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SMOCK – While few people will see Bryce and Sara Rinkhoff when they attend three Fourth of July celebrations in Donora on Saturday,they’ll be the ones making all the noise.
The Rinkhoffs, of Smock, Fayette County, are the owners of Old Glory Powder Co., a small producer of fireworks that does things the old-fashioned way – making American fireworks for the quintessential American holiday, as well as for a number of other celebrations including community days, weddings and conventions across Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Gunpowder might have been invented in China, but those spinning, whistling, serpentine displays of brilliant color, bursting across a midsummer night sky that are synonymous with the Fourth of July were once made entirely by Americans for Americans, Bryce said.
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“Then fireworks really started taking off,” he said.
During the 1970s, however, many places began buying Chinese-made displays, which were cheaper.
“Now, it definitely has changed,” Bryce said. “The Chinese fireworks prices have gone up, making American fireworks a lot more tempting.”
Sitting at a table on the second floor of a reclaimed barn, Bryce carefully demonstrated what goes into his products, which include color, insert and multiple break shells that can provide displays with breaks of long-lasting vibrant colors, breaks with spinning silver whistles and endings with a resounding salute, or for the kid in everyone, a big bang.
What separates American-made shells from those made in China, besides price?
Color, for one, said Sara, 23.
“The Chinese fireworks tend to be more pastel-colored, but the American ones are deeper in color,” she said. According to an Old Glory product sheet, the Rinkhoffs carry a big palette of mixed-color shells, including red and blue, blue, magenta and green, chrysanthemum and magenta and green and gold, to name a few.
“Of the shells that we include in our displays, 65 percent are American-made,” Bryce said. “We are a company that supports America by buying American products and producing our own specialty shells for our displays.”
Bryce said he became fascinated by fireworks as a boy, and later learned the craft from friends who were making them. Old Glory is licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Bryce is a member of Pyrotechnics Guild International, which includes both amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts.
The Rinkhoffs mix a variety of chemicals to produce the various colors in a process that resembles making a loaf of bread, with the combinations forming a dough-like material that is pressed into a long box resembling a loaf pan. The dough is sliced like a loaf of bread, then diced into smaller “stars” that are sprinkled with black powder that will be packed into hand-formed “cans” of paper shell casings. Depending upon the desired effect of a shell, the packing of stars is alternated with explosives, sometimes including several powerful M-80 firecrackers whenever a loud report is part of the display.
The Rinkhoffs often spend a day mixing the dough, then another day cutting and shaping the paper for the cans.
“You have to be really stocked up on material before you can start,” Bryce said. On a recent Monday, he and Sara produced between 300 and 400 of their small canister shells in preparation for upcoming events. They also make shells up to 8 inches in diameter that weigh between 6 and 8 pounds, as well as ball shells with their fuses sticking out of the top, reminiscent of the kind of explosive a cartoon character might light and hurl.
After all of the ingredients are placed into the can, it is wrapped with craft paper that’s been coated in a wheat paste that is dried, then wrapped tightly with diagonal crisscrosses of cotton string called “spiking” that creates an airtight package. After the paper leader pipes for fuses are attached, each shell is labeled with a description of its effect and color.
Aside from hand making all of the shells, the other side of the Rinkhoffs’ business is conducting the displays, launching them from mortar-like devices. They also make products for other display companies and distributors.
Next week, during the three Donora events, Bryce will be in charge of one, while his brothers will handle the other two.
“Sara will be running between the events to make sure everything is running smoothly,” he said.
Old Glory serves customers within a 300-mile radius and can adapt its displays to an organization’s budget. While summer is the busiest season, the Rinkhoffs said their business, which has become a year-round effort, will take them into the fall. In addition to celebrations and conventions, they also make realistic cannon bombardments for Civil War reenactment groups.
“You’re only limited by your imagination,” Bryce said.
For more information on Old Glory Powder Co., call 724-677-2389, or visit www.oldglorypowderco.com/.
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