Making Firework Dummies
Posted by Mark Neville on September 13, 2013 0 Comments
Most suppliers will provide a ‘dummy’ of each of their live fireworks that can then be prominently displayed in a retail shop with the words ‘dummy for display purposes only’. Current legislation only allows for a very small weight of Nett Explosive Quantity, (NEC), to be held ‘in front of shop’ and this depends on the total sales area square footage. Dummies are really important Point of Sale items in a retail shop and for Stealth Fireworks there are just a few of the smaller live items held in the display counter cabinets with everything else a dummy.
But what to do if a supplier is unable to / doesn’t provide a dummy? Simply put, the answer is to make one. The two options for doing this are to remove all the NEQ from a live item, (not recommended, messy, laborious, time consuming etc., (you get the picture), or ‘fire’ them which is much more fun and another opportunity for a bit of extra pyro excitement.
There’s still a bit of work involved though. Because a dummy in the shop needs to look nice I have spent today carefully cutting away the top cover for all the firework dummies I need. These include the entire Wicked Demons Barrage Pack, Sonic Force, Star Glitter and the amazing looking Satans Anger 1500 shot candle, (check out the size of this one on our website against a normal can of drink)! Fortunately, I don’t need to make any dummy rocket packs ….. hell of a job running after them in flight to pick up the empty J
Once the top cover has been removed I then wrap the entire product in cling film, firstly to protect it from the weather and secondly so that when I stake and tape them for safety before firing the tape is against the cling film and not my beautiful ‘soon to be’ dummy. Then finally, after the excitement has died down, I collect up all the empties, make sure all the tubes have fired properly and then spend the next morning carefully taping all the top covers back on. Great fun for me in the prep, the firing and the finalisation and it really is a labour of love!
Do come to our firework shop in Southampton, Hampshire and you can see just what I mean.
