Matches

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den

Nomad
Jun 13, 2004
295
1
48
Bristol
:yuck: The wind proof matches even burn under water.Shame they are almost impossible to light anything with them. I've seen people use endless amounts trying and light a hexy,only to give up and use normal matches with success.
I don't rate them one little bit. Oh and if you are a smoker don't light your fag with one :yuck:
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
den said:
:yuck: The wind proof matches even burn under water.Shame they are almost impossible to light anything with them. I've seen people use endless amounts trying and light a hexy,only to give up and use normal matches with success.

I think it's this burning underwater trick that is part of the problem - the match contains it's own fuel and oxidizing agent (oxygen to burn). This means that the match is burning internally rather than outwards. Add to that the fact that hexy is classed on safety data sheets as only being of low flammability :rolmao:
 

den

Nomad
Jun 13, 2004
295
1
48
Bristol
Adi007 said:
Add to that the fact that hexy is classed on safety data sheets as only being of low flammability :rolmao:

mmmm..hexy low flamability ,thats a new one for me.It was quite flamible last time i played with it. :rolmao:
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
Lithril said:
Does anyone else here work in a lab or has heard of Parafilm? Its quite amazing stuff that we use for sealing containers at work. Its very very stretchy and sticks to itself really well, I soaked an SAK in oil the other day and wrapped in this stuff and nothing leaked out, I'm pretty sure you could wrap some matches in it, leave em in a bowl of water and they'd never get wet. I'll try and aquire some from work and bring it along.
Yeah, I've got some Parafilm ... very useful stuff (like self-sealing tape for those who havent seen it). Very handy for sealing little containers or kits.
 

ChrisKavanaugh

Need to contact Admin...
For normal use Lifeboats are a PITA. They tend to snap the wood and burn rapidly. You also have to strike them in a near vertical reverse jab, something never mentioned by the maker. However, in extreme conditions of wind and wet (ie a lifeboat :shock: ) they work well. Not that I ever lit a fire in a lifeboat, and I've BTDT. I carry strike anywhere matches. You do have to sort through them. A small percentage have poorly formed heads or other defects. They are becoming difficult to find in some areas due to stupid legislation lumping them with HAZMAT materials. This makes shipping expense prohibitive. I carry a good supply too. matches have one salient feature over all other systems- familiarity. I once followed a firemaking thread on another board hosted by a published 'expert' survival insturctor. Matches many disadvantages had been hammered home by the bowdrill crowd. I finally posed the following scenario," Our instructor has gone flying off a waterfall and his kayak is wedged in a pine tree. He is lying unconscious on the ground, rapidly succumbing to hypothermia. A troop of novice girlscouts comes walking down the trail and find our expert. They rummage his gear and find a firesteel, bowdrill and box of wooden matches. Now, what system is almost universally familiar and understood worldwide?" :chill:
 

alick

Settler
Aug 29, 2003
632
0
Northwich, Cheshire
I like a few alternatives.

Keep a windmill lighter in my shell jacket and clipped to my pack, that sorts most things, but I keep a firesteel, a few short maya sticks as waterproof kindling / candle, and an old screw top contact lens pot with lifeboat matches and four striker strips in the pocket too.

I keep swan vestas with my trangia in case I have a brainstorm and don't have anything else with me. Matches are also good with the trangia because they can reach down to the meths even when the burner is only part full.

Cheers
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
Good post Chris!

What are good match brands in the US?
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
I like maya wood too Alick ... a good, waterproof firelighting aid!
 

Carcajou Garou

On a new journey
Jun 7, 2004
551
5
Canada
We carry wood "Eddy" strike anywhere matches in 35mm plastic film cans, paper penny matches in baggies, BIC lighters, and ferro rods. These are dispersed in our pockets and rucksacks.
just a thought
 

ChrisKavanaugh

Need to contact Admin...
www.diamondbrands.com is the major supplier in the USA. The strike anywhere match will have a red tip and white bullseye. While still very good,the old chemical makeup is long gone, match heads being used to improvise explosive devises. Theoretically, the matches can self ignite through rough handling and friction against each other, hence the shipping surcharges and HAZMAT classification. I know the old matches definitely could. Some people proof them with thin nail polish. I found it makes ignition more difficult and just soak them in paraffin. large boxes carry a count of 250. I've found again @ 10% need to be culled for defects. @ $1.00 USD a box it's well worth it. There are also safety matches lacking the white dot. These must be struck on a provided flint strip on the box ( the SA's have this usefull strip also.)
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
ChrisKavanaugh said:
www.diamondbrands.com is the major supplier in the USA. The strike anywhere match will have a red tip and white bullseye. While still very good,the old chemical makeup is long gone, match heads being used to improvise explosive devises. Theoretically, the matches can self ignite through rough handling and friction against each other, hence the shipping surcharges and HAZMAT classification. I know the old matches definitely could. Some people proof them with thin nail polish. I found it makes ignition more difficult and just soak them in paraffin. large boxes carry a count of 250. I've found again @ 10% need to be culled for defects. @ $1.00 USD a box it's well worth it. There are also safety matches lacking the white dot. These must be struck on a provided flint strip on the box ( the SA's have this usefull strip also.)
Sounds like you folks can still get better matches than us brits ... :roll: :cry:
 

bigjackbrass

Nomad
Sep 1, 2003
497
34
Leeds
In his entertaining collection of outdoor essays "From a Wooden Canoe" Jerry Dennis laments the disappearance of his favoured type of match. New regulations aimed at hampering the criminal and helping the careless do tend to make life difficult for the rest of us.
 

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