Wiring Fireworks and Firing Systems in a Fireworks Display

In recent Fireworks Tips articles I’ve discussed making electric matches with which to ignite fireworks electrically, and the construction of Cremora fireballs which can be impressive additions to any show.

I’ve also looked at the issues involved in thoroughly planning a consumer fireworks display.

Now it’s time to discuss using those electric matches in conjunction with an electric firing system and shooting wire, and hooking fireworks devices up to them out in the field.

In the next article, I’ll also show you how to use visco fuse, fast-visco fuse, quickmatch, time fuse, and fast-fuse to attach fireworks devices to each other for sequential firing.

Using these methods together can result in a nicely timed display, and will also enable you, the display designer, to sit back and enjoy the show with the rest of the crowd.

“Scab wire” or shooting wire is the wire that is used to connect the firing panel to the electric match. It essentially extends the length of the leads of the electric match, or connects multiple igniters in one firing circuit. It is important to know the wire’s resistance for a known length of it.

Scab wire usually comes in rolls that have “duplex” wire on them, which means that the wire is two-conductor wire. Two insulated wires are attached to each other, side-by-side.

Two-conductor, copper, 22-gauge, yellow-insulation wire is probably the most commonly found scab wire out in the field. There is also copper-clad, aluminum, orange-insulation wire that is being imported and used.

I cut the wire with the wire-cutters (dykes), split the insulated wires apart with the same tool, or the razor knife, or with my fingernails, and strip the insulation with the dykes or with my fingernails. If I use the dykes to strip the insulation, I’m careful to avoid damaging the wire itself, which is easy to do. I therefore prefer to strip the insulation with my fingernails.

The most important thing to know about the wire that you are using is its resistance. This is listed as “ohms per 1000 feet” in wire data tables. It’s easy to determine this for yourself, though.

All you need is the wire and a multimeter, which measures voltage and resistance. A digital meter like the one on the left is a good investment because it will be used in this step and also in future testing of firing circuits. The analog meter on the right is good for testing batteries and can be used to check resistance, but it is not as accurate as the digital meter.

Note: In a circuit which contains electric matches, I only use the digital meter to check resistance. The analog meter can fire ematches, which is NOT something you want to happen!

To determine the resistance of my shooting wire, I take 50 feet of my duplex (two conductor) wire, bare 1 inch of both wires at one end of it, and twist those ends together securely. I then separate the wires at the other end for 3-4 inches, and bare 1 inch of those ends. Now I set the dial on the multimeter to the setting for measuring resistance (ohms) and wrap one bared end of the shooting wire on one of the meter’s probes, and the other end of the wire on the other probe.

I’m actually measuring the resistance in 100 feet of the single-strand wire since the measurement current is going out 50 feet to the twisted ends, and then back 50 feet to the meter.

I should get a reading between 1.6 ohms for the 22 gauge copper wire, and 3 ohms for the copper clad aluminum wire. This exact reading will depend on the actual wire you are using. I then multiply this reading by 10 to get the resistance in ohms per 1000 feet of the wire.

The yellow wire I’ve described has a resistance of 16 ohms per 1000 feet, and the orange wire’s resistance is about 30 ohms per 1000 feet.

I have a few different firing systems. I have a new Skylighter 12 cue wireless firing system (GN6020) which puts out 4.5 volts. Then there are my older model 8 and 12 cue wireless panels which put out 12 and 18 volts. I also have a hard-wired 144 cue firing system which sends out 24 volts, and I’ve recently seen the 10 cue capacitive discharge, hard-wired firing system (GN6011) at Skylighter which fires with higher voltages.

To determine the firing voltage of my firing systems, and to check the batteries in the panels before use, I simply set a multimeter on DC voltage, hook it up to one of the firing cues, and fire that cue. The meter will read the voltage that is being sent to that pair of connectors by the firing panel.

Before the show, I use the meter to check the batteries in my firing system, both in the transmitter and receiver. I always have spare batteries for the multimeter and for the firing system in my kit of spare stuff that I bring to a display.

This subject sounds like the simplest thing in the world, doesn’t it? But, believe me, there may be no quicker way to insure failure with a fireworks display than to ignore some of the “rules” of electric wiring that I’m about to relate.

If you keep these tips in mind electric firing can really be an incredible enhancement to any display.

• Attaching an electric match to the scab wire

Nope, I don’t need electrical tape, masking tape, or wire-nuts to do this. I start by separating the two wires at the end of the scab wire and at the end of the electric match. Then I strip 1 inch of insulation off of each of the 4 wires with my thumbnail.

The two pairs of wires are then tightly and completely twisted together.

An overhand knot is tied in each pair of wires.

The electric match wires and the scab wires are then pulled in opposing directions, the knots come together, and the twisted pairs of wires are wrapped around the main wires on opposite sides of the knots.

This results in ematch wires that are securely attached to the scab wires. The knots prevent the connections from being yanked apart in case someone trips over a wire. The wires wrapped in opposite directions prevent the two bare-wire connections from coming in contact with each other, which would prevent the electric match from firing when it is supposed to.

• Attaching shooting wire to the firing panel

Warning: When connecting electric matches to a firing system, have the system turned off and the safety key removed. Make sure all personnel are clear of the fireworks that are being wired up. If there are thunderstorms in the area, keep the wiring disconnected and the bare ends of the scab wire twisted together (shunted).

Once again there are right ways and wrong ways to attach wires to the firing system. First, I separate the insulated wires for about 3-4 inches, and strip the insulation back for 1 inch on each wire.

If I just stick the bare wires into the panel’s connectors, there’s a good possibility they can be pulled over and into contact with each other. This would short this circuit out and prevent the electric match from firing, as shown in the photo on the left below.

So, instead, I double each bare end against itself, insert those doubled ends halfway into the connectors, and then “pinch” the connectors toward each other to insure that the wires are really crimped into their connections.

You’ll notice that I’ve only inserted the doubled-ends into the connectors halfway so that I can visually insure that the connector is not clamping down on insulation instead of the wire. I have also not inserted the wires so far that the clipped ends of the wires are down inside the connector. This could make removal of the wires difficult at the end of the show, and possibly damage the connector.

• Strain-relieving the wiring at the firing panel and at the firework

So, on the day of the show, it’s getting late and dark, folks are becoming tired and are stumbling around, and there are lengths of shooting wire lying all over the shooting site, connecting the firing panel to the various fireworks.

At this point in the show setup, folks need to be reminded to walk carefully and avoid the wiring. And as soon as I do that, I’ll sure-as-shootin’ trip over a wire myself, yanking it loose from the panel, or worse, pulling way too hard on a fireworks cake fuse or a shell leader.

One simple procedure can prevent a lot of problems in the above scenario: strain relief.

Simply put, anchor your shooting wire and/or ematch leads to something solid near the fireworks and near the firing system. Often, the ematch leads can be tied off to a mortar-rack. But, if there is not something nearby to tie the wire to, I’ll simply drive a wooden or metal stake into the ground and tie the wiring to it with a clove hitch.

I place these wire-knots down the stake, near the ground so that if a wire is tripped over it won’t pull the stake over too far.

• Attaching the electric match to a fireworks device

Near the end of Making Electric Matches, I described one way to attach electric matches to the safety fuse on fireworks devices, using Fast-Fuse and masking tape. A length of quickmatch can also be used, as described in an article by Brian Paonessa.

I now know how to securely connect my wires to each other, to the fireworks devices, to the firing system, and how to safely strain-relieve them.

But, how much wire can I actually run between the firing system and the electric match?

Each electric match needs a minimum of 1 amp of electric current to run through it in order for it to fire. Because of the wire resistance which I described above, if too much wire is used between the panel and the electric match, less than 1 amp of current will flow in the circuit. We then run the risk of having the igniter fail to fire.

Ok, here it is: a formula. Don’t let it scare you off. I’ll actually help save you from having to use it in a moment.

Resistance = Voltage divided by Current

I know the minimum amount of current I want in a firing circuit: 1 amp.

I know the voltage that my firing system puts out: 4.5 volts (in this example, using Skylighter’s GN6020 firing system).

