Fireworks effects and terminology can often be confusing. Below is a list of what you might see on the "Performance Information" or description on the side of a consumer firework. Fireworks are too often overlooked as art. They are the most tangible form of live art. The effects are also commonly named after flowers or things you would find in nature. Wild Bills and Crazy Toms wants to give our customers as much information as possible to help understand what the different special effects of fireworks are, and the performance description. If you find this information interesting look for the comming information about how fireworks work and the compounds and chemicals that make them work. The world of pyrotechnics goes back thousands of years, in fact fireworks were invented by mistake in China thousands of years ago. If you wish to add something please send it to us.

You will find the below terms on the Performance Description listed on the label of the actual item. A star is the term used for the part of the firework that produces the effect. A palm, Dahlia or willow is common at a wedding show. The below is true for both 1.4g un0336 and 1.3g Class B.
 

Peony
A spherical break of colored stars. The peony is the most commonly seen shell (Artillery) type.                 

Chrysanthemum
A spherical break of colored stars, similar to a peony, but with stars that leave a visible trail of sparks.


Dahlia
Essentially the same as a peony shell, but with fewer and larger stars. These stars travel a longer-than-usual distance from the shell (Artillery) break before burning out. For instance, if a 3" peony shell is made with a star size designed for a 6" shell (Artillery), it is then considered a dahlia. Some dahlia shells are cylindrical rather than spherical to allow for larger stars.


Willow
Similar to a chrysanthemum, but with long-burning silver or gold stars that produce a soft, dome-shaped weeping willow-like effect.


Palm
A shell containing a relative few large comet stars arranged in such a way as to burst with large arms or tendrils, producing a palm tree-like effect. Proper palm shells feature a thick rising tail that displays as the shell ascends, thereby simulating the tree trunk to further enhance the "palm tree" effect. One might also see a burst of color inside the palm burst (given by another small insert shell (Artillery)) to simulate coconuts.


Ring
A shell with stars specially arranged so as to create a ring. Variations include smiley faces, hearts, and clovers. This effect is seen in Black Cats "get Inked" artillery. Smiley faces and butterflies as well.


Ravenclaw's Diadem
A type of Peony or Chrysanthemum with a center cluster of non-moving stars, normally of a contrasting color or effect. The name comes from the Latin word for "jewel" or Gem. It is a disguise for one of the Horcruxes in the final book of the Harry Potter series.


Kamuro
A dense burst of glittering silver or gold stars which leave a heavy glitter trail. The name refers to a common Japanese hairstyle.


Crossette
A shell (artillery) containing several large stars that travel a short distance before breaking apart into smaller stars with a loud crackling sound, creating a crisscrossing grid-like effect. Once limited to silver or gold effects, colored crossettes such as red, green, or white are now very common.


Spider
A shell containing a fast burning tailed or charcoal star that is burst very hard so that the stars travel in a straight and flat trajectory before burning out. This appears in the sky as a series of radial lines much like the legs of a spider.

Horsetail
Named for the shape of its break, this shell features heavy long-burning tailed stars that only travel a short distance from the shell burst before free-falling to the ground. Also known as a waterfall shell. Sometimes there is a glittering through the "waterfall." Enhanced even more if water or humidity is high when discharging. 


Time Rain
An effect created by large, slow-burning stars within a shell that leave a trail of large glittering sparks behind and make a very loud sizzling noise. The "time" refers to the fact that these stars burn away gradually, as opposed to the standard brocade "rain" effect where a large amount of glitter material is released at once.


Multi-Break shells
A large shell containing several smaller shells of various sizes and types. The initial burst scatters the shells across the sky before they explode. Also called a bouquet shell. When a shell contains smaller shells of the same size and type, the effect is usually referred to as "Thousands". Very large bouquet shells (up to 48 inches) in a 1.3G Class or are frequently used in Japan.


