling
Our Fountain Tools are designed to help you make fountains, gerbs, and wheel drivers quickly and consistently. They are machined from aluminum stock and sold as a set. Each set consists of: a round base, a removable spindle/nipple that forms the nozzle, a hollow rammer, and a solid rammer. The hollow rammer has a tapered tip to form the nozzle from clay, which eases gas exhaust and reduces the chances of an explosion. The solid rammer is used to compact the composition above the nipple. Both rammers have been machined down a few thousandths in their midsections which makes it a lot easier to remove them from the their tubes. The base and the rammers are knurled, which also makes it easier for you to remove them from the fountain tubes. The nozzle former nipple thickness is approximately 1/3 of the inside diameter of the fountain casing.
 
Item No. Description Tube ID Use Tube No. Unit Price Qty.

TL1110


1 pound Fountain Tooling Kit

Temporarily out of stock
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3/4 inch

TU1065

Set

$87.38

Quantity:

TL1160


3 pound Fountain Tooling Kit

Temporarily Out of Stock
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1 inch

TU1101

Set

$103.88

Quantity:

 
Stinger Missile Rocket Tools
Whether you are a rocket nut or not, you will probably get a hoot out of Stinger Missiles. Stinger Missile? This is a hot-rod version of the Class-C (1.4G) item called Warhead Launcher, a spin-stabilized rocket. The rocket flies by first spinning (on a nail) rapidly to achieve gyroscopic stability, then takes off vertically. They don’t need sticks or fins. You can make them with headings (a shell, a report, flying fish fuse bursting out, or whatever) or without. Fuel is generally black powder plus some metal for sparks, but can be any rocket fuel. They are easy to make and all you need is some chemicals, the Stinger kit, and some parallel tubes.  Click here for instructions.

These things are the closest to instant gratification you can get. I made about 10 of them in 30 minutes on back of my pickup’s tailgate recently. We currently have them in two sizes, 3/4 inch and 1-inch diameters (called "One Pound" and "Three Pound" rockets, respectively). Shoot ‘em "neat" or jazz ‘em up with spark tails, rising comets, or headings.

Each kit consists of a base and spindle, a hollow rammer, a solid rammer, a drill bit, and a drill guide.  One rammer forms the nozzle from clay and rams the composition around the spindle. The second rammer is used for ramming composition above the nozzle. The drill guide is used to precisely align the side hole off-center in the tube where the rocket is ignited and which causes the spinning. The drill bit we supply makes exactly the right sized hole for our standard 3/32 inch visco fuses (GN1000, GN1001, and GN1004). Use parallel tubes only for these rockets. Since Stinger tubes are shorter than our standard, pre-cut tubes, I suggest you get the longer tubes and cut yer own to size. Stingers can be rammed with a hammer; you do not need a press as long as you stick to black powder based fuels.

 
Item No. Description Tube ID Use Tube No. Unit Price Qty.

TL1610

1 pound Stinger Missile Kit

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3/4 inch

TU1065

ea.

$102.21

Quantity:

TL1630


3 pound Stinger Missile Kit

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1 inch

TU1101

ea.

$107.32

Quantity:

TL1650


6 pound Stinger Missile Kit

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1-1/2 inch

TU1151

ea.

$187.84

Quantity:

TL1684


1 pound replacement spindle

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3/4 inch

N/A

ea.

$32.73

Quantity:

TL1686


3 pound replacement spindle

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1 inch

N/A

ea.

$35.88

Quantity:

 
Black Powder Rocket Tools
Each kit consists of a knurled base, a spindle, three hollow rammers, and a solid rammer. The first hollow rammer forms the 63.2 degree, angled nozzle from clay and is used to ram the first increment of fuel composition around the bottom of the spindle. The second and third hollow rammers are used for ramming composition up to the top of the spindle. The fourth, solid rammer is used to ram the remainder of the fuel above the spindle and the flat clay plug at the top. The base is turned and knurled from 2-1/2 inch diameter 6061 T-6 aluminum round stock. The spindle is made from 304 stainless steel which resists galling and erosion from grog, titanium, and other hard materials. All rammers are custom turned to our specifications from 6061 T-6 aluminum round stock, and knurled to make them easier to hold. Use parallel tubes only for these rockets. There are no instructions provided with these rocket tool kits. There are, however, several articles on making black powder rockets in our Newsletter Archive. More information on making black powder rockets .
 
Item No. Description Tube ID Use Tube No. Unit Price Qty.

TL1204

4 Ounce CORE-BURNER Black Powder Rocket Tool Kit (includes three hollow and one solid rammer)

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1/2 inch

TU1028

set

$111.85

Quantity:

TL1211

1 Pound CORE-BURNER Black Powder Rocket Tool Kit (includes two hollow and one solid rammer)

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3/4 inch

TU1068

set

$135.82

Quantity:

TL1270


1 Pound END-BURNER Black Powder Rocket Tool Kit (includes one hollow and two solid rammers)

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3/4 inch

TU1068

set

$100.96

Quantity:

 
Strobe & Whistle Rocket Tools
Each whistle rocket tool kit consists of a knurled base, a spindle, a hollow rammer, and a solid rammer. The hollow rammer forms the nozzle from the whistle composition (no clay or other non-whistle comp nozzle is used in whistle rockets). It is also used to ram the whistle composition up to the top of the spindle. The solid rammer is used to ram the remainder of the fuel above the spindle. The base is turned and knurled from 2-1/2 inch diameter 6061 T-6 aluminum round stock. The spindle is made from 304 stainless steel which resists galling and erosion from grog, titanium, and other hard materials. All rammers are custom turned to our specifications from 6061 T-6 aluminum round stock. Use parallel tubes only for these rockets. Always press whistle composition (using a hydraulic or other press); never ram (hammer) whistle composition (it can and will explode if rammed). There are no instructions provided with these rocket tool kits. For more information on making whistle and strobe rockets see the article by clicking here.

