Author Topic: more: quill (Read 10854 times)

Rickk · « **on:** August 01, 2006, 03:49:44 PM »

I messed around with "quills" quite a bit in the last few months, and came up with something that is easy and works good.

I mixed up a black powder, water and isopropyl alcohol up (50-50 on the water/alch) to make sort of a thin paste. I mixed it in a plastic margerine container. There was a 1/8 inch hole inthe top of the container.

I dropped in about 4 feet of cotton string that was about .10 or so in diameter, had the end coming thru the hole in the container top, put the top on. shook it a bit (not hard, or the string will tangle), let it sit for a minute for the paste to soak in, and then slowly drew the string out the hole.

You will get a nice, uniform BP soaked cotton string out of the hole. Hang it up someplace by the end and get another piece of string... repeat untill you get bored or run out of places to hang string.

Give the strings about 3 days to dry before you take them down and try to work with them. You can cut them into managable lengths and store them in a cardboard or other tube (PVC tube maybe?). I am storing mine in a surplus PVC rocket tube, as it has a screw-on, o-ring equipped wateproof cap.

Now that you have your "match", you need to get some 3/16 OD paper straws (this is why you drilled a .200 hole, right?). Check previous postings or the "supplies" thread. I got mine in a box of something like 1800 of them about 18 inches long for under $40. That is a lifetime supply I think.

You will have to experiment with length based on your gun, but here is the idea :

The parts:

The part assembled:

The parts installed:

It lights easily with slowmatch and a linstock, and it burns damn fast.

I know some have played with a straw filled with 4F. This is solid string, so it is was less messy on the range.

The whole affair blows completely clear on my gun. The string and straw will still be smoldering, so make sure they don't go someplace that smoldering stuff doesn't belong.

Rick

moose53 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 01, 2006, 05:20:18 PM »

Nice and neat, looks like you have a good system going.

jeeper1 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 01, 2006, 06:09:39 PM »

That quick match will Work better if you use 10 parts of BP to 1 part of Dextrin and the water/alcohol mix 25% alcohol.

Rickk · « **Reply #3 on:** August 02, 2006, 12:27:45 AM »

doh!... thanks Jeeper. It's been so long since I made the concotion up that forgot about the Dextrin.

Yup... add 10% Dextrin to the BP slurry.

Dextrin can be made my putting Corn starch in a shallow pan and putting it in a 400F oven for a couple hours. Stir occationally.

It is a binder... about the same thing as the glue they stick on postage stamps.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #4 on:** August 02, 2006, 06:51:46 AM »

Quote from: Rickk on August 02, 2006, 12:27:45 AM

doh!... thanks Jeeper. It's been so long since I made the concotion up that forgot about the Dextrin.

Yup... add 10% Dextrin to the BP slurry.

Dextrin can be made my putting Corn starch in a shallow pan and putting it in a 400F oven for a couple hours. Stir occationally.

It is a binder... about the same thing as the glue they stick on postage stamps.

THANKS for explaining how to make Dextrin!

Michael Az · « **Reply #5 on:** August 02, 2006, 09:05:14 AM »

Tell us new fellows the why and when to use a quill.
Michael

jeeper1 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 02, 2006, 11:19:30 AM »

It burns very quickly which makes it great for photography (you're not watching the fuse burn).
It works better on medium sized cannons than a striker because there is no chance of the cannon being accidently moved off target.
If something happens (human or animal getting between the cannon and the target) when you are using a fuse you are commited to that shot being fired because you can't stop it during the last few seconds.

Rickk · « **Reply #7 on:** August 02, 2006, 12:03:39 PM »

That last part of Jeeper's comments (instant ignition) is important. I have lots of animals and a four year old, all very mobile at times, and to be able to make it happen NOW, rather than lighting the fuse and hope all is OK when the fuse gets there is really nice.

Also, for what it's worth, while fuse is pretty cheap in bulk, "quills" are close to free. The paper straws are a bit of a hastle to get, but no wierd hazardous shipping fees. The BP is something you have anyway if you are shooting anything. Corn starch and Isopropyl alcohol are as close as the local supermarket.

And, "that is the way they used to do it" is anotehr cool reason. Just rememeber to use a "linstock" about 4 feet or more long to hold your smoldering "slowmatch". The 4 feet extension of your arm will keep you out of the bad place to be when it fires.

