Until the illusive THERMITE MATCHSTICK is invented, you might try the standard CADWELD charges. They are a plastic can with thermite and their own starter powder. They can be found on EBAY or your local welding supply store for ~$3.00/can - usually 10 or 50 tubes per box.

Ponder:

That is truly awesome info, and I'm gonna be searching for a welding supply store as soon as Monday rolls around.

ponder,i did a quick Google on Cadweld.i looks like they need an electric power supply.i'm i missing something here?if i had the room for the power gizmo i could carry a pizo light propane torch.

Sotto,There are 2 supplyhouses in Culver City!

Just in case anyone hasn't caught my drift, for those who follow and may misunderstand, let me make it perfectly clear:

I do Not recommend using Cadweld or any of the flammable/explosive materials mentioned to start fires. Fun to contemplate they are simply too bulky, heavy, and inefficient to routinely carry and potentially too hazardous to used in any situation short of a life threatening need to start a fire, and a complete lack of other alternatives.

If you had them on hand, and there were no other way, you might use them as a last resort. Otherwise everyone is better off limiting their use to trained personnel using them for their intended purpose.

Lighters, matches, ferro rods, the old battery and steel wool trick, sunlight and a lens, even road flares, are safer, and more practical.

Cadwelds have loose thermite when you take off the cap. After you poor it out, there is some flash powder stuck in the bottom. Used properly, this is then poured on top of the mold in the cadweld. It is relative dangerous to light hence the sparker is used.

To use the Cadweld to simply light a fire, I do not open the plastic can. I simply cut a slot in the BOTTOM of the can where the flash powder is stuck. I then slip in a strip of magnesium or cannon fuze to light it. This allows me to get my hand away from the flash powder and back up.

Art: Thank you for the clarification.

Richlacal and Ponder: Thank you for the info.

Both very valuable.

I would like to just add an update. Last night, I ran across a couple old boxes of SA matches in the back of a cupboard. I compared them with the "new and improved" Diamond SA matches I picked up when I started this thread. Indeed, there is significantly more of the white phosphor material on the new matches.

I scraped the white material off an equal number of the old and new matches, and using my expensive laboratory scales, carefully weighed both and compared all the samples. The white material on the new matches weighed significantly more (.05 significance level on a standard statistical t test) on the "new and improved" matches than the old and "unimproved" matches.

NOT! OK, I just eyeballed it with without my reading glasses on. But truly, those old matches wouldn't light for shift, while the ones with the more white phosphor will, as I've said, easily light on any roughish piece of paper (e.g. standard brown paper bag).

i'm sure the match people were down sizing their product the same as the candy bar and cereal makers.
i hope the "new" matches with more on the tip was a result of feedback from people who really use kitchen matches on a everyday basis.

[quote=CANOEDOGS]i'm sure the match people were down sizing their product the same as the candy bar and cereal makers.
i hope the "new" matches with more on the tip was a result of feedback from people who really use kitchen matches on a everyday basis. [/quote

Actually, I rather imagine that a new huge phosphor deposit was just discovered in some 3rd world country and Diamond is just "helping" them with their economy.