Resistance then equals 4.5 divided by 1 which equals 4.5 ohms. This amount of circuit resistance will allow a current of 1 amp to flow.

If I go above this maximum amount of resistance in my circuit, the current will drop below 1 amp. So, it’s fine if I have less than 4.5 ohms of resistance in the circuit since that will simply increase the current above 1 amp.

The homemade electric matches that I detailed in the article cited above all had a resistance of 1.2 ohms. Commercial electric matches will have typical resistances of 1.5 – 2 ohms. I’m going to assume we’re using the 1.2 ohm matches for the purposes of this discussion. (But you should always test yours.)

Since my electric match has a resistance of 1.2 ohms, and I want a maximum of 4.5 ohms of resistance in this particular circuit, then 4.5 – 1.2 = 3.3 ohms left over for the scab-wire’s resistance.

I can now calculate the maximum lengths of the wires that I can use. For example: the yellow scab wire has a resistance of 16 ohms per 1000 feet.

(Using the 3.3 ohms left for scab wire) 3.3 divided by that 16 equals 0.206.

0.206 times 1000 feet equals 206 feet.

206 feet of this wire would have a resistance of 3.3 ohms. This is the maximum amount of this wire I can have in this circuit. Any more of this wire and my total resistance will be too high.

But, this is a maximum of 206 feet of the single strand wire, and my shooting wire has two strands: one out from the panel to the ematch, and one back from the match to the panel. So, in reality, I can only have a maximum of 103 feet of the double-strand shooting wire between my 4.5 volt firing panel and my igniter.

If I am using the orange (copper-clad aluminum) wire described above, which has a higher resistance of 30 ohms per 1000 feet, then I could only use 110 feet of the single strand wire going out and back, or 55 feet of the double strand shooting wire.

The table below lists these figures for the two types of scab wire, the length of double strand wire between the panel and igniter, and for 4.5 volt, 12 volt, and 24 volt systems.

Max Resistance	Max ft. of yellow wire	Max ft. of orange wire
4.5 Volt Firing System (one igniter in circuit)
4.5 ohms	103 ft.	55 ft.
12 Volt Firing System (one igniter in circuit)
12 ohms	338 ft.	180 ft.
24 Volt Firing System (one igniter in circuit)
24 ohms	712 ft.	380 ft.

Once again, these are the maximum lengths of the double strand wire I can use in the circuit.

Now, it’s easy to run a maximum of 103 feet of the yellow, two-strand wire, hook up one end to the electric match, and the other end to my digital meter, and check the resistance in that firing circuit. The resistance should not exceed 4.5 ohms, and should fire successfully with my 4.5 volt firing system.

The test circuit shown below, with 100 feet of the scab wire, read 4.5 ohms and fired as designed.

This introduces the last bit of complexity into the subject of electric firing. Each firing cue can indeed fire more than one electric match, but as usual we have to be careful when designing the circuit so that our igniters will fire as planned.

There are two basic ways to hook up multiple electric matches to one set of connectors on our firing panel: in series and in parallel.

• Series Wiring

Series wiring has the electric matches hooked up one-to-another, so that the current flows through the complete line of igniters, one after another.

A significant advantage to series wiring is that, since the current has to flow through all the electric matches before it returns to the panel, the test lights on the panel will test all of the igniters at the same time. If there is a bad match, the test light will not go on.

Also, with a typical amount of shooting wire in such a circuit, series wiring requires less current to fire the igniters, thereby allowing longer lengths of the scab wire to be used reliably.

In the field, most pyros use series wiring, with few exceptions. Serial wiring is counter-intuitive to some people. They assume that if 2 or more electric matches are serially wired to each other, that when the first match fires, that first electric match will break the circuit and prevent the remaining electric matches in the circuit from firing. But in practice, the current flows so quickly that all the electric matches in any given serial circuit will fire at the same time.

In this series circuit, the resistances of the electric matches are added together to obtain their total resistance: 1.2 ohms plus 1.2 ohms equals 2.4 ohms of resistance for two matches.

We still only need one amp of current in the circuit, though, to fire the matches. So, using the 4.5 volt system, with my maximum resistance in the circuit being 4.5 ohms as determined in the example above, the maximum resistance of my shooting wire can be up to 2.1 ohms.

