Fuses...

Hi,

I have used many different fuses over the past couple of years I've been a pyro and I have not yet managed to make a good reliable one.

Last year I used black match. It burnt Ok when I made it in the summer but by the time it was november despite my precautions it must have been damp because it burnt slow as hell, and normally went out.

This year I have tried damp tissue rolled up with a core of BP and then dried which works OK but the KNO3 in the BP either soaks into the tissue making it touch paper or I get air bubbles making it quick match. I made and tried a wonderful 8 shot mine with red and firedust stars in it and thanks to this fuse only the first shot fired!

I was intrigued by the fuse I saw using insulation tubing but this would probable burn too slow and be more suited to time fuse. What I really want is some reliable fuse that I can use in this country's dismal climate and that won't go out!

Visco would be perfect but I don't know how to get it in this country. Does anyone know where it can be bought, or of any US websites that will ship to the UK? Or does anyone have a surplus and want to contact me? Also what is the UK's legislation regarding fuse? I would have thought that being the only thing between the firework and the human igniting it you would be able to get it but so far I have seen zilch!

Tris

How did you make the black match? (It's what I use and I don't have any problems)

By the way, there are loads of threads on this so you could try a search

Thomas

Yeah I tried a search on these forums and not a lot came up, at least not a dedicated thread. Anyway heres my blackmatch:

Take black powder and add a bit of dextrin (normally a teaspoon for every 50g). Then I water it down until it is a thin pate consistancy and I dunk some cotton string in it. I then remove the string put the two ends together and and using my finger and thumb I remove any excess paste so that I have a fuse with two threads and BP paste in between. Now I let it dry.

The main problem I have with this is that it is VERY good at getting damp and it does not burn very hot, not hot enough to light a bit of visco on then end.

Yeah I tried a search on these forums and not a lot came up, at least not a dedicated thread. Anyway heres my blackmatch:

Take black powder and add a bit of dextrin (normally a teaspoon for every 50g). Then I water it down until it is a thin pate consistancy and I dunk some cotton string in it. I then remove the string put the two ends together and and using my finger and thumb I remove any excess paste so that I have a fuse with two threads and BP paste in between. Now I let it dry.

The main problem I have with this is that it is VERY good at getting damp and it does not burn very hot, not hot enough to light a bit of visco on then end.

Never had any problem with mine, and some of it gets stored for couple of years. Two threads do sound little thin. Some powder scrapes off during storage and maybe you just don?t left with enough powder on the match. I use anything between 4-12 thread of single cotton. For storage I find postal tubes to do the job quite well. How do you store yours?

I store it in 30cm lengths in a plastic sealable box (like the ones you can get from lakeland plastics / ikea). It occurs to me that I might have been using too much dextrin. What ratio do you use? Do you mill the BP you use in the fuse or do you just mix them?

I store it in 30cm lengths in a plastic sealable box (like the ones you can get from lakeland plastics / ikea). It occurs to me that I might have been using too much dextrin. What ratio do you use? Do you mill the BP you use in the fuse or do you just mix them?

Regular ratio is +5%. So for every 100g of BP, 5g of dextrin. Best (and in this case safe) to ballmill with the bp for some time.

Also, try postal tubes rather then plastic box. In very cold weather, the air inside the box might create droplets on the inside of the box. This does not happend with postal tubes. On the other hand - after very long storage, postal tubes might become damp as well...

Edited by BigG, 11 November 2003 - 03:01 PM.

I use anything between 4-12 thread of single cotton

Do you use cotton thread?
I use some 2mm cotton string boiled in KNO3 sol. then coated in a thick bp+10% dextrine paste and dried, twice, once passing through a 3.5mm hole, then the second time through a 4.5mm hole

The postal tubes are a great idea!

Thomas

I've never tried soaking the string in KNO3 first. That might solve the problem. Perhaps when the BP dries the KNO3 soaks into the cotton string making the BP's oxidiser : fuel ratio wrong. Thanks!

Tris

To be honest I don't think it makes much difference: when I burn my match, the powder coating tends to burn off quickly leaving the string smouldering like slowmatch

Sticking the string & KNO3 sol. in the freezer works well as the pot. nitrate crystalises out & you can simply squeeze off any excess water. You then have a very intimate oxidiser/string complex!