Means of Igniting Fuses without Exposing Flame or Sparks.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 8th Oct:, 1887
Complete Accepted, 8th Nov., 1887
Means of Igniting Fuses without Exposing Flame or Sparks.
We, WILLIAM BICKFORD-SMITH and GEORGE JOHN SMITH both of Tuckingmill
in the County of Cornwall, Fuse Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means of igniting fuses without exposing flame or sparks,
the object being to avoid the risk attending the firing of blasts in an inflammable or
explosive atmosphere. For this purpose, a match of the kind known as safety
matches, which will ignite only by friction on a special chemically prepared
surface, has its inflammable tip wrapped round with a strip of the prepared
friction material and inserted in the one limb of an elbow pipe so as to meet the
end of the fuse which is inserted in the other limb. The limb of the elbow pipe
in which the safety match is thus inserted being somewhat shorter than the
match, the stem of the match, which partly projects, has its end covered by a
compressible hood which may be of leather or of fabric preferably moistened, and
then the match is turned round or sharply pushed home in the pipe by hand,
thus becoming ignited within the elbow pipe and setting fire to the fuse, while
the hood prevents communication of fire to the outside. Instead of employing a
compressible hood in this manner, the stem of the match may be inserted through
a hole in a plug which closes the mouth of the pipe. Or, according to another
arrangement a piece of the prepared friction material is placed within a straight
tube against the end of the fuse and a safety match is inserted through a slide
at the side of the tube so as to stand perpendicularly with its inflammable tip
bearing on the friction material. The tube being closed by the introduction of
the fuse at the one end and by a cap or plug at the other end, on moving the

page_text: slide longitudinally, and so causing the tip of the match to rub along the friction
surface, it is ignited and fires the end of the fuse. The safety matches to be employed
in this way are preferably made with stems of metal or other incombustible material
so that they cannot be conveniently used for any purpose except for ignition of fuses
in the manner described.
Although, in order to avoid the risk of accidental ignition, it is preferred to employ
as above described safety matches with chemically prepared friction surfaces, obviously
ordinary matches may be used with roughened surfaces. Or a match composition
that will ignite on percussion may be made in the form of a pill, which is dropped
into a tube to lodge on the end of a fuse inserted into the tube. On smartly striking
this pill with a rod or plunger that closely fits the tube, it ignites and sets fire to the
fuse within the tube.
Dated this 10th day of Janne 1907

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Means of Igniting Fuses without Exposing Flame or Sparks.
We, WILLIAM BICKFORD SMITH and GEORGE JOHN SMITH both of Tuckingmill
in the County of Cornwall Fuse Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to means of igniting fuses without exposing flame or
sparks, the object being to avoid the risk attending the firing of blasts in an
inflammable or explosive atmosphere. For this purpose we employ a match,
preferably of the kind known as safety matches, which will ignite only by friction
on a special chemically prepared surface, and we effect its ignition within a closed
tube into which is inserted the end of the fuse that is to be ignited as we will
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
As shewn in the section Fig. 1, T is an elbow pipe into one limb of which is
inserted the end of the fuse F. In the other limb is fixed a strip S of the
chemically prepared friction surface. A safety match M is introduced loosely and
the mouth of the tube is covered by a flexible hood or bag B which may be of
leather or of fabric preferably moistened.
By pinching the hood B so as to get hold of the match M, its tip can be
pushed along the friction surface S causing flame which will ignite the fuse F.
Fig. 2 shews a similar arrangement with the stem of the match M passed through
a hole in a plug P. In the apparatus shewn in Fig. 3, C is a casing with a
tubular mouth into which is inserted the end of the fuse F, behind this is fixed
in the casing a strip S of chemically prepared friction surface, and the casing is
closed by a lid L. On the upper side of the casing is a slotted hole N, and
over this is a sliding lid P having projecting up from it a tubular stem into
which is inserted the stem of the safety match M, its tip reaching the strip S. On
sliding the lid P along, the tip of the match M is rubbed along the strip $ and the
flame produced ignites the fuse F.
Although we have mentioned that the matches employed by preference are of the
kind known as safety matches which are not liable to accidental ignition as ordinary
matches, obviously with ignition apparatus such as we have described, ordinary
matches might be employed, the friction surface being in that case simply a rough
surface of the usual kind. As a precaution against communication of sparks to the
exterior of the apparatus the stem of the match or the part of it exposed externally

page_text: may be of incombustible material or may be rendered incombustible in any known
manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
For igniting a fuse without exposing flame or sparks the construction and use of
igniting apparatus consisting of a closed tube or casing into which is inserted the
fuse to be ignited and wherein is a suitable friction surface along which a match is
rubbed producing flame which ignites the fuse, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of October 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants..