Slow Match

[Zonie]

You may already know this but your wood ashes and water basically forms a weak solution of lye water.

Lye tends to break down cloth fibers so perhaps that is why it seems to enhance your matches burning.

As for your comment about urine, I agree.
It by itself will not add KNo3 or do anything to cloth.

 

[Grullaguy]

My observations indicated that the potash? solution, inhibited the oxygen/fuel interaction. The braided cotton cord without anything added, tended to burst into flame, whereas the cord soaked in the ash solution had only a hot ember on the end.

My thought is the nitrate solution would provide the same results, as long as not too much nitrate was added. I would also expect fusing and/or some spluttering if too much nitrate was added.

I suspect an ash water and nitrate combination would make a superior match.

Certainly, more testing is merited.

 

[Cpl. Ashencheeks]

I have been using natural color macramé hemp (no dye) from craft supplies and have braided 8 strand round braids into about 5 to 6 foot hanks and when finished it came out to be about the thickness a little under half an inch.

I then soaked it in a 4 cup water solution of 6 tbsp. of potassium nitrate for about 8 to 9 hours in a freezer bag placed in a bowl while turning it every now and then and allowed it to dry flat on a grid or hardware cloth to allow airflow around the rope. During drying it should be flipped every now and then. This braided cord has yielded me 9.5 minutes burn per inch.

The same hemp was also twisted in a two bundle twist at 4 strands per bundle and burned for about
5.5 minutes per inch.

Both ropes have burned consistently with very little smoke, no spatter and do not unravel during burning. The burnt ends just fuse together during burning and stay together even after dowsing. The braided cord holds together much better than the twisted cord after being extinguished, but both are acceptable.

I use a dowsing sleeve made of a short section of brass tubing. Later I will use finial end cap on the dowsing sleeve.

This seems to make a fairly good setup for a slow match.

 

[Canute Rex]

Here's my recipe: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...287164/post/1379076/hl//fromsearch/1/#1379076

It works well. The ash/lye boil leaches out the lignin in the rope. Lignin gives strength, but also makes excessive ash when it burns, getting in between the glowing coal and the priming powder. I have used this with and without potassium nitrate. The nitrated match burns a bit hotter and faster.

I line a large stainless pot with an old t-shirt, fill it with wood ash, and then fill it with boiling water. I let it sit for a couple of hours and then bundle the t-shirt and squeeze out the liquor. Simmer the rope in that for a few hours, add oregano and cumin...wait, wrong recipe. Simmer, wring and rinse a few times, (repeat for really good match) then soak in dilute vinegar to neutralize, wring and rinse again.

Braided (not twisted) hemp is the best stuff. It holds together, burns hot, and doesn't fray. It makes a nice sharp cone of red ember.

 

[Grullaguy]

You obviously are ahead of me in match experimentation.
I am happy that all of our trails produced similar results.

I bought my Japanese ish matchlock at the end of a gunshow for $100. The arm that lowers the match has a 3/8" hole which the match threads through. Of course no ready made match cord would fit so I had to be creative. I braided some hemp, but after treating it, I discovered it as too thick. I then cut three strips from a cotton shirt and braided them, and they fit.

I was happy with the results and did little further experimentation.
I have fired over 100 shots with 3 or 4 misfires which were all due to my inattention of ember condition or match to pan alignment.

 

[toot]

Interesting ... probably a burning/smoldering punk or such.

heat , flame & BP. is a volatile mixture!

 

[mckutzy]

Crikey ...... wow that quite the necro-post...
I was going to reply .... but 5 years back this started...