Dwarven Tinderbox

Hard Kit is all other accoutrements that are not clothing, weapons or armour. This includes pots and tents, and flint & steel, and other things like that.

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Greg
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Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Greg »

Finally had a chance to sit down and assemble my new tinderbox.

I am not a Dwarf, nor do I pursue a Dwarven persona. However, being a Ranger in the North in relatively close proximity to the Blue Mountains and the East Road through Bree, this one part of my kit that is arguably among the most important is only ever referenced as being carried by Dwarves. No references exist for Tinderboxes to my knowledge outside of the Dwarves in the Company of Thorin Oakenshield; they brought two. Given, again, my persona's geographic locale, it seemed appropriate that I give the dwarves a little love.
The Hobbit, 1960 Revision, New Chapter II – The Broken Bridge., where J.R.R. Tolkien wrote:They met or came up with a number of folk on lawful business: dwarves for the most part going east or west with packs on their backs. Some belonged to Thorin’s people of the western mountains, and they saluted him with a low bow; some were of poorer sort, pedlars(sic) of iron-ware, tinkers, or road-menders.
This was the inspiration for the tin tinderbox, coupled with the references to tinderboxes themselves.
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The Hobbit, Chapter 6: Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire wrote:Gandalf, too, was lying down after doing his part in setting the fire going, since Oin and Gloin had lost their tinder-boxes. (Dwarves have never taken to matches even yet.)
So matches are a strictly Hobbit toy as of 3rd Age Middle Earth; I've opted out of them as a result. My means of getting an ember, though, remains flint and steel based on this:
The Hobbit, Chapter 4: Over Hill and Under Hill wrote:There were six to each dwarf, at least, and two even for Bilbo; and they were all grabbed and carried through the crack, before you could say tinder and flint. But not Gandalf.
Clearly, we know that Flint and Steel, usually just assumed by our group out of convenience, was what Tolkien had in mind. For this reason, my personal view on Middle Earth is that Ferro rods and the like can't be considered Dwarven technology because it's right here: most thorough account on Dwarves we have, and flint is mentioned. Flint's no use on a Ferro rod, so there you go.

Inside the box, we have our tools first: Flint and steel inside a small oilcloth pouch (separated by a scrap of linen inside the bag so they don't bang together), a bundle of tow, 1-2 small dipped beeswax candles, and a few slivers of pine fatwood I've split and dried out of the heart of a problem tree I removed for a co-worker.
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Dwarves, at least, knew how well pine pitch burned:
The Hobbit, Chapter 13: Not at Home wrote:Thorin gave way, and Oin and Gloin were sent back to their bundles at the top of the tunnel. After a while a twinkling gleam showed them returning, in with a small pine-torch alight in his hand, and Gloin with a bundle of others under his arm.
If that wasn't proof enough, they even sing of whole pine trees burning whilst in Bag-End.

Beneath this layer of tools lies a lovely hand-shaped damper which is useful as a tool all on its own, as well as being a nice divider between the tools and the more delicate part of the fire kit: charred materials. I currently have a handful of charred punkwood, a half-charred bit of local turkey tail fungus, and a small stack of charred cloth. Materials come in and out of this area on the trail and as needed. Anything else (ie. a few dry pine needles, etc.) might find a home here on the chance that other dry materials might not be available at any point in time.
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I have plans/dreams of eventually hand-engraving at least the damper if not also the lid/box to add some cultural flair, but that may wait a bit. I'm quite pleased with it, though.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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jbook
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by jbook »

Excellent tinder-box! Also excited about the reference to matches!

I've always carried my flint and steel in a smaller box, but I like how much you are able to pack into this box! I'll have to do a kit layout sometime soon showing the inner workings of my basic set up.

Good stuff!
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Elleth »

Cool! better yet as a full kit now!

I confess I've never taken to sheetware that much in an early period context - even knowing tinkers are attested in the text, finding that (late period) medieval tinsmith painting, seeing classical ROMAN sheet goods for goodness' sake - it's still a challenge to update my mental model to accommodate the stuff.

But I gotta admit.. that looks nice. I bet it'll be better yet with the engraving. :)
Are you thinking something angular like the WETA-dwarf aesthetic?

Also, something I'm still not clear on using a tinderbox with a damper - do you take out all the stuff, strike the spark in the box on tinder, then after your fire is going snuff out the ember with the damper and replace everything else in the box? Or am I overthinking that?
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Greg »

You can use it to snuff out the ember after use, but only if you're using big pieces. My charred bits are crumbled fairly small, and the burning ember post-spark gets assimilated into my bird's nest during the lighting process. The damper is primarily used for putting out charred bits as they're made...char punk wood in the fire, drop hot ember(s) into box, snuff out for use at a later date.

Haven't decided exactly what engraving will eventually look like, but there very well may be some angular motifs for the sake of "recognizability" to the general public. I'm planning on stealing some bits from the west door of Moria, though, and Udwin and I have been talking a bit about techniques used to engrave the hardware/furniture on original Muzzleloaders that may give us the desired effect.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Le-Loup »

Post removed through lack of interest.
Last edited by Le-Loup on Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Mirimaran »

Looks great, Greg, and I'd love to see some engraving on that box, in the Dwaven style, perhaps ala Gullinbursti's style?

