Tinder Tube

[tombear]

Due to the generosity of of a fellow member who sent me a three inch bit of brass tubing I finally started the tinder tube that I have mentioned on another thread.

Its my first soldered project and I'm quite pleased with it although I still need to source some suitable chain to hold the cap on and pass through the steel to secure it.

Filing and polishing made up for my cackhanded soldering and in all it took me about an hour.

From some veneer from a cigar box I knocked up a few 1/8th strip sulphur matches to fit If the lid proves in adequate I will carve and fix a small piece of cork inside it but currently it seems to be OK

The only gun flints I have are just too big to fit in but I'll get some suitably sized ones from Henry Kranks (7/8ths).

The other contents are 3 inch of linen slowmatch and a roll of linen char cloth.

Very easy to do and handier than my proper tinderbox.

ATB

Tom

 

[Shewie]

Very nicely done Tom

 

[hiho]

Very nice Tom

 

[TinkyPete]

nice one, what a bright spark

 

[tombear]

Cheers!

The real bugger is trying to hit a small bit of char after being used to a big tin of the stuff. If I hold it under the steel (or the flint if doing it the other way) I chop it to shreds.

I think I will dip the roll on the good old KN03 solution and dry it out like I did with the flat bits, just to make life easier. It makes a big difference.

I'm still trying to find/or get info to make, some pre 1850s type chain.

ATB

Tom

 

[Ph34r]

awesome, may have to start a simular project myself...

 

[tombear]

It's dead easy but if you can find a wider tube, say 1 1/4" dia it would be more in keeping with the original and would fit your bog standard gun flints better and of course hold more char etc!.

If any one makes their own and don't fancy messing with sulphur I'll knock them up a couple of dozen made to fit sulpur matches to get them started.

'Dug out all the thin brass rod, tube and what have you earlier so I may be having a go at making 6 inches of chain and a couple of staples to solder on the tube.

ATB

tom

 

[tombear]

I drilled the lid and bottom today and soldered on two bent brass rod staples, then I redid all the soldered seams that I'd over heated in the process and that had popped open, oops!

The chains just some rubbishy stuff from the hardwear shop that will do until I can find something better, I just cut at the joint and resolded it closed over the staples.

The youngest two where doing firelighting at Cubs this afternoon so they took in my spare tinderbox and a modern ferro rod and had no end of fun, passing them around to try. I didn't mention the char was my KN03 doctored stuff!

ATB

Tom

 

[1972]

Nicely done tom it looks great.

I'm impressed with the soldering, did you use normal electrical solder?

 

[tombear]

Yup, bog standard stuff meant for circuit boards. I had got some of the chunky plumbers solder but the other stuff seemed to work fine. I was messy so most of the time to do it was taken up with wet and drying the excess solder off the outside!

I did brush on plenty of Bakers whatchamacallit?, flux? The 80 Wat Iron certainly works fast after trying a 25 Wat job.

Cheers!

Tom

 

[tombear]

In the end rather than go to Kranks for them I took the cheeper and far better option of asking Will Lord to make me some flints to fit as I wanted more of the big tinder box flints anyway. They are spot on.

I just need to carry it now and get some use out of it.

ATB

Tom