Thus, I can add a maximum of 66 feet of my double-strand-yellow scab wire, or 35 feet of my orange-double-strand wire to the circuit. This wire can be added anywhere in the circuit: between the panel and the igniters, between the igniters, or both.

Note: I always test my completed circuits to see if the actual resistance in the circuit is close to my calculated resistance. It is also important that all the matches in the circuit are the same type and have the same resistance. If one match ignites before the others do, because of differences in construction, then there is a good chance the rest of the matches in the series will fail to ignite.

• Parallel Wiring

This type of wiring connects all of the igniters directly to the firing panel (none to each other), or to the main scab wire individually like the rungs on a ladder.

A disadvantage to this circuit is that, since the current has more than one way it can flow, if even one electric match is good, the whole circuit will test “good” with the panel test light. A bad electric match will not cause the test light to remain dark!

Parallel wiring also will allow less scab wiring to be used out in the field.

The circuit above will only show an amount of resistance equal to the resistance of one electric match divided by two: 1.2 ohms divided by 2 = 0.6 ohms.

But, the circuit requires one amp of current for each igniter, or a total minimum of 2 amps of current.

So, with my 4.5 volt system, I can use a maximum of 50 feet of the yellow 2-strand wire, or 28 feet of the orange. The maximum allowable resistance in a circuit with two, parallel matches is 2.25 ohms.

Once again I always draw out a firing circuit, calculate how much resistance it ought to have, and check the actual resistance with my meter to check the circuit in actuality.

Here is a table which shows the maximum allowable length of each type of double-strand shooting wire, for 4.5 volt, 12 volt, and 24 volt systems, using either series or parallel wiring if multiple igniters are in a circuit.

# of Ematches	Max Resistance	Max Yellow wire	Max Orange wire
4.5 Volt System
1 match	4.5 ohms	100 ft.	55 ft.
2 parallel	2.25 ohms	50 ft.	28 ft.
3 parallel	1.5 ohms	34 ft.	18 ft.
2 in series	4.5 ohms	66 ft.	35 ft.
3 in series	4.5 ohms	28 ft.	15 ft.
12 Volt System
1 match	12 ohms	338 ft.	180 ft.
2 parallel	6 ohms	169 ft.	90 ft.
3 parallel	4 ohms	112 ft.	60 ft.
4 parallel	3 ohms	84 ft.	45 ft.
2 in series	12 ohms	300 ft.	160 ft.
3 in series	12 ohms	262 ft.	140 ft.
4 in series	12 ohms	225 ft.	120 ft.
24 Volt System
1 match	24 ohms	712 ft.	380 ft.
2 in parallel	12 ohms	356 ft.	190 ft.
3 in parallel	8 ohms	238 ft.	127 ft.
4 in parallel	6 ohms	178 ft.	95 ft.
2 in series	24 ohms	675 ft.	360 ft.
3 in series	24 ohms	638 ft.	340 ft.
4 in series	24 ohms	600 ft.	320 ft.

In the name of successful electric firing, I’d like to mention redundancy, and then repeat it.

If I have a critical item in a display such as a set-piece that I simply cannot allow to fail to ignite, I’ll actually run two firing circuits (cues) to it. If the first one fails, I have a backup.

If there is any doubt about the capacity of a circuit out in the field, I’ll remove the match from the firework device and test fire that circuit before the display. Then I’ll replace that electric match with a new one and reconnect it.

Often on items such as set-pieces, waterfalls, and firecracker walls, I’ll have two igniters and ignition points, wired in series. I’ll also have a length of quickmatch rigged up as an alternative manual ignition point in case the electric firing fails. I keep a propane torch by my side during the show, and will use it to manually light fireworks if necessary, and if it can be done safely.

Although some of these preparations may end up being unnecessary, they can save the day for you.

With each display I have one shot at having it go off successfully. I want to do all I can to insure that it does.

Stay Green,

Ned

How to Make Electric Matches

In the next few weeks we will show you some ways to plan and set up a consumer fireworks display, including tips on firing portions of the show electrically. We’ll discuss electric firing systems and electric matches.

