.................................................................................................................. TRIBUTE TO DMMY GRUCCI (29 December 1940 - 26 November 1983) Jimmy Grucci was an honored member of a after dinner was to relax, and on the great curved remarkable profession - craftsmen whose artistic extra-sized television screen at the foot of his bed function is momentarily to change the face of the sit and watch tapes of his favorite Grucci fireworks heavens themselves, to make the night sky more shows. What awoke him in the morning - and I beautiful than it is, and in the process give de­ might add everyone else in the Grucci household light and wonder to countless hundreds of thou­ - was an alarm-clock system rigged to that same sands. It surely can be said that Jimmy Grucci TV screen. At the wake-up hour it burst on and designed, and prepared, and fired fireworks shows showed the climactic moment of the Tchaikovsky that were witnessed by IlJore people in his life­ 1812 Overture as played outdoors by Arthur Fied­ time than any contemporary artist I can think of ler and the Boston Pops - the fireworks booming - including the great concert virtuosi, even the and echoing over the Esplanade. There was no most fashionable of the pop stars: over a million yawning and stretching in the Grucci household, people watch the annual Venetian Night show his brother, Felix, once told me, no wiping the sleep along the Chicago waterfront; over two million from one's eyes: at the first sound of that alarm watched the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial this past system, everyone was up! May; Fireworks Night at Shea Stadium has in­ What joy fireworks gave him, and what joy he variably filled every seat. Countless millions watch­ gave us with them. Perhaps the most remarkable ed this last Inauguration's fireworks on television. characteristic, I think of Jimmy, was not only his And Jimmy Grucci, of course, has been an integ­ enthusiastic nature but his attitude about fireworks ral part in making Fireworks by Grucci responsible and the public - his abhorrence of even the for these beautiful and mammoth displays. One thought of not giving the public their mon~y's of them, designed by him, won his family the worth. In a profession where it is easy to short­ championship of the world in Monte Carlo. change the populace, how often I have seen him But I don't think these honors and renown ­ put an extra four or five shells in a show to give the fact that Grucci has become a household word his audience just a bit more than what was neces­ - mattered to him as much as the simple and sary. It was as if he were saying, perhaps these wonderful art of fireworks themselves. Of his fam­ extra shells will ignite something in you which ily Jimmy was the one involved to the point truly of will make you understand what the sheer wonder passion. He worked in the fireworks assembly area of it is - to take an inanimate object, a canister, for as many as ten hours a day, six days a week. a thing of chemicals and minerals, and like a ma­ He loved making shells. He turned and admired gician, an alchemist at his astonishing best, illumi­ a fireworks shell in his hand as a collector might nate the skies with its performance. relish a statue of jade. His favorite was the split There is a famous early nineteenth century comet - perhaps the most famous American essay by William Hazlitt about the death of a great shell ever made ... in the sky tendrils of gold athlete of his time, John Cavanagh, in which Haz­ that split at their ends, and then once again, litt says that when a person dies, who does any until the entire night sky seems like lattice-work. one thing better than anyone else in the world, He also liked noise, of course. Big reports. He it leaves a gap in society. While this may be so, would be letting the tradition down, certainly the it is also true in reference to Jimmy (who made Italian tradition, if there weren't a loud report or fireworks so beautiful that I have seen people two, preferably nine or ten, to accompany things. brought to tears by what they see in the sky) that He understood that curious resthetic balance that fireworks are an on-going and perpetuating art. comes with the combination of beauty and harsh Jimmy is one of a great tradition. He is one with concussion. Claude Ruggieri, Martin Beckman, Peter the Great, In the evening, after work, after all those hours Vigarini, Brock - artists all. His family will con­ of making fireworks, Jimmy would reach home tinue in that tradition. They will not allow a gap and immediately telephone his brother just down to be left in our society. the street to talk ... fireworks. His recreation (Continued on Page 6) .. ... .. ...... .. .... ......... ..... ............. ....... ................................................. PYROTECHNICA: OCCASIONAL PAPERS IN PYROTECHNICS was held responsible for results, accidents or injuries occurring from first published in October, 1977. It is an irregularly appearing any