Fireworks maker gets a bang out of his 'Dirty Job'
Albert Knoblach often looks like he's wearing eyeliner.
As owner of Little Big Shots fireworks in Addison, Somerset County, his look comes courtesy of the charcoal used in the shell-making process. The fine residue wafts up into his face while he's working on a batch of shells -- a process that can take up to 10 days and involves a slew of harsh-smelling chemicals.
"You end up really hot and all wet," says Knoblach, 45, of Confluence. "Your clothes get really yucky. You smell like it all the time. I used to have to wash my clothes separate from the rest of the family's."
The job Knoblach does every day was dirty enough to earn a segment on Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs." At 9 p.m. Tuesday, Little Big Shots will be featured on an episode of the show, in which host Mike Rowe tackles the filthiest jobs in America.
Knoblach, a fan of the show, submitted his business for consideration on the Discovery Channel Web site two years ago after a particularly dirty day on the job.
"I figured we had as much chance as anyone else," he says.
Scott Popjes from Pilgrim Films, the production company for "Dirty Jobs," says Little Big Shots has "all the right ingredients for a good dirty job: an interesting character doing a unique job that, because of all the ingredients that go into making fireworks, had a high probability of being dirty."
"The building where the fireworks are made had little ventilation. It was stuffy, and the work was physical," Popjes says. "Mike was sweating. Add to that all the different powdered ingredients Mike was working with and it made for a good dirty job.
"The powder stuck to Mike, got in his eyes, generally made him uncomfortable. And Mike is at his best when he is out of his comfort zone. So this is certainly one of the better jobs to do that," Popjes says.
Little Big Shots specializes in two types of fireworks: salutes, responsible for the big bang sound heard during professional displays, and shells, which explode and can change color up to four times.
Salutes require a process involving a paper core, an explosive composition and a lot of hot glue. Color shells are a little more complicated. They require potassium nitrade, sulfur, charcoal, dextrum and more. "Stars" are rolled in coating pans, which creates a dust cloud. They go through the process a few times before drying. They are then placed in hemispheres with fuses, and burst charges are added. The hemispheres are brought together and taped.
But the hard work is worth it, because it makes his product unique, Knoblach says.
"People don't use mine for the whole show, they use them at the end or beginning," he says. "They break larger. They're two to three times larger in circumference than imported fireworks."
Knoblach uses a respirator and ear protection during the process, but face masks are problematic, as the fine dust that settles on them blurs his vision. But no mask means plenty of chemicals get in his eyes -- a painful fact Rowe experiences firsthand in the episode.
Though Rowe was a rookie, Knoblach says he did a great job.
"He is very, very good at what he does. Everything is ad lib -- there is no practice, no script. He is very down to earth."
Knoblach says he and the host shared more than an affinity for dirty work.
"He has a very sarcastic sense of humor, and I'm the same way. It got to the point where it was like, 'OK, who's going to make the joke first?' "
In the episode, the two banter back and forth, with Rowe joking, "I would have paid you $1,000 for those a while ago," when he's finally handed a pair of goggles.
The two didn't get much time together, however, as filming was fast-paced. The production crew got there the day before Rowe to set up. The day the host showed up, he "got out of the car, and 10 minutes later we were filming," Knoblach says.
They worked from 10 a.m. to past midnight, then packed up and left.
"It was kind of tough," Knoblach says.
Popjes says shooting for only a day or two is typical.
"I'm not so sure Mike would come back for a second day on most of the jobs we've sent him on anyway," he jokes.
Knoblach has never minded getting a little charcoal around his eyes.
"If you like what you do, getting dirty doesn't bother you."
