Boe Yeager's Tape Fuse 

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This article, kindly provided to us by Boe Yeager, will show you how to make a fuse similar to black match that uses tape.  By carrying out the instructions on this page, you are agreeing to all of the terms outlined in the disclaimer.

MATERIALS

- 1 lb of FFFg or equilivant black powder 
- 1 roll of transparent tape (scotch tape) 
- 1 dish – plastic or glass 
- 1 non sparking item to push or roll the tape into the BP

OPTIONAL MATERIALS

- Latex gloves and newspaper for mess avoidance/clean up 
- Paper funnel to pour excess product back into container

 

Procedure

Put on the latex gloves and place news paper on a flat working surface like a desk or bench.


Pour approximately 2-4 tablespoons of black powder into the dish, spread out evenly. Next, using the transparent tape, dip the sticky side of the tape down into the dish and use a non-sparking device to push the tape into the black powder. We used a baby food jar as shown (note we used a total of 3 people, one to hold the tape, one to process the black powder to the tape and a third to hold and walk the sticky match as it was being processed.

 

RESULTS
(click thumbnails to enlarge)

After making several feet, we tested the sticky match by putting on wood to ignite.

Here’s a picture of how Danny lit the sticky match
Here’s a picture of the sticky match burning at approximately 1 ft per second:

COMMENTS

Once you're set up, it takes no time to manufacture several feet of black match this way.   True sticky match is much wider and sticks like tape on each side of the BP trail.  This technique was used with both standard size scotch tape (pictured) and the wider desk size scotch tape.  There was no noticeable difference in performance.  Using the desk dispenser can avoid the use of someone holding the tape as you manufacture the sticky match.

For storage, I would recommend wrapping the processed tape around a small piece of wood.  Keep in a plastic or glass (NON-SPARKING) material container like a Tupperware container.  Then store in a cool, dry place.

Please note we encased this in quick match tube to create a very effective quick match!

 

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