A tinderbox is a small container containing flint, firesteel, and tinder (typically charcloth, but possibly a small quantity of dry, finely-divided fibrous matter such as straw, used together to help kindle a fire. Tinderboxes fell out of general usage when matches were invented. Keeping a fire going round the clock was not unusual in colonial America. If by ill fortune the fire in the fireplace became wholly extinguished through carelessness at night, someone, usually a small boy, was sent to the house of the nearest neighbor, bearing a shovel or covered pan, or perhaps a broad strip of green bark, on which to bring back coals for relighting the fire. Tinder is a material that is easily ignited. By cutting and shredding materials they become thinner and more able to ignite with a simple spark. Found in the middle of rotten logs, punk wood is in the process of rotting but hasnt turned soft. It can be obtained by knocking or kicking apart rotten logs. It can be broken with the fingers but doesnt crumble. Punk wood is very light in weight, but still fairly firm. If dried out, it will light very easily since it is already well mixed with air. If charred like char cloth, it will catch and burn from a spark. The process for charring punk wood is the same. Typically, when it comes to charring wood, punk wood is used. Charred punk wood is useful for catching sparks from a flint rock and steel kit.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 18:23:25 +0000
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