What can be made from hunting matches. Hunting matches: a reliable source of fire in rain and wind. You can do it differently

In today's article, we will talk about how to quickly make a hunting match for lighting a fire in extreme conditions.

How to make hunting matches

When we are going hunting, fishing, or just on a camping trip, we must certainly stock up on essential supplies, including for lighting a fire in an open area, and even in extreme conditions. Yes, you will say that I have a lighter or a box of matches for this occasion. You've probably had this when a lighter breaks down when it gets wet, freezes, or flint just flew out, and your matches are damp.

Just for such a case, it is necessary to have means for ignition with you. These funds must withstand the tests of humidity, gusty winds and, which is important, burned for a sufficient amount of time to calmly ignite a fire in an open area. These means include all familiar hunting matches.

Properties of hunting matches

The difference between hunting matches and simple matches is that hunting matches have an additional so-called coating. It allows matches to be moisture resistant, burning for a long time, and their flame is large and hot. These matches can keep the fire going for up to 20 seconds. They can be set on fire in wet and windy weather, as they are not afraid of moisture. Hunting matches can be used in a wide range of areas of our activity: hunting, fishing, hiking and just on vacation, where many unpleasant situations can occur, and such matches always come to the rescue.

How to make hunting matches video

So how do you actually make your own hunting matches? You can clearly see this in the following video:

You may be interested.

People began to get fire in ancient times. Several millennia ago, people learned how to make matches. Today we cannot do without fire not at home or on a hike. However, there are situations when the matches are wet, run out or forgotten at home, and you can't do without a fire. Today we will learn to make hunting matches that last longer and can help out in any situation. Hunting matches are not afraid of moisture or wind.

So, first of all, let's watch the video:

In order to make do-it-yourself hunting matches, you will need:
- nitro varnish;
- ammonium nitrate;
- serebryanka;
- plastic cup;
- matches;
- tea spoon;
- barbecue skewer;
- felt-tip pen;

First of all, we must mix the silver and ammonium nitrate in a 1: 1 ratio. Here it will look like this: one teaspoon of saltpeter and one teaspoon of silver.

Now this mixture is diluted with nitro varnish to a dough consistency. It is better to use a syringe for dilution.




We roll out a viscous consistency with felt-tip pens to make a thin pancake.

Then we cut it into small strips.

Next, we stick this mass on the match so that we have a leg for which we will hold.

It is quite difficult to acquire such a source of fire in a ready-made form, and often an inveterate hunter has to run around more than one specialized store in search of him, which can easily end in failure. And even if you are unexpectedly lucky, it is not at all a fact that hunting matches will not cost a tidy sum, so ideally still try to make them yourself, because there is nothing difficult in this task. So, hunting matches properly made with their own hands should not go out under the influence of even a very strong wind or in pouring rain, otherwise they will not differ in any way from ordinary matches, which cannot boast of such unique properties and abilities. In order to make such a stable, and most importantly, reliable source of fire, which not only will not let you down in bad weather, but also will not get damp from prolonged inactivity, you will need the simplest materials.

Usually all of them can be found right on the farm, and even if they have to be purchased separately, there is absolutely nothing to worry about, because such components are mere pennies. And first of all, you will need a disposable syringe, the capacity of which is five milliliters, because its nose, freed from the hollow needle, is ideal for a cocktail tube, which will later serve as a kind of shell for every hunting match. The fixed tube is delimited with a marker into sectors, the height of which is equal to the height of an ordinary match, after which they begin to manufacture its filler. To do this, you need only two simple components, or more precisely, granulated sugar and potassium nitrate, which can be purchased at any store specializing in the sale of various kinds of fertilizers for indoor, garden and vegetable garden plants.

As for the proportions, experts recommend using both components in equal proportions, and the saltpeter should have a powdery appearance. Mixing is carried out directly in a tablespoon, after which it is heated over an open flame (candle, gas burner, etc.) until the saltpeter with sugar acquires the consistency of gruel or thick sour cream. A properly prepared solution should acquire a uniform dark brown hue, however, pouring it into the cocktail tube while hot is strictly not recommended, otherwise it will simply melt. So, it is recommended to fill the syringe only after the temperature of the mixture drops to a level comfortable for tactile contact (the finger should not burn). When the goal is achieved, the valve is removed from the disposable syringe and the prepared mixture is poured inside it directly from a tablespoon.

In no case is it recommended to try to pull the contents into the cocktail tube through the syringe nozzle, slowly protruding the valve from it, and this should only be done in the manner described above. At the same time, one should not rush to push the paste of sugar and saltpeter from the piston itself into the tube, since the future shell of hunting matches needs the so-called "additional equipment". It involves the use of fragments of ordinary matches covered with gray, for fixing which a small void must remain in each blank from the tube. That is why it is strongly recommended not to collect the entire tube at once, but separately each of its fragments, for which it must be cut first along the notches previously marked with a marker of a contrasting color.

As a result, you will have to fill each hunting match separately, putting it on the nozzle of the syringe, as a result of which, in its area (meaning the nose), the necessary void is formed, into which a part of a real match, covered with gray, is subsequently inserted. It is recommended to use such a wonderful source of fire only after the final solidification of the sugar-saltpeter mixture. Naturally, it is recommended to store such matches not in an ordinary cardboard box, in which their heads can also easily become damp and not give the necessary spark, but in a tin, hermetically sealed container.

Also, one should not forget that it is necessary to pre-lay the side of the matchbox in it in advance, because it is in contact with it that the sulfur head gives a spark and, as a result, a stable flame. Alternatively, you can try to use other components to fill the tube, and as an example, you can cite substances such as ammonium nitrate, silver, nitrolac, etc.

