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Tenshi Hinanawi edited this page Apr 19, 2012 · 1 revision

Pinch the match head near the bottom with a pair of wire cutters to break it up; then use the edges of the cutters to scrape off the loose material. It gets easy with practice. You can do this while watching TV and collect enough for a bomb without dying of boredom.

Once you have a good batch of it, you can load it into a pipe instead of black powder. Be careful not to get any in the threads, and wipe off any that gets on the end of the pipe. Never try to use this stuff for rocket fuel. A science teacher was killed that way.

Just for fun while I'm on the subject of matches, did you know that you can strike a safety match on a window pane? Hold a paper match between your thumb and first finger. With your second finger, press the head firmly against a large window. Very quickly, rub the match down the pane about 2 feet while maintaining the pressure. The friction will generate enough heat to light the match.

Another fun trick is the match rocket. Tightly wrap the top half of a paper match with foil. Set it in the top of a pop bottle at a 45 degree angle. Hold a lighted match under the head until it ignites. If you got it right, the match will zip up and hit the ceiling.

I just remembered the match guns I used to make when I was a kid. These are made from a bicycle spoke. At one end of the spoke is a piece that screws off. Take it off and screw it on backwards. You now have a piece of stiff wire with a small hollow tube on one end. Pack the material from a couple of wooden safety matches into the tube. Force the stem of a match into the hole. It sould fit very tightly. Hold a lighted match under the tube until it gets hot enough to ignite the powder. It goes off with a bang.

Match Head Pipe Bomb

Simple safety match heads in a pipe, capped at both ends, make a devestating bomb. It is set off with a regular fuse. A plastic Baggie is put into the pipe before the heads go in to prevent detonation by contact with the metal. Cutting enough match heads to fill the pipe can be tedious work for one but an evening's fun for the family if you can drag them away from the TV.

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