Slow Match

Since our ancestors realised the value of fire, they undoubtedly sought ways in retaining it and carrying it from place to place. In this blog we will be looking at this and how with relatively modern technology the requirements to prolong the life of an ember was addressed with the use of a slow match. We’ll take a closer look at how this was done and then how we can go about making our very own slow match today.

Throughout our ancestral past the solution for prolonging the life of an ember and making it portable presented different solutions in various parts of the world depending on the native fibres found which embraced and prolonged an ember when collected at the right condition and prepared in the right way. Several examples are still in use today. In South Africa for example there is a plant known as “Monkey Tail” which is able to retain a slow smouldering ember to enable it to be transported safely from place to place.

Our own native funguses that will no doubt be familiar to many of you like birch polypore ‘Piptoporus betulinus’ & cramp balls ‘Daldinia concentrica’ are able to retain embers to varying degrees. The peoples in a remote area of Papua New Guinea, referenced in the book “The Art of Fire by Daniel Hume” use coconut husks platted to the thickness of a finger which is then lit from one fire to create an ember, enabling it to be transported to create another fire elsewhere, their very own form of slow match if you will. Empowering them with all the advantages that fire can bring to camp in a way which reduces the time and effort it takes to harness it from scratch with natural resources.

The ability to retain a slow smouldering ember took a new direction with the advancement of various technologies through the ages that has driven us to refine the performance of the slow match and no more so than with the advancement of firearms. The desire to retain an ember for long periods through battles gained new importance which dominate for almost 300 years, with the objective being able to ignite black powder to propel a projectile with some degree of reliability. The first usable slow match firearms were born between the 14th and 15th century known as “hand cannons”. These evolved into the arquebus during the 15th and 16th century, culminating in the musket between the 16th and 17th century.

The slow match to perform well had to do several things, firstly it must not burn out by itself, failing in its primary task. It must also burn to a temperature between at least 270°C to 300°C to ignite the black powder. It must also not burn too quickly and always presents a good glowing tip, which was down to the texture of the material used being good. Having achieved this some of its short comings came with rain or high humidity, effecting performance or extinguishing it completely. It had to remain lit throughout the battle, so it was usually several meters long. Care was needed in reloading gunpowder to prevent everything going up in smoke. And finally, continual adjustment of cord in the weapons holder known as the serpentine to ensure the ember met correctly with the powder in the flash pan.

In the 17th century the ignition source for firearms advanced to the development of the flint lock. Using the edge of flint to generate sparks by removing fragments from the surface of a pyrophoric material which in this case is a steel plate known as a frizzen. The shape of this plate and the way it articulated meant the priming powder remained covered until the last moment, enhancing its reliability in damp and wet weather over its predecessors using the slow match. Although seen as an advancement in firearms the use of flint to generate sparks as a source of ignition has its evidence dating back 5,000 years with the discovery of artifacts found upon Otzi the iceman forming his fire kit. The slow match was still used through to the 18th century for three main reasons. It was simple, effective, and inexpensive technology.

So how do we go about making a slow match? In answering this we will firstly have a look at a historical process and a modern alternative with which you can achieve similar results. Historical records from “II Vallo” published in 1521, describes the traditional process of making a slow match by means of boiling a cord in a lye solution with a little saltpeter, before it is then beaten on a stone with a wooden mallet and then being left to dry in the shade.

Taking each part of the above process let’s start with the cord, relating it to both traditional and modern alternative. Natural fibres like hemp cotton or linen are best 10mm wide will give a good strong ember. Things to avoid with your cord are waxed ones, which prevent the solution penetrating the fibres or modern alternatives that have a natural outer and a hidden nylon inner core, you will see this on some new sash window cord. The next consideration is how the cord is constructed as this will affect how the ember performs. It wants to ideally be braided throughout its diameter which keeps the fibres of the cord together at the end where you want your ember to be. The next best thing you can opt for is a braided outer which will retain the natural inner fibres to give a strong ember.

It is best to avoid simply twisted cord as the ends will fray out which will destroy the heart of any ember you create at the end of the cord. You can counteract this to some degree by sleeving the cord tightly in a metal tube to form a collar which will help force the frayed like ends together, but you then end up having to feed the cord through the tube at regular intervals balancing between keeping the twisted ends of the cord together and preventing it burning inside and potentially extinguishing itself.

The next part of the process involves the solution the cord is boiled in, combining both lye and saltpetre. Let us first start with the lye, it is an alkaline solution usually containing around 33% sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, more technically called caustic soda or lye soap.

To make it a little bushcraft TV (fire) is enjoyed as lye is essentially wood ash, for best results both untreated beech and oak are favoured. Once everything has cooled down the ash is refined by passing it through a sieve to remove any lumps. With this done a volume ratio of five parts water to one part wood ash is used. Care and precautions are observed prior to adding the wood ash to the water mixing the two together as you go creates a strong alkaline which can burn skin and the fumes can damage the lungs, so covering up and using gloves apron and goggles in an outside area is observed. This is then brought to the boil in a stainless-steel container over a low heat stirring frequently, (aluminium is not used as it will be destroyed) this boil is maintained and allowed to continue for two hours. This time must not be exceeded as it will increase in strength which will quicken the burn rate of the slow match beyond what is desired. Time is given for the ash to settle and the lye to cool before filtering it through a muslin cloth into a glass container, taking care not to disturb any of the sediment, giving you a relatively clear liquid.

The second ingredient in the solution is the saltpetre which is potassium nitrate. It is an oxidizing agent used as fertiliser, meat curing and the production of black powder. It provides the oxygen to the ember of the slow match. It can be found in naturally occurring deposits, the biggest of which is located in the limestone caves of Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia in the US, but can also be found in particular soils of Italy, Spain, India, Iran and Egypt. Historically it was extracted from a mixture of rotting dung, vegetable matter and urine. You may be pleased to know our modern alternative doesn’t involve the dung heap.

The next part of the recipe involves removing the cord from the lye solution and beating it on a stone with a wooden mallet. This forces any excess solution from the cord, improving the time it is then allowed to dry naturally. Care is taken here again as beating the cord causes the lye to splash out at speed. The result is the completed slow match.

Why not have a go, if you prefer not to use the traditional method above you can make your very own effective slow match with relatively little fuss, as you can simply soak suitable cord in potassium nitrate for a little while before drying it naturally. To do this either produce or purchase suitable cord as described above to your desired length. You will also need a small amount of potassium nitrate. It is a reportable substance under explosive precursors, so for our purposes of making a few meters of slow match there is no issue. If you order sacks of the stuff though and you may receive an enquiring knock at the door from the authorities. It is readily available online for the purpose of meat curing and sold by the kilogram, in reality you will only need a fraction of that.

Observing all of the safety precautions mentioned above throughout this process, it can cause skin and eye irritation and breathing it in can irritate the nose and throat. High levels can affect the ability for the blood to carry oxygen. That said start by adding the length of cord you wish to use in a suitably sized glass jar. Measure out enough cold water into a similar glass jar so that it will cover all of your cord. For every 100ml of water add 4g of potassium nitrate into the water. Mix and once absorbed into solution pour it into the jar containing the cord so that it is completely covered.

Allow the cord to soak for 30 minutes. Remove from solution after this time and just as in the traditional method, place the cord on a flat stone (an old but clean slab works well) and hit it with a wooden mallet, a clean round of wood is fine. After this allow to fully dry naturally. That’s it! Now you are ready to use your slow match. You will find the burning rate is good and slow enough so that you don’t need large amounts of match cord. In performance tests my 10mm thick slow match was averaging 20 minutes per inch, so 2 meters of 10mm slow match would give you approximately 26 hours of burn time. Perfect for transporting your ember or for lighting your fireworks in smaller lengths.

Please observe any age restrictions, if you are under 18, please consult with a responsible adult.
Reference: The Art of Fire by Daniel Hume