Wooden tinderbox

[Frothgar]

Tomorrow i begin construction in a project that has been much on my mind. Prompted by our lupine friend Le Loup And given that the fictional time period and culture i aim to recreat would not be using 18th century brass implements i have decided to try to make myself a wooden tindbox.

I was very much sold on the project when Le Loup's mentioned the scarcity and rather urban nature of charcloth as a firestarting method. The ability to make my own tinder from natural materials, thereby giving me a basically inexhaustable ability to make fire, is very appealing to me.

I plan to use some hardwood slats leftover from my family's home addition project from some years ago. I plan to burn out and carve the tinder compartment. I will tack in a leather hinge and maybe carve or burn in some designs or sigils on the lid.

I was stumped on the project for a while because i wanted a kit small and light enough to wear on my belt. Ive decided to make a nice small pouch with a striker, flint and my small leather charcloth holder. This will go in my main belt pouch. This larger tinderbox project will reside in a greased leather bag ( again inspired by El Lobo) with some loose jute and birch shavings. It will stay in my bedroll sling. This way ive got a good dedicated firekit with me. And ive got a backup setup on my belt if i ever loose everything but the belt pouch.

So, anyone ever do this before? Andy tips, tricks, ideas?

Frothgar

[Frothgar]

First attempt is unsatisfactory.

Going to use a pipe tobacco case as my temporary stand in to practice with Le Loup's method until i find a better way to work the wood.

Might put the bag together this afternoon.

Frothgar

[Ringulf]

Hey this thread got me started on one too Frothgar, but I did not get to far before I got sick. seeing it again has put it back to mind. Are you looking to find the right way to char or immolate the interior of the box?

[Eledhwen]

I was out hiking the other day and came across and windblown cedar....it had lots of shards and strips from the break. I gathered a haversack load, both outer and inner (pitch soaked) wood. They have been drying here in the apartment...and they have become some very nice, very useful tinder wood. And the pitch knots just help it along a bit.

Good project.

Siani

[wulfgar]

Keep an eye out for little wooden boxes that contain specialty teas. I have come across a few here and there, all you have to do is sand off the print. I had one I used as a sewing kit until the lid got lost in a move.

[Frothgar]

Charing the inside is an experimental step i just didnt get to. One mistake in construction compounded itself and led to further mistakes. The result might work, but it looks ugly, amatureish, and just wrong.

I may try hollowing out the box with coals, like a tiny dugout canoe.

Tomorrows project will probably be striker making, and bag making .

Wulfgar,
Just so happens i know a guy who works in a specialty tea shop.

F

[Mirimaran]

Is there a pic of this somewhere?



Ken

[Frothgar]

There is.

[Mirimaran]

Oh ok, neat! That does look like a fun build. Must try!



Ken

[deadextra]

Here's what I did for my wooden tinderbox. Ignore the contents really.

The type is called a bent wood box, it just has a loose lid and is fastened with copper pins.
The box goes into the waxed linen bag. The excess length of that gets rolled up and then put in the woolen drawstring bag. The wool dries quickly if it gets wet and the linen blocks out the water.

This sort of box is pretty simple to make with steaming and they are also available commercially, sometimes sold as cheese boxes.

[Mirimaran]

I like your tinderbox, Dead! Looks good to me!

Ken

[Frothgar]

I like it, though I don't think it would work for me in the way i was planning on using it. i was hoping to be able to use the box itself to hold a mass of charred fiber, strike sparks directly into the fiber and blow the resulting embers into a fire, all while inside the box. the same method le loup demonstrated. this box looks a bit thin for all this. though it looks very well suited to transporting a finite amount of charred cloth and other tinders. Leloups method appeals to me as it allows a man to restock his supply of tinder in the field without relying on a burning box and civilized access to cloth.

i may try this, as a placeholder if nothing else, till i get my preferred version in working order. I've got a placeholder box now made from a pipe tobacco container, need to give it a test run.

thanks for the idea. and I will definitely be steeling the linen inside of wool idea. It would be way lighter than the leather bag i had planned. plus i got to use up that army blanket material somehow.

Frothgar

[Frothgar]

I like it, though I don't think it would work for me in the way i was planning on using it. i was hoping to be able to use the box itself to hold a mass of charred fiber, strike sparks directly into the fiber and blow the resulting embers into a fire, all while inside the box. the same method le loup demonstrated. this box looks a bit thin for all this. though it looks very well suited to transporting a finite amount of charred cloth and other tinders. Leloups method appeals to me as it allows a man to restock his supply of tinder in the field without relying on a burning box and civilized access to cloth.

i may try this, as a placeholder if nothing else, till i get my preferred version in working order. I've got a placeholder box now made from a pipe tobacco container, need to give it a test run.

thanks for the idea. and I will definitely be steeling the linen inside of wool idea. It would be way lighter than the leather bag i had planned. plus i got to use up that army blanket material somehow.

Frothgar

[Ringulf]

Hey this thread got me started on one too Frothgar, but I did not get to far before I got sick. seeing it again has put it back to mind. Are you looking to find the right way to char or immolate the interior of the box?

I finally got around to finishing this after rolling the decoration around slightly in my mind, and packing it up.
I used a small but interesting pine box that I stained and decorated. I will charr the interior before I go out to use it.

I was able to use a magnesium block (...what the mines are lousy with this stuff!) and a small peice of broken hacksaw blade from my father Haakon. A teacandle, some dried native moss, some sissal line and a small tin of charcloth.

It all fits devilishly well into the spaces inside, (I press-fit the mag and the striker) and I even adorned the cover with a bit of the skin of the old wyrm himself, passed down from my father who saw the beast slain! It was fortunate that he was able to find, in those days, bits of flesh from dear old Smaug, along the lakes shorlines.
Not much of this type remain any longer (though I hear tell there are many immitations found in the baazars to the south or in the shadier stalls in the markets of Dale)

I am constructing a waterproof bag and small belt pouch to keep it dry and handy,






Hope you like!

~Ringulf

[man_of_tanith]

i really like the tinderbox Ringulf

i forsee another project in my imminent future