Quickmatch is a type of fuse which burns very fast, hence “Quick”. The “match” part is a reference to the blackmatch which is the combustible component of the fuse. A piece of Quickmatch can be used to light multiple other fuses in a very short period (such as simultaneously igniting the driver motors of a girandola) or to cover a particular distance more quickly, such as down a mortar launch tube.
For those that don’t know, blackmatch is a simple fuse made by treating string with a black powder slurry which coats the outer surface. Well-made blackmatch burns pretty consistently but isn’t waterproof and may have an unpredictable burn rate between different batches. This is especially true if only small quantities of blackmatch are made at any one time from different batches of homemade black powder. If you can make a consistent and good quality black powder and standardise the blackmatch process then you should end up with a fairly reliable fuse.
As blackmatch is essentially unprotected fuse, open to the elements, it’s susceptible to moisture, friction & handling as well as the airflow around it. For these reasons blackmatch isn’t used as the starter fuse for lighting commercial fireworks. However this same quality that provides a few downfalls has one distinct advantage, ignition can occur at any point along the fuse.
When blackmatch burns, the hot combustion gases are expelled. If you place the blackmatch in a confined tube then these gases have nowhere to go except for further down the tube. These hot gases light the fuse further along its length and as the pressure builds the rate that the gasses travel along the tube increase, lighting more of the fuse, adding to the process. The result is a chain reaction whereby a length of ordinary blackmatch will burn considerably faster when contained than when in the open air. This is Quickmatch.
As blackmatch is essentially unprotected fuse, open to the elements, it’s susceptible to moisture, friction & handling as well as the airflow around it. For these reasons blackmatch isn’t used as the starter fuse for lighting commercial fireworks. However this same quality that provides a few downfalls has one distinct advantage, ignition can occur at any point along the fuse.
When blackmatch burns, the hot combustion gases are expelled. If you place the blackmatch in a confined tube then these gases have nowhere to go except for further down the tube. These hot gases light the fuse further along its length and as the pressure builds the rate that the gasses travel along the tube increase, lighting more of the fuse, adding to the process. The result is a chain reaction whereby a length of ordinary blackmatch will burn considerably faster when contained than when in the open air. This is Quickmatch.
The tubes for quickmatch can be made simply enough using gum tape and a metal former. When the gum tape is pulled through the former a flattened tube is created. One side of the gum tape is made wet and this glues that side to the rest of the tape, securing it in place. Black match can be drawn through the former at the same time as the gum tape, creating the quickmatch in a continuous process to make large lengths of fuse. Alternatively, if only small lengths of quickmatch are required, sections of gum tape can be made into short tubes and a length of blackmatch inserted afterwards.
The quickmatch can be lit directly, or via safety fuse depending on the intended application. When using quickmatch to light a firework directly (as opposed to lighting other fuses in a timing sequence) a safety fuse should always be used to ignite the quickmatch, otherwise the firework will ignite immediately and give you no time to get to a safe distance.
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