What information can you find about the Webley British Fuse Igniter Pistol?

Answer 1

The official name for this interesting piece is "Pistol, Safety Fuse". They were issued to the Royal Engineers & also to the Royal Navy in Great Britain. They were designed to ignite fuse for exploding land mines, blasting and the type of demolition work carried out by Army sappers (engineers). They were produced from around 1875 to at least 1915 and they were also made for commercial use. They main body is of bronze or brass with various components of steel. On the military ones, belt hooks are found on either side. Some or all were silver plated. Commercially produced ones of certain periods do not have any obvious maker's names or marks. The beauty of this tool is that it is completely silver plated (possibly for corrosion resistance) . This odd device was produced either in a government small arms factory or by Webley's. Apparently they could be used to ignite either instantaneous or safety fuses. It utilized a short brass, rimmed cartridge (rim diameter 10.8mm, length 9.5mm). It was utilized by inserting about 5" of fuse into the barrel and then tightening the barrel sleeve which forced a collet to grip the end of the fuse. A special blank cartridge was loaded into the breech which was then swung closed. The hammer (firing pin ) was actuated just like a regular single-action pistol. It is theorized that this ignition pistol was carried in a special holster worn across the users chest. The configuration of the mechanisms on it seems to support this. This positioning would protect the fuse igniter from mine shaft walls, etc.