64 replies to this topic

[lord_dranack]

I have made underwater fuse ( for no particular reason, save to pleasure of making it!)

Black powder will burn underwater if is is kept dry- as long as you keep the water from getting to the unburnt parts before they are lit.

I have used shoelaces filled with bp slurry and waterproofed with NC laquer, but I suppose a spoulette would work, as long as it was well waterproofed on the sides and ends.

When they burn, the effect is quite eery- bubbles of smoke rise to the surface, and break, forming a low lying mist over the surface

It might be fun to make other underwater fireworks- coloured lights would be cool. You could probably waterproof a rocket enough to launch it from underwater- of course what the point of this would be is hard to see!
If only I had a lake in my garden....

[Plays with Fire]

PIC however is ultrareliable underwater, and can be obtained quite cheaply these days. If you have a situation that demands underwater fuse [Please tell - I'm curious!] then I'd use PIC.

I don't really *need* to have an underwater fuse, it's more like I *want* to have one, because it would be cool and very impressive. Actually a fuse that works in snow would be quite useful because it just snowed like over a foot (30cm), and I could make a snowman, and put a small BP banger in the center of its head, which would look pretty cool!

And, what is "PIC"?

My match coated in a thin, opaque layer of NC Lacquer didn't really work, even dry; that batch of match definitely worked, but not coated in lacquer. I think that this is because my BP didn't get absorbed even the least bit into the string, just went on the outside. But if that's the problem, it is easily overcome by buying much thinner string (I just bought crochet string) and twisting several strands together; I plan to try this in the next few days, but couldn't yesterday because it was Valentine's Day...YEAAAAAAAA!!! Slightly off topic, but do you non-americans (growing up in america, I only know people as 'american' or 'non-american' ) celebrate Valentine's Day, or is that just another one of corporate america's conspiracies to get us to buy things?

-Plays with Fire

[Creepin_pyro]

And, what is "PIC"?

I'm pretty sure you could've found posts which describe the fuse in detail, but here's what a pyro glossary says about it: A fuse consisting of a wire core with the pyrotechnic compound covered by a plastic outer layer. This gives excellent protection from damp, and igniter cord is very reliable in wet weather. Green igniter is slow - about 1 second per inch or 25mm, brown is fast - about 1 second per foot or 300mm.

There's a picture of the stuff at the bottom of this page:

http://www.hfmgroup....esandfuses.html

Unfortunately, it isn't available in america. I think "thermalite" is the equivalent.

Oh, and us brits do celebrate Valentines day.... reluctantly : )

[Plays with Fire]

There's a picture of the stuff at the bottom of this page:

http://www.hfmgroup....esandfuses.html

That is pretty cool, but I wonder how much res (in case you don't engage in the same illicit activities as me, that stands for residue) is left by it, because I assume that the plastic might get melty (possibly a word?) and the wire wouln't burn?

Also, they had some pretty cool toys on that site

Now about my NC Lacquer burning problem...

[Amleth]

You could probably waterproof a rocket enough to launch it from underwater- of course what the point of this would be is hard to see!

For making realistic scale Polaris missiles for your R/C submarine, of course! (You've gotta admit, it'd be pretty sweet to watch one launch...)

Unfortunately, it isn't available in america. I think "thermalite" is the equivalent.

Actually, Thermalite is a completely different product. It has an exposed ignitable surface on the outside just like blackmatch, rather than inhibited like PIC or visco. However, like PIC, it is wire-cored and poseable. Thermalite burns to the sides like blackmatch rather than out the ends like visco or PIC, and it burns hotter than all three, but with less visible spark spray than any of the others. Apparently it makes very good cross-match, though I've never tried it as such since I don't have proper time-fuse...

[Plays with Fire]

Okay, I tested my blackmatch made by pulling three individual strands through a slurry, and twisting them together...It worked great. I love match-making. How thick of a coat should I paint on with my NC laquer?

[BrightStar]

I have been having some success recently with the Weingart's 'simple and clean method of making perfect exhibition match'.

This calls for two compositions as follows:

No. 1 (a thin blackpowder soup)
Dextrine 3 oz
Gunpowder 2 lbs
Water 2 pts
Alcohol 4 oz


No. 2 (a runny blackpowder putty)
Dextrine 1.5 oz
Gunpowder 1 lb
Water 12 oz

Coil your cotton twine (I find soft craft crochet cotton to be good and strong white garden twine to be poor) into a tub of the first mixture, keeping hold of the end. Then with a stick, stir it, 'wash it' and generally mash it well to separate the fibers and let the 'soup' soak in.

Make an improvised hopper (I use an old glue bottle, cut in half, with the nozzle pointed downwards) and thread your twine into the top and out through the nozzle below. The fit should be quite loose. Keep the hopper topped up with mixture 2 (the BP runny putty) and draw the twine directly from the first pot through the hopper and on to your drying frame. To quote Weingart again, 'if surgeons rubber gloves are worn, the hands will not be soiled.'

You will end up with a cord thoroughly impregnated with thin BP and coated on the outside with a smooth coating of thick BP/dextrin.

I have tested many methods (hand rubbed BP, pre-soaked with KNO3, film pot method etc) and the method described produces by far the most reliable match. It is black all the way through, is robust, burns consistently leaving no residual twine and has no problems with constrictions and small holes.

