38. Quick-match, of a quality good enough to answer for priming to the
Roman-candle stars, may be made simply as follows:—Make a thick paste of
gunpowder and hot water with a small quantity of gum in it. Take about
four strands of cotton, such as is sold in balls and used for making the
wicks of lamps, steep this in the solution of nitre used above for
making touch-paper, and then wring it as dry as possible; then rub it
well in the gunpowder paste till it is thoroughly covered with it. One
end of the cotton may then be passed through a small funnel, whose mouth
is not more than an eighth of an inch in width. By this means, if the
whole length of the cotton is drawn through it, the superfluous paste
will be removed, and the match will be of a nice round form. Hang it
out-of-doors on a dry day, and when it is nearly dry coil it upon a tray
or paper, and dust it over with meal-powder. In winter it will not be
sufficiently dry for use under a week. When thoroughly dry it should be
stiff and hard, and the less it is bent or doubled the better.
If you wish to use this match for connecting the mouths of different
fireworks, or “clothing” them, as it is termed, you must make some long
paper tubes round a wire former which has a diameter of not less than
three-sixteenths of an inch. These pipes are threaded on the match, and
have a piece cut away at their side wherever they are inserted into the
mouth of a case, in order that the match may be laid bare and convey its
fire to the priming of the cases.
I have given you these short hints for the preparation of a quick-match.
I cannot, however, recommend your acting upon them, as the manufacture
of this useful article involves a great deal of very dirty work.
Unfortunately, quick-match is rather expensive to buy, while it may be
made at a very trifling cost. It is a most indispensable accessory, and
if you dare face the dirty work, you will find your courage will well
repay you. You may prepare it any way that you please, remembering that
all that is necessary is to coat the cotton well with a
highly-combustible compound, and one which will dry thoroughly.
Your Roman candles, when charged, should be finished with touch-paper;
or with ordinary paper, to receive the quick-match, if they are intended
to be fired simultaneously in numbers.
I trust that the above directions will enable you to succeed in the
manufacture of a species of firework without which no exhibition can be
complete, and with which so many and beautiful effects may be produced.
In case you should prefer to buy your chemicals and various ingredients
of an operative chemist, I beg to refer you to Messrs. Bolton & Co.,
146, Holborn-bars, London, in whose preparations I have great
confidence, and who will undertake to supply you with all the articles
required in pyrotechny at the prices in the subjoined list. You will
perceive that it is much more economical to purchase them _by the pound_
whenever they are required in such quantities. Many of the things,
however, you will need to use only sparingly, and these, therefore, may
be bought by the ounce. I think the following list will be found to
contain nearly all the preparations that you will require; there may be
a few things omitted, such, for instance, as red lead (used in the
composition for white Roman-candle stars), but this can be procured of
any country chemist or painter:—
Per lb. Per oz.
_s._ _d._ _s._ _d._
Nitre in powder 0 8
Meal-powder 1 0
Sulphur 0 4
Charcoal 4_d._ to 0 8
Calomel 5 0 0 4
Nitrate of strontia 1 0 0 1
do. do. anhydrous 2 0 0 2
Nitrate of baryta 1 0 0 1
Do. do. anhydrous 2 0 0 2
Chertier’s copper 4 6 0 4
Oxalate of soda 3 0 0 3
Shellac in powder 3 0 0 3
Sulphide of copper fused 2 6 0 2
Realgar 2 0 0 2
Carbonate of strontia 2 0 0 2
Stearine 2 0 0 2
Regulus of antimony 1 9 0 2
Bright steel filings 1 0 0 1
Cast-iron borings 0 6
Powdered glass 1 0 0 1
I have now only to give you a brief description of the woodcuts. Fig. 34
represents the funnel into which golden rain composition is placed; Fig.
35 the drift with which it is rammed; Fig. 36 the case which is to
contain it; Fig. 37 represents the tubular Roman-candle star mould; Fig.
38 the drift with which the stars are rammed; Fig. 39 the finished star
with its quick-match priming; Fig. 40 represents the settle with its
upper part on which the Roman-candle case is to be supported.
The next portion of our subject with which we have to deal is that which
comes under the head of