Anyone tried making their own fuse? How much of a PITA is it?

[Jim Hawkins]

#5670

I’ve been getting more into the DIY side of pyro and I’m curious about fuse making. I know you can buy visco by the roll easy enough, but what about actually making your own black match or quickmatch from scratch?

Is it one of those things that sounds cool but is actually more trouble than it’s worth? I’ve watched some videos and it looks involved but not impossible.

Mainly wondering about:
– How consistent can you get the burn rate?
– Is the moisture cure step as annoying as it looks?
– Any safety gotchas that aren’t obvious?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s actually gone down this rabbit hole. Worth it for the learning experience or just buy pre-made and focus on other stuff?

[Mike Brenner]

#5673

I went down that rabbit hole a couple years ago. Short answer: black match is doable but you won’t save much money unless you’re going through a LOT of it. The consistency thing is real — getting a uniform burn rate takes practice and good quality chems.

The moisture cure part is definitely annoying. You gotta hang the stuff for like 24-48 hours depending on humidity, and if it’s not dry enough you get erratic burns. Not ideal when you’re relying on it for timing in a show.

One thing that surprised me — it’s actually kinda dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Mixing and corning powder indoors is a no-go. I’d say learn it for the experience but keep buying pre-made for actual shows lol.

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