black match

[butch]

I will be making some black match in a week or so and seen a rig on grass roots for making it. Looks like a good setup. The one thing i was wondering about was why does he use laundry starch to make his slurry instead of water? Edited January 27, 2013 by butch

[Pretty green flame]

I will be making some black match in a week or so and seen a rig on grass roots for making it. Looks like a good setup. The one thing i was wondering about was why does he use laundry starch to make his slurry instead of water?

 

Laundry starch acts as a binder. You can use dextrin or gum arabic instead. Dextrin is cheap and works OK, gum arabic is a bit more expensive but gives superior match in the sense of mechanic durabilty, makes the match less prone to flaking in tight bends.

[AirCowPeacock]

Make sure to use good string. I just got my blackmatch down, because I was using too coarse of string. I now use 2-ply chrochet string.

[Mumbles]

Dextrin and laundry starch were the binders of choice for many years in the industry. Most of the info I have is for solid laundry starch, but it probably all works. Laundry starch has been said to be a little more flexible than dextrin match, as well as being less affected by humidity. Laundry starch match will remain good and stiff, while dextrin match often softens and goes limp in high humidity environments.

 

Getting the slurry right is critical in getting a pull method like that to work. It's not my favorite, but it's generally faster and cleaner than the alternative.

[Algenco]

dextrin/CMC works great CMC gells the slurry and creates more durable match

[AirCowPeacock]

I find the slurry will have to be re-wet and continuously stirred as the string is pulled. Removing 0.5% Charcoal and adding 0.5% Potassium nitrate helps with burning the string.

[Col]

With 4% dex and 1% cmc, the slurry is silky smooth and you wont need to rewet it.

[Mia]

gum Arabic all the way perfect finish

[Potassiumchlorate]

gum Arabic all the way perfect finish

 

I haven't tested it, but that is what they used in the old days. A 2.5% solution is said to be enough to use.

[Mia]

I am a bit old day’s pot perc lol but it is very good if you can get it

[Mumbles]

I dug up a post I had saved from Bill Kimbrough. I figure it's pretty applicable here. There are two almost identical posts I have saved, but this one has a little more info at the end. In one he says 6" hanging off the table, in the other he says 9". This one originally said 6, but I have reason to believe he really meant 9, so I've changed it. I too like gum arabic added as a solution, usually my standard 4% w/v solution.

 

 

10-15 years ago I did a series of tests, not really totally scientific, but

practical for my purposes to see which binder made the best black

match.

I made up several different batches, and tried to be consistent in

the application on the string.

Dextrin

Boiled laundry starch

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Starpohl

Gum arabic

maybe others, I can't remember now.

Then the tests. I was trying to find out which had the lowest

moisture reabsorbtion after dried, and the best burn rate.

To get the moisture test I laid a foot long piece of the match

on a table on the porch of my lab with 9" hanging off the edge

for 12 hours including he humidity of the night.

I called this the limp d--k test. The least sagging were the

boiled laundry starch, and the Gum arabic. Pretty much a tie,

maybe the starch a little better.

The worst was the Dextrin, really limp, pretty much the same

as the Starpohl.

To test the burn rate I put the butt end of 1' long pieces together

into the center of a piece of cardboard, and just lit the center.

Whoever gets to the edge first wins.

Pretty much a tie again with Gum arabic and boiled laundry

starch the winners. Starpohl dead last. Hec a little better

than Dextrin.

The boiled laundry starch was Jack Fielders favorite, and

still worth doing, but the gum arabic is much easier.

Now that you guys are introducing multiple binding agents,

I guess it is time to do a whole new series of tests.

Maybe scientific this time.

[Bobosan]

I find the slurry will have to be re-wet and continuously stirred as the string is pulled. Removing 0.5% Charcoal and adding 0.5% Potassium nitrate helps with burning the string.

 

I have read where pre-soaking the cotton string in a nitrate/water solution helps to minimize dryout of the slurry plus allows better slurry penetration. Any one have experience with pre-wetting the string?

[pyrojig]

What amount of heat and time of boil is required to activate the laundry starch? I too have heard this is a very good/cheap binder for flexible and durable match. Is there a specific process that is used?

[Mumbles]

I actually only have brief notes on this as I've really only used gum arabic. They're just on "starch", but I'm pretty sure it's for laundry starch based on who it's gleaned from. I don't have any of the original sources documented, but it's likely a mix of stuff I've read on rec.pyro, passfire, the advanced pyro google group, as well as speaking with people at club/PGI shoots. Very specific I know . I did at least notate that it came from combined sources including Mike Swisher, Lloyd Sponnenburgh, and John Reilly.

 

I have a standard ratio of about 2.5% starch by mass in the final product. It's hard to really tell exactly how much water will be required. They mentioned making a little more than required, about 50% by mass of the BP to be used, where as only 40-45% will typically be required. I don't really have a good description of the end point. It's unclear if it's just heated to boiling briefly, or boiled for any length of time. I expect it to behave like wheat paste, where it thickens the more the longer it's boiled. Heat until it fits your preferences I suppose. The paste is added while still warm to hot to the BP, and mixed by hand to yield a uniform slurry.

 

A typical batch might be around 30lbs of black powder, 11-12oz of starch, and 6500mL of water.

[pyrojig]

Thanks Mumbles .

I will have to do my homework and hit up a few of the grandmaster pyros for a tip or two on this technique . I dont believe that the starch is boiled for more than a few min. But as you say, I could be way off. It is a winner in my book for cheapness and effectiveness. I will be giving it a go here in the very near future.

[Mumbles]

I get the impression that the boiling is very brief too. As long as it's uniform, I'd be tempted to just get it to boiling for a second, give it a quick stir, and then go about making the match.