You need fire to survive. These days we have dozens of ways to create a flame, but none is quite as mysterious as a safety match. How safe are they? Is there a real difference between safety matches and regular matches? Most importantly, do you need them? I’ll explain everything you need to know about safety matches. Plus, I’ll give you some tips and tricks for figuring out what sort of fire starters you should take with you everywhere. Fire fascinates us, and making fire is one of the crucial survival skills that allowed our ancestors to move beyond merely being nomadic animals. More importantly, without a source of heat, your survival situation will very quickly become unsurvivable. In addition to light, shelter, food, and water, fire is one of the five essentials every human needs to live.
What are safety matches? Safety matches are made with potassium chlorate and do not have a white phosphorous tip for ‘striking anywhere. Because they often require a specific striking surface, people mistakenly believe this makes them safer while burning. While it’s true they don’t ignite as easily; they still burn given enough friction or heat.
Safety Matches Vs. Strike Anywhere
What makes a safety match ‘safe?’ Aren’t they just like other matches? Well, no, actually, because safety matches use a different formula from their ‘strike anywhere’ counterparts.
Over the centuries, the formula for strike-anywhere matches has changed. However, safety matches use a different recipe entirely. Despite the similar color of the tips, they are very different.
I advise you to carry a wind and waterproof lighter in your EDC, even if you have safety matches. USB chargeable Tesla Coil Lighters™ are flameless. They can last up to a week on a single charge. Plus, their one-year manufacturer warranty is only matched by the superb customer service. Get yours from Amazon here.
Strike Anywhere
A strike anywhere match is usually red with a white tip, and the colors aren’t an aesthetic choice. They’re a warning. That white tip use to be made of white phosphorous. However, in the 20th century, this was replaced with the more stable and less toxic red phosphorous.
Although white phosphorous ignites spontaneously in oxygen and requires little to no effort to strike, it’s highly toxic. In match factories, the fumes from white phosphorous once caused brain damage and even rotted the bones inside workers’ jaws.
Moreover, eating matches became a popular form of suicide. You should never inhale phosphorous fumes, nor ingest phosphorous. Doing so can damage your liver, kidneys, and red blood cells, to name just a few warnings.
Safety Matches
The reasons they are called ‘safety matches’ have to do with the ignition and composition. Unlike strike anywhere matches, the safety variety is harder to strike. That means children are less likely to burn down the house. Plus there’s little to no phosphorous in most safety matches.,
Instead of the phosphorous in strike-anywhere match heads, most safety matches are a blend of sulfur, potassium chlorate, binders like glue and starch, fillers, colorants, red phosphorous, and powdered glass. Having a sandpaper striker makes it much more straightforward, but it’s not completely necessary.
All-Weather Lighters
Although anti-rain matches can be useful, people often mistake them for classic safety matches. However, if you need a reliable way to light a fire in rain or snow, I suggest carrying an all-weather lighter. Wind and waterproof ignition sources can save your life.
The TroPro Candle Lighter is an excellent option for campfires. The extra length keeps your fingers clear of the flames. Moreover, the safety latch on the bottom keeps you from accidentally sparking when you don’t mean to. Additionally, this portable, lightweight, rechargeable fire starter is durable and reliable even in the rain. See the reviews on Amazon here.
How Safety Matches Work
The way safety matches work is friction ignition. Powdered glass in the match head and sand grind together. Sand contains silica, a common ingredient in glass.
As a result of the friction strike, the match releases white phosphorous vapor as the phosphorous burns. While the red phosphorous is less dangerous, it’s still not great for you. Next, the spark and burning create a chemical reaction with the potassium.
Potassium chlorate decomposes into potassium chloride and releases oxygen, which feeds the flame. Then, the fire burns the sulfur and ignites the wood below. The fumes aren’t healthy for you, but there are other downsides to matches.
