Caleb's Black Match Machine

[dagabu]

Here is a video of Caleb's black match machine and the string dispenser. I will do a review once I have pulled some black match.

 

 

https://youtu.be/WSnq0NULHYc

 

[AzoMittle]

Could you please post some detail pictures of where the threads go through the BP bath and how they get wound/moved? Is the finished product woven or is it BP holding the strands together?

[calebkessinger]

First, here is some more pics. http://www.woodysrocks.com/store/p111/Black_Match_Machine.html

 

If someone has better idea's I will sure listen to them and have already changed a thing or two from the original design by suggestions.

 

The finished match is just held together by the bp.

 

The string goes straight down to the bottom back of the machine, under the first pulley and heads to the front, under the front pulley around the front and through the pinch pulley going back under it and headed to the rear again. It goes under the back inside pulley and then goes up to the die. All of the pulleys the string goes around are under the slurry.

 

The large one takes 1lb of bp and 1lb of water to get decently filled + 1% CMC. You can pull one rack of string, ( roughly 150' of match ) before having to use a stick and adjust the slurry again. ( mine was like pudding almost ) I did 7 racks of 150' with that lb of slurry. having to adjust the puddle of slurry more often as it got low. I should have added a freckle more water from the start I guess. I pulled that 1000 foot of match in probably 1 hr start to finish.

 

Thanks guys,

Making up some more of these right now.

Edited May 15, 2016 by calebkessinger

[OldMarine]

I wonder how long you can keep the unused slurry. I've got over half a batch leftover from my initial trial. Building a new thread dispenser ala Dave.

[dagabu]

I wonder how long you can keep the unused slurry. I've got over half a batch leftover from my initial trial. Building a new thread dispenser ala Dave.

 

OM, I have found that it will start to crystallize almost immediately. I JUST got the hint from a guy on Fireworking to use 90% Isopropyl instead, that may make it irrelevant. I'll find out this week if we get some warmth!

 

If you need pictures or details, let me know!

[OldMarine]

I read the isopropyl suggestion as well and intend to try it next go round. I'll probably add some screen mix to my leftover slurry and make polverone. Waste not, want not.

[dagabu]

Not a bad idea at all. I dried out my last batch of slurry and ball milled it down again, added water and made the slurry again, worked fine that way too.

[OldMarine]

I think Dave Forster suggested the polverone from slurry idea.

[AzoMittle]

I like dagabu's method, mill and reslurry, or mill and corn for lift or something. I'm not sure how well it would work for black match but I put NC+BP slurry in a paint can and it stores fine, if it dries out add some solvent and remix. What binders are you guys using?

 

Has anyone ever bothered to build a winding frame? like this: http://www.skylighter.com/images/newsletter/92/blackmatch-on-winding-frame.jpg

I'm trying to decide if it is worth the materials and storage space. I was also wondering if the ends where it wraps around the bars are usable at all or if the powder all breaks off as it dries?

[calebkessinger]

I made 7 frames 22 x 32 with a hole just drilled in the middle to slide on a rod. Then I made one 16 x 32. thirty two being the length of the wind.

The 16 x 32 is WAY easier to use and I can fit just as many strands on it as the bigger ones which are harder to control.. cost me under 50 bucks for nice sanded 1x2 boards and it was worth every penny.

 

So , if you are going to build some make them skinnier than you think, you can lay the strands under 1/2in apart on them. That's 30 strands on them front and back. 60 total.

I never tried to do anything with the ends.. just cut them off and burned em.

 

Oh, and if you think they aren't coated good enough you can super cheat and use a baby roller for paint and roll more bp on them. I've had to do it once cause my bp mix was clumpy and i didn't like the clumps on my string so I wiped it all coming off the machine.. wiped too much off .... aaaaaaahhhhhh.. fixed it in just a few minutes.

 

I will fire up one of these baby machines soon and video some more being made here in a while hopefully. I need to slow down first though.. still pumping out orders as fast as I can go.

Edited May 16, 2016 by calebkessinger

[dagabu]

I made 7 frames 22 x 32 with a hole just drilled in the middle to slide on a rod. Then I made one 16 x 32. thirty two being the length of the wind.

The 16 x 32 is WAY easier to use and I can fit just as many strands on it as the bigger ones which are harder to control.. cost me under 50 bucks for nice sanded 1x2 boards and it was worth every penny.

 

So , if you are going to build some make them skinnier than you think, you can lay the strands under 1/2in apart on them. That's 30 strands on them front and back. 60 total.

I never tried to do anything with the ends.. just cut them off and burned em.

 

Oh, and if you think they aren't coated good enough you can super cheat and use a baby roller for paint and roll more bp on them. I've had to do it once cause my bp mix was clumpy and i didn't like the clumps on my string so I wiped it all coming off the machine.. wiped too much off .... aaaaaaahhhhhh.. fixed it in just a few minutes.

 

I will fire up one of these baby machines soon and video some more being made here in a while hopefully. I need to slow down first though.. still pumping out orders as fast as I can go.

 

I just LOVE to read your posts! Paint rollers with BP, why didn't I think of that?

[dagabu]

I have an all welded steel one that will hold 1000' of black match.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2016 by dagabu

[schroedinger]

You also could use the left over slury for toro on the outer layer of priming some stars with green mix and hot toro or thin it with water and use to wet some ricehulls for burst.

[FlaMtnBkr]

When I have made match in the past I soaked the thread in water with a good amount of nitrate dissolved in it. This seemed to serve 2 purposes.

 

If the threads aren't fully saturated with BP it contains enough oxidizer to burn up fairly quickly instead of smoldering for 15 minutes like when it's mainly just coated on the outside.

 

More importantly, it is already damp so it doesn't pull much water out of the BP slurry and the consistency doesn't change much from start to finish.

 

It also doesn't pull out much nitrate from the BP since the nitrate dissolves in the water that will soak into dry match and change the BP ratio a bit as you go.

 

Also, if the threads are gently rotated around a pulley in the slurry, the BP doesn't seem to penetrate the threads well. If they are pulled around a fixed dowel they get pulled flat and separated a bit and seems to get BP throughout the match instead of having a bare core that is white (or whatever the color of your thread) in the center when you cut it (not with scissors).

[dagabu]

I agree and have soaked my thread/yarn first before coating it but I have better luck with stiff match without the soaking first. This time, I will be doing a dry run (tomorrow?) and will see how it turns out.

[OldMarine]

Caleb's large machine has pinch rollers that force the slurry into the fibers. Combined with using the two stand cotton thread I have I get complete thread saturation.

[calebkessinger]

Both machines have pinch rollers now. I set them both up and made them at the same time. I'm not sure it's needed for it to pinch the thread but it has to help a little.

The thread has to wind around 4 rollers all while underneath the slurry.

My thread turned out dark to the core right off the bat and i just used #10 crochet thread that is actually 3 strands wound together.

[OldMarine]

Caleb, I bypassed the pinch roller and just rolled around them on a test batch and the pinch definitely makes a difference. Even using the 2 strand thread I got from txsafr I had white spots when bypassing the rollers. Same travel through the slurry so..... I say yes to pinching!