Ken
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Le-Loup »

Greg wrote:Finally had a chance to sit down and assemble my new tinderbox.
Love the tinderbox Greg, well done.
Regards, Keith.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Elleth »

Mirimaran wrote:Looks great, Greg, and I'd love to see some engraving on that box, in the Dwaven style, perhaps ala Gullinbursti's style?

Ken
"Our" Gulli?
Of this style?
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Thaaaat is interesting.
I do think WETA has taken the "angle" thing too far with the Dwarves. I'd be curious to see what a sort of fusion with the more norse/germanic flavor that seems to run through them in the text would look like.
That kind of invention of a Dwarven aesthetic is beyond me though. I enjoy the Dwarves, but don't really grok them.

I'm very curious to see what Greg and Udwin come up with!


Le-loup - thanks for the how to!
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Mirimaran »

The very same, Elleth! Eager to see what is come up with!

Ken
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Kortoso »

Very nice kit all around!

I would add that just because the only flint-and-steel we see mentioned in the text was among dwarves, doesn't mean that Men didn't have such tools as well. It may just be that it wasn't needed for the story, although the Professor implies that they would have had matches of some sort.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Greg »

You're right, we have nothing specifically mentioned for men. Matches are only mentioned in a Hobbit context, and then in that one description where Dwarves are said to eschew matches (even now, in the 7th age), so it's possible. However, looking at the rest of Men's cultural and technological advances vs. the tendency for Hobbits to fit into 18th century analogues, I think it's our safest bet. Tolkien showed a group of 13 dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard with only three ways to make fire: two tinderboxes and magic, so the realistic concept of dividing up necessary gear between the group is shown, at least. We could then make a very broad assumption that the Dwarf, Gimli, would have been the most likely candidate to carry a tinderbox within the Fellowship of the Ring, but then we'd be down to 100% speculation. Aragorn, being considered the greatest traveler of their time, I'm sure could have made a fire with whatever was handy and some work...but surely an experienced traveler knew how to pack well, too. Having nothing else to go on, flint and steel fit for me.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Udwin »

Also, Bilbo checks his pockets for matches shortly before meeting Gollum.

I can't believe I missed this one:
"If [Old Man Willow] don't let them go, I'll have it down, if I have to gnaw it.' [Sam] ran to the ponies and before long came back with two tinder-boxes and a hatchet. Quickly they gathered dry grass and leaves, and bits of bark; and made a pile of broken twigs and chopped sticks. ... As soon as Sam had struck a spark into the tinder, it kindled the dry grass and a flurry of flame and smoke went up."

So it seems the Travelers packed their own tinder-boxes, and packed for redundancy! I would assume these were dwarvish in origin.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Taurinor »

The Hobbit, Chapter 5: Riddles in the Dark wrote:Then he felt for matches and he could not find any at all, and that shattered his hopes completely. Just as well for him, as he agreed when he came to his senses. Goodness knows what the striking of matches and the smell of tobacco would have brought on him out of dark holes in that horrible place.
"Striking of matches" suggests to me that Bilbo is carrying friction matches instead of spunks or the like, which I thought was interesting, since friction matches are an early to mid-19th century technology, which is a little later than what I usually picture as Hobbit tech.
Udwin wrote:I can't believe I missed this one:
"If [Old Man Willow] don't let them go, I'll have it down, if I have to gnaw it.' [Sam] ran to the ponies and before long came back with two tinder-boxes and a hatchet. Quickly they gathered dry grass and leaves, and bits of bark; and made a pile of broken twigs and chopped sticks. ... As soon as Sam had struck a spark into the tinder, it kindled the dry grass and a flurry of flame and smoke went up."

So it seems the Travelers packed their own tinder-boxes, and packed for redundancy! I would assume these were dwarvish in origin.
So we know Hobbits had matches, but Frodo and company chose to bring tinder-boxes instead - maybe because they knew matches might run out, but more tinder could be prepared on the road?
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Greg »

Taurinor wrote:So we know Hobbits had matches, but Frodo and company chose to bring tinder-boxes instead - maybe because they knew matches might run out, but more tinder could be prepared on the road?
THIS.
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Re: Dwarven Tinderbox

Post by Udwin »

Taurinor wrote:"Striking of matches" suggests to me that Bilbo is carrying friction matches instead of spunks or the like, which I thought was interesting, since friction matches are an early to mid-19th century technology, which is a little later than what I usually picture as Hobbit tech.
I definitely agree. Even though in Letter 178 Tolkien does suggests that his conception of the Shire is "in fact more or less a Warwickshire village of about the period of the Diamond Jubilee…”, which was 1897!!!, which seems much later than most picture it...
I reconcile this with my impression drawning from 1750-1830 clothing, since the Stoors were the last hobbits to come to the Shire, I figure I'm a little behind-the-times, fashion-wise. ; )
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