How and when did you get the "pyro" feeling ?

[50AE]

The purpose of this thread is to let us discuss our first inspiration from fire and pyrotechnics, and maybe the key responsible for our hobby

 

The first time when I got this feeling, it was when I was a kid, around 5 years old. The summer, when the family was on a vacation, we were in our village and one night we made a campfire, to cook some meat (old traditions). It was very big, with huge wide spreading flames. From this moment, I started to like the "flame" itself, just to look how a matters burns. Later, when I was still a kid, I remember I was taking out old newspapers and igniting them outside, just to look at them how they burned .

But the first "meeting" with fireworks was at one New year, when there were sparklers at home. The first sparlker that I ignited myself made me do so with the others, enjoying to look at them as they burn.

 

However, I've never thought of making my own fireworks, until the moment I discovered how rich of information is the internet.

[Mumbles]

In talking with others I've found a high number of tramatic fire related events in the pasts of a lot of the really dedicated pyros. Personally, my house burned down when I was 3. One of my earlier memories. The smell is still very distinct in my mind.

 

I got into pyro after a few years of reading about high energy chemistry.

[marks265]

Well when I was about 13 my brother and I tried our first firework experiment. It consisted of a glass babyfood jar filled with match heads. Boy was that stupid! luckily we only grew tired of using our jean jackets to put out the fire. Shortly after that our neighbor who's dad was a plumber took some 1" copper pipe and filed it with match heads. When trying to assembly it into a you know what it woke up and know he is missing 3 fingers to this day! YUP more stupid shit!

Now, many years (and hobbies) later I bought some fireworks and after a few beers I said I can make that and cheaper too! Well still workin' on both of those thoughts. But seriously it is the manipulation, patience, and trials that I find the most fun. Thank goodness my last brain cell can't figure out the superstitoic chemical reaction of the alcheminated materials needed to propel mass in an outward and upward direction

[TheSidewinder]

No traumatic fire event in my past. I was just always fascinated by any kind of firework as far back as I can remember.

 

I first got my hands on sparklers in 1959 in Watertown, SD, at age 4, and, well.... things just escalated from there.

 

I was the kid on the block known for taking apart fireworks (though no aerials and big stuff we have today), and making "better" ones out of them.

 

I'm probably lucky I didn't kill myself somewhere along the way.

[flying fish]

I told a (true) story on the old forums about how when I was very young, my dad brought me up on the roof of our house...and something goofy happened (I can't remember the story), like my dad went down for a couple minutes and then realized that he left me up there (and I was too young to climb down myself). Then some people that I was telling this story to on the forums yelled at me asking what the hell this had to do with pyrotechnics.

 

Well, I forgot to leave out the Key detail: The REASON why we were up on the roof in the first place was to watch 4th of July fireworks!!! So that must of been when I first realized the beauty of those "shiny colorfull fireball thingys."

 

From then on my family would go to fireworks displays every year with me and my siblings, at the expense of my little brother who was afraid of them !

Edited February 20, 2009 by flying fish

[Aquarius]

My first interest was small bottle rockets, a dozen for a few bucks. Nothing fancy, but they lifted and went bang... Good fun. Must have been around eight or nine and that was it.

NYE was always a big thing, my dad had distress flares and rockets, always a big hit. Then into kewl stuff, but I didn't have any interest of blowing stuff up. Never blown a mailbox in my life!

Along came model airplanes and then model rocekts and AER.I was hooked at the age of eight and still am...

[Pretty green flame]

My parents bought me a pack of rockets for NYE when I was 5, the rockets were made by Weco, they were shit but they were enough to get me hooked, a couple of years after that my dad and I made some black powder, after that, as the saying goes, He who hath smellt the smoke....

 

I didn't make anything serious untill the first year in high school, a couple months into pyro almost blew up my hand (Coffee grinder + BP = VERY BAD IDEA + 2nd degree burns on your hand....), luckily kept all my fingers and no scarring. Well then, 5 years later, here I am, addicted to pyro as never before, and proud of it

 

Every year, our NYE display is bigger and better and my wallet thinner

[50AE]

So after 6 years old, I went for 3 years in Tunisia, because of parents diplomatic work. There wasn't any fireworks, but I did some k3wlish things. Flying matches, match flare, a vapor gun, just a single end copper pipe filled with water, the end clogged with a cork plug. Then I was setting the pipe on a fire, until the vapor pressure inside shot the plug.

When I was back from Tunisia, maybe 1 year later, I had the chance to buy firecrackers. Their "bang" really inspired me, so I was buying more and more, with my neighbour and another friend. The nights before the New Year, we were igniting boxes and boxes. 800 pieces gone for 5 nights, and I had 40 left for the New Year.

But the day I started to realise the beauty of fireworks, was when decided to buy a roman candle. It was my last commercial firework, because I went to France again, for diplomatic work.

 

In France, I somehow found a forum for homemade fireworks/explosives. I think the cause of the searching was my uncle, he told me a story how he was making a reloadable "bang" device, using only a match head, a nail, pipe. Searching for it, I found my first forum.

Edited February 20, 2009 by 50AE

[rev.redneck]

My house burned up in '93, But I dont think that had much to do with anything. My father first told me the chems for BP When I was young, He even got the KNO3 and S from a drug store No ratios though. I am sure thats what did it. Sugar and KNO3 in beer bottles was my first attemps at creating somthing intresting. This place (APC) has inspired me alot, its the " I can do that " Thing.