Why would one want to fire some or all of a fireworks display electrically? First, it’s safer to fire a device electrically than it is to light it by hand, especially if the item is in the middle of a field full of similar fireworks. Electric firing also enables the display operator to sit back and enjoy the show along with the rest of the crowd. Precision timing is also enhanced by shooting with a firing system.

Many of us are familiar with small firing panels and electric matches from our early days of experimenting with model rockets, since small versions of the igniters are used to remotely fire those motors.

Quite a long time ago I made some electric matches using a kit which instructed me to just dip the bare ends of some wire into a composition that was dampened with some acetone, and then again into a finish coating.

I didn’t have much luck with that system, and ended up firing the electric matches with a high-voltage system just to get them to ignite. I was disappointed. Ever since then I’ve had access to commercially made electric igniters, since I am an ATF licensed display operator.

But, you may not have access to commercial electric matches: They are a regulated explosive and require an ATF license to purchase them. But making them yourself is legal and does not require an ATF license.

Now and then my curiosity has been piqued when I’ve seen some of the various methods for making electric matches. I’ve seen the match heads that you solder wires onto, and then dip into various compositions. Also, there are ematch blanks, which have wires already soldered onto match heads, ready for the application of the pyrogens (combustible compositions).

So, I figured that the only way I could credibly discuss these homemade electric matches was to play a bit with them myself. Fortunately, I just recently spent some time in Virginia at the Skylighter facility, and was able to pick the brain of Brian Paonessa, who is one of the main Skylighter pyro experts, and who has experimented extensively with homemade electric igniters.

I assembled a kit of materials to bring home and play with.

The electric matches I’ll be discussing have five basic parts:

Insulated, two-conductor, wire “leads” connected to the match head. The insulation is stripped back for about an inch at the opposite ends of the wires from the match head. These bare wire-ends are twisted together (shunted) to prevent a current from passing from one end of the wire, through the match head, and out the other end, accidentally firing the electric match.

The match head consists of a small chip of circuit board, which has a metallic conducting surface on both sides, separated by an insulating material.

An extremely thin (48-51 gauge) strand of nickel-chromium (nichrome) bridge wire is soldered to the chip, with one end soldered to each side, and with the exposed wire spanning the end of the chip and crossing over the insulated core.

Pyrogen: The tip of the chip, containing the nichrome wire, is dipped in pyrotechnic composition, in one or more coats, and then into a hard, smooth finish layer.

Finally, a plastic, protective-shroud covers the match head to prevent accidental ignition of the sensitive pyrogen as a result of friction or mechanical shock.

When enough current is passed through the ematch leads, the nichrome wire heats up and ignites the pyrogen, producing a flame, which will ignite the flammable materials that the ematch is in contact with. This happens in milliseconds. When it does, the nichrome wire burns through and is consumed, breaking the electric circuit.

Note: If one can obtain circuit board blanks with conductive coating on both sides, Skylighter sells the thin nichrome wire so that heads can be cut to size and the nichrome soldered onto them. This is a very painstaking process. In the back of my mind, a future project would be to buy some copper-foil-tape from a stained-glass supply store, press the foil tape to both sides of a piece of cereal-box cardboard, and cut match heads out of it. Soldering the nichrome wire onto those heads would produce homemade match heads.

If you go to the Skylighter (http://www.Skylighter.com)
website, click on the Ignition Supplies
under the Order Products heading, and scroll down to item number GN5030, Electric Match Heads, you can “click here” to see the instructions for this item. They detail the soldering of the wires onto the match heads, and then the coating of the match head with the various layers of homemade pyrogens.

At this stage, I like to work with short lengths of wire, so I cut about a foot of shooting wire, strip an inch of insulation from the wires at one end and lightly twist them together to shunt them, and strip about a quarter inch of insulation from the wires at the other end.

Soldering the wires onto the match head is easier if you “tin” the wires by coating them lightly with solder first. Then, the tinned ends are pushed together until they are just barely separated, and the match head is slid between the wires and gently soldered in place per the instructions.

