How to Make Easy Fuses

Fuses are easy to make and you probably already have everything you need right in your home.

Since most firecrackers already come with fuses, it's redundant to make another fuse unless you're a fuse fetishist or you make your own firecrackers. In either case, making reliable fuses can be very simple and requires no specialized equipment, little skill and only a bit of knowledge, unless you have a specialized need for them -- like wanting a fuse to stay lit underwater. A few simple things you likely already have around your home are all you need to make fuses.

Things You'll Need

• Toilet paper
• Matches
• Pliers
• Scissors
• Pestle and mortar or two spoons
• Small bowl
• Wax paper
• Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol

Instructions

1. Cut one or two sheets of toilet paper into strips about 1/2-inch wide. Estimating is fine. Each sheet should give you about eight or nine strips.

2. Fold each strip in half, twist it into a string-like strand and set it aside.

3. Crush the phosphate heads on about two packs of paper matches or about 30 to 40 wooden matches. Use pliers and do this over a sheet of wax paper to catch the crushed phosphate.

4. Grind the phosphate into a fine powder with a pestle and mortar or between two similarly sized spoons.

5. Place the fine powder into a bowl, then add a few drops of isopropyl alcohol at a time until you can stir the phosphate powder and alcohol into a thick paste. The more consistent the paste, the better. Set aside the wax paper to use for drying the fuses later.

6. Roll the strands of toilet paper through the paste until they're thoroughly covered and set them on the wax paper to dry. Give the fuses about 24 hours to dry completely, turning them once about half-way through the drying process to make certain they dry consistently throughout.

7. Test a few of the fuses once they're thoroughly dried, before putting them to whatever use you have in mind. Light the fuses and time how long they take to burn, so you'll know beforehand the amount of time you have to move away from whatever you're igniting. The more uniform the coating is and the more uniform the strands of paper are, the more consistent the burning time will be for each fuse.

References

• PyroGuide: How to Make a Simple Fuse
• Facebook: How to Make Simple Fuses
• Directhit: Make a Fuse Simply