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Primes for sparklers?


taiwanluthiers

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I notice commercial sparklers are very difficult to light, at least with cigarette lighters (which is the method most use to light them). It takes a VERY long time, assuming any slight breeze doesn't extinguish the lighter. That and it doesn't seem particularly safe because sparks would fly as soon as you light it. Has anyone coated the end of a sparkler with some kind of a prime (perhaps bp slurry) to make lighting them easier, and does it in fact make lighting them easier?

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For the sparklers that I have made I used a hot prime specifically designed to light the hard to light sparklers. I don't have the details in front of me, I'm at work. And it only worked about 50% of the time anyway, I had to have it coated for a good full inch along the sparkler for it to work, just the tip it didn't get hot enough.

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This seems like a problem for normal people. Every pyro worth his salt has a blowtorch, which makes quick work of sparklers.

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Standard and Brocks fireworks in England used to have a prime coating on the tip of their sparklers from the late 80's/early 90's era. I am unsure as to whether they still do. I don't have the formula but it was probably just a silicon based hot prime.

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Before my various blow and jet torches I would tape a piece of visco to them, mainly for inserting them into the ground to fire in rows for my daughter. lighting the visco is easy in windy conditions if you use a hot ember, cigarette, punk, etc.

 

 

Dan.

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I used to fight the wind with a long fireplace lighter. Spent more time trying to light the rocket fuses than the flight itself.

 

If you have small camp stove propane canisters available, get yourself a Bernzomatic auto start torch head from Ebay and be done with it.

 

No sparkler prime required.

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