An Improved Appliance for use in connection with Igniting Fuse.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Appliance for use in connection with Igniting Fuse.
I, EDWARD Fox, of Barossa Water Works, Barossa, in the Province of South
Australia, Miner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved appliance for use in connection with the
ignition of fuse such as is usually employed for firing explosives. Several
methods have been devised for conveying a spark to the trail of fuse, but in
general practice a wax vesta is employed and is applied to a slit or cut in the
fuse, the head of the match being adjacent to the core, leaving the tail projecting.
The tail is then ignited with a second match or vesta so that the flame travels
towards the head and on reaching same causes the flare of the ignition to be
directed to the powder in the core.
Whilst the convenience of employing a wax vesta is fully recognised amongst
niners and quarrymen, nevertheless the method above described is objectionable
first because it necessitates a waste of fuse, and secondly because the vesta fre-
quently falls out of position.
To overcome these several difficulties and at the same time to retain the use
of wax vestas for ignition, I provide a metal cap which is attached to the end
of the fuse and is so constructed that it is capable of holding the head of the
vesta against the core and at the same time allows the admission of a sufficient
supply of air to enable the head of the vesta to burn. The metal cap is con-
structed from a strip of thin iron, copper, or other suitable material, about
three quarters of an inch in length and approximately in width three times the
diameter of the fuse to which it is intended to be applied. One end of the metal
strip is serrated, the cuts being preferably triangular in shape and approximately
for ordinary fuse one sixteenth of an inch in depth. The points so made are
turned upwards at about an angle of forty five degrees. The strip of metal is
coiled laterally into a cylindrical shape and is then ready for use.
The method of applying my invention is as follows:-
The end of a wax vesta or other suitable match is passed from the inside
through the space between the inturned points so that the head is within the
cylindrical part and the tail projects beyond the same. The end of the fuse is
then pressed into the cylindrical cap until it meets the head of the vesta. It is
then only necessary for the operator to ignite the projecting end so that. the
flome passing along the match eventually ignites the head which in turn sends
a spark well into the powder contained in the core of the fuse.
Without confining myself to size or to details of construction I have illus-
trated my invention in the annexed drawings, wherein:
Fig. is a plate of serrated metal from which the cap is rolled.
Fig. 2 is a side view of same shewing serrated end turned upwards.
Fig. 3 is an external view of the cap shewing portion of vesta and fuse.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the same.
Tond view with fuse and vesta removed.

page_text: In the various figures A is the body of the cap, A¹ serrated end of same.
the fuse and B gunpowder core of same. C is the match or vesta.
Dated this 12th day of September 1899.
Bis
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Appliance for use in connection with Igniting Fuse.
I, EDWARD Fox, whose present address is at 75, King William Street, Adelaide
(formerly of Barossa Water Works, Barossa), in the Province of South Australia,
Miner, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved appliance for use in connection with
the ignition of fuse such as is generally employed for firing explosives. Several
methods have been devised for conveying a spark to the trail of fuse but in
general practice a wax vesta is employed and is applied to a slit or cut in the
fuse, the head of the match being adjacent to the core leaving the tail projecting.
The tail is then ignited with a second match or vesta so that the flame travels
towards the head and on reaching same causes the flare of the ignition to be
directed to the powder in the core. Whilst the convenience of employing a
wax vesta is freely recognised amongst miners and quarrymen, nevertheless the
usual method of applying the same to the fuse as above described is objection-
able, first, because it necessitates a waste of fuse and secondly because the vesta
has a tendency to fall out of position. To overcome these several difficulties
and at the same time to retain the use of wax vestas for ignition, I provide a
metal cap which is attached to the end of the fuse and is so constructed that it is
capable of holding the head of the vesta against the core and at the same time
allows the admission of a sufficient supply of air to enable the head of the vesta
to burn. It will at once be obvious that in describing a ready means for holding
the match in position the detail construction of the match-holder or cap can be
considerably varied in design, therefore in order that the construction, applica-
tion and use of the appliance may be readily understood I will now proceed to
describe by the aid of the accompanying drawings a form of the invention which
I find convenient in actual practice. In the drawings now to be referred to:-
Fig. 1 is a plate of serrated metal from which the cap is rolled.
Fig. 2 is a side view of same shewing serrated end turned upwards.
Fig. 3 is an external view of the cap shewing portion of vesta and fuse.
Fig. 4 end view with fuse and vesta removed.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of Fig. 3.
Throughout the drawings similar letters of reference are used to illustrate
corresponding parts wherever they occur. In this respect A is the body of the
metal cap constructed from thin iron, copper, or other suitable material, and is
about three quarters of an inch in length and approximately in width three
times the diameter of fuse to which it is intended to be applied. One end of
the metal strip is serrated so as to form a row of points A¹, the cuts and points
of the serrated end being approximately triangular in shape and preferably one
sixteenth of an inch deep for ordinary fuse. The points thus made are turned
upwards at about an angle of 45 degrees as shewn in Fig. 2. The strip of metal
is then coiled laterally into a cylindrical shape so that the turned points, which
now constitute the match holder, project inwards, but not sufficiently so as to

page_text: cause their extremities to touch each other as will be well understood on reference
to Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings. The cap thus formed is then ready for use.
is an ordinary length of fuse having a gunpowder core B¹ therein and C is an
ordinary wax vesta or match having a phosphorus or other inflammable head C¹
as shewn in Figs. 3 and 5.
The method of applying my invention is as follows:-
The end of the wax vesta or other suitable match C is passed from the inside
of the cylinder A through the space between the inturned points A¹, so that
the head C is within the cylindrical part and the tail C projects beyond the
same. The end of the fuse B is then pressed into the cylindrical cap until it
comes in contact with the vesta, the core B' of the fuse being adjacent to the
head of the vesta C. It is then only necessary for the operator to ignite the
projecting end of the vesta C by aid of another match.
The flame passing along the vesta C eventually reaches the head C¹ which
immediately flares up and in turn sends a spark well into the powder contained
in the core B' of the fuse B. Care must be taken in construction of the points A¹
to curve them slightly inwards, so that when the metal plate A is bent into
cylindrical form sufficient air space is allowed between the sides of the inturned
points A to support the combustion of the head of the vesta.
A further advantage of my invention as herein described consists in its ready
adaptation to the use of "gelignite" or other similar plastic firing medium such
as is required for blasting in wet places. In such cases the method of applica-
tion is as follows:-
A piece of plastic gelignite is placed within the cap. The end of the fuse is
then passed into its proper place so that when it reaches the gelignite it causes
part of the same under pressure to exude from the openings in the end of the cap.
The exuded portion of the gelignite may then be ignited with a match in the
usual way as will be well understood.
In the foregoing specification I have described a convenient means for carry-
ing my invention into effect, but it is to be understood that I do not confine
myself absolutely to the exact pattern or details of construction as illustrated in
the drawings, for it is obvious that an equivalent of the cap or holder for the
match could be made by twisting wire into a suitable shape, or again when
gelignite is to be used a plain cylinder with a closing disc at one end through
which a hole has been punched might also be substituted for the parts already
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An appliance for use in connection with igniting fuse consisting of a body
part which is capable of being fitted onto the fuse, said body part being provided
with a match holding portion for keeping the head of the match adjacent to
the core of the fuse substantially as described.
2. The herein specified appliance for use in connection with the ignition of
fuse consisting of a metal plate such as A bent into cylindrical form and provided
at one end with a series of inturned teeth such as A¹ constructed and applied
substantially as described and illustrated as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 11th day of June 1900.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.