Waterproofing Your Fireworks & Firing In the Rain

If you’re properly prepared, then there’s no reason why wet conditions should prevent you from your display running smoothly. Equally, if you take preventative action, you don’t need to worry about your fireworks being damaged by rain or damp either.

To help explain how you can simply and cheaply waterproof your fireworks, we’ve put together a short video showing how cling film can be used to protect your fireworks. This is summarised further in the step-by-step guide below. We’ve also answered some commonly asked questions related to fireworks and wet conditions.

Please note that the technique explained here is primarily for use with firework cakes. The method won’t work for certain fireworks such as small missile barrages.

In the video above, Nigel explains how you can follow this simple process to ensure that your fireworks are properly waterproofed:

For this method, you will need the following items:

• Cling film
• Sellotape
• Sticky notes or white labels
• A tool to cut the cling film

The task is also made easier if you have an assistant:

1. Lay your firework cake on a flat surface, base down.
2. Locate the fuse. Some fireworks will already have the fuse exposed. If they don’t, remove the protector. Then take a sticky note or white label and stick it to the cake behind the fuse. This will ensure that when you come to fire the firework in the dark, the fuse will stick out on a bright background when you shine a torch on it. Cling film will be placed over the fuse, but it can be easily burned through with a portfire or blowtorch.
3. Lift the firework up and pull the end of the cling film to lay a layer underneath the cake, without cutting the cling film. Lift the firework again and sellotape the edge of the cling film to the middle of the base.
4. Wrap the cling film round the firework cake until all sides are covered. For small firework cakes, you can then cut the cling film and fold the sides round. For extra peace of mind though - and for certain with larger cakes, rotate the firework 90 degrees and repeat the process. This will ensure the firework is sealed in both directions.

Your fireworks are now sealed and will be protected from the rain. They will also be protected from any damage that could otherwise have been caused by damp during storage.