A small “pencil” soldering iron and rosin-core solder come in handy for this process. You want to be careful to avoid overheating the match head during the soldering.

Note: The ematch heads do not come with plastic protective shrouds, which many of us consider to be an essential safety component of ematches. Rubber surgical tubing, of the appropriate inner diameter, can be cut to 1″ lengths to use as protective shrouds on finished electric matches.

Whether I’ve purchased the pre-soldered ematch blanks, or have made them by soldering wires onto the match heads, I like to test the blank at this point. I do that two ways. I use Skylighter’s Ematch Tester
(GN5005) and make sure it lights up when the untwisted leads of the ematch are pressed to the sides of the tester.

I also use a Radio Shack Digital Multimeter to check the resistance of the match. All of the matches I’ve been working with have a resistance of 1.1 to 1.2 ohms. If the reading is significantly different, I discard the ematch blank.

This testing insures that the nichrome bridge wire is in place correctly, and is intact. It also proves that there is no excess solder bridging the two conductive surfaces on the chip, or between the wires.

Note: It is important to use a digital meter to check electric matches. Test it on a finished electric match first in a safe location. It has to have been proven to use a small enough amount of current that it will not fire ematches. My understanding is that the test current in analog meters with needle-readouts will accidentally fire ematches if that type of meter is used to test them.

Now, with the tested ematch blanks, we have assemblies that are ready to have their ends coated with pyrotechnic compositions.

I am going to try some different ways of doing this.

The above cited match-head instructions offer specific directions for coating the tip of the match head with three different homemade compositions: a primer comp, an ignition comp, and a final protective coating.

Or, Skylighter sells the GN5050 Electric Match Dip Kit, which comes with all the necessary chemicals, materials and tools, and instructions (which may be seen by following the above cited links and scrolling down to the GN5050 Dip Kit listing and clicking on “click here for instructions on making electric matches“).

These instructions include very complete safety precautions, which I am not going to repeat here, but which are necessary to understand before proceeding with the following steps.

The first thing I did was to remove the plastic shrouds from the match heads on the pre-soldered blanks.

I used the Skylighter Dip Kit to coat some match blanks, per the instructions in the kit. I found that I had to add quite a bit of the thinner to the mixed first-coat pyrogen to get it thin enough to coat like the directions specify. Use a thin coat, which drips off one drop after dipping the match head into the pyrogen about 3/16″.

I hung the bent matches on a piece of shooting wire strung between two wood posts and allowed them to dry for a couple of hours.

I decided to coat a dozen of the blanks and then apply the finish coat, and then test fire them to make sure the system I’m using is working.

This dip kit will coat hundreds of ematch blanks, so it’s a good idea to prepare all the blanks you want to coat before starting the coating process. Once the pyrogen is mixed, it is uncertain how long a shelf life it has, and you have an explosive slowly setting up in a glass bottle. I recommend mixing it, using it relatively quickly, thinning any excess with more thinner, then pouring it on some newspaper and burning it.

As you are working with the wet pyrogen, don’t allow any dry “crusties” to form on the edge of the bottle top. Push them back with your finger and stir them into the wet mix.

Brian says that the most common sources of failures when using this dip kit are applying the pyrogen too thickly or too far up the match head. Make sure the mix is thinned as per the instructions, and that the heads are only dipped about one third of the way, or about 3/16″. It’s also very important to thoroughly mix the components, and then mix them a bit more. Under-mixing the ingredients is another common cause of ematch failure.

The right consistency will cause one small drip off the end of the match once it is removed from the pyrogen, and a nice, smooth, slightly rounded match head will form.

Once these matches were dry, I coated them about half way up the head, just past the first layer, with the red lacquer finish coating, per the directions.

I wanted to try the dip-coating method described in the instructions for making ematches using Skylighter’s match heads. This process details the mixing of two homemade pyrogen coatings, and then the final application of a nitrocellulose lacquer
finish coating.

Note: This process uses two sensitive compositions–Dark Flash and H3. The directions must be followed precisely to avoid accidents. These compositions are mixed in a wet state. I can’t emphasize enough that these comps become very powerful and sensitive when they dry out. They must be worked with while they are wet. Any excess should be thinned and disposed of while it is still wet.

