This pyrotechnics expert turned his Minnesota backyard into a DIY fireworks testing ground
Ken Miller designs smoke displays for NFL games and air shows, but he tests his most destructive creations at home.

Good smoke volume, Miller says, “is the result of the correct mix of chemicals and confinement.” He creates a dense and tactile quality—which sometimes makes plumes look like billowing velvet—by compacting his explosives (here it’s red dye, sugar, and potassium chlorate) just the right amount. Kevin Cooley
You see Ken Miller’s smoke displays at NFL games and air shows. What you don’t see are the explosions, DIY rockets, and smoldering craters that speckle his Minnesota farm. His personal pyrotechnic experiments don’t belong on the 50 yard line or in anyone’s backyard.
Hot rod
Trial and error
Rocket man
Go or no go
Fountain
Night shift
Pack of smokes
Hell hole
Cloud and clear
Dry heat
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