Tinderboxes!

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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Melthrist
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Tinderboxes!

Post by Melthrist »

So I'm trying to get together a good tinderbox, and seeing the things everyone else has managed to put together has made me jealous :twisted: (Think Greg's tinderbox. Want... Now...) I want to know if you buy your tinderboxes with all the materials (stiker, flint, tinder etc) or if you put them together yourself. Where do you get them from? Best tinder to use?

I'm looking at something a little like these:
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A Elbereth Gilthoniel
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o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
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Peter Remling
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Peter Remling »

I'm down to about 3 fire steels and 2 tinder boxes right now. I usually have more and have used fire sets as prizes or gifts for new people. I generally buy the flint in lots maybe 8-12 pieces and the steels separately. I've had 2 steels custom made by smiths at Renaissance Fairs ( both leaf shaped).

The tins can come from several different US Civil War Sutlers or even candy tins that you burn off the paint from.

For tinder you can use what you find in the woods or backyard, cotton t shirt (not dyed ones) or even lint from your clothes dyer. To dry your tinder (char it) simply put your tinder material in your closed tinder box or for larger quantities a cookie tin with a lid. If the material is damp and you're using a cookie tin, punch a small venting hole in the top of the tin to avoid steam pressure from building up.

Place the tin over a fire. A fire place, brazier or your barbeque grill works great for this. You can also simply put it in or very near your campfire. Leave it for twenty minutes, take it away from the heat source. Left it sit/cool for a least 10 minutes before trying to open it. Aside from it being too hot to open immediately the rush of air entering the tin can cause the material to burst into flame and ruin all your material if there is an ember or the tin is around 500 F.

There are about as many ways to start a fire with a tinder box as there are folks here. Do a search on the forum and you'll see many posts on the subject. Try a few and use what works best for you.

Have fun, take pictures and ask questions. We are here for you.
Melthrist
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Melthrist »

Thanks Peter! I'll have to try that.
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
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Brownno
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Brownno »

What I use is an old cotton shirt like peter said and don't use any dyed ones. But i make my char cloth when I'm out camping I cut up the shirt and put it into and Altoids tin and then stick it in the fire and I leave it all night then in the morning I pull it out and put the cloth into a small metal tin. Altoids tins work very well since they have small vent holes at the hinges but the char cloth which is what peter was talking about works very well to start fires whenever i camp in period gear it is all i use and you only need a small square to start a nice roaring fire.
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Elleth
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Elleth »

I think when you're just getting started, a complete kit from a mass-market house like Jas. Townsend makes sense:

http://jas-townsend.com/classic-fire-st ... p-365.html

It's not period-perfect, especially for us, but it's a fairly budget way to get started reliably - all the pieces are a known quality, instructions are included, and Jas Townsend has excellent customer service if there's a problem.
Eventually I'm sure you'll keep some bits and toss others - or pass them on to the next person who needs them. Strikers from friends who are handy with a forge are the best of course. :)

For what it's worth, I found a lifetime supply of English flint was surprisingly cheap at:
http://www.neolithics.com/flakes-1/
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Kortoso
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Kortoso »

I get my best flint at Dixie Gun Works:
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_i ... l31uecls61
Image
You can even get a 3-lb flint nodule and try your knapping skills.
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Melthrist
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Melthrist »

Elleth wrote:I think when you're just getting started, a complete kit from a mass-market house like Jas. Townsend makes sense:

http://jas-townsend.com/classic-fire-st ... p-365.html

It's not period-perfect, especially for us, but it's a fairly budget way to get started reliably - all the pieces are a known quality, instructions are included, and Jas Townsend has excellent customer service if there's a problem.
Eventually I'm sure you'll keep some bits and toss others - or pass them on to the next person who needs them. Strikers from friends who are handy with a forge are the best of course. :)

For what it's worth, I found a lifetime supply of English flint was surprisingly cheap at:
http://www.neolithics.com/flakes-1/
That kit from Jas Townsend looks great, and pretty cheap compared to everything else.
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
Laothain
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Re: Tinderboxes!

Post by Laothain »

A great source for tinder in the wild at least is inner tree bark. Once it's dry it takes a spark nicely I try to make sure I have a stash of it in my fire kit
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