Igniting the Matchlock

[missionary5155]

Greetings on this May 1st !
This is the third part of this story. As the title says Igniting and not shooting. This "primitive object" does not have a real barrel, just plain old gas pipe. But works well enough as my test bed for the basic build.
Did my final work bench test about 10 am this morning.

6900969008

Ignition is by a homemade slow match. A woven flax rope soaked in watered 3F "slushy" then sun dried. Only made a 4 inch section as I knew my testing would be very limited and BP is getting tough to come up with. After the first bench test of just the flash pan, the slow match was extinguished and placed in the sun to redry.
Ramrod was made from 1/4 inch re-rod with a 1/2 inch nut threaded on the end. One day soon a channel will be cut into the stock bottom under the barrel to keep the rod on the matchlock . A steel buttplate will be added. The stock will be finish sanded and stained.

For the full ignition test, 20 grains of 3F was weighed and inserted into the "barrel".

6901169010

Newspaper wad inserted on top of charge. Slowmatch was re-ignited, placed into the serpentine slot so the hot glowing end would rotate into the pan. This "positioning" is done with the pan cover closed. Pan is next charged and recovered. Matchlock is shouldered, pan uncovered, lever trigger raised and ignition. Sort of like a flintlock with a hangfire. Ignited this matchlock twice this morning. Did have one hangfire which I atribute to too little 3F in the pan. Very enjoyable way to add to the fireworks being set off in our neighborhood to celebrate May 1.
Mike in Peru

[Shooter]

I soak my cord in saltpeter from the drug store. Finding pure cotton cord is difficult these days.

[fishhawk]

I had the same problem with finding cotton cord for my cannon linstock what works good is just plain cloths line and strip the polly liner out of the line the woven cover is cotton, soak in potassium nitrate (3OZ per quart of water) drape it to dry in the sun and your good to go.

[ofitg]

Mike, it looks like a great project! I don't know the specs on that gas pipe, just be careful....

How difficult is it to obtain potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal there in Peru?

[missionary5155]

Greetings ofitg
Charcoal is the only ingredient available. I could climb Misti Volcano again and enter the crater and get some sulfur. Take a while as Misti is 19,000 plus and the crater is 2000 plus deep. Last hikers that went down in there died from afixiation as they did not take breathing devices with them.
Potasium nitrate is the other controlled substance. That one will get me visited by the anti/terrorist men who do not look kindly at anything.
Sooner or later more 3F will turn up. The store man is looking into another supplier and there is always hope. Has to be a keg sitting around some store room somewhere.
I have no intentions of ever loading more than 20 grains with a newspaper wad in this gas pipe barrel. Actually those two "loads" may be the end of my tests as I know it works. That was the main goal. With just simple home tools, scrap steel, and a bit of 3F it all worked. I would want a real barrel for a hunting matchlock but all the rest can be done at home.
My total expenditure was $5 for the wood, maybe $1 for the amount of 3F used, $1 for the re/rod for the ramrod, $1 for the welding on the breech plug and then the gas pipe barrel which was $3 at the scrap seller. All the rest was left over project pieces of stuff laying around or metal items I have picked up over the years laying in the road.
Mike in Peru

[ofitg]

Sounds like Peru is one of those places where the gov't has clamped down hard on nearly everything.... If more Americans had actually experienced living in those circumstances, they wouldn't be so "nonchalant" about letting their freedoms slip away.

Take care down there.

[Shooter]

Potasium nitrate is the other controlled substance. That one will get me visited by the anti/terrorist men who do not look kindly at anything.
Mike in Peru

During the American civil war, the South made saltpetre from urine and "Nightsoil".
That might put you on another watch list if you started collecting jars of urine like Howard Hughs.

[FL-Flinter]

Looking good brother!

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I think I will definately pass on the quart jar collections.
An interesting note on the slow match I used. It was made with braided hemp with is easy to come by here. People here are still practicle enough to realize not all hemp gets smoked. Still makes good cheap rope.
Braided about 4 inches of half inch from basic twisted cordage. Braided hemp as it is sold here will not stay lit. Then washed it in lye soap 4 times. This really changes the structure of the hemp. Layed it out in the sun to dry. Placed about 1/3 teaspoon of 3F into a small plastic bag, added about 1 teaspoon of water and let it soak for a good hour. At random times I would squeeze and mix the watered 3F to be sure it dissolved completely.
Braided dried hemp was dropped into the bag and instantly absorbed every drop of 3F watered mix. Just like a real sponge.. gone. Left it rolled in the bag overnight. Next morning (may 1st) removed the wet slowmatch, placed it on a plastic lid in the sun. Let dry which took about 2 hours.
Now slow match was stiff and looked like a dried dog dropping but smelled like BP. Decided to light it and see if it was going to stay lit. What a shocking surprise I received. Instant fizzing and sparking and sputering. Sizzzling fire began to run down the outside of the "slowmatch"... Slow it was not ! I qiuckly blew on it and that was folly. Fortunately a jar was close by half full of water. 3/4ths was burned before I could dowse it. Sure looked like firecracker fuze to me.
So back into the sun it went. After drying again I relit it and it worked nornal. Apparently it was just outside residue going beserk.
So if you decide to make slowmatch using 3F just be prepared. It got real fast and exciting for about 3 seconds ! Mike in Peru

[lavenatti]

You made 'blackmatch' - used in fireworks as a fuse. If you put it in a paper tube you would have 'quickmatch' and would be shocked at how much faster it would burn.
All you really want is the KNO3 in the string. If BP is limited and you want to experiment try using a saturated solution of an "oxyclean" type of detergent. These detergents are made with perborates and percarbonates both of which are oxidizers. Neither is as potent as KNO3 but they may be sufficient to keep cotton string smoldering. Buy the cheepest brand you can find expensive brands usually just have perfume and other junk in them.
i

[missionary5155]

Greetings lavenatti and thanks for that info. Probably can turn up something similar.
The intersting part is after the initial flareup on the exterior the rest of the match worked correctly. Quit possibly had I gave the match a water dip before trying to lite it there may not have been the "quick fuze" reaction. Learning can be so exciting !
Mike in Peru

[lavenatti]

It worked ok afterwards because only the KNO3 is water soluble and soaked into the cotton. The charcoal and sulfur, along with some of the KNO3 stick to the outside and made a very flammable mix that was slower than BP.
And yes, playing with BP is almost always exciting:)

[ofitg]

FWIW, here's a method to synthesize KNO3 -

http://chemistry.about.com/od/makechemicalsyourself/a/make-potassium-nitrate.htm

It won't be very pure unless you run it through a couple of re-crystallization cycles, but even in its "raw" form, it should be good enough for nitrating rope.

[nekshot]

Hmmm, a rope made out of hemp smoldering.... this is starting to sound like some villagers I know of in Kenya. They gather around this smoldering fire in the evening and....you did say you washed it right?

[missionary5155]

Howdy neckshot
:>) Now that was funny !!!

Thanks ofitg That may work out if I need some more "smoldering hemp rope for singing around the campfire". Mike in Peru

[lavenatti]

That was a good article. Instead of using potassium chloride why not use potassium carbonate? You'd have to heat it up while you were working but what would happen is you would still get your KNO3 in solution and the ammonium carbonate that formed would break down into ammonia and carbon dioxide (at about 180 degrees F) - both gases. That way you'd be left with only the KNO3 and you wouldn't have to purify anything. Everything you don't want will float away on the wind.
You would know when you were done when you couldn't smell ammonia anymore.
Oh, and do it outside, on a breezy day.

[ofitg]

Lavenatti, I'd like to try that. Can you recommend the proper quantities/proportions (ammonium nitrate, water, potassium carbonate)?

Thanks!

[lavenatti]

OK, let's see if I remember how to figure this out...

The balanced equation would be 2NH4NO3 + K2CO3 -> (NH4)2CO3 + 2KNO3

The atomic weights of all the elements in the NH4NO3 add up to 80.5 (Nitrogen is 14.006, hydrogen is 1 and Oxygen is 15.999)
Similiarly K2CO3 would have an atomic weight of 138.2 (Potassium is 39.09, Carbon is 12.01 and Oxygen is still 15.999)

Since you need 2 NH4NO3 to 1 part of K2CO3 you can use roughly 16 parts of ammonium nitrate to 14 parts of potassium carbonate.

Make sure both chemicals are dry before weighing, ammonium nitrate can hold a lot of water and still appear dry. 2 hours in a 250 degree oven will usually dry it out pretty good.

I would use just enough warm water to dissolve both chemicals. It's going to get very cold when you dissolve the ammonium nitrate.

Heat up on a hotplate. The decomposition temperature of the ammonium carbonate is somewhere around 180 degrees F. You won't even need to boil this to get rid of all the stuff you don't want and the ammonia gas and carbon dioxide will come bubbling out. You'll smell the ammonia.

A similiar process can be used to make strontium nitrate, barium nitrate etc. Just find the appropriate carbonates (pottery suppliers use them for glazes).

Good luck, it's a fun experiment.

[ofitg]

Thanks again, Lavenatti. I don't remember much from Chemistry class, it just didn't "stick" in my brain.....

Or possibly, those were the brain cells that have shut down in my "senior citizen" years.....

[missionary5155]

Greetings ofitg That's not senior shut down ... just all the other accumulated wisdom getting in the way.
This looks like some fun time on a lazy afternoon.
Mike in Peru

[10 ga]

Originally being from the East side of the Chesapeake bay and having ancestors that were commercial hunters I may shed some light on your "barrel" situation. I have seen, in grandpaws shed, and in some museums homemade gunbarrels. Grandpaw, I'm 63 and he was born in the 1880s, made his barrels with "monel" steam pipe. It was readily available at the shipyards around Hampton Rhoads and some of the smaller yards around the Chesapeake. He used one size for barrel and then slipped it into another close fitting but shorter piece and filled the gap with lead to give a thick chamber area. Breech plug of various types and drilled for the touch hole. They were very effective as punt guns. Now you have given me another project to pursue. Thanks, 10 ga

[uscra112]

I still have a yard or so of what we used to call "dethermalizer fuse" that would be perfect for slowmatch. Was used to bring free-flight model airplanes back to earth in the bad old days. Wonder if anybody still sells it?

[missionary5155]

I still have a yard or so of what we used to call "dethermalizer fuse" that would be perfect for slowmatch. Was used to bring free-flight model airplanes back to earth in the bad old days. Wonder if anybody still sells it?

Good morning uscra112
Had to do some reading on that one. Did a search on "dethermalizer fuse" with lots of info available. Not having been involved in organised "freeflight" never had much thought about a controlled retrieval. Did let a few gas powered .049's go aloft in a hopeful circle pattern. Usually found the remains.
Sounds like the same basic formulas and idea. Slow burning "wick" that has a somewhat even burn rate. Thanks for that info.
Pipes for barrels.. Made a 3/4 inch item 12 inches long a few years back with a 1 inch sleeve about 4 inches long expoxed onto the outside. Makes a nice signal noise. Had considerd a similar condition with this project but rejected it as the breach was going to be wider than my wood stock limits without going into a log purchase to get a fatter stock. The difference of $5 to $35 for wood was a real factor.
Mike in Peru

[FrankG]

Ive made a couple matchlocks and they are fun ! First was made with reclaimed 410 barrel and rest from scrap pile out back . Stock is from Oregon Myrtle plank I got at estate sale.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/ModocWrangler/mymtchlkbrl002-1.jpg (http://s17.photobucket.com/user/ModocWrangler/media/mymtchlkbrl002-1.jpg.html)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/ModocWrangler/mymtchlkbrl001-1.jpg (http://s17.photobucket.com/user/ModocWrangler/media/mymtchlkbrl001-1.jpg.html)

[missionary5155]

Greetings FrankG
That is a nice chunk of wood. Thanks for adding those photos !
So far I have never seen an unused piece of old firearm. I am sure somewhere someone has a barrel but they sure do not surface. But then everything is so heavily regulated I dought a barrel could last long without paers on it.
Mike in Peru

[FrankG]

There was an outfit that was using seamless DOM tubing for barrels for smoothbore BP guns . It had something like 3/16" walls and made of A513 steel alloy . Early Rustic Arms , IIRC .

Is all shooting irons regulated in Peru including match variety ?

[missionary5155]

Good morning
As I understand the rulings... everything that moves a projectile or shot using a propellant is regulated. As I have not "loaded" this with a projectile or shot I am still within the bounds of acceptability. I will probably "spike" the vent hole so as to be beyond any dought.
Some years ago I came across an old Spanish Miquelet that was is good condition for a reasonable price. Then discovered I would have to do all the registration papers to lawfully receive it and keep it as it was capable of being loaded and fired with shot. As I can see things it is all designed so only the rich can afford a firearm. There are new rulings coming out restricting individuals to how many handguns a person can have registered. They may already be in effect.
Never think the socialist commies are your friend. They have only one person's welfare in mind and that person never looks beyond thier own nose.
Mike in Peru

[shane438]

The old recipe for making saltpeter with bat guano works equally well with chicken manure and the dirt from the ground of a chicken pen. Also there are some recipes that use sugar and rust instead of charchoal and sulpher. Check and see if you can get the Backwoodsman Magazine. Its in the back issues somewhere.

[ofitg]

OK, let's see if I remember how to figure this out...

The balanced equation would be 2NH4NO3 + K2CO3 -> (NH4)2CO3 + 2KNO3

The atomic weights of all the elements in the NH4NO3 add up to 80.5 (Nitrogen is 14.006, hydrogen is 1 and Oxygen is 15.999)
Similiarly K2CO3 would have an atomic weight of 138.2 (Potassium is 39.09, Carbon is 12.01 and Oxygen is still 15.999)

Since you need 2 NH4NO3 to 1 part of K2CO3 you can use roughly 16 parts of ammonium nitrate to 14 parts of potassium carbonate.

Make sure both chemicals are dry before weighing, ammonium nitrate can hold a lot of water and still appear dry. 2 hours in a 250 degree oven will usually dry it out pretty good.

I would use just enough warm water to dissolve both chemicals. It's going to get very cold when you dissolve the ammonium nitrate.

Heat up on a hotplate. The decomposition temperature of the ammonium carbonate is somewhere around 180 degrees F. You won't even need to boil this to get rid of all the stuff you don't want and the ammonia gas and carbon dioxide will come bubbling out. You'll smell the ammonia.

A similiar process can be used to make strontium nitrate, barium nitrate etc. Just find the appropriate carbonates (pottery suppliers use them for glazes).

Good luck, it's a fun experiment.

Lavenatti, here's some "follow up" for you - I mixed 4.3 oz ammonium nitrate with 3.4 oz potassium carbonate and 10.8 oz water. Heated the liquid to 85C and let it simmer for one hour.
Poured the hot liquid into a flat dish - it immediately turned to "slush" as it cooled - and air-dried the slush overnight under a small electric fan. It yielded 5.0 oz of white crystals.
Out of curiosity I put the crystals through a single re-crystallization cycle, using 5.0 oz of water. After re-crystallization, the dried crystals weighed 4.2 oz. I calculate that 5.0 oz of water at 0C should carry 0.7 oz of KNO3 in solution, so that only leaves around 1/10 oz "unaccounted for"..... most likely residue clinging to the inside surfaces of the glassware which I used. Evidently, the KNO3 was essentially pure before it went through the re-crystallization stage.

Your experiment worked like a champ!

[Fly]

I make ALOT of blackmatch.Everything lavenztti is true.And putting it in a paper tube will make it go off
in the blink of a eye.NEVER thought about that in a matchlock.
Fly, he must be a pyro too (wink)