Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop

Homemade Cannon Fuse

by Grim123 on April 28, 2013

Table of Contents

Homemade Cannon Fuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Homemade Cannon Fuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Grinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4: Dipping/Coating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5: Drying/Cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 6: Comming Soon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Author:Grim123
Im a teenage kid who has a lot of free time, and an extensive knowledge of explosives, weaponry, and in general things that I probably shouldn't know. I love
tinkering and 3d modeling and am always looking for a new and fun project.

Intro: Homemade Cannon Fuse

I've seen several methods to make cannon fuse; some professional grade, some DIY. Of all of these methods even the DIY ones often require materials that aren't easily
obtained such as gun powder. As is always my way, here I showcase an incredibly simple method for making truly homemade cannon fuse without all the fuss and
expense.

Step 1: Materials
As always I try to make instructables with truly household items so the following materials should all be readily available.

1: Matches...!!!!!!!!! This is very important THEY CANNOT BE STRIKE ANYWHERE MATCHES(THE ONES WITH THE WHITE TIP CANNOT BE USED ) AS THEY
WILL DETONATE ON IMPACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2: Pliers . They will be used to remove the match heads from the wooden sticks. It is your preference as to needle nose or not.
3: Container (sealable): I have pictured a film canister and a small chemical bottle from an old chemistry kit, its again your preference as to the type of container.
4: Grinder . I use a micro mortar and pestle which are ideal, however any device that can safely grind the material to a fine mesh is suitable as long as little to no heat is
generated. So a coffee grinder IS NOT safe as the heat generated can cause a small explosion.
5: String . As it's been a while since I have made these I no longer remember which material the string I used was. As it will be coated in a propellant the base material
does not have to be highly flammable, however WOOL IS NON FLAMMABLE and as such should be avoided.
6: Stirrer . I use a match stick and a pocket clip from a pen, but really anything will work.
7: Mixing Bowl . Any small bowl will work so its up to you as far as material and size, but smaller is usually better depending on the batch size.
8: Water/Alcohol . Yes there is a reason there was a shot glass in the picture. A solvent will be needed, either water or rubbing alcohol. both will work but rubbing alcohol
has the advantage of evaporating more quickly.
9: Optional-- Funnel . Just to make it easier to pour out the ground powder into the container for storage.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Image Notes
1. Pliers, your choice whether needle nose or not. They will be used to remove
match heads.
2. Matches
!!!!NOT STRIKE ANYWHERE KIND!!!
3. Film canister or any other style of container that can be sealed securely.
4. Funnel for pouring into container

5. Mortar and pestle for grinding

Image Notes
1. small container for liquids
2. My container for ground match heads

3. Mixing container
4. Stirring implements
5. String

Step 2: Grinding
Now the purpose of this instructable is not to show you how to remove match heads. I wont sugar coat it, its a long and tedious process but it pays off. I recommend
saving this portion of the process for a rainy day when you have lots of free time.

Once the material is removed from the match head it needs to be ground to a fine powder. Clumping will occur but that's to be expected and is not a real issue.

Once thoroughly ground spread the material out on a piece of paper and remove any pieces of wood, if you don't catch them all its not a serious problem its simply to
provide a better quality fuse and more consistent burn time.

Step 3: Mixing
Now as you all know, another staple of my instructables is the fact that I don't own any real measuring equipment such as a scale, as such all my measurements are
"eyeballed".
You are going to mix in your powder first and then add water/alcohol to it.
Add the water/alcohol slowly and a little at a time. the key is to ensure a high concentration of the match heads.
You are going to look for a thick paste like substance similar to that pictured below.
This is going to take some trial and error but you will eventually get it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. This is roughly what the consistency of the powder should look like. 1. Add a small amount of water/alcohol and begin stirring.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Image Notes
1. This is roughly the consistency you are looking for.

Step 4: Dipping/Coating
Once you have made the past you can begin coating your string. Now again I apologize for the lack of precise measurements but you'll have to bare with me here.

I recommend choosing a string of contrasting color to determine just how saturated and coated your string is.

Cut off a fairly large section of string, for this batch I believe I used almost 3 feet for this one batch. Be careful to leave a few inches on either end that will not be coated,
I'll explain why in the next step.

Now dip the string into the paste being sure to soak/saturate the string completely.
keep mixing and stirring the string in the solution and add more string until you feel you have used up all of the paste while ensuring a nice thorough coating. again this
part will require some trial and error but its worked well for me in the past. Also if after testing the fuse proves unreliable, you are able to re-dip the old fuse string.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Image Notes
1. Uncoated end
2. Uncoated end

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Image Notes
1. You can clearly see that the entirety of the string is coated leaving no raw string
exposed.

Step 5: Drying/Cutting
Once the string has been thoroughly soaked it is time for drying and cutting.
Remove the String being careful not to have it bump into anything as it will rub off the coating.
Now is where those two uncoated ends will come into play.
Tie off one end to something up high, leaving at least six inches from the bottom of the string to the ground.
now tie off the bottom end of the string to an object with enough weight to pull the string taught WITHOUT BREAKING THE STRING .
I have a super magnet that works perfectly for this job as I can attach several weights to the bottom of it as necessary.

Drying time will vary depending on how wet your paste is, humidity in the room it is sitting and whether you used water or alcohol to liquify the match heads. Mine
generally take about an hour to fully dry give or take half an hour. basically just wait until it is completely dry to the touch.
when you remove the weight and the top support the string should hold its shape and be fairly rigid now(another indicator that it is fully dried).

lay out the string next to a ruler or yard stick and begin cutting. First remove about the first 3 inches from where the coating starts and stops as the ends tend to be less
thoroughly coated than from that point on. these cut offs can be used to test burn rate as well.

now simply cut your fuse the the desired lengths and you're ready to go.

DO NOTE THAT THIS FUSE IS NOT WATER PROOF . HUMIDITY IS NOT MUCH OF AN ISSUE ONCE IT'S DRIED BUT CONTACT WITH LIQUID WATER WILL
NEUTRALIZE THAT PORTION OF FUSE

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Nail in the top of my closet door 1. 1 and 1/4 lb weight
2. enough excess string to tie off securely 2. Super magnet i had just lying around.
3. As the careful observer may have noticed, this particular fuse is almost 6 feet
long

Image Notes
1. generally i make my fuses between 2 and 3 inches long.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/
 Step 6: Comming Soon
I hope to soon have videos of the fuse in action as well as burn rate times.

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Comments
2 comments Add Comment

Mythbuster Kid says: Apr 29, 2013. 1:34 PM REPLY

This is great! It is a lot more simple than other tutorials that I've seen. I can't wait to try it.

Grim123 says: Apr 29, 2013. 5:10 PM REPLY

That was my goal :). Hope you enjoy and have fun. If you ever need any help just let me know.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Cannon-Fuse/