The “primer” coat is 50/50 potassium chlorate/antimony sulfide. Five grams of the potassium chlorate is screened through a 100-mesh screen. It is then mixed with 5% NC lacquer until a syrup is formed. Next 5 grams of the -325 mesh, dark-pyro antimony sulfide is mixed in. More lacquer can be added to thin the mix until it can be used as in the directions for the dip kit cited above.

Note: Skylighter sells nitrocellulose (NC) lacquer, which is a 25% solution of nitrocellulose in solvent. To make a 5% solution, weigh out some of the 25% lacquer into an empty, clean, one-quart paint can (from Home Depot or similar), filling it about one-eighth full. Then add four times as much acetone (by weight) into the can, close it, and shake to mix thoroughly.

Mixing this comp in an HDPE photo-film canister using a Popsicle or coffee-mixing stick (free at every 7-11), works well. I then dipped some ematch blanks into this comp and allowed them to dry completely.

This primer coating was then coated with the H3 composition. 7.5 grams of potassium chlorate was dampened, as above, with 5% NC lacquer. Then 2.5 grams of airfloat charcoal was added to that mix and stirred thoroughly. Then more lacquer was added until the thin syrup consistency was achieved.

Then the ematches were dipped into this second-coat composition and allowed to dry once again.

Finally I dipped the dry match heads into 5% NC lacquer, completely coating all the pyrogen layers, up about half way on the match heads to create a protective final paint job on each match. Once again, the matches were allowed to dry completely (anywhere from a couple of hours if it is warm to overnight).

I’ve recently heard about a fellow pyro using regular PVC plumbing cement rather than nitrocellulose lacquer to dampen compositions. I decided to repeat the above process using the PVC cement instead of the NC lacquer.

Using this cement produced easy-to-use compositions, and nice, hard, shiny, black match-heads when they were dry.

All three production methods produced nice, very hard, durable ematch heads.

I wanted to see how much electric current it takes to fire these 3 types of homemade electric matches, and also to see how effective they are at igniting a quickmatch fuse. I installed the plastic safety shrouds on all the matches.

Using a little testing apparatus, I determined that the matches will begin to fire once 0.5 – 0.7 amps of electrical current is passed through them. This specification is similar to commercial electric matches and a good rule of thumb out in the field is to maintain at least one amp of firing current in these firing circuits.

Note: The above info yields a simple rule of thumb out in the field when setting up the wiring for fireworks cues. Using a Skylighter 12 cue wireless firing system, which puts out about 4.5 volts with each cue, you’d want to use one ematch and a maximum of 100 feet of the double-stranded, yellow, copper shooting wire
between the panel and the ematch, or a max of 50 feet of the new orange aluminum shooting wire. If you use a 12-volt firing system, maximum length of these “scab” wires would be 300 feet and 180 feet respectively for use with a single elecytiv match. Using a Skylighter GN6010 Electric Firing Box, which generates 300 volts, you can use a virtually unlimited length of firing cable.

I fired each type of electric match several times. The ematches made with the dip kit really pop and throw out a fast flame, similar to commercial electric matches. The ematches made with NC lacquer and homemade pyrogens burn a little less violently and a bit longer and throw out quite a few orange sparks. The similar ematches, made with the PVC cement, burned nicely, and even a bit longer, throwing out a nice flame for about a half second, like a regular safety match would.

I figured that any of these matches would effectively ignite quickmatch if they were installed in contact with the internal blackmatch. I wanted to experiment with one additional step, which would really throw out a lot of flame and would reliably ignite the visco safety fuse on any cake or device out in the field.

I cut 1″ lengths of the super-fast-fuse, which is similar to quickmatch, but which can be shipped. I then used 2″ long pieces of one-inch wide masking tape to secure the fast-fuse into the ends of the ematch plastic shrouds. Then, with some of them, I installed a piece of visco fuse with the freshly-cut end in contact with the end of the fast-fuse, and secured with another length of masking tape.

All the different types of electric matches performed flawlessly and ignited the visco fuse easily. I was very pleased with their performance and with the opportunity to learn more about how reliable electric matches can be homemade for one’s own personal use.

