Pyrenean Shepherds' Fire Lighter.

[Alexlebrit]

I was looking through the Nature et Decouverte website today. They're a sort of slightly eco, slightly outdoors, slightly wooden toy shop over here in France. Amongst their stuff for walkers I found THIS.

It's called a Pyrenean shepherds' lighter and works with no gas, no petrol. Apparently the cord is made with an extract of oak fungus, and lights using the built in flint sparker.

It claims it's virtually indestructible, although they don't say anything about what happens if it gets wet. I've ordered one anyway, hope to get it in a few days time, so when it arrives I'll be testing it thoroughly, to see how it works.

Has anyone seen anything like it before?

 

[pwb]

Not see one before but it looks great, like it .

 

[basha]

Yes I have seen these before and wondered where I could get another. We bought them as kids when we used to go on holiday in a remote part of Spain many, many years ago (sigh). I managed to get a surviving one from one of my family recently; it's probably about thirty years old.

It still works fine; it looks very similar to the one you show, the 'rope' core is made up of very fine, soft fibre; it takes a spark easily and smoulders away quite happily until you ease the tip back down the tube to extinguish it.

It is a very useful item.

 

[tyfy]

Looks like an updated version of the type shown and used by Mr Mears in one of his Walkabout episodes.

Google searching finds "Stephen King's Flint and Steel"

 

[Alexlebrit]

Basha, good to hear they work, I was wondering if I'd bought a pup, hope mine works as well as yours does. If you'd like another one, I could always get one and post it on to you, sadly they only deliver within France, but I can't imagine the postage would be much on one.

It does look like it works the same kind of way as the one Mears is using in the video, although he's striking to get the spark, not twiddling the little wheel.

Can't wait for it to get here now, when it does I'll see if it has a maker's name, and do a little review.

 

[tobes01]

I've got one of these - picked it up for a fiver from evilBay. It works very well, spark hits rope (I'm not sure if there's saltpetre in it) and it glows away nicely. Pull the rope back and put your finger on the top to extinguish. That little ball stays in place with a hook.

I'd rate it more as a cigarette lighter than a general fire lighter though.

 

[Chris the Cat]

Man I like that!
Any idea where I can get one folks!?
My best.
Chris.

 

[basha]

thanks for the offer Alexlebrit; I'm OK with the one I have for the moment, but it's nice to know they are still available. Since my last post I have been thinking about making my own one; There have been thead(s) on DIY ones using the same principle (but using a firesteel).

Hope you are pleased with yours.

 

[Ahjno]

FYI
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18725

 

[basha]

thanks Johan; I hadn't seen that link before. I'll have a go at that sometime

 

[basha]

Ah ha the wonders of the internet; for those getting an interest in these things; 'Les Briquetes (a meche) amadou'

http://acellie.free.fr/amadou.html

 

[Galemys]

It's called a Pyrenean shepherds' lighter and works with no gas, no petrol. Apparently the cord is made with an extract of oak fungus, and lights using the built in flint sparker.

Has anyone seen anything like it before?

I´ve seen them in the book ´la grande aventure du feu` by Bertrand Roussel and Paul Boutie. It ´s a great French book on many different firestarting methods. The book says the cord is treated with saltpetre so the ´meche a amadou´ has nothing to do with real amadou made out of horse hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius, l´amadouvier)

Cheers,

Tom

 

[MrEd]

looks like a slow match, i use a piece of copper tube with saltpetre impregnated cord in it with a firesteel. works really well as a spark catcher and ember extender. It works much better if the cord is pre-charred. it takes a really tiny spark o get going its great

 

[CRAZY FROG]

I was looking through the Nature et Decouverte website today. They're a sort of slightly eco, slightly outdoors, slightly wooden toy shop over here in France. Amongst their stuff for walkers I found THIS.

It's called a Pyrenean shepherds' lighter and works with no gas, no petrol. Apparently the cord is made with an extract of oak fungus, and lights using the built in flint sparker.

It claims it's virtually indestructible, although they don't say anything about what happens if it gets wet. I've ordered one anyway, hope to get it in a few days time, so when it arrives I'll be testing it thoroughly, to see how it works.

Has anyone seen anything like it before?

the last time I saw one of these was about 30 years ago, as far as i can remember it worked well, can you get spare cord for it?

 

[phill_ue]

I was gonna knock one of these up with some safety fuse, a copper pipe and a disposable lighter flint that can be removed (I forget the make of the lighter, Clipper maybe?) but forgot all about it. It looks like a project I could get done this week!

 

[MrEd]

I was gonna knock one of these up with some safety fuse, a copper pipe and a disposable lighter flint that can be removed (I forget the make of the lighter, Clipper maybe?) but forgot all about it. It looks like a project I could get done this week!

thats kind of what i want to do, i havent worked out how to attach the flint mechanism to the copper pole yet though

 

[perigonza]

I just cant believe you don't know that one. It is just a 'chisquero', the most common tipe of cigarrete lighter for the first three quarters of past century in Spain (dunno the rest of the world ...). Something similar is still used in my place (valencia) for letting the children play with rockets with no lighter, they use this thing instead to light them ;O)

Very very common and still easily obtainable over here, they last forever.

Perigonza

 

[Chinkapin]

Sooooo Steampunk! I want one!

 

[QDanT]

I've had this in my Tinder tin awhile now and it works fine so I thought I'd share via this thread.
You can see the char cloth still glowing and the sulphur match lit

The flint wheel insert from a clipper lighter, the plastic shaved to fit the shorter of the two 3/16" brass tubes soft soldered together. In use a small piece of char cloth is rolled and pushed up the longer tube, with a nail cut off for the purpose, untill it just sticks out the top then with the flick of the wheel it's lit by the sparks and pushed all the way out, with the nail. Then I touch it with a sulphur match and give a quick blow and the match is lit, or it could be dropped into a tinder bundle ?
cheers all Danny

 

[EdS]

almost bought one last week in Spain - except it was that big you would need a rucksac to carry it.