Matches were invented relatively recently, at the beginning of the 19th century. But they became truly safe only after many experiments on the incendiary composition. Many materials have also been tried over the decades for the straw to which the chemical mixture is applied. It turned out that not all wood can be used in the manufacture of matches.
What wood are matches made of
The traditional base of a match is a wooden stick, called a straw in professional jargon. It has such a length that it is comfortable to hold the match in the hand. A head is applied to the tip of the stick, which contains a mixture of specially selected chemicals that is best suited to obtain an even flame.
In the course of numerous experiments, it was found that aspen is the best material for making the base of a match. Its wood has a homogeneous structure, it is easy to cut in any direction. Aspen blanks can be easily split into pieces. This wood also absorbs and holds chemical compounds very well.
Aspen matches do not give off soot, burn with an even flame, and are very flammable. Where aspen is rare, other trees with similar properties are used, such as alder, poplar, linden or birch. But pine and spruce are not suitable for the production of matches: their resinous wood is capable of catching fire when the raw material is dried, and such matches burn with an uneven flame.
How matches are made
The material for the manufacture of a match base is harvested, as a rule, in the winter season. During this period, tree trunks have the most suitable moisture content. The trees are freed from branches, sawed into logs and delivered to the match factory. Here, the blanks are carefully sorted, rejecting those specimens that do not meet the requirements of the standards.
The straw itself is made of veneer, which is removed with a thin layer from the logs with long knives. To do this, a wooden stump from both sides is clamped from the end part and brought into rotation. A sharp knife, which is brought to the workpiece, removes a thin layer called veneer from the aspen block in a matter of seconds. From the outside, this process resembles very fast unwinding of a thick roll of paper.
In the next step, the aspen veneer is cut in the transverse and longitudinal direction. The result is straws - identical thin sticks, which are to become the basis for future matches. Now the workpieces are impregnated with special compounds that prevent smoldering. After this operation, the sticks are loaded into a drum, where they are polished, interacting with each other.
After thorough grinding, the base of the future match is almost ready. The next production stage begins, which includes a number of rather complex technological operations and chemical processes. As a result, the familiar matches are born, so indispensable in everyday life.
