In today's article we will talk about how to quickly make hunting matches for starting a fire in extreme conditions.
How to make hunting matches
When we are going hunting, fishing, or just on a hiking trip, we are certainly obliged to stock up on essential supplies, including for lighting a fire in an open area and even in extreme conditions. Yes, you will say that I have a lighter or a box of matches for this occasion. This has probably happened to you when your lighter fails due to getting wet, freezing, or the flint simply flew out, and your matches became damp.
Just for such a case, you need to have ignition supplies with you. These products must adequately withstand tests of humidity, gusty wind and, most importantly, burn sufficient quantity time to calmly light a fire in an open area. Such means include the familiar hunting matches.
Properties of hunting matches
The difference between hunting and simple matches is that hunting ones have an additional so-called coating. It allows matches to be moisture-resistant, burn for a long time, and their flame is large and hot. Such matches can maintain a fire for up to 20 seconds. You can set them on fire in damp and windy weather, as they are not afraid of humidity. Hunting matches can be used in a wide range of areas of our activity: hunting, fishing, hiking and just on vacation, where many unpleasant situations can happen, and such matches always come to the rescue.
How to make hunting matches video
So how do you actually make hunting matches with your own hands? See this clearly in the following video:
You might be interested.
Matches are made from a wooden stick (straw) with a head that ignites when rubbed against a spread (grater). This grater is applied to the sides of the matchbox.
Aspen is used as a raw material for making match straws, and less often - linden. To do this, a strip of veneer is removed in a spiral from a round block of bark, cleared of bark, using a special knife, which is then laid in layers and chopped into matchsticks.
When burning a match, it is necessary, firstly, to obtain an unsmoldering ember from the straw, and secondly, to keep the hot slag from the burnt head on it in order to protect the consumer from burns to clothing if hot slag gets on it. In addition, the smoldering ember from the straw naturally represents fire danger. To prevent the straw from smoldering and to fix the slag from the head on it, the straw is impregnated with substances that form a film on its surface when burned. Thanks to this film, the combustion of coal stops. The same film secures the slag from the head. Phosphoric acid and its salt - diammonium phosphate (NH 4) 2 HPO 4 - are used as anti-smoldering agents.
To ensure the transition of the flame from the head to the straw, the latter near the head is impregnated with molten paraffin. Matches with non-waxed straws go out almost immediately after the head burns out. Paraffin, on the other hand, ignites easily when the head burns and produces a bright flame.
(Edited 05/09/2018)
Matches are the easiest and accessible remedy receive fire.
No matter how many lighters or other means of making fire you have, still always take as many matches as possible - nothing compares to them.
The cheapest choice to use would be regular household matches. The optimal choice (especially in nature) would be hunting matches.
The main disadvantage of matches is that they are afraid of dampness. Therefore, do not place boxes of matches on the ground, as this will make them damp rather quickly.
Regular matches should be stored in an airtight container, packaged in such a way that they do not rattle, rub, or ignite. To do this, just put a piece of cotton wool in this container.
So that there are enough matches for more long term, they can be split lengthwise into two or more halves.
To light a split match without breaking it, press the sulfur head against the spark strip with your finger. Be prepared for that finger to burn.
But this is an extreme case, it is better not to use it: one whole match is better than two or more with a high probability of not being able to light a fire.
To light a damp match, strike it diagonally rather than along the spark strip.
You can often come across the advice “If your hair is dry and not very oily, then rub a damp match on it. Static electricity will dry out the match.”
But this does not always help, especially not at home. Our matches may not even light up on the box, what can we say about wet matches?.. And if the matches are wet, then the box is wet. How then to light it?
Now why can you light it like that? I didn't find an exact answer. But I think it’s not because of static electricity, but because the head sweats more often, and during sweating fatty deposits are released. Naturally, the hair becomes oily, and when you start rubbing a match on your hair, the sulfur is saturated with natural fat and, accordingly, ignites much easier and faster.
Every time you light a match, you can also light a candle. You can light a lot of things with it, while saving matches. Even a small candle will last a long time if used carefully.
Some types of matches may have colored heads.But, for the most part, it doesn’t matter what color the match head is - they burn any kind.
The picture below shows EXAMPLES of some of these matches.
Let's look at what kind of matches there are.
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Household (ordinary) matches
Ordinary matches that we have all become accustomed to since childhood.Matches, which are produced in Russia and the post-Soviet space, are short (about 42 mm) wooden sticks about 2 mm thick with a head made of incendiary mixture. These matches are intended for household use, therefore, are not adapted to unfavorable conditions, in particular weather. And it can be difficult to use them in nature. However, such matches have been used for starting a fire for decades, and continue to be used in different conditions because of its low price. This is the cheapest type of matches.
Storm matches
Burning in the wind, in dampness and in the rain. Such matches do not have a head, and their “body” coating is much thicker than that of hunting matches. Their incendiary mass contains a lot of berthollet salt, so the ignition ability (sensitivity) of such matches is very high. They burn for at least 10 seconds in any weather conditions, even in stormy weather at 12 points. Adding some salts to the incendiary mass makes it possible to obtain colored fire: red, pink, blue, green, violet. Also, some of these matches have a limited shelf life, after which they lose some of their declared characteristics. |
| Storm matches "UCO Stormproof Matches" |
Externally similar to hunting or storm matches.
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| Wind matches 1990 |
Termite matches
The heads develop a higher temperature during combustion and produce more heat during combustion. Designed for igniting thermite-muffle bombs, thermite cartridges or kindling fires.The standard length of termite matches is 60 cm.
They are especially dangerous because they can ignite from friction with each other.
It is advisable to use them only after first taking them with pliers or securing them to a wire so as not to get burned.
Signal matches
Matches that produce colored (red, blue, green, yellow) flames when burned. The height of the flame can reach half a meter.Photographic matches
Providing an instant bright flash used in photography.Now, as far as I know, such matches are not used or produced. Matches up to 30 cm long. Designed for lighting fireplaces.
Designed to light up gas-burners, plates
Decorative (gift, collectible) matches
Limited edition boxes with different designs (like postage stamps), the matches themselves often have a colored head (pink, green).Some of these matches can be purchased as a set consisting of several boxes. For example, a set of boxes from the history of the Russian state consists of 18 boxes.
Box-sized sets of labels were also produced separately.
Household matches
These are household matches that have, as they now say, “economical packaging.”Cigar matches
Special matches designed for lighting cigars and pipes. Cigar matches do not contain sulfur in the ignition head, which negatively affects the taste of cigars. They are thicker than regular matches and up to 10 cm long.
This match burns for a long time, but is not protected from weather conditions. Can be used to light fires in calm weather. For extreme conditions That's not a lot the best option than household matches.
I will give examples of some unusual matches
Iron matches
Made according to the principle of sparklers: a flammable mixture on a wire. The length of the combustible layer is 13 cm. Burning time is 1 min. They ignite through one, the flammable layer crumbles when bent, they are afraid of moisture and wind. The flame is very hot, but the burning time is not enough to ignite. Suitable for home use.
Triangular matches made of pressed wood dust impregnated with paraffin. Package - cardboard box. Burning time – 6 minutes.
They burn confidently, with high temperature flame. Once wet, they refuse to burn
During the combustion process they emit temperatures of more than 1000 degrees Celsius! The melting point of aluminum, for example, is about 660 degrees Celsius! Accordingly, if you throw a burning match into a cola can, it should, in theory, burn it through.
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 it with a regular brush, which children use when painting. 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 were added to them gas stoves. 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.
More more difficult task, which should carry out hunting matches. 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 get lit quality product maybe 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 dough. 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.