By the way, in case anyone asks about the alcohol, it does the same as the water... turns the BP to a slurry for coating the string. However, it evaporates way quicker than water. That means the slurry on the string thickens almost immediately after you pull it out of the plastic container. The thickened slurry stays in place... doesn't run. The only real reason to use water at all is that watered down alcohol does not burn. Medical (grocery store or drug store) Isopropyl Alcohol is already partially watered down to make it less flamable, and the added water makes it that much safer of a process.

Michael Az · « **Reply #8 on:** August 02, 2006, 01:04:39 PM »

Thanks fellows for the great explainations. I'm learning every day. While I still have my first shot to fire, I had thought about the problem of lighting a fuse and then something happens. I have some 1/8 fuse to start with. How long a peice do you guys usually cut off for a mortar? About 2"? Thought I would burn a peice and see how long it takes to burn.
Michael

jeeper1 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 02, 2006, 01:10:41 PM »

Barrel wall plus 3 inches. For my mortar that's 13 to 14 seconds worth.

Michael Az · « **Reply #10 on:** August 02, 2006, 02:31:54 PM »

Thanks Jeeper!
Michael

Rickk · « **Reply #11 on:** August 02, 2006, 03:15:28 PM »

If you want to be sure you can light the fuse and run far away, make sure that when it sticks out the fuse hole it is bent away from it. If not, the sparks from the fuse could concievably spark down the hole, bypass the fuse, and go off instantly.

The first time you light the fuse this will probably occur to you as you see sparks from the fuse. By then there is nothing to do about it but run.

In fact, try a dry run with a fuse and no charge. That way, you won't have to depart and can take the whole fuse buring image in.... sparks going everywhere, including towards the fuse hole.

I use fuse too but, having tried the quill approach as well and become comfortable with it, at least for blanks, I prefer the quills.

If I am using a fuse, which I still prefer when firing live projectiles, both cuz it still scares me, and so that I can get a bit to the side and see where it goes, I make sure that I am way out in the woods and the spectators are kept back and to a minimum so I don't have to worry about someone getting in the way as the fuse burns.

I agree with jeeper ... barrel plus 3 inches, maybe 4, bent away from the hole. I want the first few seconds to be guaranteeded to not deposit sparks too close to the hole.

Michael Az · « **Reply #12 on:** August 02, 2006, 07:33:28 PM »

Quote from: Rickk on August 02, 2006, 03:15:28 PM

If you want to be sure you can light the fuse and run far away, make sure that when it sticks out the fuse hole it is bent away from it. If not, the sparks from the fuse could concievably spark down the hole, bypass the fuse, and go off instantly.

Thanks for that info Rickk, I didn't know that. I have arthritis pretty bad in the knees and hips. Maybe I should start out with 6 feet of fuse.
Michael

GGaskill · « **Reply #13 on:** August 02, 2006, 08:33:16 PM »

Actually you can use electrical ignition and be 30' away if you like. Fires within a second of pushing the button.

Rickk · « **Reply #14 on:** August 03, 2006, 12:53:03 AM »

6 feet is alot...burn some fuse and time it. 6 feet sounds like 3 minutes or so to me, depending on brand and style

GGaskill makes a good point about using electrical ignition. It isn't hard to do. When I ws a teenager we played with model rockets all the time and that was how we ignited them.

You could use model rocket ignitors. They are simply nichrome wire with a flammable substace blobbed on the middle. ( I think they are approaching $1 a piece now thought).

A cheaper way is to use a single strand of copper wire out of the bundle in plain old lamp cord.Twist a couple inches to the end of some 14 or even 16 gauge lamp cord and (using a switch to be elgant) connect it to a car battery and the single strand of copper wire will get red hot and melt. If you attach it to the exposed end if a "quill", it will ignite the quill and ignite the cannon.

Michael Az · « **Reply #15 on:** August 04, 2006, 05:50:05 AM »

I keep forgetting I have a dry sense of humor and was joking about the 6 foot of fuse and forgot a smiley face to go with it. I do have arthritis pretty bad and won't be doing any more running.
I will have one advantage with where I live in the desert though. It isn't any probem here to find a spot where vision is unlimited. So won't have to worry about where the ball is going. Michael

Double D · « **Reply #16 on:** August 04, 2006, 07:43:05 AM »

Topic Cop has worked over this thread, just a small bit. Cannons Gents, not politics, Cannons...You were saying Michael that you think you need a long head start...

Santa Dave · « **Reply #17 on:** August 04, 2006, 07:58:02 AM »

DD
Politics? I went back and read all the posts in thiis thread and cannot find ANYTHING that strikes me as politics (YOUR results may vary) please enligthen me!
Dave

I saw a great shirt last night!
" the last time we mixed politics and religion someone got burned at the stake"

Double D · « **Reply #18 on:** August 04, 2006, 09:22:30 AM »

Off topic remarks were remove...

