[Danny Roth]

in reply to: Post-4th fireworks drought hitting anyone else hard rn? #5736

Man I feel this. July is always a dead zone after the 4th rush. I usually just stock up on clearance and wait it out lol. But ngl it’s nice having a break — gives me time to restock and plan for Labor Day.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: DIY fuse timing — anyone using electronic igniters these days? #5723

I built my own system using Arduino and some cheap igniters from Amazon. Honestly for the price its hard to beat. Ive had maybe 1 failure out of like 50+ firings and that was probably my bad wiring. The prebuilt consumer stuff like the Cobra system is solid but expensive. If you got time to tinker DIY is the way to go. Just make sure you test everything before show day lol.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: What do you do with leftover fireworks after the 4th? #5701

I do the same thing honestly. Buy extra just in case and then end up with a pile of leftovers lol. My trick is I keep a separate bin in the basement labeled NYE stash so I don’t accidentally light everything at Labor Day. But the heat thing is real – I lost a case of cakes last year that sat in my garage through August. The lift charges were super weak. Now I keep everything in the basement with a dehumidifier running.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: What kind of insurance do you need when transporting fireworks commercially? #5658

Great question Steve. I went through this exact thing when I started my own show company.

The short answer is: yes, you need separate hazmat cargo insurance. Standard commercial auto policies explicitly exclude hazmat. I use a broker who specializes in pyro insurance – there are a few out there. Expect to pay somewhere around $1500-3000/year depending on your volume.

Also worth noting: if you’re just hauling 1.4G consumer stuff the requirements are a little more relaxed vs 1.3G. But honestly the insurance cost difference isnt that big so I just got full coverage for both.

One thing nobody told me until I already had a policy – check if your coverage includes loading/unloading. Some policies only cover while the truck is moving and you’re SOL if something happens while you’re at a show site.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: Anyone else think fireworks packaging design matters more than people admit? #5621

100% agree. Packaging is a huge factor at retail. I’ve passed on what were probably great cakes just because the box looked cheap. Meanwhile I’ve bought things that looked amazing on the shelf and the product was meh lol.

That retro trend you mentioned ??yeah I’ve seen that too. World Class had some fountains last year with that old-school label design. Really stood out.

Whoever does the art for Brothers also does a nice job. Consistent look across their lineup.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: Any tips on getting a cleaner break on 4 inch shells? #5602

I had the same issue with my early shells man. Took me a while to figure out it was my pasting technique all along. I was rushing the layers and getting weak spots.

Something that helped me a ton was switching to a hemp string for spiking instead of cotton. Way less stretch, tighter wrap. Also started using a break charge of 60/40 KNO3/sulfur with 5% aluminum ? gives a real crisp crack instead of a puff.

One more thing ? check your lift charge too. If you’re not getting consistent height your break position will be all over the place and the pattern will look uneven no matter what.

What mortar tube length are you using? I found 4:1 ratio (4x diameter) gives the best results for canisters.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: What do you do with leftover fireworks after the 4th? #5581

Late to this convo but honestly I just light em all. I had like 3 cakes left over after the 4th and a bunch of rockets. Went out on the 5th with some buddies and shot the rest. Kinda nice actually, no pressure to put on a “show” — just relaxing and lighting stuff. Weather was good too. Save em if you can store em right but honestly I say just have another mini-party lol.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: Can you ship fireworks through FedEx or UPS or do you need a special carrier? #5548

Appreciate the info guys. So follow up question – what about shipping within China itself? Like if Im looking at sourcing from Chinese manufacturers directly, do they handle the domestic shipping to the port themselves or is that something I need to arrange separately?

Ive been looking into container orders and trying to figure out the full logistics chain from factory to port. Some suppliers say they include inland freight in the quote, some dont. Would be good to know what’s standard practice.

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: Happy 4th of July Weekend – What’s everyone lighting up? #5517

I did a small show in the backyard with some friends. Nothing too fancy – couple of 500g cakes and a box of rockets. The TNT “Night Hawk” cake was surprisingly good for the price. Love hearing about everyone’s setups. Makes me want to go bigger next year!

[Danny Roth]

in reply to: Best packaging you’ve seen this season? #5489

TNT’s packaging this year is really solid. The matte black with neon accents looks super clean. I’ll admit I bought a case of their “Black Label” stuff mostly because the box looked cool on the shelf.

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