In the future we’ll be detailing the use of these ematches, and how to wire them up with firing systems for reliable ignition, how to plan a consumer fireworks display, and how to make small mortar racks and set the show up for a night’s festivities.

Stay tuned and stay green,

Ned

Last Minute Tips for Ematch Makers

HOMEMADE ELECTRIC MATCHES

This notice is to put you on notice that you should notice that July 4th is coming. Sooner than you think. And we researched this to be sure of what we’re predicting. “As far as we know”… July the 4th has come on the same day, every year, since it was invented by King George II back in 1776. Or was in 1789? Or George W.? Whatever.

Now, I am always asked many times around June 30th how come we A)ran out of a particular item and B)“how come you can’t ship it to me in time?”  These are silly questions, silly rabbit.  But we still get asked them between June 30th and July 3rd every single year!  Hah!

One item that we run out of every year, no matter how many more we buy this year than last year, is kits for making electric matches.

If you want to buy ready-made electric matches in the US, you need an ATF license. And, even if you have the license, they’re still expensive. But if you make your own ematches, no ATF license is required. The fastest way to ematch nirvana is to use our ready-made ematch blanks and dip kits. Then just let ‘em dry, and faster than you can say “pop,” you’re ready to go.

Why dip kits and ematch blanks? Well, primarily because they let you make literally hundreds of ematches in just a couple of hours. You can even do it while you’re watching TV. The ematch blanks are really ematch chips with two lead wires already soldered on. The dip kits are exactly the chemicals you need to make 300-500 ematches. They are premeasured, in separate bottles. You just follow the instructions and mix them up in a few minutes. You don’t have to order larger quantities of chemicals than you need, which saves you a lot of money in excess chemicals and shipping. And you DO NOT NEED AN ATF LICENSE to buy or make your own ematches. In fact, the ATF has even sent customers to us for these ematch kits! We ran out of ematch blanks twice in the past 12 months. But the new ones are now available on our web site. On the Ignition Supplies page, order

GN5040 Ematch Blanks, 1 Foot Wires $17.94 for 40
GN5050 Ematch Dip Kit $39.95-enough for 300-500 ematches

Each Dip Kit is enough to make 300-500 electric matches. So, be sure you buy enough Ematch Blanks to make as many finished ematches as you think you will need. Procrastinators, do not jump on this stuff, right away. Naw, leave it for the pyros who prepare for the Mighty Fourth in time.

EMATCH MAKING TIPS

• Follow the directions in the dip kits to the letter. They work really well if you do exactly what the instructions say. Don’t try to improve upon them, rush them, or cut corners. You’ll just waste your money, time, and materials.

• Don’t forget to buy Shooting Wire, GN5010, to put lead wires on your ematches of the desired length.

• Homemade ematches are not perfect. Your homemade electric matches will not function 100% of the time—they are not as good as the commercially made, but considerably more expensive electric matches. But you can still make ematches which are reasonably reliable, especially if you test them ahead of time.

• Test your ematches. Commercial continuity testers will frequently generate enough test-current to fire your ematches. Instead, use our special, low-voltage Ematch Tester (GN5005) to make sure your matches are good before you use them.

• Don’t Over Dip. It only takes a very small amount of pyrotechnic composition on just the tips of each ematch to make them work. Keep your pyrogen thinned. Big, fat blobs of pyrotechnic composition are more likely to break off or crack.

• Use your Ematch Dip Kit all in one session. After you mix your dip kit contents, it is best to use it all up in one sitting. Two reasons: First, the stuff will eventually dry up if you try and store it. If it does, it’s then useless and you’ll have to throw away what’s left. The other reason is that the dry, mixed composition can ignite from friction. Friction–like that induced from screwing the bottle cap on and off. So the most cost-efficient thing is to use all of your dip kit up all at one time. This is a 2-4 hour project, but one you can do sitting in front of the television watching “Planet Earth” reruns.

Holler if you have questions. We are sitting here twiddling our collective thumbs, awaiting your bleating cries.

Harry Gilliam
Chief Cook & Bottle Washer