









How to make 
Non-delay Fuse
THIS IS NON-DELAY FUSE!!!  That means when you light it it will burn fast!!!!

Fuse for primary ignition and not for internal delay in shells. Further,  I suspect you don't have access to commercially manufactured fuse, which is more reliable and hence safer than homemade. Two types mentioned in this group are less than satisfactory- the cotton string soaked in KNO3, and meal powder rolled up in tissue paper. Electric 'fuses' will work, and have been detailed here before, but may not be what you're looking for.   A decent fuse can be made at home as follows:
1) String- Cotton string has been recommended here, but I have used up to a 50% cotton/nylon blend without problems. The difference seems to be in the ash remaining after burning. The string should be as thin as practical (and you can untwist a multi-strand cord to get thinner pieces) and will determine the final diameter of your product. The string I am currently using fits easily through the hole in a 5cc syringe (approx 1.5 to 2mm when not under tension). 
2) Powder- While the string provides support, the powder, or burning medium, provides a contiguous burning 'train' (although it stiffens the string a great deal, I view this as a disadvantage). It is important that this powder (I use a homemade meal powder -KNO3,S,C in the traditional 75:10:15 ratio, although various references will increase the KNO3 , I use this because I have it around) is homogenous, as a grainy mixture will lead to a "stuttering" effect, with frequent starts and stops. You can use commercial Black Powder as long as, when you moisten it (see below) you can no longer feel individual grains. This usually takes more solvent and is more expensive than home-made.
3) Coating- This is a waterproof mixture that provides both a covering for the fuse (to protect it from mechanical and water damage) and a filler for miniscule air spaces (which can make the fuse 'jump' and burn almost instantaneously for short sections- very dangerous!) and to slow the fuse down a bit (this is because surface burning is reduced, you want the  inside to control the burning rate, not the outer surface).
4) Putting it all together- Here I am detailing the way I make fuse, there are many ways to accomplish the same thing and I hope others will comment. I stretch about 10 feet of moist cotton (moistened with water and squeezed through the fingers till only damp) string by tying off one end (high) and letting the other end drap over the back of a chair- this end is tucked  under a weight to hold it still. The string isn't really taunt, just under control. I thread a 5cc syringe (no needle!) onto the weighted end, bring it up over the chair and then gob a bit of powder mix (moistened with 70% Isopropyl alcohol) into the syringe and start running it up the string. I keep the syringe  about 1/2 full, and make sure that the string is well coated, occaisionally spreading fibers as it enters the syringe and pushing more powder mix into the syringe barrel as necessary. It is surprising how little powder mixture is required to do a 10 ft length of string. I just leave the syringe at the tied end when I get there.
5) After about 10 minutes or so of drying, and this will depend on how much alcohol you use as a solvent, I run a small container of dry meal powder (you can use very fine BP) along the fuse, allowing whatever will stick to do so. I then run my fingers along the string and work the dry powder into it a little. 
6) The fuse (now properly called black match) is allowed to dry over night and becomes quite stiff. I then run another syringe (with the hole widened just a bit, so that the dried black match will run  through it without binding) along it in the same manner as above, containing Nitrocellulose lacquer (homemade with IMR smokeless powder and acetone) with the consistency of honey. Again, the second syringe is 'parked' at the tied off end of the string.
7) The fuse is then allowed to dry at least a day, and then tested. The lastest batch, which has been hanging for about a week (OK,I got busy...) burns at a rate of 2s per inch (measured by burning 30inches laying on snow, 60s +/- 3 s).
8) Final points- this is NOT as good as commercial fuse, but is fun and easy to make, and fairly reliable. I do NOT use this for important or expensive projects. However, it's great as a throw away when you just want to light off a new formula...   Also, watch the size of the larger hole used for applying the NG lacquer, too large, and it will drip off, and make a crappy fuse. Too small, and your fuse will not be waterproofed, and may suffer from surface burning.

