FUSING AND CONNECTIONS
QUICK MATCH
Quick match is black match that has been fitted with a loose paper "pipe" in order to force hot gases forward to accelerate the burning speed. It is used in all professional fireworks displays.
It's main purpose is to ignite dozens or hundreds of fireworks at virtually the same instant. If you have access to the raw materials (ie you live in the US), it can be made as easily as black match, with the extra step of putting on an outer paper pipe.
Due to quick match's incredibly fast burn rate, the secondary fuse will only be engulfed in flame for a fraction of a second -so it's extremely important to make sure that enough of its powder core is exposed to easily take fire. In the pictures below, a piece of leader safety fuse is used to ignite the primary quick match rather than lighting the quick match directly with a torch. top
Quick Match To Safety Fuse
Cut the safety fuse to at least a 45 degree angle to expose its core, then insert it at least one inch into the very end of the quick match tube. To prevent the fast expanding gases inside the QM from ejecting the SF before it is lit, make a vent hole at the end of the QM paper.
To ignite a piece of SF somewhere in the middle of the QM, cut a tiny hole in the match paper and insert the safety fuse at least an inch inside it pointing in the direction fire will be coming from. Wrap a strip of tape around the point where the safety fuse enters the hole in order to secure it. Over tightening the tape may cause the quick match to suffocate before igniting the Safety Fuse or snuff it completely. top
 |
 |
Quick Match To Quick Match
Method 1: Overlap the first and second pieces of quick match by 2-3 inches, then tape the overlapped ends to the other piece. Use a sharp object to poke several holes though both pieces of match and cover the holes with tape. The sparks and hot gases will be forced through the holes in the first fuse and into those in the second, causing it to ignite.
This method can also be used to attach a secondary quick match fuse to the middle of a continuous quick match in the same way that is done with safety fuse - overlap several inches of the secondary fuse to the primary, tape, poke holes, and re-tape.
Method 2: For attaching the end of one piece of quick match to the beginning of another piece - or multiple pieces the first fuse and second fuse(s) are stripped of at least 1" of their paper pipe, then laid end to end and wrapped in a piece of brown craft paper. The sparks and gases ejected from the first fuse will be contained by the paper and directed to the exposed end(s) of the secondary fuse(s). top
Quick Match To Sticky Match
Whether you want the sticky match to take fire from the end of the quick match or somewhere in the middle, the best thing to do is simply poke a hole in the pipe where you want to branch off, and wrap the sticky match around it. As long as the escaping flame from the quick match comes into contact with the sticky match, it will ignite.