Merlin Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Maybe a question of ignorance but I wonder why ultra fast fuse should not be used in the place of quick match. I am converting to paper shells and am going to produce a cylinder. I see that pillbox stars can add to shell effects but all the mentions of pillbox says use black match for fusing. I can make it but I am wondering if it has an advantage over commercial fade fuse? I have been using fast fuse to fuse mortar shells with a length of Visco instead of quick match. Just wondering fast fuse or quich match? Yes I know quick match is black match encased in paper to accelerate burning speed. Fast fuse or black match for pillbox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Just to clarify, you are talking about the fast fuse that looks like visco, and not the fast fuse that's just blackmatch wrapped in tissue paper, correct? It never hurt to experiment I suppose. My one concern with using it in pillbox stars for instance, would be how well the fast fuse lights, particularly from the sides. Blackmatch is very flammable, and will light without question basically every time from every surface. Visco type fuses tend to be designed to only take fire from the ends. Well primed it shouldn't be an issue, but that is an extra step required. If they do light easily from the side, I'd be a little more worried about using them in lieu of quickmatch though. Typically the biggest advantages for blackmatch and quickmatch is their low costs and ability to be made at home. Suppliers, shipping, customs, etc. issues don't have to come into play. Leaders, priming, fusing and these sorts of things get used a lot in shell building, so it's good to have a reliable supply. There are some instances in cylinder shell building where the speed of quickmatch is helpful. It burns at a couple hundred feet per second, while even the fastest visco type fuses I've seen are maybe 3ish feet per second. Cylinders are often top-fused, so the delay fuse is actually lit before the lift. With quickmatch the delay is basically irrelevant, but with visco it could be a factor. This is more of an issue for larger shells, or multi-breaks. I'd also prefer quickmatch or blackmatch for piping fire into the center of shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I'm thinking he is referring to the pill box fusing: http://www.passfire.com/portals/1/images/volume5_2/pillbox5.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 Thanks for the reply. I continue to learn. Actually I was talking about both. Im not very clear in stating what I want to say. I have been fusing my ball shells with a white paper fuse labeled ultra fast. I want to make pill box stars for my future cylinder shells and was considering the white fast fuse. I made some black match and lit it and it burned slower than safety fuse in the open so I dismissed it in favor of fast fuse. Since then I have read, and as Mumbles says, it is supposed to burn fast if enclosed in paper leader. I will give it a try. Back a couple years ago when I initially got pyro supplies I got paper leader and have always wondered what it's supposed to be used for- now I know. I will say the white paper fast fuse has not failed when used for cross matching. But everyone uses black match so it must be reliable and it would be nice to make it. I know you will wince at how I missed this. When I made it and it dried it became stiff and brittle and would kink. When lit it burned slowly in the open and the burn would hesitate at the kinks so I never attempted to use it. Still learning. That's for the reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I was thinking of a different product. The stuff you have should be great. It's basically 3 strands of blackmatch wrapped in tissue paper. I'd have no qualms about using it in place of blackmatch for fusing pillbox stars. Using it as a leader also shouldn't be a problem. My one concern would be if it's too fragile, or if it'd be too easily lit by a stray spark. Functionally it would be fine. It's more safety and practicality. To be totally honest, you could probably just slide a length or two of the super fast fuse you have into those leader pipes, and it'd be basically the same as quickmatch for leaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 Thanks much. I value and respect your expertise. I am going to try the BM in a leader to see how fast it will burn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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