Manufacturing Rules and Policies

1. Attendees must provide their own shade structure. All mixing of compositions must be done out of direct sunlight. Stainless steel bowls are forbidden for ANY mixed comp. Glass, plastic or non-sparking metal bowls are required. Attendees must provide tables, appropriate tools and supporting equipment, such as non-sparking hammers and ramming stations
2. Alcohol will NOT be consumed inside the fence at Sara Park during Western WinterBlast, or at Hawthorne Speedway during DO-IT. Anyone caught drinking will be expelled from the event. Any obvious odor of alcohol will be considered the same as consuming on site. This is non-negotiable and applies to everyone, including staff. At DO-IT, alcohol is allowed after open shooting is closed, and only around the food tent/firepit areas.  No Alcohol is allowed in manufacturing.
3. Anyone perceived to be unruly, unsafe, or under the influence will be removed from the manufacturing area at the discretion of the WPA Staff.
4. Please limit the amount of comp out at any given time. Keep all extra comp in personal day boxes, or in the manufacturing day box, and bring out only what you need at any given time. There is no reason to have pounds of open comp, such as whistle mix, on the table at any given time.
5. Please work on only one item at a time. This will reduce the amount of product out at any given time and allow you to pay full attention to each piece you are building. 
6. No one under 18 will be allowed to visit in the general manufacturing or Area 51 areas without direct supervision of a parent or guardian. Minors 13 and above who participate in Pyros in Training (PIT) will be allowed to manufacture in the designated “PIT Manufacturing Area” located by the Manufacturing Chair. 
7. In general, flash-based salutes are limited to contain no more than 200g of flash. Flash for ball shells will not be pre-mixed (must use binary method).  Flash for burst charges can be pre-mixed to a maximum of one ounce.  The manufacture of flash powder and flash-based salutes MUST BE APPROVED by the Manufacturing Chair or Co-chair, Safety Chair, or BOD. NO EXCEPTIONS!
8. Whistle comp will be mixed using the wet method – in a solvent slurry.
9. Whistle rockets may not be rammed (hammered); they must be pressed. Personal blast shields are highly recommended.
10. There will be absolutely no smoking or open flames of any kind within the event site unless inside a personal vehicle. Please be at least 250 feet down wind from the fenced in area of the site when having a smoke.   Please note that the ATF has determined that electronic nicotine devices pose the same ignition hazard as open flames.  Treat vaping the same as smoking – DON’T do it in manufacturing.  Testing, or any other device ignition, will occur only in an approved testing area and must be coordinated with the manufacturing chair and or co-chair.
11. Ball mills will use non-sparking media only (lead, ceramic, stainless steel or brass).
12. Manufacturing will only be conducted at the WPA Event site and only in the designated manufacturing areas. At Western WinterBlast, manufacturing will close at 5PM to allow for safety classes to shoot shells on the B-line.  All vehicles must be out of manufacturing by 5:30pm. In addition, anything that can burn must be secured when manufacturing closes. This means in the day box, in an approved ready box, or in a sealed metal container.  The Manufacturing Chair and Co-chair will inspect all sites prior to declaring manufacturing secure.  The longer it takes for us to verify that manufacturing is secure, the later shooting can open.  This is especially true for the rocket line. At DO-IT, manufacturing stays open until open shooting ends.
13. PARKING: At Western WinterBlast, parking passes for manufacturing will be issued at manufacturing registration. Parking passes may be limited. Exceptions for disability will be considered.  All vehicles parked within the manufacturing area must have a manufacturing parking permit. All vehicles MUST be removed from the manufacturing area and parked in the participant parking area, outside the main gate before 5:30PM. There is no parking permit requirement at DO-IT. Vehicles must have their keys inside, have doors and windows closed, and be parked in such a way that you do not need to back up to drive out of the area. 
14. The manufacturing permit holder will provide ALL related items that are needed to safely manufacture their devices. The permit holder is expected to make sure that all helpers are aware of and follow the manufacturing policy.
15. Power distribution at all of our events is unavailable for the manufacturing areas, therefore do not count on having electricity available at your site. Inverters or jump boxes provide adequate power for glue guns.  If you plan on bringing a generator, locate your generator at least 25’(50-100’ is recommended) away from your and neighboring manufacturing spots. **(Please indicate on your application that you will be using a generator)* 
16. All pyrotechnic items and comps that are left over from the day’s manufacturing will be stored in the manufacturing day box. Finished rockets will be moved to and stored in the truck or trailer next to the manufacturing day box prior to open shooting. No rockets will be transported to the Manufacturing/B-Rocket line after open shooting begins.  The truck or trailer will be moved to the Manufacturing/B-Rocketss area after manufacturing is secure, after the rocket line safety has eaten dinner, and prior to the opening of the rocket line.  NOTE: This only applies to Western WinterBlast, DO-IT has no rocket truck.  You must use the manufacturing day mag and transport your finished goods to the readybox on the rocket line for use.
17. Purchased class B product must be checked in and out at the B magazine. The paperwork allows for the check in/out of partial cases.  Modified Class B product must be stored in the manufacturing day box.  Unmodified Class B must be returned to and logged into, the class B magazine for overnight storage.
18. Leaving the event site with built or purchased class B product (unless in possession of the proper BATFE license(s) and paperwork) will result in your immediate expulsion from the WPA and if you are caught outside our event with product, you may be charged with FELONY THEFT OF EXPLOSIVES.
19. When you are setting up, allow for two exit paths. If there is an incident in your spot, everyone needs to be able to exit quickly.  Two exits double your chances of getting out without injury.  Remember, we are using highly energetic materials.
20. PPE: Closed toe shoes, long pants, and long sleeves are recommended, but not required in the manufacturing area. Eye protection such as safety glasses are a must.  Since cotton does not melt, it is the preferred material for clothing along with other fire retardant materials like nomex.

