We know about ancient methods of kindling fire mainly from history and descriptions of travelers who observed them in the camps of the so-called backward tribes. We ourselves have long ago become accustomed to using matches. It should be noted that in last years lighters and automatic ignition were added to them gas stoves. However, matches have not lost their relevance to this day. But how much do we know about them? How often do people look closely at such familiar, everyday things?
Matches are different
Even the simplest, “homemade” matches are designed quite cleverly. Main secret in their heads, which satisfy two almost opposite requirements: the tip of the match should not fall off the stick when ignited, crumble during storage, and the stick should go out almost instantly when it burns out a little.
More more difficult tasks, which must fulfill hunting matches. They are required to burn much longer, they must produce a large and hot flame, and they are supposed to light in both wind and rain. As a result, hunting matches below the head are coated with an additional compound and can burn for 10 to 20 seconds - just what you need when you light a fire in “non-flying” conditions. Covering the head with a special film prevents it from getting wet. So a quality product can light up even in the rain.
Storm matches are even more “weather-resistant”: their coating also contains naphthalene and starch, so even a force 12 wind is not an obstacle to their ignition.
For those who do not often use such incendiary sticks, we note: it is undesirable to use them in an apartment (house) - their flame is too large, and they smoke with a pungent and unpleasant odor.
The most famous way
Hunting matches can be purchased at any specialized store for fishermen and hunters. However, if there is no such thing near your home, and you are too lazy to go look for it, then you can handle it yourself. Most often, do-it-yourself hunting matches are made from ordinary ones with additional substances: silver, nitro varnish and ammonium nitrate. Silver is mixed with saltpeter in equal quantities, and varnish is added to them. Everything is kneaded like dough until it begins to resemble dough. The resulting “plasticine” is rolled out thinly (better glass bottle, which you don’t mind throwing away later). The pancake is cut into the narrowest strips possible, no wider than a couple of millimeters, or better yet, even narrower. These ribbons are wound spirally around the match, from the head to the middle of the stick. Almost finished hunting matches are left to dry, after which the wound strips are painted with varnish. Do not varnish the head under any circumstances - the match will not light without sulfur. Of course, the work is painstaking, almost like jewelry, but at the dacha, on a hike or fishing you will not be left without a fire.
You can do it differently
Less known is another way to make a hunting match. Instead of the above components, cotton threads and paraffin are suitable. The threads are tightly wound around household matches, preferably in more than one layer. The head, of course, remains open. The paraffin is melted and the workpieces are dipped into it. It’s easier to just throw matches at it and then catch it; but, in order not to wait for the excess “wax” to drip off, it is better to take each one with tweezers and dip it into the melt.
But no matter what method you use to make hunting matches, do not forget to take care of dry “cherkach” (or “strike” - call it what you want). Without it, the most waterproof matches will not light. The simplest method is to keep it in a tightly tied condom.
Will be useful during the holidays too!
Folk craftsmen believe that such a hunting device is appropriate not only for hiking conditions. If you add a few small iron filings to the composition used to process matches in the first manufacturing option, then during combustion you can observe a beautiful spark fireworks display similar to the one they give in bad weather. You don’t want to cancel the holiday, and not every factory product “will agree” to work in damp conditions. So you can please your children with safe homemade products.
Rain, wind, slush, you need to light a fire, dry out and warm up a little, but your lighter has failed. It turned out to be of poor quality, the valve slowly released all the gas. Or it simply cannot cope with the wind and dampness and goes out. Hunting matches are designed to get out of such situations.
Materials and accessories
A match consists of a head, which is struck against a grater on the box, and a straw, a thin wooden stick.
1. You will need regular matches. And quite a lot, several boxes. From them we will extract a composition containing sulfur and bertholite salt. That is, remove the heads.
2. Wooden chips that will serve as straws for future products. Be sure to be dry. They can be obtained, for example, by carefully splitting pencils lengthwise into four parts.
3. A knife, a mortar, a sheet of paper, some old cup that no one drinks from anymore. And also a piece of plasticine. Or any others suitable tools, with which you can carry out the actions described below.
Manufacturing
First, remove the heads from the matches. That is, we separate the flammable composition from the straws. You can use a knife. Or whatever is more convenient for you. You just need to collect a pile of this composition on a sheet of paper, trying to minimize the presence of wood shavings.
Then pour the extract into a mortar and very carefully grind it into powder. Bertholet salt detonates from excessive mechanical stress, so you should work really carefully.
Ready? Pour the powder into a cup. The one from which no one has been drinking for a long time and, most importantly, is not going to drink in the future. A glass will do too. We arm ourselves with a stick and begin to add water to the powder, thoroughly stirring the composition.
You should end up with something viscous, similar to dense mud. We spread this mixture onto pre-prepared straws. On those same dry wood chips, when cutting which you, of course, were careful and did not get hurt.
Spread generously and cover at least half the length of the future match. The larger and more abundant, the higher the resistance to wind and moisture, the easier it is to light a fire. But that’s for later, but for now let’s move on.
Why do you need plasticine? In general, it is not so important how you install the matches vertically. The easiest way is to stick them into plasticine immediately after spreading. Why vertical? So that the mass applied to them under the influence of gravity does not shift to one side. Let it slide evenly along the straw. Otherwise, when ignited, ignited pieces will fly off in an unpredictable direction.
In general, we leave the matches to dry for at least a day. Until the composition with sulfur and bertholite salts has completely and completely dried.
Usage
For ignition, we use a regular matchbox, or rather, its grater. We strike carefully and in a safe direction (away from ourselves), since due to the large mass of the composition, the ignition process will be quite intense, and sparks may fly off. The smoke (sulfur dioxide) released during combustion should not be inhaled.
You don't have to wait for the match to light up. We use it immediately direct purpose. That is, for making a fire. By the way, you must have been in a hurry to throw away the straws from ordinary matches from which you removed the heads? In vain. They would make good auxiliary kindling, especially if you poured a whole handful. Because they are impregnated with acid in order to obtain a stable flame (so that the wood does not smolder).
How to make hunting matches? video
Article: How to make hunting matches?
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In today's article we will talk about how to quickly make hunting matches for starting a fire in extreme conditions.
How to make hunting matches
When we are going hunting, fishing, or just on a hiking trip, we are certainly obliged to stock up on essential supplies, including for lighting a fire in an open area and even in extreme conditions. Yes, you will say that I have a lighter or a box of matches for this occasion. This has probably happened to you when your lighter fails due to getting wet, freezing, or the flint simply flew out, and your matches became damp.
Just for such a case, you need to have ignition supplies with you. These products must adequately withstand tests of humidity, gusty winds and, most importantly, burn for a sufficient amount of time to calmly ignite a fire on open area. Such means include the familiar hunting matches.
Properties of hunting matches
The difference between hunting and simple matches is that hunting ones have an additional so-called coating. It allows matches to be moisture-resistant, burn for a long time, and their flame is large and hot. Such matches can maintain a fire for up to 20 seconds. You can set them on fire in damp and windy weather, as they are not afraid of humidity. Hunting matches can be used in a wide range of areas of our activity: hunting, fishing, hiking and just on vacation, where many unpleasant situations can happen, and such matches always come to the rescue.
How to make hunting matches video
So how do you actually make hunting matches with your own hands? See this clearly in the following video:
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