Fish
Large inserts that propel themselves rapidly away from the shell burst, often looking like fish swimming away. or a lot of fish swimming in the water and the ripple effect seen above the water. Also known as bee's.


Salute
A shell containing a large quantity of flash powder rather than stars, producing a quick flash followed by a very loud report. Titanium may be added to the flash powder mix to produce a cloud of bright sparks around the flash. Salutes are commonly used in large quantities during finales to create intense noise and brightness. They are often cylindrical in shape to allow for a larger payload of flash powder, but ball shapes are common and cheaper as well. Salutes are also called Maroons. In 1.4G fireworks salutes usually contain 200 grams of flash or blasting powder.


Lampare
A shell containing a burst charge of flash powder that sits above a container of liquid fuel, usually diesel fuel or kerosene, to produce a fireball in the sky. This is only seen in 1.3G fireworks. Professional firework displays. However this effect has been "simulated" in consumer fireworks, never duplicated.


Mine
A mine is a ground firework that expels stars and/or other garnitures into the sky. Shot from a mortar like a shell, a mine consists of a canister with the lift charge on the bottom with the effects placed on top. Mines can project small reports, serpents, small shells, as well as just stars. Mines can be up to 12 inches in diameter, they are usually between 3 and 5 inches in diameter. In 1.4g consumer fireworks, this effect is commonly found in "Excalibur" and "Locked and Loaded" or "Barely Legal". This is a common artillery shell however it is not cylindrical but round like the cardboard inside a roll of paper towels.


Roman Candle
A Roman ,or a California, candle is a long tube containing several large stars which fire intermittently at a regular interval. These are commonly arranged in fan shapes or crisscrossing shapes, at a closer proximity to the audience. Some larger Roman candles contain small shells (bombettes) rather than stars. A Roman
candle has the ability to shoot like artillery with the reports not being so large, without the need to reload either and far less expensive.

Cake AKA 500 grams
A cake is a cluster of small tubes linked by fuse, that fire small aerial effects at a rapid pace. Tube diameters can range in size from ¼ inch to 4 inches, and can sometimes have over 1,000 shots. These are often used in large quantities as part of a show's finale. The variety of effects within individual cakes is often such that they defy descriptive titles and are instead given cryptic names such as "Bermuda Triangle", "Pyro Glyphics", "Waco Wakeup", and "Poisonous Spider", to name a few. Others are simply quantities of 2.5"-4" shells fused together in single-shot tubes.

Chemistry of Firework Colors

Incandescence
Incandescence is light produced from heat. Heat causes a substance to become hot and glow, initially emitting infrared, then red, orange, yellow, and white light as it becomes increasingly hotter. When the temperature of a firework is controlled, the glow of components, such as charcoal, can be manipulated to be the desired color (temperature) at the proper time. Metals, such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium, burn very brightly and are useful for increasing the temperature of the firework.

Luminescence
Luminescence is light produced using energy sources other than heat. Sometimes luminescence is called 'cold light', because it can occur at room temperature and cooler temperatures. To produce luminescence, energy is absorbed by an electron of an atom or molecule, causing it to become excited, but unstable. When the electron returns to a lower energy state the energy is released in the form of a photon (light). The energy of the photon determines its wavelength or color.

Sometimes the salts needed to produce the desired color are unstable. Barium chloride (green) is unstable at room temperatures, so barium must be combined with a more stable compound (e.g., chlorinated rubber). In this case, the chlorine is released in the heat of the burning of the pyrotechnic composition, to then form barium chloride and produce the green color. Copper chloride (blue), on the other hand, is unstable at high temperatures, so the firework cannot get too hot, yet must be bright enough to be seen.

Quality
Pure colors require pure ingredients. Even trace amounts of sodium impurities (yellow-orange) are sufficient to overpower or alter other colors. Careful formulation is required so that too much smoke or residue doesn't mask the color. With fireworks, as with other things, cost often relates to quality. Skill of the manufacturer and date the firework was produced greatly affect the final display.