Make Your Own Matches - Common and Colored

There are two types of matches in the market.
i. Safety matches
ii. Strike-anywhere matches

We will discuss about making safety matches by easily available chemicals and some other things.

Here we go:

Firstly, the whole process is divided into two steps:
i. Making the combustible part, i.e. the match-sticks.
ii. Striking surface, which starts combustion when there is friction between the match-head and the surface.

I. Match Sticks:

What you will require:
Potassium chlorate: 112 gm
Antimony sulphide: 25 gm
Sulphur: 25 gm
Sand: 20 gm
Glue: 20 gm

What to do:
Make a paste of the above materials. Take some soft wood and cut splinters of suitable size out of it. Soak these splinters in a dilute solution of alum and dry. This process avoids smouldering of the sticks after being extinguished. Dip the tips of the dried sticks in above paste and let them dry.
(If you want to protect the sticks from moisture, give them another dip in wax.)


II. Striking Surface:

What you will require:
Red phosphorus: 6 gm
Powdered glass: 10 gm
Glue: 15 gm

What to do:
Make a fine paste of the materials and apply them with the help of a small brush on one side of a box or some card-board piece. And at last, let them dry.

Colored matches:
To produce different colors in the flame, you can add little amount of salt to the paste made for match sticks.
Copper or Barium salt: Green Flame
Strontium salt: Crimson Red Flame

Now you are done with making your own matchsticks, time to show off!

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