Skylighter

Specialties

Skylighter is the largest supplier of chemicals and supplies for making fireworks and pyrotechnics in the US. In addition, folks who make fireworks can find hundreds of free project plans which show anyone how they can legally make fireworks, including colored smoke, aerial shells, rockets, mines, spinners, wheels, roman candles, and many more.

Skylighter kits for making black powder, colored smoke, rockets, fireworks shells, etc. are inexpensive and a great way to learn firework making. All kits come with detailed fireworks project tutorials (which you can subscribe to for free, if you want to learn more).

Products inclulde tubes, fuse, tools, screens, plugs and caps, plastic and paper shell parts, 130 different chemicals, 90+ How-​To books and videos, electtric matches, electrical firing systems and supplies, mortar tubes — all told more than 1,000 different products.

Skylighter also offers a course in fireworks making at its Tur​boPyro​.com site.

History

Established in 1995.

Skylighter was founded in 1995 by Harry Gilliam.

Mr. Gilliam had aquired the assets of another fireworks supplies company — KSI (Grand Junction, CO), and moved the company from Colorado to Virginia at its present location. KSI had been a supplier to US fireworks makers for nearly 20 years.

Mr. Gilliam quickly began to build up Skylighter’s inventory with the intention of creating a kind of fireworks making supermarket all under one roof.

In 1996, Sky​lighter​.com was created. Printed catalogs continued to be published and mailed to thousands of customers until they were discontinued in 2001.

Skylighter is a supplier to many Federal Government agencies, to the US Dept of Defense, schools at all levels, corporations, and tens of thousands of amateur fireworks makers in the US.

In 2002, Skylighter began to provide detailed and free tutorials to its customers, showing them how to make virtually any kind of fireworks.

Meet the Business Owner

Harry G.

Business Owner

Harry Gilliam has a background in both pyrotechnics and marketing. As officer in the US Army Corps of Engineers, he had extensive experience during the Viet Nam conflct with various types of explosives and improvised explosive devices.

After attending the University of Virginia, Mr. Gilliam’s career has been in sales and marketing in a variety of industries. His lifelong love of teaching and fireworks culminated in his founding of Skylighter.