Rocket

One of Britain's the best loved fireworks. A motor propels the rocket body into the air with a trail of sparks, often accompanied with a whistle or screech and ending in a burst of colour. The stick or cane stabilises the rocket in flight.

Shell

Often confused with rockets. A sphere or cylinder made of paper or plastic containing stars, bursting charge and delay fuse. Maybe 50mm in diameter up to 600mm or more. Fired from a suitable mortar tube the shell is propelled into the air by a lift charge composed of black powder. The delay fuse can sometimes be seen glowing in the air as the shell spins. This fuse determines when the shell bursts into its noise and/or colour effects.

Tailed Shell

A 'tail' of pyrotechnic material sometimes attached to the shell which produces additional effects on the way up.

Brocade Shell

A shell that consists of long burning stars, usually silver or gold, that falls a substantial distance from the initial shell burst. They can change colour at the end of their flight

Candles

Candles or Roman candles consist of a single cardboard tube filled with pellets or stars of pyrotechnic composition. A delay fuse inside causes a series of repeating stars or other effects to shoot out at regular intervals. They can be used to great effect in fans or crossovers. The candles are most commonly found in 14mm, 18mm, 20mm, 30mm, 50mm and 60mm diameters.

Cake

A multishot battery consisting of a number of closely grouped roman candles linked by fuse. Often take the 'form' of a birthday cake - hence the name. Each candle may fire sequentially, in rows or in waves. Larger ones are often referred to as 'single ignition cakes' and can last up to three minutes.

Mine

Stars are thrown up into the air producing a sudden plume of effect erupting from a mortar tube. Shop items are often preceded by a small fountain showing they have been lit successfully and allowing time to retire to a safe distance.

Catherine Wheel

Named after St. Catherine of Alexandria. The modern Catherine or pin wheel comprises of a flattened paper tube of composition coiled around a plastic centre. It spins around the centre causing sparks to fly off in all directions. Other wheels may consist of two or more 'drivers' (tubes filled with composition and similar to rocket motors) arranged on the outside of a disc causing it to spin in a similar fashion often producing noise effects.

Saxon Wheel

Gives a similar effect to the Catherine wheel. A card tube filled with composition has a hole is nailed so that it is pivoted around at one end.

Slat Wheel

A single spoke usually of wood (smaller ones may be of thick card) pivoted in the middle and spun by two or more 'drivers' attached at right angles towards the ends to produce similar effect as the other wheels.

Lance

A thin paper tube usually producing a single steady coloured flame or changing colour once. Commonly last a minute and when fused together in large numbers to produce writing or picture lancework are referred to as lancework. The heart and initials at wedding shows, corporate logo designs and GOODNIGHT messages at the end of a show are all examples. They may be combined with other effects such as roman candles.

Set Piece

Although the term may be used for lanceworks, it includes assemblies of other static or turning ground effects such as wheels and gerbs and may be extended to other devices supported by posts such as a pigeon.

Gerb

A thick walled tube filled with composition chocked near the end (a narrowing in the neck of the tube) to produce a powerful jet of sparks. Sometimes referred to as a fountain.

Pigeon

Known also as a line rocket. It usually supported on a horizontal rope or wire between two posts. Driven by rocket motors, it travels backwards and forwards several times whistling as it goes.