alternative to making e-matches

[FrankRizzo]

Filing and snapping lightbulbs? I think that is way too much efford. I rather hold the tip of the bulb in a flame for a few seconds, and then dump the whole thing in cold water. Just look at the bulb after such a treatment and the tip almost falls off. If there gets some water in the bulb, thats not a problem. Neither the copper filaments nor the tungsten wire will corrode from some moisture. Just let them dry and you can use them.

 

Too much effort...wow, the current generation needs to get off their ass more often. Your technique will result in a crazed/cracked bulb which has little structurally integrity. You might as well just use a pair of pliers.

 

Tenacles: Yep, I got you a few boxes too.

[Mumbles]

Damn youngins'

 

I have probably 6-700 of these things and have used a grand total of about 3 in my life. I probably should start considering how expensive commercial e-matches are. $1 a piece my ass.

[ST1DinOH]

a quick note on light bulbs...

 

when i did this in the past, i found a quick method for making them. a quick wrap in masking tape, and a pair of vise grips set just right to shatter the bulb, but not smash it, makes short work of the whole process.

 

next you just find a plastic drinking straw that mates well to the shroud of the bulb and you can make hundreds of these things in a few hours.

 

i always started by cutting the strings down to individual bulb + pigtail's. then taping them, then one at a time i'd crack them, slide the tape+glass off, then slip on the straw.

 

the advantage of this method is the tape contains all of the glass and makes clean up a non-issue.

 

my old shooting wires were just phone wire with 2 pairs of speaker terminal connectors attached.

 

after a few years of busting bulbs, i switched to the dipped wire wraps, now i've abandoned bridge wire matches all together and switched to the conductive pyrogen from fire-fox. that stuff is spectacular.

[Swede]

after a few years of busting bulbs, i switched to the dipped wire wraps, now i've abandoned bridge wire matches all together and switched to the conductive pyrogen from fire-fox. that stuff is spectacular.

 

I know NOTHING about e-matches, but your last sentence really intrigued me. CONDUCTIVE pyrogen? COOL! What is the formula, if known? A bit of graphite added to a meal slurry or something simple like that?

 

I'm thinking

 

Meal powder

Dark aluminum

NC

graphite?

 

Something along those lines...

[Mumbles]

I have a few, I believe they came from firefox.

 

Insensitive Bridgeless Pyrogen:

64.00% 16 Potassium Nitrate

12.00% 3 Lampblack (conductive)

12.00% 3 Magnesium (-60 mesh, flake)

4.00% 1 Aluminium (-40 mesh, granular)

4.00% 1 Aluminium (16 um, bright flake)

4.00% 1 Sulfur

 

 

Sensitive Bridgeless Pyrogen:

percent parts component

77.78% 7 Potassium Chlorate

11.11% 1 Antimony Trisulfide

11.11% 1 Lampblack (conductive)

 

 

I've also seen a dip of strictly graphite in NC, followed by a dip in BP with a few percent metal to increase burn temp. I do think something high in metal or graphite could be formulated for a single dip.

[firetech]

The method i use for electric ignitors is shown Here by James Yawn. I do not recommend fuse paper..I have had unsuccesful experiences with it. Simply dipping the finished ignitor in a bp/dextrin slurry should work fine. Any flammable powder should do OK. These are simple to make and very reliable. Edited March 11, 2009 by firetech

[Swede]

ST1DinOhio, thank you for this excellent tutorial. I like the idea of using the short SS segments from a braided steel rope... you're going to get consistency and cheapness out of them.

 

I thought the other day about sculpey clay again (PVC-based clay) and thought it might be a decent component to add body to a bridgeless ignitor, so I decided to give it a try. First, I dissolved 1 gram of sculpey in acetone, and then added parts of the following:

 

Potassium Perchlorate

Antimony Trisulfide

Graphite (for conductance; I have no lampblack)

Spherical Titanium

NC lacquer

 

The matches dipped nicely and retained the compound well. I made the slurry too thin, so it took about 3 dips to build up a decent blob. I also dipped a few q-tips into the compound, and dried them quickly (and carefully) with a heat gun. A bit of flame produced a really nice burn with heavy sparking from the Ti. Initial continuity showed 50 kilohms, too much I think, but the e-matches themselves are still damp. I'll let them dry thoroughly and see what happens.

