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In this section you will learn how to make your own black match/quick match fuse. Fuse is extremely useful to use when connecting fireworks for a display. The process is relatively easy, but somewhat messy; so don’t be wearing your favorite clothes or shoes. The mixture we’ll be using WILL stain clothing. Making this stuff is legal - it is only fuse, not an explosive.
You will need the following materials
-black powder
-cotton string (NON-WAXED - it must turn to ash when burned, not melt into a
plastic mess)
PROCEDURE
Before you start, be sure that there is no rain in the forecast for the next couple of days. Make sure that the drying area is free of anything flammable or anything that might be damaged should the fuse accidentally ignite while drying.
Find some type of container with a large opening, like a pie tin or pot, that can be used for mixing up the black powder composition.
For the composition, you'll need dextrin, black powder, and water. Dextrin is a pyrotechnic binding composition used to hold mixtures together. In this case, it’s used to hold the black powder onto the string. You can buy big bags of it from pyrotechnic dealers, or make your own. Cook a box of corn starch in an oven at 400º for a couple hours, stirring it every 20 minutes to prevent from burning.
The formula is 20 parts black powder with 1 part dextrin.
It's crucial that you have enough dextrin, or else the black powder will simply
flake off the string when it's dry.
Mix 2 tablespoons of
black powder along and 1/8 teaspoon of dextrin in the container. Then add 30ml of hot water (approximately a film container full), and blend the mixture together
thoroughly until it has about the same consistency of tomato soup.
Do not drink the mixture.
Now put in the string. Carefully begin to work the mixture into the string with your hands. The more saturated you get the string, the more reliable the fuse will be. Try not to get it tangled up. When you're finished, take the string out, unwind it, and string it up to dry. Let it dry for AT LEAST one day.
After about a day, you can begin using it.
It may seem brittle on the outside, but that’s ok.
You
now have black match fuse that will burn at about once inch per second.
It's great for connecting multiple fireworks together, or adding extra lengths
of fuse to fireworks for a longer delay.
Quick match is a special type of fuse that can burn at up to 100 feet per second. Quick match is simply black match that has been covered with a loose-fitting paper tube (known as pipe). When regular fuse burns, the hot gas produced by the flame is simply released into the air. When the fuse is put in a paper tube, however, the hot gases can not escape, so they simply shoot along the length of tube at incredible speeds.
Why use it? First of all, it's a great way to light many fireworks at virtually the same instant, such as aerial shells and repeaters. When you combine the use of quickmatch with that of an electrical firing panel, you have the ability to put on a great, professional looking show.
Why make it yourself? In the United States, a BATF permit to buy display fireworks is required to purchase quick match. It's a lot easier to make it for you own personal use (which the BATF doesn't care about) than to try and get a permit.
Materials
-black match fuse
-of Kraft paper
-low temp glue gun and glue sticks
-scissors or sharp knife
-5/16 inch dowel rod, 20-24 inches long
PROCEDURE
Begin by making the paper tubing the match will go in. Cut off 2-3 foot lengths of Kraft paper, then cut each of these into strips 1½ inches wide by the length of the roll. Trim these down so they are only 15'' long. Most Kraft paper rolls are 30 inches long, so you can just cut the pieces in half. Low temperature glue guns can be bought at any craft store for just a couple dollars. The reason to use low temp is because it won't hurt your fingers when you touch it.
When you have several strips, roll each strip around the dowel lengthwise to form a long tube. Glue down the overlapping edge in the middle, on the ends, and in between. You should now have a paper tube being held together in a few places. Squirt some of the glue underneath the portions of the edges that haven't been glued, and press them down. It's ok if some of the glue oozes out; it shouldn't hurt your fingers. Now run a line of glue down the seam of where the paper is glued to itself, and smear it around with the metal nozzle of the gun. This helps insure an air tight seal so the gases won't leak out. Let it all dry for about 10 seconds, then remove the dowel and proceed to making the next tube.
Once you have several tubes, you can begin piping the black match through it Lay your black match on a clean surface such as a driveway or sidewalk. Thread it through the tubes until the tubes come to the end of the black match. The rigid ness of the fuse should make it easy to thread through the tubes, but if not, tape the end to something long and narrow like a shish kabob skewer and thread it through the tubes like a needle. Wasn't that fun?
Now you need to make all of the tubes into one continuous tube. Start at the joint between the first two tubes. Cut a 1" slit in one of the tubes (so it can fit inside of the other), put a little glue around it, and push it into the neighboring tube. As you did when making the tubes, put a bead of glue around the joint and smear it around with the gun's nozzle. Do this with all of the joints until the piping is finished. When it's done, your quickmatch is ready for use.