Making Black Match

One of the main components in pyrotechnics is the "Black Match".

Black Match is no more than a cotton string coated with milled black powder and it has use in many applications during fireworks manufacturing like making Quick Match and cross matchning time fuses for aerial shells, turning it more easy to lit and also as a simple fuse for pyrotecnhic devices as a (not impermeable) substitute for visco fuse.

During my amateur pyrotechnic experimentes I have made a very simple Black Match machine.

Take a look at my Black Match machine:

The image by itself explains the details of the construction. Now, the only thing you need is a mix of milled black powder and alcohol + water and a bit of dextrin, forming a paste.

Fill the funnel and pull the string - it will come coated with the powder. Some people also impregnate the cotton string with a mix of Potassium Nitrate and water, that will help to keep the Black Match alive in the case of a misfire, but also can turn it a little more dangerous if the person tries to re-ignite it manually during this event.

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