International Schuetzenfests have matches for them and I watched Helmut Mohr in Canada in 1987 use one and a man from Japan also had one.They are interesting and probably seldom seen in North America.As long as the rope is smouldering it will possibly work and I noticed Helmut hung the smouldering rope on a nail when he was loading and then put it back in place after priming the pan from a small flask.
About 70 years ago a friend of mine,Bob Wilson made a pistol out of a piece of 1/4" iron pipe and split the threads on the right side to accommodate a fuse from a firecracker that propelled a steel ball bearing to a dangerous velocity,It was fired by a smouldering,nitrated length of cotton clothesline rope.I still have that pistol minus the holder for the rope.
Bob Roller