Strike Anywhere-Matches

[Matchless]

I am here tofind out about strike-anywhere matches.

 

I got interested in the history ofstrike-anywhere matches two years back after reading a number of stories set inthe 19th century west where the rugged cowpokes and rangers were alwaysstriking their sulphur matches off a boot or pant leg. I wondered how manyboxes I would have to go through to get one lit in this day and age of mild strike anywhere matches, so figured it was time to make my own. That started what has become a long andso far fruitless search for this elusive grail. After the initialinternet searches and a decent review of the history and formulations Irealized that the childhood education I gained from making BP out of sulphur,charcoal and duck shit was not going to cut it on a project that required asafe and sane relationship with carcinogenic, poisonous, and friction-sensitive compositions. So Istarted at the bottom and have been working my way through Tom Perigrin's bookwith occasional side journeys and presto! here I am, two years later not muchcloser to my goal, but steadily gaining an education and having a good time.

 

A little history.

 

According to the interweb: http://ann-vas1.naro.../artikle_E.html

 

"The English chemist John Walker who lived on the 59^th High Street at town Stockton-on-Tees. He who the first produce a match in 1826 having dipped a wood stick into paste that was prepared of water, antimony sulphide, berthollet salt and gum-arabic as the viscous, after that he dried it out in the air. When moving 'friction' such a match on a emery paper the match's head flashed out and lit with sparkles and caustic smoke ejectionin this way lighting the match itself."

 

And from http://www.madehow.c...me-3/Match.html

 

He sold these as either "Friction Lights" or "Congreves" but it was Samuel Jones who came along and patented the idea and sold them as "lucifers". By 1830 Phosphorus enters the formula, first White, and then Red and eventually the phosphorus sesquisulphide in use today.

 

As Phosphorus in any of the above configurations appears to be all but impossible to procure in the US, I am focused on the early formulas without it.

 

The Techno-Chemical Receipt Book has a vague formula for Matches without Phosphorus:

 

"Prepare a paste of 10 parts of dextrine, 75 of pulverized chlorate of potassium, 35 of pulverized plumbic dioxide, and a like quantity of pulverized pyrites with the necessary quantity of water, and dip the end of the splints into the compound."

 

In addition to being vague, it is not clear if these are "strike-anywhere"

 

Dicks (1872) offers: "M. Peltzer has recently proposed a compound which is obtained in the shape of a violet powder, by mixing together equal volumes of solutions of sulphate of copper, one of which is supersturated with ammonia, and the other with hyposulphite of soda. A mixture of chlorate of potash and the above powder will catch fire by percussion or rubbing; it burns like gunpowder, and leaves a black residue. M. Viederbold proposes a mixture of hyposulphite of lead, or baryta, or chlorate of potash, for matches without phosphorus. The only inconvenience of this compound is that it attracts moisture too easily."

 

Again, a little to vague, but if anyone can explain these formulas a bit more, I would be interested in learning all I can.

 

By far the best source of vintage match info I have found so far is H. Dussance's A Practical Treatise On The Fabrication Of Matches, Gun Cotton, Colored Fires And Fulminating Powders

 

http://chestofbooks....Phosphorus.html

 

 

In it there is a detailed description of how matches were made back in the day.

 

He also supplies quite a few different formulas for matches. The only one that really seems to fit my requirements for a strike anywhere match without phosphorus is the following:

 

"Some new matches without phosphorus, inflammable by rubbing on a small grate, are made now by dividing into two parts the paste prepared in the following proportions: -

 

Chlorate of Potash.....5 parts

 

Bichromate of Potash . • . . 2 "

 

Powdered Glass......5 "

 

Gum....... 15 "

 

Water........ 6 "

 

The first three substances are powdered to-gether, and mixed afterwards with the gam previously dissolved in water. Half of this compound, diluted with a solution sufficiently adhesive, is used to cover the rubbing surface by adding to it 0.2 of its weight of emery.

 

If to the above mixture 0.8 of red sulphuretted antimony is added, you can make matches which will ignite by rubbing them on any polished or rough surface."

 

 

 

 

I don't know how to interpret the adding of the 0.8 of red sulphuretted antimony. Do you think he means .8 percent of the total weight of the rest of the composition or do you think it is 8/10 of a part?

 

And could stibnite be substituted for kermesite?

 

Well, its been a fascinating research project and any input whether historical, formulaic, chemical, or anecdotal would be wonderful. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

[oldguy]

The heads of strike-anywhere matches are composed of two parts, the tip and the base. The tip contains a mixture of phosphorus sesquisulfide and potassium chlorate. Phosphorus sesquisulfide is a highly reactive, non-toxic chemical used in place of white phosphorus. It is easily ignited by the heat of friction against a rough surface. The potassium chlorate supplies the oxygen needed for combustion. The tip also contains powdered glass and other inert filler material to increase the friction and control the burning rate. Animal glue is used to bind the chemicals together, and a small amount of zinc oxide may be added to the tip to give it a whitish color. The base contains many of the same materials as the tip, but has a smaller amount of phosphorus sesquisulfide. It also contains sulfur, rosin, and a small amount of paraffin wax to sustain combustion. A water-soluble dye may be added to give the base a color such as red or blue.

 

The heads of safety matches are composed of a single part. They contain antimony trisulfide, potassium chlorate, sulfur, powdered glass, inert fillers, and animal glue. They may also include a water-soluble dye. Antimony trisulfide cannot be ignited by the heat of friction, even in the presence of an oxidizing agent like potassium chlorate, and it requires another source of ignition to start the combustion. That source of ignition comes from the striking surface, which is deposited on the side of the matchbox or on the back cover of the matchbook. The striking surface contains red phosphorus, powdered glass, and an adhesive such as gum arabic or urea formaldehyde. When a safety match is rubbed against the striking surface, the friction generates enough heat to convert a trace of the red phosphorus into white phosphorus. This immediately reacts with the potassium chlorate in the match head to produce enough heat to ignite the antimony trisulfide and start the combustion.