Thread by @KWF

Step 1: Take empty field.

Step 2: unload box truck filled with firework guns and cleats.

Step 3: arrange racks in clusters per the show firing plan and start nailing them together.

Ever wonder what those nails with thumb tack heads where for?

Makes it a lot easier to pull them out 30 hours later when we're cleaning up the show.

Are you having fun yet? We're definitely having fun. #fireworks

Even. More. Hammering.

Step 4: another truck shows up with our 700 pounds of explosives.

Step 5: clean out the guns of any debris the last show left in them.

Step 6: Safety training on how to handle the 3" shells and not lose fingers.

Step 7: start laying out the shells on guns. Don't load them yet until we have to, but get them all staged to load and wire.

To give people a heads up that the show is about to start, we set off two shells by hand a few minutes before the show with a road flare.

The black part is fuse material infused with black powder. It burns like you'd expect it to based on cartoons.

Once the fire reaches the part wrapped in tape, it's called quickmatch and it burns at about 500 feet PER SECOND. So you only get a second or two of the exposed fuse to take cover.

Most of our shells are then fired by an electronic firing machine using electronic matches.

So most of today is spent wiring each set of shells into one pair of posts on the group's terminal box.

We actually use RJ21 trunk lines to bring the terminal box back to the firing machine.

More and more wiring

Ends up being a bit of a rats nest.

"Soon"

Just final checks and wrapping Al foil over the shells which are at higher risk of being set off early accidentally by sparks during the show. Now we can chill for an hour and wait for sunset.

Djdhsgagdikdjebrkfiwnrbrjdvuudusiehrbh

We start the show with a road flare. 😍😍😍

Boom

Now we just need to clean it all up.