Making Blackmatch with a Blackmatch Machine

[Ubehage]

This is not my tutorial, I hope it's ok

Ned Gorski made a video where he shows how to use a BlackMatch Machine, and also explains the design of said machine.
All in all, it's a DIY-guide for the handy people among us.
For those like me, who can't see themself building this device, there's also a link on the YouTube-page to where it is sold.

Enough talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StX3sI8-F1w

[starxplor]

Dont see a link in the youtube description, did you mean some other page?

[OldMarine]

Caleb sells the machine, Ned built a rig to dispense the string and string the match for drying.

I have the same machine but dispense my string and rack my match differently. With help I can pull two different ODs of match at once, pulling each onto a different mirror frame type rack. Like Ned, I built a pan to just barely fit the machine to minimize wasted space and therefore wasted slurry. The small amount of slurry I have left goes into my next batch of Polverone. No waste!

A link to Caleb's machine;

http://www.woodysrocks.com/store/p111/Black_Match_Machine.html

Edited November 1, 2016 by OldMarine

[memo]

I use one of Caleb's black match machines. I use balls of cotton crochet thread , keeping it simple , a bucket for each roll. great machine makes really good match. like old marine , I wind it up a bit different than in the video.

 

memo

[calebkessinger]

Ned sure did a nice job with that video.

I use mine with just a tray as I have shown before. These are great machines that make really nice match in short order. I do like the bigger one better for the simple reason of it allows a guy to pull out match pretty darn fast and the smaller one you have to work a little more patiently.

[dagabu]

I really like the smaller machine too. I can pull 500' in a short time and with Neds thread about the different strings, binders and drying, it is even easier to get good match. I am having a pipe roller made this winter and cant wait to be able to make the pipe and match for shells.

[Col]

I knocked up a low budget machine (<£5) from odds and sods to make short runs of very thin match (1mm and 1.6mm finished diameter). Its not remotely close to the quality of Caleb`s machines but does the job. For scale, the string in the output die is1mm hemp with a tight sliding fit. The 3 makeshift bobbins have 60ft of 0.35 - 0.4mm single ply cotton on each.

 

 

Close up of the 1mm die

 

 

[Space33]

The video showed a good suggestion of keeping some dry mix set aside to make some Polverone. Btw, I have an interest in smaller machines too.

[Baldor]

I just finished today a pocket version of Calebs machine. Hope you don't object to my shameless copy. If you do, please tell and I will scrap it.

 

 

The tread shown is not what I will use, this is too thick. I used it only for testing since it's properly spooled.

 

Conclusions after a test with only 50g of BP:

 

Need properly spooled smaller cotton thread. I should make my own spools.

 

The support of the sizer should be stiffer. I aimed for flexibility, but is to flexible.

 

Small batches doesn't work.

[Sulphurstan]

Dagabu, a pipe roller you wrote in Nov 2016?

What does this looks like? I'm often getting mad when rolling my QM pipes...

A tool for helping manual rolling would be welcomed!

Edited May 7, 2018 by Sulphurstan

[NeighborJ]

A match tube roller is otherwise known as a telescopic curtain rod. The strip of paper is inserted into the crack and rolled around it.

[Mumbles]

If you ever get a chance to see one, Jack Fielder's match tube roller is quite the marvel. I believe there's a video of Mike Swisher demonstrating one at PGI. The link is probably on passfire, but my membership lapsed.

[OldMarine]

There's a video by Derrick Miller that shows an awesome machine for QM.