Pull-wire igniter for flares

A pull-wire igniter for a hand held pyrotechnic signalling device, said signalling device having an elongated, tubular body means having a first end section which can be used as a hand gripping area by a user and an opposite second end section which is filled with a suitable pyrotechnic composition leaving an exposed outer end portion, the outer end portion of said composition is coated with a suitable primer mixture, said second end section of the body means having a coaxially positioned central passageway extending through the pyrotechnic composition, said pull-wire igniter comprising;

• a) an elongated hollow center tube positioned within said central passageway to line the passageway and support the pyrotechnic composition;
• b) a length of thin, bendable, igniter pull-wire having first and second ends;
• c) the first end of said igniter pull-wire being coated with a suitable scratch mixture and a short section of shrink tubing is positioned over the first end of said wire and said scratch mixture coating;
• d) said pull-wire and a suitable igniter mixture are positioned within the center tube and the central passageway formed within said pyrotechnic composition and adjacent said primer mixture whereby when the second end of said pull-wire is quickly drawn through the center tube the first end of said pull-wire and said scratch mixture will come into rapid contact with said igniter mixture thereby igniting the primer mixture and the pyrotechnic composition within said body means so as to produce a bright flame or generate smoke for signalling purposes;
• and said center tube is formed from a plastic material whereby as the pyrotechnic composition burns it produces an advancing flame front which causes the plastic center tube to melt and deform closing off the center tube to prevent flame and gases from passing through the center tube to prevent injury to a user.

A method for making a pyrotechnic signalling device for producing a bright flame or generating smoke, the method comprising;

• a) forming an elongated, hollow tubular body;
• b) filling at least one half of said tubular body with a suitable pyrotechnic burnable mixture and forming a layer of primer mixture over an exposed end of said pyrotechnic composition;
• c) forming a central passageway through said pyrotechnic composition and positioning a thin plastic center tube within said central passageway, said center tube being sized to closely fit the internal diameter of said central passageway, said center tube having a first end positioned near an exposed end of said pyrotechnic composition and a second opposite end;
• d) positioning a pull-wire igniter device within the first end of said center tube with a portion of the pull-wire igniter device extending through the center tube so that it is exposed at the opposite second end of the center tube and said body whereby the exposed portion can be gripped by a user to activate the pull-wire igniter;
• e) placing a section of shrink tubing over at least part of the pull-wire igniter device to prevent contact of the igniter device with the primer mixture and the pyrotechnic composition to prevent premature activation of the device;
• and
• f) sealing the exposed end of the composition, primer mixture and igniter device to prevent the introduction of moisture and contaminants until the moment of actual ignition of the signalling device.