Strobe rocket tool kits are different from straight whistle rockets. The spindle is longer and there are more rammers. The metals used are the same as above.
 
Item No. Description Tube ID Use Tube No. Unit Price Qty.

TL1306


4 Ounce Whistle Rocket Tool Kit

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1/2 inch

TU1028

ea.

$75.91

Quantity:

TL1308


8 Ounce Whistle Rocket Tool Kit

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5/8 inch

TU1051

ea.

$81.78

Quantity:

TL1311


1 Pound Whistle Rocket Tool Kit

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3/4 inch

TU1068

ea.

$85.48

Quantity:

TL1361


1 Pound Strobe Rocket Tool Kit

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3/4 inch

TU1068

ea.

$89.78

Quantity:

TL1310


2 Pound Whistle Rocket Tool Kit

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7/8 inch

TU1077

ea.

$99.14

Quantity:

TL1330


3 Pound Whistle Rocket Tool Kit

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1

TU1100

ea.

$108.86

Quantity:

TL1363


3 Pound Strobe Rocket Tool Kit

Temporarily Out of Stock
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1

TU1100

ea.

$113.45

Quantity:

 
Screens
If you are mixing fireworks compositions, or need to screen your fireworks chemicals to a certain particle size, you need a good set of sturdy screens. You can buy pre-cut, squares of screen which you can frame yourself. The mesh sizes given refer to the number of wires in a one inch length of screen.

Square, unframed screens
The pre-cut, 11 3/4 inch squares of screen are very heavy-duty, highest-quality type 304 stainless steel. They come to you ready to be mounted into your own frames.

Round, framed screens
We are able to get a limited supply of round, framed Chinese stainless steel screens. These inexpensive frames are used throughout the Chinese fireworks industry. The steel is not as heavy-duty as our square screens, and the framing is irregular and hand-made, but you can't beat them for value. Ours average 12-1/2 to 13-1/2 inches in outside diameter. Sorry, but we are not able to keep these in stock all the time.
 
Item No. Description Unit Price Qty.

TL2000


Stainless Steel Screen, Unframed, 10 Mesh

Order Mon-Thur by 12:00 EST - Use Tomorrow - Overnight Shipping Available

ea.

$22.32

Quantity:

TL2002


Stainless Steel Screen, Unframed, 20 Mesh

Order Mon-Thur by 12:00 EST - Use Tomorrow - Overnight Shipping Available

ea.

$22.32

Quantity:

TL2004


Stainless Steel Screen, Unframed, 40 Mesh

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ea.

$22.32

Quantity:

TL2006


Stainless Steel Screen, Unframed, 60 Mesh

Order Mon-Thur by 12:00 EST - Use Tomorrow - Overnight Shipping Available

ea.

$22.32

Quantity:

TL2008


Stainless Steel Screen, Unframed, 100 Mesh

Temporarily Out of Stock
Order Mon-Thur by 12:00 EST - Use Tomorrow - Overnight Shipping Available

ea.

$22.32

Quantity:

TL2010


Stainless Steel Screen Set, Unframed

One each of the 10, 20, 40, 60, and 100 mesh sizes. Save $18.88 by buying the set.

Temporarily Out of Stock
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1 set

$89.90

Quantity:

TL2100


Stainless Steel Screen Set, Round Framed

One each of the 10, 20, 30, 60, and 100 mesh sizes. These are round framed, nested screens. They come packed in a sturdy box just right for storing them when not in use. They're hand-made of rustic bent wood frames for us in Liuyang, Hunan, China--the epicenter of fireworks making on Planet Earth. These are the same cheap, utilitarian screens used throughout the Chinese fireworks industry every day.

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1 set

$68.94

Quantity:

 
Star Plates
Star Plates are used to produce large numbers of uniformly sized cylindrical stars quickly. Each set consists of a bottom, female plate and a top, male plate. To use star plates, you set the female plate on a smooth, flat surface. Then fill the holes in the bottom plate with damp star composition. Then, lower the heavier male plate onto the bottom plate, pressing and compacting the star composition down. Generally, a side to side rocking motion works best. Then, keeping both plates together, gently raise the two up, and press the top plate down so that the stars are gently ejected out. That's all there is to it.

Our plates are made for us in China of sturdy plastic with brass pins. They are about 8"x2"x1-3/4". These are the same plates used in hundreds of fireworks factories in Hunan province to manufacture commercial fireworks exported all over the world. They are inexpensive, and very serviceable. With some new plates, you may need to lightly sand the cut edges of the brass pins with fine emery cloth to "debur" the pins. This will help them slide more freely in and out of the bottom plate holes.

Alignment. It is also important to know that the female and male plates only fit together one way. Before you take them apart, you will see alignment marks made on the sides of each plate (Click on the different pictures below to see some of these marks). Whenever you take them apart, and then put them back together again, you must use the alignment marks to reassemble the two plates. They will not fit together otherwise. The alignment marks are usually either holes drilled into the sides of the plates or diagonal "slices" across the sides of the plates.
 
Item No. Description Unit Star Size Price Qty.

TL3000


Star Plate, 1/4 inch x 26 holes

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Set

1/4

$56.70

Quantity:

TL3001


Star Plate, For Microstars, 2.5mm x 60 holes

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Set

1/4

$80.85

Quantity:

TL3004


Star Plate, 3/8 inch x 23 holes

Order Mon-Thur by 12:00 EST - Use Tomorrow - Overnight Shipping Available

Set

3/8

$56.70