 

Anyway, the sculpey + NC gives this pyrogen a nice, firm body. You could probably substitute PVC powder for sculpey, and use PVC pipe cleaner as carrier/thinner.

[Richtee]

Anyway, the sculpey + NC gives this pyrogen a nice, firm body. You could probably substitute PVC powder for sculpey, and use PVC pipe cleaner as carrier/thinner.

 

 

I have been playing with the Sculpy. Stuff's a bitch to dissolve ain't it? I made a batch of the rocket fuel, found it more suited to a delay comp/flare honestly. I did not use the chromate or whatever, used all FeO3. Perhaps that's the issue?

 

But now I gotta try this! Thanks Swede!

[Swede]

The original (just for fun) bridgeless pyrogen I attempted did not work. When dried, the resistance was about 3K, nice and consistent between e-matches, but too high. It burned (when ignited with fire) very nicely with a potent spark shower. So I thought "I'll add dark aluminum for a bit more conductance." About 5% flake aluminum, and the resistance went into the megohm range! Hmm... it made it worse instead of better. I would have expected the aluminum to improve things.

 

It was a fun experiment and I may try it again, but I'll probably stick to the proven recipes as a basis, and perhaps try a bit of sculpey or PVC for strength. The sculpey was a PITA to dissolve, but one way to help it along is to take the 2 or 3 grams and slice it into ribbons with a razor blade before going into the acetone... give it a bit more surface area. Otherwise it just sits there, requiring a lot of mashing and manipulation to dissolve.

 

I think the modern polymers have a place in pyro - the poly glue experiments, sculpey, etc, just have to find where they can be useful.

[Mumbles]

Instead of messing with sculpy, and god-knows-what else is in it, have you considered PVC cement? Cement, the stuff with the PVC predissolved. The MSDS's I've found for Oatey list between 10 and 24% dissolved PVC.

 

My first instinct would be to formulate the e-match like a go-getter. It's designed to be made into a slurry, and has a high metal content. They're practically bound flash compositions as is anyway.

 

On a whim I started looking into electrically conductive polymerrs. I was looking into OLED and PLED (organic and polymer respectively), technology a bit too. They have to be conductive. They obviously have different focuses, but the main trick seems to a whole lot of sp2 orbitals and pi-conjugation, which allows for electrical conductivity. In organic chemistry, unconjugated systems are well known for ring current effects, long rang electrical coupling, and narrowing the HOMO/LUMO gap. There are a few simple conductive polymers that could be made at home, such as polyaniline, polypyrrol. Polynaphthalene is listed, but it's slightly more involved to make. Along the same lines, this is how dyes are made. Some of the dyes we use are a possibility. Bakelite too came to mind, though may not be conjugated enough.

[Swede]

A conductive polymer would be a boon for bridgeless matches. As I mentioned before, I have no experience with this sort of thing, it just sounded intriguing. I don't know how sturdy they need to be, but the sculpey-based matches were firm little blobs that would withstand rough handling with ease. I'd bet PVC cement would work very well, as it sets all by itself into a firm solid. This may be an area where the polyurethane glue would shine, as well.

 

Xetap's post mentions 3 ohms... I need more conductivity. Graphite and Ti were the only conductive materials I used, and the resultant 3.2 kilohms was way too high; plus, the dark aluminum was a total bust as far as conductivity. Bright coarse flake would be a much better choice. I've also got Fe powder on hand. Lead Dioxide, too, but that is a toxic and expensive material.

 

I realize that there are published and proven recipes, but you guys know me well enough by now - I like to delve into alternate DIY methods with weird materials!

