Making hunting matches at home. What are matches made of? Matches are different

Today we have helpful advice addressed to people who like to wander through nature with a gun (hunting season, its opening, is just around the corner) or sit fishing. Of course, they don’t give up their hobby even in winter. Some people like winter fishing even more than summer fishing. But it seems to me that there are still more “heat-loving” fishermen. As you know, nature is very changeable, and fishermen and hunters need to always be prepared for any unforeseen situations, especially if you are somewhere far from “civilization.” Here are hunting matches, this is exactly the “arsenal” that you need to arm yourself with when going out into nature. After all, ordinary matches and lighters are very unreliable during long stays in nature. And such matches can help you out in various situations.

How to do it and what will be needed for this?

And you can make such matches very easily and you don’t need any super materials for this. There are no problems with ordinary matches, except for them you also need ammonium nitrate, you will need nitro varnish to cover the matches, and the well-known silver oxide (it is needed in the form of powder).

The first thing we will do is mix dry ammonium nitrate with ammonium nitrate. We will mix these compositions 1:1. When you mix these two components well, add nitro varnish to them and then mix the entire contents again. You will need to achieve a dough-like state of this mixture.

• When you get this consistency, roll out this “inedible” dough into a thin layer and cut it into narrow strips. The width of such stripes should be a very small millimeter or two.
• Next we will need regular matches. We take one of them and spirally wind on it those narrow strips that we have already cut out. You need to start winding from the middle of the sulfur head down and finish doing this in the middle of the match itself. So, we wrap each match (that is, based on the number of prepared strips) and then let them dry.
• When the matches have dried well, you will need to coat them with nitro varnish. You can cover with a regular brush, which children use when drawing. BUT, cover the sulfur head of the match with this varnish DO NOT DO IT! Otherwise, you will simply have problems lighting matches. Some people think that it is much easier to dip the entire match directly into nitro varnish, but again this should not be done, otherwise the head of the match will also be covered with varnish and you will no longer be able to avoid problems with ignition.
• That's it, your hunting matches are completely ready! So you can now safely use them to make a fire, and you can even use not the driest firewood. Such homemade matches can burn successfully even in water, and the wind will not be able to extinguish the flame of such matches.

But in this video they will show you everything well and tell you again. Try it and you will succeed.

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 on gas stoves were added to them. 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.

Even more difficult are the tasks that hunting matches must perform. 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 it. 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!

Craftsmen believe that such a hunting device is appropriate not only in camping 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.

What are matches made of and why do they burn?

Editor's response

The first real matches were invented on April 10, 1833, when yellow phosphorus was introduced into the mixture for match heads. This day is considered the birthday of the first match.

In Russian, the word "match" is derived from the old Russian word "matches" - the plural form of the word "spoke" (pointed wooden stick). Originally, this word referred to wooden nails that were used in the manufacture of shoes (to fasten the soles).

At first, the phrase “incendiary (or samogar) matches” was used to denote matches, and only after matches became widespread, the first word began to be omitted, and then completely disappeared from use.

Work of the Pobeda match factory in the village of Verkhny Lomov. Photo: RIA Novosti / Yulia Chestnova

What are matches made of?

Most match production companies make them from aspen. In addition to this type of wood, linden, poplar and other trees are also used. A special machine for making matches can produce up to 10 million matches in an eight-hour working day.

Why do matches burn?

When we rub the head of a match against the wall of the box, a series begins chemical reactions. There is a coating applied to the box. It consists of red phosphorus, fillers and glue. When friction occurs, the particles of red phosphorus turn into white, it heats up and lights up at 50 degrees. The box lights up first, not the match. To prevent the spread on the box from burning all at once, phlegmatizers are added to its composition. They absorb some of the generated heat.

Half the mass of the head is oxidizing agents, in particular Berthollet salt. When decomposed, it easily releases oxygen. To lower the decomposition temperature of Berthollet salt, a catalyst, manganese dioxide, is added to the composition of the mass. The main flammable substance is sulfur. To prevent the head from burning too quickly and from falling apart, fillers are added to the mass: ground glass, zinc white, and red lead. All this is held together with different glues.

What types of matches are there?

In addition to ordinary (household) matches, there are about 100 types of special matches, differing in size, color, composition and degree of combustion.

The most common types are:

Storm - burn even under water and in the wind (wind, hunting);

Thermal - they can be soldered (welded), as they emit a large number of heat;

Signal - capable of producing colored flames;

Fireplace and gas - long matches for lighting fireplaces and gas stoves;

Decorative (souvenir) - gift matches, often have a colored head;

Photographic - used to create an instant flash.

Matches for tourists. Photo: RIA Novosti / Anton Denisov

What are matches used for?

Matches are intended for:

Receiving open fire in domestic conditions;

Lighting fires, stoves, kerosene stoves, kerosene gases;

Lighting stearin and wax candles;

Lighting cigarettes, cigars, etc.

Matches are also used for other purposes:

For practicing applied arts in the construction of houses, castles, for making decorative crafts;

For hygienic purposes (for cleaning the ear canals);

For repairing radio, audio and video equipment (matches wrapped in a cotton swab and soaked in alcohol are used to wipe hard-to-reach areas of the equipment).

“Tsar Match” 7.5 meters long, which was made in the city of Chudovo. The product claims to be included in the Guinness Book of Records. Photo: RIA Novosti / Mikhail Mordasov

1. Matches with different colored heads (red, blue, brown, green, etc.), contrary to the existing myth, differ from each other only in color. They burn exactly the same.

2. The combustible mass for matches was once prepared from white phosphorus. But then it turned out that this substance was harmful to health - the smoke produced during combustion was poisonous, and for suicide it was enough to eat just one match head.

3. The first Russian match factory was registered in 1837 in St. Petersburg. In Moscow, the first factory appeared in 1848. At first, matches were made from white phosphorus. Safe red phosphorus began to be used only in 1874.

4. According to GOST, a Soviet/Russian matchbox has a length of exactly 5 cm, which makes it possible to use it to measure the size of objects.

5. Using a match, you can remove an ink stain from an oilcloth. To do this, you need to slightly moisten the dirty surface of the oilcloth tablecloth and rub the stain with the head of a match. After the contamination disappears, the oilcloth must be lubricated. olive oil, and then wipe with a cotton swab.