Pyrotechnics Hobbyist Beginnings

When I was young my family took vacations. One of the best holidays that I had from those times was a trip to Toronto. My family went there to see the sights but one of the goals of my older brother was to buy fireworks to bring back to Ohio for fun. No one knew this but me and like a good younger brother, I kept quite in the back seat of the car with my brother while we passed through customs back into the U.S. with the fireworks under our seats that he had bought in Canada.

We had a great time shooting those fireworks together and the love of the flashing lights in the sky along with the bang of the report has always been a thrill. It wasn't legal then as I'm sure it isn't today but no one in our neighborhood became upset and everyone seemed to have a good time. He's gone now but the thrills of the flash, the fire, and the report still remain.

The talking heads on the news, always willing to give the negative, combined with the government agencies looking to pick low hanging fruit, condemn the fireworks unless someone pays "an arm and leg" to build and shoot them off for a great display.

Well, I remember those times with my brother. I remember the times we launched something really good with an occasional burnt finger, and I don't want to lose the joy. I am a pyrotechnics hobbyist and I'm more than willing to share what I've learned to empower others to experience the joys of building and shooting fireworks.

It has been a number of years but my sons have revived the hobby for me. It has taken several months to read the reference books available, to cut through the depths of internet information available, and identify the pyrotechnic resources available. (Like anything else there are good one and bad ones.) I think I've identified a core of good ones that can help with all of our needs to work with pyrotechnics without spending an arm and a leg. Those are the ones that I've linked to on this site. As I talk about projects in the future updates on the site, the links can help you with anything that you might need to complete them.

Our plan for this site is to update it every month or two with new projects and new pyrotechnic videos from YouTube. The advertisements will be chosen which meet the criteria for the projects described: low cost, good customer service, and quality materials produced. If you would like to automatically receive an announcement for a new project as they come out on the blog, please send me at email at ssteppphd@gmail.com and I will add you to the notification list. Optionally, describe the types of pyrotechnics you're most interested in.

You may opt out at any time; our emphasis is in the fireworks hobby and "get by" on any profits.