Interestingly it is not too fussy on BP quality for some uses. Try mixing in 1/3 of Chrysanthemum 6 with the meal - it slows it down a bit and greatly increases the sparks. For quickmatch though, use good quality willow BP.

I personally consider the KNO3 pre-soaked string method dangerous as it invites the delayed re-ignition of hang fires. KNO3 soaked twine will burn quite steadily at 1cm per minute with little smoke. The Weingart match either burns or doesn't - there is minimal smoulder and so should be safer.

Edited by BrightStar, 30 May 2007 - 09:50 PM.

[newtoolsmith]

Hi friends,

a few days ago I tried a new method of making quickmatch - at least it was new for me.

It is similar to stickymatch but a little diferent. Here are no two layers of tape applied with BP between them, only one piece of tape is used.


First two skirting boards were mounted parallel to both sides of a one meter long piece of plywood. The plywood was 10mm thick and the boards were 10mm higher. This forms a U-shaped channel of one meter length.

I took then a length of self adhesive tape (paper tape for painters). With the adhesive side to the top it was bent lengthwise and guided into the channel.

Then some, nnot much, granulated BP was added to the whole lenght and the adhesive tapes topside was closed. It adheres on itself now.

You can stick it very tight, so the BP granules cant move and more.

Now I took a sharp edged nail and drilled it lengthwise through the tape into the BP. A hole is created to insert a fuse as blackmatch or visco. The same procedure can be used to get the fire out of this quickmatch.


I tried the thing using 5cm of visco and went a few steps backwards - this was the right choice. As my BP is quite hot the Quickmatch went BANG and I thought all neighbours must be wake now. It was very loud and I think even faster as quickmatch made with paper tubes.


Has anyone similar experiences?

By the way - a machine for it will follow...


MfG
newtoolsmith

[BrightStar]

Hi newtoolsmith - it was good to hear about this. I made the same mistake a few weeks ago testing sticky tape quickmatch.

My method was to take a length of standard clear 22mm clear Sellotape and rub it in my 1mm riced fast BP for a good coating of powder. I then folded it over on itself and used an identical (uncoated) piece of tape folded over on top to complete the tube.

The garden test was 'can this quick match burn around corners', so I taped 30cm or so firmly around a 1" tube, added some visco and lit it... The report of the confined match was impressive - yes it certainly can traverse corners... unfortunately, the bang has since provoked some trouble from the neighbours

My Sellotape-Sticky-Quick-Match is not suitable for shells - the slightest spark will burn through the tape and ignite it and it has no real mechanical strength - but for 1" caliber pyro testing (comets etc.) and lancework it is quite convenient...

Edited by BrightStar, 15 September 2006 - 12:48 PM.

[newtoolsmith]

Hi BrightStar,

unbelieveable that quickmatch made this way can even be louder than polumnas are...

The painters tape is made from thick paper and can withstand smal sparks. I think I will use it.

MfG
newtoolsmith

[minalth]

The BP in tape method works nicely with slow down BP or Fountain mix


Has anyone tried putting cotton string and meal slurry in a ball mill with the media to successfully impregnate the string with a minimum of effort and maximum of repeatability?

[newtoolsmith]

@minalth:

I always used a preserving jar, put some BP/Dextrin mix in and wetted with 50/50 alc/water to yield a thin slurry.

Some cotton string inserted and shortly stirred worked very well and drieb fast due to the alc.

Using a ball mill seems to be overtechnifised to me and wil be somewhat messy.

MfG
newtoolsmith

[cooperman435]

Ive just finished my quick match equipment and am really happy with the results

I simply make a small bucket load of quite wet fast meal bp with 1 percent dextrin and unwind as carefuly as I can an entire roll of 2 ply garden twine into it.

I mash it round carefuly to make sure the string gets completely impregnated witht the soup and then pull it through a silcone aplicator nozzle thats been cut off to make the hole whatever size seems apropriate.

This is wrapped round a drying frame Ive knocked up that will happily hold 200m and left for a day to dry before being removed and put to dry properly. I use the radiator in my garrage as its set to the coldest level of them all.

Then my master peice is a tape dispenser that unrolls wide masking tape sticky side up and aplies a thinner roll of masking tape sticky side down to one side of it allowing a 2mm peice of the sticky side up tape to still show next to it. This runs through some guides then under a guide for the now dried black match keeping it centeral on the thin peice of tape and holding the lot down to the bed of the machine so the sides can be folded up and squeezed together encasing the black match in a tube of tape.

the whole lot is then slowly pulled through the machine continuesly encasing the black match.

I then wrap it again in brown parcel tape to waterproof it all and ensure it cant open up.

Ive found to make it very fast I roll it with a rolling n to crush the match inside which considerably increases its speed.

If theres more than just yourself working the machine it makes things a lot easier and you can easily knock up 50m of quickmatch in 10 minutes

Ill post pictures if anyone wants to see?

[Gavin]

Ill post pictures if anyone wants to see?

Yes please !

[cooperman435]

Ok then

This is the buisness end of the machine unrollng the wide tape and applying the narow tape:

http://www.bebo.com/...toId=3745654810



and this is the view down the machine with the black match guide at the end although you cant see it lol


http://www.bebo.com/...toId=3745654414

What do u all think?

Edited by cooperman435, 01 March 2007 - 10:10 PM.