Slow Match

Slow match is prepared rope, which is used to keep and carry fire; it bums slowly, with a firm, hard coal, and is not easily extinguished.

Materials

Hemp or flax raps of 3 strands, slightly twisted, about 25 yards long, and of a uniform diameter of 0.6 inch - acetate of lead, water.

Preparation I

Boil the rope for ten minutes in water, holding in solution 1/20 of its weight of acetate of lead; remove it with spatulas into the tub, or let it remain in the cold solution until it is thoroughly saturated. First, twist it over the kettle, and then by attaching one end to the book of a twisting winch, twist it bard, keeping it stretched by means of a stick passed through a loop at the other end; at the same time rubbing it smartly, always in the same direction from the hook, with coarse mats until the diameter of the match is reduced 0.1 inch, and it has a uniform twist and hardness.

Matches thus prepared burn 4 inches in an hour.

II. - If sugar of lead cannot be procured, the rope may be simply leached; for this purpose, it is put into a leach tub, and steeped in pure water for twelve hours; this water is then drawn off and replaced by lye prepared in a boiler with a quantity of ashes equal to half the weight of the rope, to which 5 per cent of quicklime is added. When the rope is well leached, twist it with sticks, steep it 5 minutes in hot water, and terminate as above.

This match burns 5 inches in an hour.

A slow match may be made of strong paper by immersing it in a warm solution of nitre, one pound to two gallons of water. A half sheet thus prepared keeps fire for three hours.

Quick Match

Quick match is cotton yarn of several strands, saturated and covered over with an inflammable composition; it is used for communicating fire from point to point in fireworks.

The material required to make it is mealed powder, cotton yarn, gummed brandy or whiskey, in the proportion of 1 ounce of gum to 1/2 gallon of spirits. 1000 yards of quick-match require 1 pound of cotton yarn, 8 pounds of mealed powder, 1 1/4 gallon of spirits, and 2 1/2 ounces of gum. When dried it weighs 9 pounds.

Preparation

Steep the cotton in the gummy whiskey until thoroughly saturated.

Make a paste of mealed powder by mixing 1 quart of gummed whiskey to 2 pounds of powder, and put a layer of it about 1/2 an inch deep in a bowl; on this spread a coil of the cotton by unrolling the ball, and distributing it equally on the surface of the paste until there are 5 or 6 yards over one another; put another layer of the paste, and continue until the bowl is full. After the cotton has been 3 or four hours in the bowl wind it on a reel. Before it is dried, dredge it with mealed powder; let it dry slowly, cut it off from the reel, and put it in bundles. One yard in the open air burns 13 seconds.

If to the above composition you add 1/6 of sulphur, 1 yard burns in 22 seconds, with 1/5, 33, with 1/3, 53, with 1/2, 162 seconds.

Fuses For Mortar Shells

The hard, close grained woods are best adapted for making fuses. Beach or ash is generally used. It should be dried, sound, free from knots, worm holes, etc.

The composition is the following: -

For eight and ten inch light Mortar Fuses.

Nitre • . . 2 parts.

Sulphur . 1 part.

Mealed powder . . 3 parts.

For ten and thirteen inch heavy Mortars.

Nitre .... 2 parts. Sulphur ... 1 part.

Mealed powder . . 2 1/4 parts.

Fuses for heavy Guns.

The composition of the mixture is the following: -

Rock Fires

Bock fire is a composition which burns slowly, is difficult to extinguish, and is used to set fire to buildings, ships, etc. That which is put into shells is cast in cylindrical cases of paper, having a priming in their axis.

Composition: -Rosin .... 3 parts.

Sulphur . . . 4 "

Nitre . . . . 10 "

Regulus of antimony . 1 part. Mutton tallow . 1 "

Turpentine . . 1 "

Pulverize the sulphur, nitre, and antimony separately, mix them with the hands, and pass through a sieve. Melt the tallow first, then the rosin, stirring the mixture with spatulas, add the turpentine, and next the other materials, in small quantities at a time, stirring the whole constantly with large spatulas.

Let one portion of the composition be melted before more is added. When the composition becomes of a brown color, and white vapors are disengaged, the fire is permitted to go down, and when the composition is sufficiently fluid, the cases are filled not more than 3/4 full.

Fire Balls. Composition: - Saltpetre .... 8 parts. Sulphur . . . . 2 " Antimony . . . 1 part.

Blue Lights

Composition: - For 100 lights take-Saltpetre • • . 9 lbs. 10 ozs. Sulphur . . . 2 " 6 1/2 " Red orpiment . . 11 "

The materials should be pure, well pulverized, thoroughly incorporated, and passed through a hair sieve.

Fill a wooden cup with the composition, and press it firmly in. Prime the cup with a quick match.

Signal Rockets

Rockets for signals are composed of a paper case charged with composition, a pot filled with ornaments, and a light stick to give direction.

Composition: -

Nitre . . . . 26 parts.

Sulphur . . . 5 1/2 "

Charcoal . . . 19 "