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The safety ratings are given for four areas of hazard concern: Ref: Selected Pyrotechnic Publication of K.L. and B.J Kosanke, Part 3, (1993-1994), pp 92-93 (K3_92)

K. L. and B. J. Kosanke The title of this very short article is, in effect, a direct quote from a label found on some display firework aerial shells, see Figure 1. As it turns out, the label is more literally correct than might have been intended. Note that one of the instructions is to …
Continue reading Warning Extremely Dangerous Directions for Firing

K. L. and B. J. Kosanke It is difficult to argue that the quality of Chinese fireworks has not improved greatly over the past 25 years. However, that is not to say that on occasion, one still does not encounter quality related problems, sometimes so extreme that it is hard to believe. The photo in …
Continue reading An Interesting New Design???

M. J. McVicar and K. L. Kosanke The forensic science community has had a long-standing interest in the analysis of the residues deposited after the deployment of devices whose operation involves a controlled explosion. For example, testing for the residues of the compounds of lead, barium, and antimony, used in the primer of small-arms ammunitions, …
Continue reading Indoor Pyrotechnics-A Brief Cautionary Message

K. L. and B. J. Kosanke In the hope of avoiding a serious accident, earlier issues of Fireworks Business carried a report of the powerfully explosive malfunctions of some tiger-tail comets,[1] and then a brief report of an examination and initial testing of a number of the suspect comets.[2] Since that time, samples from one …
Continue reading Further Report on the Testing of Suspect Tiger-Tail Comets

K. L. and B. J. Kosanke This article originally appeared in Fireworks Business, No. 236, 2003. A study of performance characteristics of some common electric matches had been conducted.[1] During the course of that study, a series of electron micrographs were made of the residues produced upon firing the electric matches. Those electric matches using …
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K. L. Kosanke In 2003 a fireworks display company experienced two serious malfunctions of a product. The items were 5-inch White Tiger Tail shells under the brand name of Flower Basket (See Figure 1). These shells are spherical in shape and at the time were thought to be solid masses of comet composition, without a …
Continue reading WARNING: Serious Product Malfunction

K. L. Kosanke An investigation of an unfortunate accident involving indoor pyrotechnics was completed a little while ago. This article was written in the hope that by suggesting a trivially simple step, similar accidents might be avoided in the future. Ref: Selected Pyrotechnic Publication of K.L. and B.J Kosanke, Part 5, (1998-2000), pp 118-119 (K5_118)

K. L. and B. J. Kosanke The Pyrotechnics Committee of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently revised the Code for Fireworks Displays, NFPA 1123. The revised code included recommendations for wall thickness for fiberglass mortars and for larger sizes of high-density polyethylene mortars. In anticipation of the committee’s discussions of the needed strength of …
Continue reading Peak Mortar Pressures When Firing Spherical Aerial Shells