# Match lighting



## JeffH (May 21, 2016)

Please let me know what I'm missing. I've been hanging a wooden kitchen match, and hitting the tip of the match, but no light. Is it because I need to barely skim the match? I need to roughen up my ammo? Or use a different match?

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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Has to be a strike anywhere match. And you have to hit the tip.

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## urbanshooter (Aug 23, 2017)

What cjw said... has to be "strike anywhere matches" and not "safety matches"...


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## MakoPat (Mar 12, 2018)

I am no match lighter...nor has lighter...

I do have this goal...but a few steps left to climb before I'm on fire.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Good luck trying to find strike anywhere matches . One of the greatest shots is becoming a thing of the past . I still have some but going to hang on to them . They're worth their weight in gold now . Even with suitable matches it is a challenge . That is what makes it great .


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## AKA Forgotten (Jan 26, 2019)

Got lucky with strike anywhere matches on ebay. Have tested them and seem to work anywhere except when I'm shooting at them


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## Eldon 77 (Aug 20, 2018)

AKA Forgotten said:


> Got lucky with strike anywhere matches on ebay. Have tested them and seem to work anywhere except when I'm shooting at them


Probably a month straight before I got my first one. Like treefork says focus.

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## skropi (Mar 22, 2018)

It's quite easy to make your own strike anywhere matches, and they actually turn out better than bought ones


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## AKA Forgotten (Jan 26, 2019)

Very true, I'm enjoying the ride like with the card cut. Plenty of hits on matches and cards, but not quite there yet. Good job I got a dozen boxes of matches lol


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

JeffH said:


> Please let me know what I'm missing. I've been hanging a wooden kitchen match, and hitting the tip of the match, but no light. Is it because I need to barely skim the match? I need to roughen up my ammo? Or use a different match?
> 
> Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk


First you need to use strike anywhere matches... not strike on box matches. If you can strike the match on a rough surface, like rusty metal for example, then you're good to go.

Next, understand that the match will light only if you can barely skim it on the very tip, OR if you can hit it where the lighter colored tip and darker colored part of the tip touch... You have to kind of crush the lighter color into the darker color.... to do this you will want the match head to be aiming in your direction, but off by about 45 degrees up or down, so that you can see where the lighter colored tip and darker color come together.

Hanging the match with a bit of tubing on wire is a good way to get the right angle of attack, but a lot of other ways work too.

Your ammo, it doesn't matter if it's perfectly smooth or rough... at the speed and the amount of area the match tip is hit, there's not a real scraping action going on, more of a crush.

I've found that if you can shoot at around 190 - 210 fps, with 200 fps being the absolute sweet spot.... you will be a lot more successful than if you're slower or faster.

We used to offer the proper matches on our website... but postal regulations and some people with less than common sense made it impossible to continue.

Brands of matches to use.... make sure they are labeled "strike anywhere" matches... eBay is your friend here

Penley, the best.

UCO, almost as good as Penley, more available, but kind of stink when lit

Diamond, the old red and whites are good, but more than likely you can only find the green tips, which work okay sometimes.

Red Bird. Canadian strike anywhere's... work okay

Making your own strike anywhere matches from strike on box matches.... easy to do, and not really that much of a hassle. The only draw back is you'll only get a limited number from a large box.

First, soak the striker strip on the side of the box with Acetone or nail polish remover...

Second, scrape off the slurry created with a razor blade or knife, and put it in a moisture proof container.

Third, thin the slurry with more Acetone and paint it lightly on the match tips.

Four, dry the matches completely

Five, hang and use!

Water can be used instead of acetone, but it takes a lot longer to dry and results are not as consistent because acetone melts the glue in the striker strip better.

A video from when I was just learning to do it myself;






Of course the only problem is... matches get a little to easy after a while so greater and greater and greater challenges are needed


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