Having looked at the basics of setting up, we now concentrate on specific advice for cakes, candles and rockets.

Thank you to The Firework Store for their kind sponsorship of this section so that we can continue to offer this valuable information free to all our visitors.

Any bigger display will contain a large amount of cakes. Take a few minutes to check the cake for any specific instructions, for example any packaging you have to remove. Fan cakes will need to be set up in a particular way - look for a label saying "This side to audience".

Locate the fuse. On some cakes this will be on the top, others will have it on a side or corner. Some fuses are taped to the body of the firework, some are covered with foil protectors, some have sleeves on. You need to ensure the fuse is readily accessible after you have set it up.

Many cakes are bottom heavy and pretty stable without support. However for total safety we do recommend staking them out anyway.

It really is as simple as this. Waterproof the firework. Stake it. Job done.

Different members on UKFR have used different ways to waterproof their fireworks. Some use clingfilm, some use bin bags. It really doesn't matter as long as the firework is protected.

A really simple and quick way to waterproof an item is to put it in a bin liner. Tape it to the stake, and place another bin bag over the top and secure it. It is waterproof now and all you need to do is remove the top bag when you're ready to fire.

For even better safety, consider using a wooden board as a base for each firework:

This makes the firework safer by giving it a solid base to stand on. It will also help protect the firework from wet grass or dew. Note in both of the above examples, only readily available (and cheap) materials have been used: Tape, bags and timber.

However you waterproof and secure your fireworks, always take time to locate the fuse. Avoid taping around the fuse when you attach it to the stake. Free the fuse from any sellotape holding it to the cake and ensure it is accessible when you are ready to fire (but do not leave it exposed until then). A good tip is to have the fuse in the same aspect with each firework, eg. facing the firer. If conditions are dry, you can remove the outer waterproofing and/or expose the fuses, just before the display starts.

UKFR member Ambientskies' solution to finding fuses in the dark: Mark the
location of each one with a small glowstick. Other members have suggested
using luminous paint or glow-in-the-dark labels.

When you stake your fireworks, you can use timber which is readily available from DIY shops or timber yards - and you can reuse it for future displays of course. It is recommended that you put the stake on the audience side of each firework.

Some members use other ways of securing fireworks on grassy ground, including metal rods instead of wooden stakes. Some use parcel tape to secure them to stakes, some use wire, cable ties or duck tape. We'll leave you to find your preferred method. Use common sense and remember the objective is to ensure the firework cannot fall over.

If waterproofing is not required, setting is is really easy as shown here.
The cake is taped to a stake. The card is to provide a slightly firmer
grounding and to protect from wet grass (dew).

We recommend staking ALL your cakes irrespective of size. Smaller cakes can often be more prone to tipping over as they are lighter (particularly if set out on grass).

Part-burying fireworks - as often suggested on many labels - is potentially the safest thing to do, but by far the most impractical. Many manufacturers have seen common sense in the last few years and amended their labels to suggest staking as an option. Burying is fine for a few fireworks in a back garden, but quite another matter if you have a large number of items.

The objective of a firework label, and our advice, is the same: To ensure the firework cannot tip over.

Using cakes on concrete or hard surfaced areas is not recommended for amateur firers. To secure these from falling over, you'll need to take a little more time and care. Timber frames or supports should be used. Check out or many behind the scenes Features for ideas or ask in our forum for help if you are a member.

Of course, if the hard area is surrounded by soil or lawn, you don't have a problem - just situate the fireworks along the edge of the hard area and attach to stakes banged into the soft ground!

Candles are similar to cakes but tend to be thin and tall, and unable to stand on their own. Stakes are essential for these items.

Locate the fuse (which on nearly all candles is on the top) and check the label for any special instructions. Check which way up the candle goes.

Waterproofing is really easy - pop the candle into a bin liner, attach it to a stake, and pop another bag over the top.

This large candle pot is secured to a stake, slightly angled
away from spectators, and waterproofed with a bag. Job done - easy!

Candles and candle pots (such as the ones shown here) MUST be staked.
They will fall over in use otherwise.

Many candles come in "fans" where a number of candles (typically three or more) are secured to a wooden frame. To set these up, attach the fan's frame to a stake banged into the ground.

Never use a hammer to bang a candle directly into the ground.

Candles are easy to angle slightly away from spectators - angle the stake itself to which the candle is attached to.

As with cakes, our members have used different ways to secure candles. Some use tape, some use cable ties etc. The latter is a quick and easy way to attach candles to stakes, but be careful not to over tighten them.

Rockets are great fun both to watch and fire. But, reaching speeds of several hundred miles per hour in a just a few seconds means you need to be careful setting them up.

Use a proper launch tube, pushed firmly into the ground and angled slightly as required to take the flight away from spectators. Remember, rockets track into wind, so if there is a strong wind blowing from your spectators towards your fireworks, you risk having your rockets taken towards the audience.

Check the fuse covers before the display. We've had many members advise us that the covers on some rockets have been very hard to remove, and delayed the display as a result.

Waterproofing is easy with rockets too - a bag over the top will suffice. Most rockets have a plastic fuse cover which can be left on until just before the display or even until you fire the rocket (but see the warning above). Always remove any bags or other waterproofing from the rocket before firing it.

Waterproofed rocket. Easy.

For better safety, consider securing your tubes to wooden stakes, or building (or buying) a rocket rack. The key point with any rocket tube is that the rocket must be free to rise. Ensure you use only firm, rigid tubes.

A line of rockets each in their own tube, attached to a stake, and waterproofed.
This is ideal for a small number of rockets.

A larger rocket rack constructed from timber. Ideal for larger numbers of rockets.

Rocket racks are relatively easy to build yourself. There are many methods you can use. The easiest is to attach a series of tubes to a timber frame. Other methods include using two parallel timber struts with holes drilled for the rockets. Whatever method you use, make sure the rockets will be free to rise from the rack. If you need further advice on this subject, ask in our members forum - many of our members build and use their own racks.

Rocket rack : 1162kb Windows Media. UKFR member RocketRev sets up a simple rack made from timber and plastic tubes. Note that the angles used here are only suitable if you have a very big fall out areas (in this case, several large fields).

We should stress that racks are not essential. Single tubes attached to single stakes are fine for each rocket but if you display a lot, racks do cut down setting up time.

Never, ever, launch rockets from bottles! This is extremely dangerous.

Spend some time thinking about where you situate rockets before you set up. Of all the fireworks available, rockets can travel the furthest away from the launch area and have potentially the most dangerous fall out.

The firer silhouetted at the bottom of the trail shows just how far rockets can travel.
In this shot, the wind was actually blowing right to left, but as you can see the rockets
are tracking INTO the wind. Make sure you allow for these factors when deciding on your launch site.

In the next section, setting up the other types of fireworks including fountains and mines. Click here.