Last updated Sat, Nov 22, 1997 8:16:00 AM 

How to modify legal fireworks to make them more fun


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Over the last few years I have had the opportunity of meeting a few 
adventurous souls who have experimented with legal fireworks (the kind 
you can buy in California for Independence Day) in order to enhance 
their basic functionality above and beyond what their designers had 
intended. These adventurous souls have been kind enough to share their 
tips with me. I have had great success with these tips, so I decided 
that, in the great free spirit of the internet, I would share them here 
as well. Enjoy them, but don't hurt yourself or anyone else, because 
it's your own darn fault if you do. (Is that a good enough disclaimer?) 
If you have any suggestions, please mail them to me. I will try to 
verify them personally if possible. 
Here's the tips I have so far: 

*	How to make a "Ground Bloom Flower" fly 
*	How to make a "Whistling Pete" explode 
*	How to make a bomb out of wire sparklers 
Eventually I would like to get pictures and/or diagrams to accompany the 
descriptions, but I don't have access to a good scanner, and a digital 
camera is still out of my reach. 


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How to make a "Ground Bloom Flower" fly: 
Preparation: 
Drill a 5/64th inch hole in the end of the Ground Bloom Flower opposite 
the fuse.ÊThe hole should be about 1 and 9/16" deep, measured from the 
end of the cardboard tube.ÊIf you set up a drill press (I recommend it 
for repeatability), the drill tip should extend almost even with the 
point where the fuse enters the body.ÊI found that a 5/64ths bit in a 
drill press worked 
well for me, although other sizes may work as well, i.e. 1/16th or 
3/32nd. 

Use: 
Lay the flower on its side with the fuse entry hole pointing slightly 
toward the ground (otherwise it might get stuck trying to drill itself 
into the ground and just shoot its exhaust upward).ÊLight it and duck. 

Safety notes: 
I have never had a problem with heat igniting the powder or anything 
nasty like that.ÊThe only thing is that I do try to keep the drill speed 
down to about 900-1500 RPM.ÊBe careful where you lauch these things, 
because if you drill too deeply, it won't get spinning correctly first 
before it tries to take off, and it could shoot off at a shallow angle 
(been there). 

Anecdotes: 
I have noted successful "launches" up to 30-40 feet, although typical is 
10-20 feet.ÊThe primary factor in the variability is the clay plug, as 
they tend to vary in their distance from the end of the cardboard.ÊI ran 
into some really cheap ripoff ground blooms this year.ÊThey had about 
half the amount of powder as the good ones, and wouldn't really take 
off--two feet at most. We did have some of the cheap ones spin for about 
a second and then explode, which was rather entertaining. You can 
identify the cheap ones (unfortunately not before you buy them) by 
poking a hole through the paper covering the end.ÊThe good ones should 
have their clay plug about 1 cm from the end of the cardboard tube, but 
the cheap ones will be in about 3 cm. 

How to make a "Whistling Pete" explode: 

Preparation: 
Take a "Whistling Pete" and a hammer and beat the end of the firework 
opposite the fuse.ÊBeat the piece until it's flattened somewhat, then 
roll it 90 degrees and flatten it the other way.ÊRoll it around several 
times gradually while pounding on it.ÊThe goal here is to pulverize the 
propellant inside.ÊYou should beat the last 7-10 cm, but be careful not 
to smash the 
clay plug in the end. 
Ê
Use: 
All you have to do is light it and stand aside. 

Safety notes: 
I've done this dozens of times with no problems ever, so don't worry too 
much about explosions or ignitions from beating on it. 

Anecdotes: 
The great thing about this modification is that it looks like a normal 
whistler, and works like a normal whistler (for 5 seconds or so), but 
then it explodes rather violently.ÊI had a great experience with that a 
couple years ago when I lit one on the sidewalk in a busy area and some 
guy who thought he was cool just walked right past it, because "It was 
just one of those dumb whistlers." (I'm guessing that's what he was 
thinking.)ÊWhen it went off, he simultaneously leaped and yelped (much 
to my amusement) and then immediately tried to regain his composure, but 
I had seen it all, and I couldn't restrain myself from laughing openly. 

How to make a bomb out of wire sparklers: 

Preparation: 
Take a bunch (100 or so) of wire sparklers (can't get these in 
California anymore, unfortunately) and hold them aligned together in a 
cylindrical group with the ends all even except for one sticking out of 
the center for a fuse. Wrap the bundle with duct tape or electrician's 
tape. The point is to make it as tight as you possibly can. It doesn't 
have to be sealed (leave your "fuse" exposed, duh!). 

Use: 
Stick the wire end in the ground, light the central sparkler acting as 
the fuse, and get away. 

Safety notes: 
Don't be near the explosion. 

Anecdotes: 
We couldn't get this one to work.ÊWhen we tried it, and all we got as a 
nice bright fast-burning flare. It is possible that the top may need to 
be sealed, or alternatively, scrape off all the combustible stuff and 
make it into a powder. I've heard stories that powdering seems to work 
rather nicely--you can use the powder like any explosive... If anyone 
has any success with either scheme, please let me know. 


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Karl Newman, newmka@wwc.edu Send me mail!