applications of directions or formula:: published herein. Nor serial dedicated specifically to the fireworks art, craft and science. can any guarantee be made that all information, hypotheses, Issues appear as soon as enough suitable articles are submitted theories published herein are correct, or have been verified. by authors for publication. Therefore, there can be no certainty Published information represents only the thinking of the authors as to when each issue will appear, but sustaining subscribers and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial are notified of each new issue as it is published. Since the pub­ staff or the publisher. lication has no control over the number of articles received in The material in PYROTECHNICA is copyrighted under the a given year, the number of issues published yearly will also vary. U.S. Copyright law in effect since 1 January 1978. The pub­ Articles submitted to PYROTECHNICA may be on any aspect lisher provides extra copies of PYROTECHNICA to authors whose of pyrotechnics: chemistry and mechanics of devices and effects, articles appear therein, but in all other cases this publication is design of devices or entire shows, background on chemicals not to be sold, reproduced, or generally distributed without used, economics, history, book reviews, literature reviews and written consent of the publisher, as under the new copyright the politics and law of pyrotechnics. Typewritten manuscripts statute. are given priority. Distribution of this publication is limited to paid sustaining Much of the information published in PYROTECHNICA is of subscribers, those who request to remain on the mailing list and a technical nature which could be dangerous if misapplied. The those who subscribe on a per issue basis. Inquiries should be editorial staff and the publisher of PYROTECHNICA cannot be addressed to the publisher. CONTENTS TRIBUTE TO JIMMY GRUCCI George Plimpton ...... inside front cover FROM THE PUBLISHER Robert G. Cardwell .... :. ............. .. 2 REACTIONS Readers' forum and feedback center 4 TRADITIONAL CYLINDER SHELL CONSTRUCTION, Part I A. Fulcanelli In this first of two parts, the traditional !talo-American method of making single-break cylinder shells is covered. The first part begins with a discussion of materials employed in the manufac­ ture of cylinder shells and a step-by-step account of the method of making a single break shell follows ............................ .. 7 THE PYROTECHNICS GUILD INTERNATIONAL- A CONCEPT WHOSE TIME HAD COME M. P. Vander Horck The founder of the Pyrotechnics Guild International recounts the events leading to the creation of the PGI in 1969, and then gives an account of the first 13 years of this organization, in which it grows from a small, rather structureless club to a large and highly structured organization 35 THE PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY AND PERCEPTION OF COLORED FLAMES, Part II K. L. Kosanke In the second part of this three part monograph, the chemistry of colored flames is discussed. Fundamental principles of chem­ istry are reviewed for the benefit of pyrotechnists without formal training in chemistry, followed by sections on pyrochemical flames for color production, the role of flame temperature, color production in flames, flame reactions, control of flame chem­ istry, and individual treatment of red, green, orange, blue, yel- low and purple flames 42 ROADSIDE STANDS TO STATE FAIRS: FIFTY YEARS OF FIREWORKS Jim Wommack A nostalgic account of a Carolina "fugey" - his odyssey from a boyhood of bunting-draped stands and mail-order fireworks to manhood as a professional shooter and maker of fireworks for state fairs, carnivals and country clubs on the East Coast. 55 LITERATURE AND BOOKS IN REVIEW Dr. Takeo Shimizu reviews the most important titles of Jap­ anese pyrotechnic literature, and R. Cardwell reviews one of the most recently appearing American pyrotechnic books .............. 60 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Access to fireworks and pyrotechnic supplies. ....................... 64 On the Covers: Front - Two 8" Grucci crossette (split comet) shells over Cambridge, MA. Back - A Ruggieri Tableaux courtesy of Fireworks by Grucci. Photographs courtesy of Ken Clark, Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright Ken Clark © 1980; © 1978. From the Publisher ""'il"=========~=========I"'" Pyrotechnists in the United States have been fortu­ public libraries nowadays is about as easy as locating nate enough to see the publication of much pyrotechnic a personal copy of Kentish or Brock in the rare book literature for about the past twenty years, consisting of trade! everything from pamphlets, "chap books" and amateur serials (many of them quite good, albeit reaching a Where possible, we try to make PYROTECHNICA a very limited audience), to the classic reference works vehicle for the innovations in pyrotechny, or at least such as Weingart (reprinted in 1968), Ellern and Lan­ new ways of looking at old problems.