Modern Spectacle: Design, Technology, Considerations and Management

Saturday, 02/17
1:30 PM Mountain Time

Eric Tucker | Pyro Pete Cappadocia | Martin Hildeberg

A roundtable discussion, moderated by Peter Rogoz, of show design concepts with some of the most accomplished pyrotechnicians in the world. . . . Discussions include creative inspiration, workflows, technical developments, and the future of fireworks. What mediums outside of pyro, if any, do you seek inspiration from? Are there particular artforms that influence your work? What are the differences in your approach between designing a stand alone fireworks display vs being part of a multimedia production? Is designing as support for a live entertainer different than designing as part of a multi media show without a live entertainer? How does story influence your design work? Does story outweigh technical knowledge/effects when designing? Walk us through how live entertainment workflows have changed with the integration of several multimedia technologies driving a display at once. How does software like Finale3D and tools like timecode help you integrate a show? Given where the pyro performance industry is now ie: Music/video based, Drone integration, multi media effects like Laser, Water, Projections, Fire etc – where do we think we will be and/or want to be in 5 years? What excites you about fireworks/pyrotechnics? Is there any effect, show, venue, or project in particular that gets your juices flowing? Is there a difference in your approach when designing for a competition rather than a client? If you could give one piece of advice to current and future pyros, what would it be?

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Chlorate and Colored Flames in 19th Century Pyrotechny

Friday, 02/16
4:00 PM Mountain Time

Barry Sturman

The addition of potassium chlorate to the pyrotecnist’s stock of ingredients in the early 19th century led to the development of a full range of . . . bright, distinctive colours. The story of that development will be outlined, along with a discussion of some of the early compositions in the light of modern science

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Western Winter Blast Orientation for first time attendees

Saturday, 01/27
10:00 AM Pacific Time

Dennis Miele | Michelle Joye | Mike Garrett

Is this your first time at WWB? We’ll discuss what to expect including your arrival on-site, Registration, Seminars and Workshops, volunteering, open . . . shooting, evening displays, Manufacturing and more. There will be a Q&A session at the end so we can answer your specific questions.

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Overview of Pyrotechnics Strobe Mechanics

Saturday, 12/02
10:00 AM Pacific Time

Kurt Medlin | Dominykas Juknelevičius

In this presentation, Kurt and Dominykas describes the burning mechanism behind pyrotechnic strobe light effects. Topics include an explanation of the . . . alternating ‘dark’ and ‘flash’ reactions that create the strobe effect and the roles of the chemical components in strobe compositions that create those two reactions. Examples are given for two families of strobe compositions commonly used in practice: ammonium perchlorate-based strobe compositions and nitrate-based strobe compositions. The discussion focuses primarily on understanding the strobe mechanism itself, but will include special considerations and practical information on using strobe compositions in practice.

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Screen Sliced Parlon Bound Stars

Saturday, 09/16
10:00 AM Pacific Time

Mike Gerson

In this Tech Talk Mike Gerson of Skylighter will be showing us how to make red rubber stars using the screen sliced method. These brilliantly burning . . . stars can be made from scratch and ready to shoot in 3 hours or less. Parlon bound stars, such as these, are made by wetting certain compositions with acetone, massaged into a dough, then pressed through a large mesh screen rendering stars of relative consistent size and shape. You can even test burn these stars before they are dry. No other method for making fireworks stars is this fast. We will also show how to prime these star after they have dried.

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Introduction to Black Powder Rockets

Saturday, 01/15
10:15 AM

This introduction to BP rockets will cover the requirements for building core burning motors and some practical considerations.

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Tom Rebenklau Rockets & Precision Headings – Part 1

In this Tech Talk, presented in 2 parts, we will show a special video interview with Tom Rebenklau as he goes through a myriad of custom tooling he . . . has created for making and assembling his precision fireworks components. This includes crossettes, star pumps of every imaginable shape and size, fuse cutters, and jigs for precisely attaching headings to his rockets. Tom will be present to answer questions and further explain certain details. Ned Gorski will join us as a panelists along with Dan Miller who conducted the interview.

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Tom Rebenklau Rockets & Precision Headings – Part 2

In part II of this Tech Talk we will show the rest of a special video interview with Tom as he goes through a myriad of custom tooling he has created . . . for making and assembling his precision fireworks components. Topics covered in this episode include: • Aligning headers on the rocket using a jig • Homemade star pumps • Detailed discussion of crossettes and crossette headings • Cutting time fuse for precision timings. Tom will be present to answer questions and further explain certain details. Ned Gorski will join us as a panelist along with Dan Miller who conducted the interview.

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Senko Hanabi: The World’s Greatest Handheld Firework!

Senko Hanabi – Presenters cover the history, chemistry and practical considerations of this beautiful but ephemeral firework. Senko Hanabi has been . . . described as a miniature fireworks show in your hand. We assembled an all-star group of presenters and panelists from around the world to lead this in-depth discussion.

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Copper(I) Bromide: An Alternative Emitter for Blue-Colored Flame Pyrotechnics

Dominykas will present his study done on CuBr, a candidate emitter for blue flames. Spectra, sensitivity, color properties will be discussed. Dr. . . . Dominykas Juknelevicius is a chemist from Lithuania. He has spent 7 years doing research on illuminating pyrotechnics and last year he has defended his PhD on the same topic. Besides scientific work, he shoots firework displays and is also familiar with the craft of making fireworks. Moderated by Joel Baechle

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An Introduction and Practical Guide to Using Glitter Mixes

In this seminar, Kurt will present an overview of basic glitter effect types, common formulations, and the role of the various components in glitter . . . mixes. Practical considerations for using glitter mixes in stars and comets, as well as static and propulsive devices like fountains, drivers, saxons and tourbillions will be presented.

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Practical Tips for Using Ematches and Wires When Planning a Show

Without aligning with any firing system, there are several considerations for choosing how to wire effects to firing systems and even simple . . . batteries, along with using long runs of shooting wire. Parallel and Series firing have many different factors that affect them. The proper selection of wire, series vs parallel wiring, and the overall field layout can have a big impact on the success of your show. Will cover how ematches work, shunting, simple methods for calculating the number of ematches you can shoot in various series/parallel configurations, why wire gauge of your shooting wire matters, tips when mixing matches from different manufacturers, and situations where some methods may be better than others. Using standard (<= 24V) vs high voltage capacitive discharge firing units in different situation will also be covered.

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