Lighting up the Sky

ByMassimoMagriYr8X

A pyrotechnician is a type of engineer that specialises in Fireworks and sets up Firework displays or helps in preparation of a display. In Malta pyrotechnicians are quite popular and can be found making fireworks in special rooms 200 meters away from any buildings in case of an explosion.

As a child, possibilities of hobbies are endless but some are not so common. My hobby is as a pyrotechnician and I help in the making of Maltese fireworks with my family members. Fireworks in Malta go back to the times of the knights of Saint John to commemorate victories or times of happiness and joy. Fireworks in Malta are now used to celebrate a town/villages local feast.

How it all started

When I was 10, I was introduced to fireworks by my uncle who had started making them over 30 years ago. He showed me the basics , for example rolling the fuse papers and making taps for the fireworks. When I was 11 I went to burn my first Maltese firework and it was awesome. The firework I burned was a lightning shell that is a mixture of noises that are timed differently and with a different sound. Before making a firework I needed to make sure no one is in a nearby field as if a light strobe lands on him it can seriously damage the person physically. After that I had to load in the firework and make sure the paper cover was off so that it can give me time to run to take cover. When I lit it up I felt great and when the firework was timed perfectly it was even better. My uncle told me when I would grow up I would be exactly like him. Now that I’m 12 I am not going to light up fireworks because I still need a license to even step inside the fireworks factory, Instead I helped them make the papers and the capsules of the fireworks so when we go to fill everything up with the explosive and colourful powder we can find them ready and not be late for the local feast.

When the summer starts a lot of fireworks start to be made. Some types are the lightning Fireworks that make a series of noise. These are lit in the day and sometimes in the night when a colourful shell is added at the end. Another type of firework is a star Firework. These hardly make any noise because it is only used to make a series of patterns out of different coloured shells. Some designs that are used are words , different shapes and also colour changing shells. Common shells that change colours start from blue, move on to red and end with a white strobe. Each colour has to have over 300 shells and 600 more with different sizes. A ball of balls is one of the most popular Fireworks but one of the most hardly seen in the Maltese skies. This is because 19 balls has to be added to a even bigger ball. This has a diameter of 10 inches by 10 inches. When lit up ( usually by a electric current ) it rises and only explodes once. 5 seconds after all this happens a large dome of small fireworks is released. Every firework has a small plastic cup is filled with a substance called “ Tir “ in Maltese is placed uber the firework and connected to the main fuse that is going through the firework. This fuse is a fast one but the one on the inside is very slow because every capsule has a different timing to explode. Sometimes a small whistle (that Is activated by the gunpowder and stars is placed at the sides ) to give a indication that it is going to be impressive or be very big. Some fireworks vary in size, some can fit in the palm of your hands while others are taller that 2 people stacked on top of each other.

Ground Fireworks

Ground fireworks are also part of a village feast and are much safer than fireworks that explode in the sky. This is because nothing explodes but only lights fire to different coloured gasses. Gasses are like star shells but have different elements added to them. Ground fireworks turn with fountains. Fountains are a mix of star powder and gunpowder. The stars slow the gunpowder down instead of it all suddenly making gunshot noises it also gives it a blueish colour when it is burning. Gasses are made with a 8 millimetre thick cigarette filter and a brown paper ( this step has to be repeated for 10,000 or more times ). Later it is filled with the different coloured star powder and topped with a small explosive charge that doesn’t let the powder out. When all the gasses are done they are put into a nail ( the filter makes it go in easier) and is hot glued on the stick. A piece of fuse is then attached and taped to them. They are put in a piece of paper so that when another ground firework is being ignited no sparks or lit up residue is put in the fuse and ends up lighting it all. The fuse is also perfectly engineered to be faster when it goes inside the brown paper this is because oxygen levels are lowered and creates a combustion so that the fuse gets faster and lights everything up at once. The fuse connects the whole thing and doesn’t show any colour and is connected with all the gasses. It looks like a small fence.

Where it is made

All fireworks are made in in a factory 500 meters from any building or road. The brown paper can be made in a “ Mahzen “and can be made in a home if you know how to make it. The black fuse is made out of a charge, cotton and string. It is hung and left to dry. The fuse comes in different sizes. Some can be up to 20 meters long and is cut to fit the paper. The fountains are made of a type we call “ Trikki Trakki “ and is used to make the fountains. The fountains are filled with any colour that you want and the black powder.

The fireworks that change colour are hard to make and need to make a lot of changes to the formula which can make them explode or catch fire. The colour you compress first is always the last to catch fire. Some balls can be up to 9 millimeters thick or 2 centimeters thick. The timings are based on the thickness of every powder. The chemical formula for the colour blue is CuCl2 and contains red litmus paper and black copper. Red is NaNO3 and contains lithium salts and even traces of 24 karat gold the better the karat of gold the more bright it is. The timing of the lighting shells are made

Continues Pg 6 with a type of fuse which is called the main fuse. Every millimetre is 1 second. When the fuse is put in the hole it is sealed using wood glue twice. The reason for this is to not let any powder leak and light up the shell before the set time. When the second layer of glue is put on it is immediately put in a tray of saw dust to make the glue stronger. When all the small shells are done they are placed on top of each other to make the desired effect of the person making the firework. Over 2500 shells fit in a section of the firework depending how big the section is. Most of the time it is put in this order : Separation shell which separates the 4 shells , lightning shell (x3) which makes the loud sound and a last bomb to signal that the firework is over. The last bomb usually explodes last and is dangerous for people that are firing them. In some cases this explodes on the floor or 2-6 meters above the floor (usually dirt).

What happens after the explosion

After the firework finishes not all the small shells explode and are sometimes fired 90 meters away from the site it is fired from. The usual things that are left are traces of the separating powder black taps for the small shells. Round wheels that are used to support the bottom of the firework and acts as a foundation, if you get lucky a full shell would have fallen on the floor (don’t pick it up) .If it has black paste on it, a red fuse and both black taps on it is dangerous because it is still warm and can explode with no warning. Multiple people have been killed or disabled for life because of unexploded shells.

Jelly-bean learning

ByMariaGerada

The boys in year 2Z were super excited to conduct their experiment with toothpicks and jellybeans. The boys needed to use their knowledge about forces and shapes to build a structure.

They did a super job and worked well together to build some amazing structures. The boys then wrote their observations in their science journal describing all of the different elements. The boys also tried to describe their structure in Maltese as part of a show and tell activity.