When the sun goes down on July 4, Americans in more than a hundred cities will see the latest combustible pageantry from Fireworks by Grucci. The 160-year-old pyrotechnics firm has produced eye-popping explosions for everything from The Bachelor (a Las Vegas extravaganza in season 15) to the opening of Dubai's Palm Jumeirah artificial islands (the largest fireworks show in history). But for all the computers and wireless launching systems on hand at events, many of Grucci's most important tools are in its facility on the grounds of an Army ammunition plant in Radford, Virginia. Safety is paramount to executive VP Phil Grucci, who lost his father and a cousin in an explosion in 1983. We asked him to tell us about his tools.
Fireworks and Production Instruments
Safe-T-Ohm Shoe Tester
Conductive footwear and antistatic coveralls are de rigueur at Grucci, where a static shock can have terrible consequences. This meter sends a current through the foot to make sure workers aren't building up a charge. $920
Patterson-Kelley V Blender
Fireworks usually contain an oxidizer and a coloring agent (copper burns blue, for example). These ingredients are mixed in this giant V blender. It can also be used to coat rice hulls with black powder to create a bursting charge. $35,000
Sartorius FC2CCE-SX Scale
Volatile materials require a great deal of precision—no mixing a pinch of this with a dash of that. This especially accurate, and explosion-proof, scale can measure down to a hundredth of a gram. $5,000
SmartTool PRO 360 Digital Protractor
To calculate the height a firework will reach: Line up the sight with the burst, record the angle, and bust out the trigonometry. The result also tells Grucci about the muzzle velocity of its mortars. $400
Quest Model 1700 Impulse Sound Level Meter
Some customers demand 130 decibels. Others—zoos with skittish animals, for example—need 75 dB. Grucci uses this meter to ensure that it's meeting the client's bang-bang specs. $2,645
Vibrating Table
You don't want your shipment to be damaged when the truck it's in hits a pothole. This table simulates a trip down the highway. If a package survives a few hours on the table, it's ready to hit the road. Custom-made $5,000 to $7,000
By Mike Olson
Photos: David Duncan
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