How to make strike anywhere matches

You will need: Safety matches (with matchbox), sanding paper, a small container, something to stir with, a pair of pliers, a tube or a D-cell battery, and water.

You will also need something to lay the matches on, like a the edge of a table or this CD case that I used.

Step 1 Sanding of phosphorus

Sand off the phosphorus on the sides of the matchbox (striking surfaces) and put the powder in the container.

Comments

[chimei62]

http://www.instructables.com/id/EYF6CTVH1AH6GQ6/

[benny8025]

Look on my youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/benny8025?feature=mhee) to see how to make gunpowder for firecrackers. Works great

[chimei62]

i could just get them out if caps

[vpavlis1]

it's so simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ilpug]

Since when is it hard to get strike anywheres?

[benny8025]

When they don't sell them in every country. Your country is not the whole world

[ilpug]

Good point. What country are you in?

[benny8025]

Norway

[ilpug]

Nice, I've always wanted to go there.

[DIYerr]

While I find the discussion about safety during storage to be completely valid, what's life without a little excitement. ;)

If you are really concerned about them igniting in your pocket or during storage/ transportation, one option is to dip the heads in melted paraffin wax, and then let them dry. To use, scrape the wax off the heads, and then light as usual. This method also waterproofs the matches. If any wax covers the matchstick, it will slightly increase the time it takes for the flame to get to your fingers (think of it like a candle).

Great instructable, benny.

[benny8025]

They are not that sensitive to friction, so there is no worry by having them it your pocket

[abraham99]

wow..thanks for the very useful instructable...in my country,doesn't sell strike anywhere matches (im in indonesia)

[ElMarko]

I'd be careful storing them. The reason safety matches were invented was because the strike anywheres had a tendency to ignite by rubbing against each other during shipping.

Notice that the modern strike anywheres have a safety match head with a small dot of the strike anywhere material only on the tip so it doesn't rub against the abrasive surface of the neighboring matches.

[aristide202]

that's absolutely true, but not only while shipping, imagine strike anywhere matches igniting in your jeans back pocket while squatting

[dontkillpenguins]

I agree when i was board i threw strike anywheres at a wall and they lit

[benny8025]

i saw one on youtube that droped one like these and it ignited, but i have never managed to do it

[madmada]

Once the phosphorus has been covered with a layer of "heads' they are pretty safe.
I threw a box at the wall with a few completed ones in it and nothing happened to them. :)
I was kind of hoping i could they would ignite like this, lol.

[benny8025]

I have tested that and they did not ighite. The older ones contained sodium clorate i think it was that hwo made them unstable.

[freakyqwerty]

What if you dipped just the head in the mixture then it defantly wouldn't ignite in the box?

[benny8025]

i just dip half of the head and then cover the phosphorus with the sulfur that is original on the matces so they will not ignite so easly when stored but will ignite better when you want them to.

[freakyqwerty]

Ah that makes more scence now

[foobaz utne]

This is hilarious. It's quite a commentary on the times that you actually have to make your own strike-anywheres now. We used to be able to just buy them. My brother and I used to call them SAMs. We spent our time making really potent pyrotechnics instead. The SAMs were for fun. Kids at school, including us, made two types of match shooters using these as ammo--one made from a spring-loaded clothespin and one from a thread spool. Each one had its own merits. The clothespin one was really clever the way it operated but was inaccurate and didn't shoot very far. The spool one was mundane but shot straight and far. Both were self-igniting. The best SAMs by far were the Ohio Blue Tips which are no longer available. They had a dark blue head with a largish light blue strike tip. They always lit spectacularly. The worst ones made, and still available (Cabela's), naturally, were and are the Diamond red head/white tips. They light weakly and slowly and many of them just smoke and don't flame at all. The strike tip on both brands was about a third of the volume of the main head so they would light if you threw them against the pavement or scratched them with your fingernail like in the Westerns. This made them easy to light with the shooters. I don't think homemade ones would work becasue of the small tip but they might. BTW you can make smoke from the fingertips by lighting an ordinary paper match striker and smearing the phosphorous reside on your fingers and rubbing them together. Ah, the simple pleasures of the common match...

[Mr.1911]

Very sad, but it is true that we have to make "SAMs".

[skyheart]

Where do u get the sanding

[benny8025]

at any workshop i belive. you can use a knife if you cant find paper

[skyheart]

oh ok thx

[blade97]

the water weakens the heads, the red ignitor stuff rubs off once they have dried, my ones the heads came off completely. I don't know if it was the way I did it or if it was the brand, red heads, about the only brand in australia

[WareShoals]

OK we get it... most of us can buy 'strike anywhere matches' but you gotta' admit this is cool! Benny... good job!
WareShoals.

[extrordinary1]

cool instructable. I didn't know the sides of the boxes had red phosphorus on them! I remember the old white phosphorus strike anywhere matches, but I haven't seen them in years. None of the local stores carry them in my area of the USA, Kansas City, MO. Great info to know. Thanks! I will definitely give this a try.

[whysprs]

I thought they quit making them cant get them in illinois either.... havnt been able to buy them since the 911 ordeal

[SNiPERSeyes]

you can get em in most grocery stores here in FL, im coming up there to go to KCAI for the summer maybe i can bring you some!

[dontkillpenguins]

you can get them anywhere in canada

[extrordinary1]

sounds great to me. Keep me posted on your arrival. I haven't checked Ace Hardware Stores. Didn't think about them. Usually shop at various stores that only carry the safety matches.

[KevinAlien26]

live in USA and bought strike anywheres for 4 of july. got them on the shelves right before you exit the hardware store near the charcoal

[zuluninja]

Im confused. The match heads being squeezed out are the same matches that were dipped already in the phosphorus?

[benny8025]

no it's not the dipped ones

[zuluninja]

Cool. I will try this over the weekend. I have been searching the local grocery and outdoor stores and nobody has this type of matches

[auggie003]

screw the weekend im gonna do it now!!

[cymrot]

I ordered some recently but they were hard to find. I got them from a hiking supply company but I plan to try this method too!

[Dude567]

I bought some from my local hardware store, also are at Canadian Tire :D