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Roman Candle Techniques
Ever since I started to light my own consumer firework displays, the one type of firework that I have always tried to fit in somewhere has been roman candles. I have tried lighting one at a time only to find that unless you use them right in the beginning they don't seem impressive. I have tried using a roman candle triangle only to find it was two much of a hassle for what you got. I think I have finally found ways that will allow you to use roman candles in the middle of your show without loosing your audience. This article will talk about techniques that I have come up with to give your display a nice transitional effect, or for something different.
| Roman Candle Racks If you are to incorporate roman candles anywhere in your show and have them look impressive, you will be needing a few roman candle racks. I have developed three different types of roman candle racks ranging from easy to more complicated one to build. You can check out the designs of the racks on our Advance Technique page. What is nice about the roman candle racks (RCR) is that you can set them up to shoot at all different angles. Another benefit of using a RCR is that you can fuse groups of them together. The last reason why RCRs are nice is that you don't have to worry about finding a place to stick them in the ground or holding them. |
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| If you design your own RCRs there are a few things to make sure that you do to build a great rack. First, remember that you can angle the candles slightly, this way they all aren't going straight up. Try not to build racks with fewer than 6 candles in them. If you build racks with fewer than 6 spots for candles make sure that you are going to have multiple candle racks going off at the same time. A great looking technique is to have 3 roman candle rack with 3 candles angled on each rack. Space the racks about 10-20ft. apart and electrically fire them to go off at the same time, forming a criss-cross pattern. | |
Shoot More Than One At A Time
The greatest benefit of using the RCRs is the ability to setup up
and light more than one candle at a time. Lighting more than one candle at a
time looks exceptionally good when used in an few angled RCRs spread out so
that the effects criss-cross in the sky. Try to create panoramic racks that
have a nice fan of candles, remember the more you can fit the more
impressive the effect will be. Try to have a nice assortment of different
type of racks at different angles to make sure you can create any effect you
wish.
How Many Should I Shoot At A Time?
The answer to this is how wide you want your roman candle front to
be. Also remember you are limited to you rack size. While some of our racks
can be made 8 ft. long I don't recommend doing this as you will not achieve
as spectacular effect as if you divided that one rack into two 4 ft. long
racks.
Most roman candle packs come in either 4, 6, or 12 in a pack so make sure
your rack is a multiple of these numbers.
Combining With Other Items
One item that seems to work really good with roman candles are fountains.
Fountains are another item that is hard to place in a display. However when
you match effects and color from the fountain with a roman candle that
compliments the fountain, you just created a full low level display. Try not
to pick out fountains that go very high because you might hide the effect of
the roman candles.
Combining a front of roman candles also works very well with aerial shells.
Again try to pick out complimenting color and effects. This technique is
used a lot in professional fireworks to give the illusion that the shells
are resting on to of the candles. To create a spectacular firework front use
fountains, roman candles, and shells all at once to create a wall of fire.
When Would I Use In My Display
When roman candles are setup this way they can be used at almost
anytime during your show now. If you are setting your display off to music
this is the perfect setup for when it is a slow or melodic part of a piece
of music. Another perfect time to use roman candles in your display is when
you want to make a transition from ground items to aerial items. If you need
some time to reload your mortar racks this would also be another good time
to drop in a front of roman candles. Another time to use a few roman
candle racks is when you want to have a base for your aerial items, this
will help create your wall of fire.