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Industry method for securing fuses.


Zippoman

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I have been searching the forum for an answer to this question. I have noticed that basic fountains and various other fireworks that you can purchase at typical firework stands have a black/grey, hardened substance that is used to tack/secure the fuse in place. I know a lot of people use hot glue and hide glue but, I am very curious what this substance is. Is there anyone who knows for certain? I have also seen videos of fireworks being manufactured in China, and the are using a dark clay like or putty like substance and just pulling a tiny piece off and attacking the fuse in place fairly quickly. Is this the same substance? Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
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You could use a thick NC/BP paste to glue the fuse in but I've come to like paper nosing better since I'm not making a billion devices a day at slave wages.

If you were making cakes you could just use a potters clay to anchor the fuse into the tubes. Visco is usually water resistant enough to stand a fairly damp clay mashed around it and the clay would bond pretty well with the paper tube.

Edited by OldMarine
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Paper nosing? What is that?

Take a look at the finished rocket here.

 

Just very light paper (We call it "silk paper" here in Spain), wrapped around both the "artifact" and the fuse. I have seen a lot of commercial rockets finished like this in Spain.

 

I prefer to let my rockets unfused until the last moment, so I use a thin paper tube as long as the core, with black match inside protruding about 8-10mm, bent like a hook in the inside end, and a little bit of visco in the other. The hook keeps the fuse in place fine enough for the short time it's needed, and guarantees top ignition.

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One of the main indicators for firework ingredients is cheapness. Is there any chance that your black glue is only bitumen or a tar product. A low temperature melting roof tar would be a good glue. as would a bitumen emulsion which would set cold.

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Went and found a couple of spent smoke balls in the neighbor's yard and Zippoman is right. The cement around the fuse opening is unburnt. Looking closely I think it's like a furnace cement type mix. Edited by OldMarine
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There are a number of sodium silicate type cements that have been used over the decades. They're cheap, consisting only of mineral fillers and fairly-concentrated sodium silicate solution. They also cure fairly quickly.

 

Again (Patrick), the Westech manual's LTR-1 cement on pp113 is a perfect example. Adding black pumice or carbon black to the white constituents will give you the grey-to-black color you see on the cheap Chinese effects.

 

Some Chinese effects use NC/BP mixture as the fuse glue.

 

Lloyd

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I read the page Ned linked to but didn't see the formula only the method of use. Thanks, I'll read up some more.
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The 'banner' is on pp113, the formula on pp114. Only three ingredients, if you don't mind its being white.

 

Lloyd

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