Ah that's nostalgia for you - takes me right back to the days when I'd see how high I could shoot an upturned drinks can with homemade bangers and the amazing chinese ones I used to get.
It was all good fun and I can still count to ten unaided by toes :-) Oh yes, that's right very long fuses :-)
(apart from the little bangers half the size of a matchstick that had about half a second and used to make your fingers numb if you didn't let go in time)
Happy days :-)
Keep at it kid, you'll get there - hopefully with all limbs, organs in tact.
Can I recommend making lots of fuse paper (paper towels soaked in kno3 solution, squeezed out and dried as fast as you can dry them. 2 teaspoons of kno3 to a small dessert bowl half filled with hot water should be good for approx 10-20 sheets of kitchen paper - Fold in half, then half again a couple of times. Dip square till thoroughly wet then squeeze as much of the water out of the wetted folded paper as you can, use rubber gloves obviously) and use twists of that to test your powder. ie: cut into small squares, put small amount of powder in centre of square pull up all four corners and twist together.
You get anywhere from 30 seconds - 2 minutes fuse time and can use much smaller samples of powder. Which is good both for safety reasons and wasting powder reasons. You can use it flat with a small amount of powder in the middle and just light one corner. Or twisted and test the powder in confines.
There are many more uses for good fuse paper as well so make lots :-)
I've succesfully used j-cloths when no paper towls were handy - smells a bit and doesn't hold shape once twisted, but it works if you're in a hurry. :-)
Edited by curious aardvark, 15 September 2005 - 04:41 PM.
Do All things with Honour and generosity: Regret nothing, Envy no-one, Apologise seldom and bow your head to No Man - works for me :-)
Oh yeah and never leave home without a lighter :-)