|
The ‘Twisted Candy’ Fuse This fuse design popped up one day into my brain whilst I was still trying to think of what to do for my fuse problem. My fuse problem was that I was unable to get my hands on some proper commercial fuses and my homemade black match was not doing the trick. I thought of everything and then it struck… Why not use some Recrystallised Kn/sucrose or dextrose and roll it thin enough to be a fuse. This is good because the candy is able to pass through confined spaces and burnt consistently giving a good delay if need be and able to retreat to a distance safe enough. I tried this immediately with mixed results. Some of the issues were that I had to contend with the fuses breaking while twisting the foil in the micro rockets and if left for longer periods due to its hydroscopic nature it was more prone to gather moisture quicker and make the fuse unreliable. I had to now think of a way to change this. And I did. Here is how… Materials include:
Tools:
Here is How 1. It starts by taking some recrystallised KN/sucrose (or dextrose) and taking a piece big enough to make the amount of fuse to suit your needs. 2. Place the piece of candy in your oven to heat it up and make it soft enough for rolling. NOTE: This will not take as long as it is a smaller piece of candy! 3. When it is soft like modelling clay take it out of the oven and put it onto your flat surface. Here I use two boards to roll an even fuse and to keep it from becoming messy on the tabletop. 4. Next you get the second flat surface and roll the candy like a sausage between the two surfaces until it reaches your desired diameter. Usually I find it is best within 1 - 2mm diameters depending on its use. HINT: You may add a little black powder or Fe203 on the boards to prime fuse to allow it to be more reliable 5. When the candy is the desired thickness, cut a piece of tissue paper or a serviette the width of the fuse and about 1 – 2 inches (about 5cm) long. Note: If using tissue paper you will notice that there are about 2-3 layers. Take the tissue paper apart and only use 1 layer. 6. Now roll the fuse in this piece of paper and fasten with a small bit of sticky tape or even dip it in NC lacquer to hold it and I have also heard that this can cause it to become an underwater fuse as well. 7. Test the fuse if you want to but I’m sure it will work (as long as you followed the method and have a good piece of candy.) Submitted by Daniel Turner, 4/22/04 Back to Recrystallized Rocketry |