Michael Az · « **Reply #19 on:** August 04, 2006, 01:31:49 PM »

That was my bad. Sorry about that Double D.
Michael

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #20 on:** August 04, 2006, 03:32:32 PM »

Quote from: Michael Az on August 02, 2006, 01:04:39 PM

....
How long a peice do you guys usually cut off for a mortar? About 2"?
....
Michael

About 1 to 1-1/2 outside the tube.
Powder often gets trapped inside the fuse hole & could ignite instantly - hence the 1 to 1-1/2" give me time to exit stage left.

The longer the fuse the greater the anticipation - especially if you have an audiance.

The shorter the fuse, the more control you have. (Less time for something/someone to step out in front etc.)

claypipe · « **Reply #21 on:** August 05, 2006, 11:17:37 AM »

Here's what I use for my gonnes. These Quills/squibs are made from cellophane tape cut lengthwise.and then coated with FFFFg and thin drinking straws.

And yes, I have noticed the corrosion. Humidity has been high here, and I am browning the tube anyways.

claypipe · « **Reply #22 on:** August 05, 2006, 11:20:16 AM »

It took me two days to make that post, and its only half of what I wanted to post. What's going on now?

CP

Double D · « **Reply #23 on:** January 16, 2009, 04:15:52 PM »

I thought I would bring this back to the top because subject is always relevant and I got my box of straws....1800. I can get 4 fuses per straw for my biggest cannon. That's 7200 shots.

Any way I have been testing the different methods referred to in this post. The easiest I found so far in the cellophane tape. The tape is the easiest to coat with powder, the easiest to insert in the straws and the easiest to light. The cellophane is also the most energetic. I sure hope the neighbors don't call the Cops, because the cellophane sounds like a firecracker when lit. The string make a very energetic loud phhtzzz almost a bang but not quite. THe strin

The slow match worked well.

Double D · « **Reply #24 on:** January 17, 2009, 10:26:31 AM »

Here is the string:

[stream=475,325]http://www.fototime.com/A84B3FB5906670F/conv.wmv[/stream]

Here is the tape

[stream=475,325]http://www.fototime.com/DC52FA4E4FF34E1/conv.wmv[/stream]

Terry C. · « **Reply #25 on:** January 17, 2009, 01:22:47 PM »

From the looks of it, both the string and cellophane tape quills could benefit from a NC/FFFFg priming dip on one end.

'Course they're probably easier to light when they'll be still.

Double D · « **Reply #26 on:** January 17, 2009, 02:14:47 PM »

You could be right about the NC booster.

The tape quill I filmed only had about 1/8 inch of powdered tape exposed. I took another quill with about and inch of exposed powder tape, and stuck it in a snow bank. I bent the tape over and moved the slowmatch under the exposed tape ignition cam ealmost immediately. The exposed tape burned like a fuse until it hit the straw and it went bag. I'll film one tomorrow.

Victor3 · « **Reply #27 on:** January 18, 2009, 03:17:01 AM »

I have some relevant info.

Don't check to see how fast scotch tape burns with a piece of it stuck to your finger...

It seems to burn faster when attached to a fool who's flailing his hand and cursing.

Meanwile, they do make a double-back version of this tape. I recon that a piece of paper cut to the correct width & legth could be used with this stuff to both coat with powder and roll up to form a tube (straw) all at the same time.

Double D · « **Reply #28 on:** January 18, 2009, 04:00:20 AM »

Quote from: Victor3 on January 18, 2009, 03:17:01 AM

I have some relevant info.

Don't check to see how fast scotch tape burns with a piece of it stuck to your finger...

It seems to burn faster when attached to a fool who's flailing his hand and cursing.

Meanwile, they do make a double-back version of this tape. I recon that a piece of paper cut to the correct width & legth could be used with this stuff to both coat with powder and roll up to form a tube (straw) all at the same time.

I'm laughing with you not at you...

I'm also using the D/S sticky tape.

Terry C. · « **Reply #29 on:** January 18, 2009, 06:01:43 AM »

Quote from: Double D on January 18, 2009, 04:00:20 AM

I'm laughing with you not at you...

You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

I meant to mention in my previous post: I've made up some of the DUCO/acetone mix, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Unlike its milky predecessor, this is crystal clear.

Also, I've decided that calling the ping-pong ball mixture "NC lacquer" is not correct. It is celluloid (NC + camphor), and it doesn't much resemble any lacquer I've ever used.

I prefer the term "celluloid glue."