I recommend carrying a Frog & Co. Tough Tesla Lighter 2.0 from Amazon as a backup. Not only is it bright orange so you can spot it quickly, but there’s also a flashlight so you can find other things you need in the dark. The included para-tinder lanyard makes it easy to hold in any weather. Plus, you can make a fire. With the rechargeable USB port, you can use the dual plasma arcs up to three-hundred times. Find out more by clicking here.
Special Wood
The tip on safety matches isn’t the only treated portion. Matchsticks are also coated in a unique blend of chemicals. Doing this helps them burn and go out, as they should. A lot more goes into your matchbox than you might expect.
By soaking matchsticks in ammonium phosphate, it reduces the afterglow. Moreover, the unique chemical treatment helps the match snuff promptly. Regardless of the name, recently lit matches aren’t ‘safe,’ but the special sticks help reduce the chance of burning down your home or a forest if you drop them.
Wet Matches
Many survivalists and other savvy people remove their matches from the original packaging. Because they’re most often sold inside cardboard boxes, there’s little protection from the elements. Unfortunately, moisture can wreck your matches.
Since the tips are subject to falling apart when they swell with moisture, you can end up with a gross puddle of red glop. Moreover, damp match tips crumble easily. The effect is similar to cookie dough because of the starch and binders.
Once your matches get wet, they’re effectively useless. Drying them can take time because you can’t use any heat to accelerate the evaporative process. Regrettably, doing so can cause a fire. Hence, to carry matches, you’ll need a container, which is air and watertight.
You can opt to glue a striker pad to the side of your container. However, that can get wet and interfere with the match ignition. Instead, I recommend using the inside of the cap. Then place a small wad of cotton between the matches and the striker to prevent accidental strikes.
Light a Safety Match Without a Striker
Although the instructions and shared knowledge will tell you that there’s only one way to strike a safety match, it’s not true. Primarily, the strike pad and tip work together for the most efficient ignition. However, there’s another way that’s especially useful in emergencies.
For this trick, you’ll need two sticks. The first stick needs a long flat-ish surface. At least twelve inches is best, and softer woods work exceptionally well for this. Your second stick needs a widened flat tip and a good grip.
You’re going to rub two sticks together to start a fire, but not the way you think. Even if your sticks are slightly damp, this process should help dry them out and make an excellent striking surface.
How to Use Two Sticks to Light Your Safety Match
In an emergency, you may not have your striker, but you still need fire. Whether you’re cooking, boiling water, looking for a light source, scaring off animals, or staying warm, fire is essential to survival.
- Remove the bark from the smooth side of your long stick.
- If you have a pocket knife (which you should), you can speed up the process by slicing a bit off to make a flatter surface.
- Use the flat, broad head of your second stick to rough-smooth the surface of your striking stick. The friction will help dry your wood and may make it warm to the touch, but this is easier than trying to start your fire with just sticks.
- Once the surface is smoothed, but still slightly scratchy to the touch, grab your match.
- Holding it firmly with one finger to support the match head, slide it quickly along the striker stick for about ten inches to create friction and a spark.
- Make sure you get your finger out of the way when it strikes, or you’ll be burning yourself instead of your campfire.
Safety matches are much safer for factory workers to make. Unfortunately, in a survival situation, you can see that they’re less than ideal. However, you always need a backup source of fire, and safety matches can fill that niche cheaply
My Striking Match Conclusions
Now you know what makes a safety match, it’s easier to decide what you need for your EDC and bug-out bags. Just as it’s vital to practice proper fire safety, it’s essential to have backups. I recommend keeping a good wind-proof lighter to go with your matches.
Make sure you never leave any fire starters inside a car or other vehicle. Although we seldom think about it, temps inside that metal box can reach a hundred thirty to over a hundred seventy in moments. Direct sunlight in summer can cause matches and lighters to explode. Air proof containers are not enough protection.
You need light and heat more than anything (except air) to survive. If you have a fire, you have both, and then you can find or make shelter, food, and clean water.
