There is even a rumour that Scotsman used to use it under their Kilts to keep warm … not sure how true that is as we all know Scotsman don't normally wear anything under their kilts!Ĭhar Cloth….or 'cooked cloth'… sometimes known as Rag Tinder. ![]() ![]() Amadou also has other uses too Modern day fly fishermen use it to dry their flies after they are through fishing and in the past it has been used a tooth packing material and as a reusable sanitary towel because it is so absorbent. Some countries call it German Tinder or Black Tinder. The other advantage of Amadou is that it does not disintegrate when bounced around in a tinderbox with the flint and steel, plus it pads the tinderbox contents out stopping them from rattling around. It is one of the very best natural forms of tinder there is next to Chaga, it naturally dries out on the sun when it has become damp or wet and when dry it catches a spark very easily producing an extremely hot ember. Please don't ask how it is made as it is the most boring of processes and can take days (see our articles in The Library ‘How to Make Amadou Tinder’ and ‘Using Amadou For Fire Lighting’ by Mark Hordon.), but Amadou, once it has been processed properly feels almost like velvet. How an earth someone discovered that a fungus could be turned into such a useful substance we will never know. Amadou is another one of those forms of Tinder that has been around for tens of 1000s of years. Despite the horrid smell, we make our own sulphur matches/spills for our Tinderboxes as it captures a little bit of history.Īmadou…. It wasn't until the early 1800s that the 'striking' match that we know today was invented, but that’s another history lesson. This is most probably the reason why they were most often bought from a Match Seller due to the noxious sulphur dioxide smell created when making them, whilst they could easily have been made at home. The only down side to using these matches is the smell that they make when being lit, which you don’t want to breathe in, it is very unpleasant. As soon as the match/spill had caught a flame a fire-lay, candle, slow match or pipe etc. Since sulphur combusts at a temperature of around 444 C (832° F) and the ember is around 500 C (932° F) or more, the sulphur spontaneously combusts, which in turn ignites the wooden spill. Once an ember had been made with the ‘Flint & Steel’ the tip of a Sulphur Match would have been touched to the hot smouldering ember. Hand Cut Sulphur Spills….Sulphur Spills or Sulphur Matches have been around since the Roman times, and would' would have been kept in Tinderboxes. ![]() These days we are lucky that we can keep our Tinderboxes in a nice central heated homes or some people keep their Tinder dry in self sealed plastic bags! It would have been common for the family Tinderbox to be kept in a little recess near the fire place for convenience and also to keep it dry. Did you know, for example, that the Guy Fawkes had a Tinderbox on him when he was arrested? Originally, Tinderboxes were made from wood and would have had a 'damper.' A 'damper' is an inner lid that was used to dampen down the ember once the fire had been lit and to protect the tinder from moisture and being crushed. We do research our products, so we know a little bit about the history and the contents of the items we sell. We know a few other companies sell them as well, but we like to give that little extra with our Tinderboxes. Each year we order more and each year we sell out even faster. Hudson Bays back in stock…….thankfully our Hudson Bay Tinderboxes arrived back in stock yesterday. 'FLINT & STEEL' Traditional Fire Steel Strikers
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |