How do you make friction primers?

[passgas55]

I have a civil war replica mountain howitzer. I want to learn how to make the friction primers for it. I have the
information on how they did it in 1863 but would love a tutor on how they make them today. I have just about all the materials except
for the 16 ga brass wire, Any help would be appreciated. I plan on starting with a Potassium Chlorate 33.4%, Antimony Sulfide 66.6% turned to like toothpaste with water and gum of arabic. Picture of the friction primer I would like to make.

[armoredman]

Can we see the gun? I find this fascinating, would love to have something cool like that.

[passgas55]

Can we see the gun? I find this fascinating, would love to have something cool like that.

I will try again later. Pictures kept failing to load.

[elk hunter]

I've never made friction primers but a long time ago I read an article about making them. The article stated they used a strike-anywhere kitchen match and fine black powder in the brass tube and a twisted wire that when pulled supplied the friction to strike the match. As I recall the match was inserted head down in the tube and the tube crimped to hold it in place. Sounded like it should work. Sorry, I don't remember any more about the construction details.

[passgas55]

Can we see the gun? I find this fascinating, would love to have something cool like that.

I hope I got it this time

[passgas55]

I've never made friction primers but a long time ago I read an article about making them. The article stated they used a strike-anywhere kitchen match and fine black powder in the brass tube and a twisted wire that when pulled supplied the friction to strike the match. As I recall the match was inserted head down in the tube and the tube crimped to hold it in place. Sounded like it should work. Sorry, I don't remember any more about the construction details.

Can't find strike anywhere matches. I remember when I was a kid I did drop a box of them and they caught on fire. I don't think I can get white pete or red pete due to how unstable white pete is and red pete is used in meth labs.

[Pipefitter]

I have no clue on how to make friction primers but I thought you might like this:

http://www.buckstix.com/howitzer.htm

WARNING! do not have anything to drink anywhere near the computer when you read this!!!


Edit: look for strike anywhere matches in your local (or not so local) Amish store.

[armoredman]

Sir, that is gorgeous.

[BunkTheory]

THey dont make the strike anywhere matches anymore, they went to that green crap that only, sometimes works, when struck on the box.

There IS a company in canada supposedly making them, but i have never seen them for sale.

[rbuck351]

I bought a few boxes of strike anywhere matches on my last trip from AK to MT and found them to be very good like our old strike anywhere matches.

[ofitg]

Here's an excerpt from Tenney Davis's book, CHEMISTRY OF POWDER & EXPLOSIVES -

[passgas55]

Here's an excerpt from Tenney Davis's book, CHEMISTRY OF POWDER & EXPLOSIVES -

Good info. The more I read the more I get confused. I know in black powder which is mixed wet I never had a problem with it souring do the sulfur.
I know in bp the sulfur lowers the ignition point and acts as a fuel. I pretty sure I did read that sulfur in friction compounds still acts like a fuel but makes it a little less sensitive to friction. It makes the compound more stable. I will try all three and go with what ever works in my application. If they end up equal I would go with mix 1. I did play around with a 45 PC, 45 SA and 10 glass mix. Did not have all my material in but made 10 tubes using paper straws and what ever wire I had on hand. One did light off. It was the one with the most resistance to being pulled by the lanyard. I made 3 more trying to make the pull harder. I will try them tomorrow. I am just playing around. I feel good know I can get at least one to work with a paper straw and stranded galvanized tie wire. If I get it working a good percentage I will post a how to with paper straws.

[Winger Ed.]

They aren't banned yet, but are hard to find.
ACE Hardware has them in store only, but they might be the new generation green ones.

Another option is do a search for 'Make your own strike anywhere matches'.
There's instructions and youtube videos on how to make them with strike on box matches and the striker strip on the box.

[MUSTANG]

Can't find strike anywhere matches. I remember when I was a kid I did drop a box of them and they caught on fire. I don't think I can get white pete or red pete due to how unstable white pete is and red pete is used in meth labs.

Try the Dollar Stores - they carry them sometimes.

[ofitg]

Good info. The more I read the more I get confused. I know in black powder which is mixed wet I never had a problem with it souring do the sulfur.
I know in bp the sulfur lowers the ignition point and acts as a fuel. I pretty sure I did read that sulfur in friction compounds still acts like a fuel but makes it a little less sensitive to friction. It makes the compound more stable. I will try all three and go with what ever works in my application. If they end up equal I would go with mix 1. I did play around with a 45 PC, 45 SA and 10 glass mix. Did not have all my material in but made 10 tubes using paper straws and what ever wire I had on hand. One did light off. It was the one with the most resistance to being pulled by the lanyard. I made 3 more trying to make the pull harder. I will try them tomorrow. I am just playing around. I feel good know I can get at least one to work with a paper straw and stranded galvanized tie wire. If I get it working a good percentage I will post a how to with paper straws.

That second friction primer recipe is rather similar to the H48 primer compound that the U.S. Army used in .30-40 cartridges -

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/th...ixtures.58110/

It is definitely impact-sensitive, and your cannon primers are much larger than a small arms cartridge primer - be very careful, take precautions. I have heard about a couple of guys blowing up their mortars & pestles when they tried to grind the H48 compound after all the ingredients were mixed together.

Here is Davis's explanation of the "souring" reaction between Potassium Chlorate and Sulfur - it's quite different from mixing Potassium Nitrate with Sulfur in black powder -

[passgas55]

That second friction primer recipe is rather similar to the H48 primer compound that the U.S. Army used in .30-40 cartridges -

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/th...ixtures.58110/

It is definitely impact-sensitive, and your cannon primers are much larger than a small arms cartridge primer - be very careful, take precautions. I have heard about a couple of guys blowing up their mortars & pestles when they tried to grind the H48 compound after all the ingredients were mixed together.

Here is Davis's explanation of the "souring" reaction between Potassium Chlorate and Sulfur - it's quite different from mixing Potassium Nitrate with Sulfur in black powder -

Now I better understand and sulfur will be left out. This is good to know. When I buy friction primers I
will ask the question about if sulfur and if so are they using an anti acid.

[passgas55]

I tried 3 more paper straw friction primes and all 3 failed. I did do 1 brass tube primer using 14 ga. copper wire going straight down into the tube.
Then I crimp the top of the tube with a pair of electrical crimpers. It was a hard pull but it did work. Of the two that fired so far the one sealed at the bottom
with a white glue plug did not burn thru. The end plugged with a bp/aribc gum water mixture did great. I just need to get some 16 ga brass wire, a good supply/price source for brass tubing. Then I need to see what is used for cutting a notch and proper crimping of tube. Next is what tool is used for roughing up the brass wire.

[ulk77more]

K & S metals on Amazon has quite s few different sizes of brass tubes for sale,
I use them to make my monotube steam boiler heating elements

[bedbugbilly]

Very nice! "Matthew" looks great . . . now all you need is Mark, Luke and John!

I used to shoot 10 pound Parrotts with a group years ago. IIRC, we had a guy in the group who bought our friction primers from someone who made them. My suggestion would be to go on to the N-SSA site and post an inquiry and see if some of the cannoneers there can help you out.

Our friction primers were similar to yours only the twisted wire went through the brass tube and extended out the other side. IIRC - they were made pretty much as elk hunter mentions in his post. A strike anywhere match head and 4F in the brass tube - sealed at the bottom of the tube that would keep fine powder in the tube but still allow flame to shoot down into the charge (we rolled our charges in tinfoil).

I have also fired cannons using a linstock. For the primer, a straw that fits the vent filled with 4F.

Our two pieces were from South Bend Replicas - don't know if they are still in business or not or who made your tube, but you might contact them and see if they can head you in the right direction.

In all the years that I was involved with the cannons and siege mortars, I can only remember perhaps 4 or 5 "misfires" from a fault friction primer - but it does happen and it happened during the Civil War as well. Just use a lot of caution and safety practices. I built our limber chest form original drawings/specs and while some may thing me over cautious, no matter how careful you are . . . CLEAN (vacuum) the interior of your liber chest often to make sure you have no loose powder kicking around in it from any possible leaks in your preloaded charges. And if you do use friction primers - store them away from any charges. We always kept ours separate and never int he limber chest. The same with pre-loaded straw primers for use with a linstock.

[ofitg]

I have also fired cannons using a linstock. For the primer, a straw that fits the vent filled with 4F.

For simplicity (ie, ease of construction) and reliability, the linstock ignition method would be hard to beat.