1. 1. A contact phone number for the permit holder will be displayed at the manufacturing site to aid in contact during an emergency.
   2. Chuffer rockets are not allowed.
   3. Salute headers are limited to roughly 200 grams.
   4. Area 51(Western WinterBlast) is reserved for trusted manufacturers who are making 16” or larger shells.  Special credentials(buttons, badges, lanyards, etc) will be issued by the manufacturing chair to those authorized to manufacture in Area 51. 

• To be able to manufacture at Western WinterBlast, you must volunteer a 1 hour shift at the manufacturing registration tent, this is in addition to the 1 hour of bunker duty (if you purchase any B product) required by purchasing B product. For DO-IT, you must pull a 1 hour shift if you purchase any B product.

 

MANUFACTURING RECOMMENDATIONS

The manufacturing of pyrotechnic devices has inherent risks. The people involved in manufacturing must exhibit a dedication to safety both for themselves and for those around them. With that in mind, your Manufacturing Chairs offer the following:

1. Be anti-social. Spread out! BATFE requires 57 feet between spaces and 200 feet from roads and magazines.  With the new configuration of the manufacturing area, spacing is as great as possible.
2. Your car IS your blast shield. Make sure your vehicle is between your site and your neighbor’s. Keep your windows up, doors closed and a spare key in the ignition. It should be placed between you and your neighbor and pointed so you do not need to back out in an emergency. If your car does its job, you may need a new one.
3. If you see an unsafe act, intervene and/or report it.
4. Safety and Security will be working closely with Manufacturing. Parking passes will be pulled or wristbands cut for non-compliance with the policies above.
5. Keep loose powder and live product to a minimum. Use a day box.
6. Use TEFC or other spark limiting motors to power ball mills and star rollers. Drills in particular tend to produce a lot of sparks and should be avoided as a power source for star rollers.
7. Re-read your liability waiver.
8. You are in the desert. Drink lots of water. Dehydration has all the unpleasant side effects of being drunk without all the pleasant primary effects.
9. Concentrate on what you are doing. The manufacturing area is open to all adult club members. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted.
10. Incidents can happen even if no one does anything wrong. See #7 above.
11. Your parking pass means you can park in manufacturing, and only in manufacturing until the close of manufacturing.
12. Almost every year, people building rockets have problems with drifts hitting spindles. Pay attention! “Non-sparking” only goes so far. Even wood rubbing on wood can make a fire ;)~.
13. Space considerations limit the number of manufacturing spaces available. This is first come first serve.  If you do not fill out and return the manufacturing application online, you may not have a spot.  You may also be teamed up with someone.  We try to group new folks with experienced folks.  Experienced manufacturers should expect a newbie working with them.  We are actively trying to grow manufacturing.
14. Salutes must be shot prior to curfew. If you are making rockets with salute headers, paint the header YELLOW so it can be easily identified as a salute in the frantic ten minutes prior to curfew.  If you launch a salute rocket without a yellow header, you will not launch anything after curfew.

 

Manufacturing - Storage

Remember that manufacturing is a drop area for all displays and part of manufacturing is on the C line.  A sealed day box, in the form of a sea container, has been provided for storage of manufactured items and materials in process.  This is a safe storage container.  A number of manufacturers bring trailers and their own ready boxes.  These are acceptable for safe storage as long as the doors and lids are closed.  Prior to, and during open shooting, any manufactured items, flammable materials, or combustible materials must be secured in the manufacturing day box, your trailer, or your ready box.  Close the container when you are not moving material in or out.  Combustible items cannot be left out where they can be ignited by flaming debris, including stars, from the firing lines or displays.  Cardboard and plastic boxes are not safe storage since the box itself is combustible.  Storage under a pop up or under a table is not safe storage.   Salutes

1. For Western WinterBlast, The city of Lake Havasu has imposed a curfew on salutes.
2. For DO-IT, The WPA has self implemented a curfew on salutes.
3. Please refer to the salute policy for more information. 
4. /events/winterblast/rules/salutes-and-bottom-shots
5. Salutes are not to be shot after the curfew.  

Salute headers on rockets are limited to roughly 200 grams.  A rocket with a salute header launched after the curfew will end the offender’s shooting privilege for the night.  The Safety Staff has the last word when deciding if a header is a salute or not.  A header filled with flash powder and half a dozen stars is a salute, not a color shell. Due to recent incidents involving rockets, the Manufacturing/B-Rocket line has been moved to an area adjacent to the gun club(at Western WinterBlast ONLY).  Limo service will be provided to move you to and from the Manufacturing/B-Rocket line.  Please have a flashlight with you since we need to clear the gun club of rocket debris as we go in order to ensure that the gun club property is free of debris when we leave.  If we can do a little every night, cleanup day will be easier. No rockets will be transported in the limo(for Western WinterBlast ONLY).