Slowmatch

[TommyKid]

I know there have been a lot of posts in regard to producing slowmatch. We’ve all seen CapandBall’s informative video where he heats the cord in a pot ash solution and neutralizes with vinegar. I’ve read where, after this step, some folks also soak the cord in a potassium nitrate solution. Does anyone have some data in regard to the relative burn rates between these two methods? I was planning to experiment with and without potassium nitrate, but would appreciate hearing from folks that have experience with both methods and how the burn rates compared.
Thanks,
Tom

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Honestly? @Canute Rex here is our resident expert on making matchcord and I sent you his recipe. At this time I don't believe anyone, not even myself, has ever 'quantified' and of their attempts.

 

[TommyKid]

I’ve spent my professional career in the sciences and my long standing joke has always been…in God we trust, all others bring data. ;-) the fun for me is experimenting and figuring things out…with the sage advise of those more knowledgeable…which, in this case, is basically everyone!
Tom

 

[Canute Rex]

Thanks for the vote of overconfidence, Flint.

I have never timed my match because I have never done a batch that was made with exactly the same ingredients and methods. Schematically it is always the same, but there are too many variables. Wood ash liquor (potash, or potassium carbonate) is never going to be consistent. There's the whole process of boiling and rinsing and wringing. It all adds up randomly.

The main thing is to use potassium carbonate (from wood ash or the pure chemical) to cook the lignin out of the rope. Lignin = ash = misfire.

You can use it like that, and I have. You can soak it in potassium nitrate to give it a hotter burn, but this also is a faster burn.

In the old days they soaked it in lead acetate. A German gentleman experimented with that and said that it was hot and reliable, buuut, lead. He also made a test apparatus to mimic inhaling the smoke and determined that the exposure was minimal. Still, not for me.

The sign of success is a long (2x diameter) pointed cone of glowing red coal on the end, with little ash.

 

[TommyKid]

Thanks for the vote of overconfidence, Flint.

I have never timed my match because I have never done a batch that was made with exactly the same ingredients and methods. Schematically it is always the same, but there are too many variables. Wood ash liquor (potash, or potassium carbonate) is never going to be consistent. There's the whole process of boiling and rinsing and wringing. It all adds up randomly.

The main thing is to use potassium carbonate (from wood ash or the pure chemical) to cook the lignin out of the rope. Lignin = ash = misfire.

You can use it like that, and I have. You can soak it in potassium nitrate to give it a hotter burn, but this also is a faster burn.

In the old days they soaked it in lead acetate. A German gentleman experimented with that and said that it was hot and reliable, buuut, lead. He also made a test apparatus to mimic inhaling the smoke and determined that the exposure was minimal. Still, not for me.

The sign of success is a long (2x diameter) pointed cone of glowing red coal on the end, with little ash.

Can you share the ratio of potassium nitrate to water you prefer?
Thanks,
Tom

 

[Canute Rex]

Hi Tom,

I hate to be imprecise, but slow match is imprecise. I'll say this: don't make a saturated solution. That is, don't dissolve as much potassium nitrate as the water will take at room temperature. Stop well short of that. A full saturated solution us just too hot and spitty. It will leave crystals of nitrate on the surface of the match that will crackle and pop, with possible premature ignition. And that's embarrassing.

If you have match that's just a little too spitty, you can wipe the surface by pulling the match through a damp sponge or cloth. Even running it through a gloved hand will scrape some of the crystals off.

Start with a couple of teaspoons in a quart of water and work your way up. The diameter, fiber, and weave of your match rope will influence what works.

I have made match out of what is theoretically the same braided hemp from a Dutch maker, except one spool was 12 strand casing and the other was 16 strand. I now forget which was which, but one made a terrific cone and the other burned in a rounded nub. Same process for both.

It's all about experimentation. The one commonality is that lignin is the enemy. Boil your match twice. Rinse it each time till the water is clear.