We know about the ancient methods of kindling a fire mainly from the history and descriptions of travelers who observed them in the camps of the so-called backward tribes. Themselves have long been accustomed to using matches. It should be noted that in last years lighters and auto ignition on gas stoves were added to them. However, matches have not lost their relevance to this day. But how much do we know about them? How often do people look closely at such familiar, everyday things?

Matches are different

Even the simplest, "home" matches are conceived quite cleverly. The main secret in their heads, which satisfy two almost opposite requirements: the tip of the match should not fall off the stick during fire, crumble during storage, and the stick should go out almost instantly when it burns out a little.

Even more difficult are the tasks that hunting matches must perform. They are charged with the obligation to burn much longer, they must give a large and hot flame, and they are supposed to ignite both in the wind and in the rain. As a result, hunting matches below the head are coated with an additional compound and can burn from 10 to 20 seconds - what you need when you kindle a fire in “non-flying” conditions. Coating the head with a special film prevents it from getting wet. So a quality product can ignite even in the rain.

Storm matches are even more "weather resistant": naphthalene and starch are also included in their coating, so that even a wind of 12 points is not an obstacle to their ignition.

For those who rarely use such incendiary sticks, we note: it is undesirable to use them in an apartment (house) - they have too extensive a flame, and they smoke with a pungent and unpleasant smell.

The most famous way

Hunting matches can be bought at any specialty store for fishermen and hunters. However, if there is no such thing near your house, and it is lazy to go to look for it, then you can handle it yourself. Most often, do-it-yourself hunting matches are made from ordinary ones with additional substances: silver, nitro lacquer and ammonium nitrate. Serebryanka is mixed with saltpeter in equal amounts, varnish is added to them. Everything is kneaded like dough until it starts to resemble it. The resulting "plasticine" is thinly rolled out (better with a glass bottle, which you do not mind throwing afterwards). The pancake is cut into the narrowest strips, not wider than a couple of millimeters, but better - even narrower. These ribbons are spirally wound around the match, from the head to the middle of the stick. Almost finished hunting matches are left to dry, after which the wound strips are painted with varnish. Under no circumstances should the head be varnished - the match will not light without sulfur. Of course, the work is painstaking, almost jewelry, but at the dacha, on a hike or fishing, you will not be left without fire.

You can do it differently

Less well known is another way of making a hunting match. Instead of the above components, cotton threads and paraffin wax are suitable. The threads are tightly wound on household matches, preferably not in one layer. The head naturally remains open. The paraffin is melted and the workpieces are dipped into it. It's easier to just throw matches at it, and then catch it; but, in order not to wait for the excess "wax" to drain, it is better to take each one with tweezers and dip it into the melt.

But no matter what method you make hunting matches, do not forget to attend to the dry "swash" (or "scribble" - call it what you want). Without it, the most water-resistant matches won't light. The easiest method is to keep it in a tightly tied condom.

Will be useful on holidays too!

Craftsmen believe that such a hunting device is appropriate not only in field conditions. If you introduce some small iron sawdust into the composition that processes the matches in the first version of production, then during combustion you can observe a beautiful spark fireworks like the one you don't want to cancel the holiday in bad weather, and not every factory product will "agree" to work in dampness. So you can please children with safe homemade products.

Today we have helpful advice is addressed to people who like to wander in nature with a gun (hunting season, its discovery, just around the corner) or go fishing. of course, they don't give up their hobby in winter either. Some people like winter fishing even more than summer fishing. But it seems to me that there are still more “heat-loving” fishermen. As you know, nature is very changeable, and fishermen and hunters need to be always ready for any unforeseen situations, especially if you are somewhere far from "civilization". Here are hunting matches, this is exactly the "arsenal" that you need to arm yourself when going out into nature. After all, ordinary matches and lighters are even very unreliable during a long stay in nature. And such matches can help you out in various situations.

How to do it and what is needed for this?

And it is very easy to make such matches and you will not need any super-materials for this. There are no problems with ordinary matches, except for them, ammonium nitrate is also needed, nitro lacquer is needed to cover the matches, and the well-known silver bottle (it is needed in the form of powder).

The first thing we will do is mix dry with ammonium nitrate. We will mix these compounds 1: 1. When you mix these two components well, add nitro varnish to them and then mix the entire contents again. You will need to achieve a doughy state of this mixture.

• When you get this consistency, roll out this "inedible" dough in a thin layer and cut it into narrow strips. The width of such stripes should be a very small millimeter or two.
• Next, we need regular matches. We take one of them and spirally wind those narrow stripes that we have already cut out on it. You need to start reeling from the middle of the sulfur head down and finish doing it in the middle of the match itself. So, we wrap each match (that is, based on the number of prepared strips) and then let them dry after that.
• When the matches are already dry well, you will need to cover them with nitro varnish. You can cover with a regular brush, which children use when drawing. BUT, cover the sulfur head of the match with this varnish IT DOES NOT FOLLOW! Otherwise, you will simply have problems lighting matches. Someone thinks that it is much easier to dip the whole match directly into nitro lacquer, but again this does not need to be done, otherwise the head of the match will also be varnished and problems with ignition cannot be avoided.
• That's it, your hunting matches are completely ready! So you can now safely use them for making a fire, moreover, you can use not even the driest firewood. Such homemade matches can successfully burn even in water, and the wind cannot extinguish the flame of such matches.

But in this video they will show you well and tell you again. Try it and you will succeed.