Fire Starting, alternative methods

[Donald]

I.
I thought I would mention a Basque shepard's lighter. My father-in-law (now unfortunately deceased) had one, but it dissapeared. When my wife and her siblings were in northern Spain a couple of years ago, they did not see any.

It was basically a flint sparker with wheel, more or less like a regular lighter we are familar with, attached to a thick cord. The cord was the special part. It had a woven sheath which in this particular case was red with a pattern on it and had a smooth texture. Inside it was filled with a material that served as punk or tinder. It was sort of like paracord (the imitation parachute cord that has a filler, not the real thing with individual strands)on steroids.

You turned the wheel generating a spark into the punk. I do not recall for sure, if you had to gently blow into it to keep it glowing, but it would seem logical.

Anyone have any more details, or have just seen one? Anyone with a source for one of these?

II.
Does anyone know the details regarding the use of tinder boxes in the days before matches, for common household chores, such as lighting candles, pipes, fires, etc.?

 

[MichLee]

A tinder box would consist of a small tin box with pieces of flint, a semi-circular (or silmilar usually) shaped piece of carbon steel and char cloth. The char cloth was best if kept seperete or tightly packed so that the flint and steel did not pulverize it. Char cloth is non-synthetic cloth "cooked" to the point of being chared without completely imolated. Stubs of candles and other various things could also be part of the Tinder Box.


Also people used to carry a hot coal simmering in a small box of sand for use in starting fires etc.

A flintlock rifle has a biult in flint and steel that can be used for starting fires. BUT make sure the rifle is unloaded and the touchhole blocked for insurance.
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Lee

LIfe is too important to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde

[This message has been edited by MichLee (edited 15 December 1999).]