[dave321]

hi,

has anyone tried a mixture of potassium chlorate and prussian blue (iron ferrocyanide) ?

lead ferrocyyanide is also mentioned in some patents.

(as alternatives to chlorate/antimony trisulphide)

 

also, i do not seem to be able to start a new topic, any obvious reason why

?

dave321

[TheSidewinder]

dave,

 

You can't start a new post until you've replied to an existing one. Since you just did that, you were moved from the Member group to the Full Member group, and can now start posts.

 

As to the Prussian Blue / KClO3, I'll let one of the chemists here address that. But I suspect it's a comp with some warning flags.

[Arthur]

A friend made sucessful bribgeless igs once he used CMC (carboxy methyl callulose) as the binder. They are still too variable to use reliably and cannot be used in series due to the variability of the resistance.

 

Get Igniter chips from ODA The 50g ones will fire a really hot prime comp with the same electrical charracteristics as a pro igniter. the 36g chips will fire off more current but need a less hot comp.

[Jumboshrmp]

For the christmas bulb igniters, the holding the tip to a torch, dipping it in water, and then using pliers reall is the best way to do it. I've done it many times.

 

However, because the filament is so fragile, I wouldn't call this method reliable.

 

Seriously, the best way for homemade igniters is to use nichrome wire using the method shown in the first post (although don't use so many wraps..geez...)

 

Don't buy your nichrome from expensive sites like skylighter and firefox-fx, both charge round $4 for 10 feet.

I almost did, but I found this site after EXTENSIVE google searching:

http://unclemikesrocketshack.com/Igniters/Igniters.html

$2.99 for 100 feet. Holy crap.

Shipping is about $6 but you get so much. I bought 2 rolls at one time to save on shipping.

 

Btw, I love this forum, NightHawkInLight recommended it to me through youtube, I have been browsing for a few days and I am so excited. I have all of my black powder materials, and will be making my first batch next week when I get my scale.

[Mumbles]

I'm always wary using such fine wire, that it might not heat enough to ignite the pyrogen. A bit more expensive, but this is my supplier of choice. I know the owner personally. Great guy.

 

http://www.pnjresources.com/Nichrome.html

[Arthur]

I've used and like ODA's 50g chips for igs. Recently one of the UK suppliers has sourced (in China) plain igs with ALL the usual features (orange twin flex and orange protective cap) but NO Pyrogen. This means that they are simple to post legally (as there is no compound involved). Once the Chinese factories realise that there is a market for thee tey will ba available on price lists! They are like ODA's 50g igs surprise surprise! They fire perfectly off half an amp, dark flash or H3 as first fire and H3 or meal as main charge. all in NC. Edited September 4, 2009 by Arthur

[Jumboshrmp]

I'm always wary using such fine wire, that it might not heat enough to ignite the pyrogen. A bit more expensive, but this is my supplier of choice. I know the owner personally. Great guy.

 

http://www.pnjresources.com/Nichrome.html

 

Wow, that is a pretty good deal. If I ever want to get larger wire I'll try that site, and I'll definitely go for 100 feet because it goes fast.

 

The main reason I like the thin wire is because it heats up instantly with 4 or more AA batteries (I use 8 AAs to make it even faster, and they cost less to replace than a 9V or 12V battery, and I can't find rechargeable 12s anywhere)

 

At the same time, the thinner wire is harder to work with, so if I ever get a more powerful e-fire system I may try 36 or 34 gauge.

 

I like putting on very simple shows timed to music. That's why the instant glow is important to me. I take the fuse out of my shells (all regular consumer shells, nothing homemade yet), and just stick the nichrome wrapped igniter right in there, no pyrogen at all, making sure its underneath the lift powder. I haven't had a misfire yet with this method. I certainly wouldn't trust them if I had any sort of audience other than neighbors though.

Edited September 5, 2009 by Jumboshrmp