AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Tinderbox serb nationalist match8/4/2023 It is also used to describe a potentially volatile or violent situation. In conventional usage, the term "tinderbox" refers to something that is so dry that it could catch on fire with the slightest provocation, perhaps even spontaneously like a forest fire. Another book from 1889 describes such a tinderbox, observing that the wear patterns on the flint were the same as those on ancient prehistoric flints in the collection. A book from 1881 notes that in 1834 a magazine editor had predicted that despite the advent of 'lucifers' (friction matches), the tinderbox would continue to be in general use in the household, but that in fact, by the time of writing, the tinderbox had become rare, expensive and was commonly seen only in museums of antiquities. In the 18th and early 19th century tinderboxes were in common use, but with the advent of John Walker's 'friction lights' in 1827, where a match could be struck by withdrawing it from a piece of folded glass paper, tinderboxes increasingly became obsolete. Ī London street seller of matches for tinderboxes in 1821 With skill, a fire could be started in under a minute, but at other times it took longer and occasionally a tiny pinch of gunpowder was added to encourage the process. The splint could then be carried to a candle, often set in a holder on the top of the box, and finally the cloth would be extinguished with a damper to preserve it for further use. The sparks (actually pieces of burning steel broken off by the harder flint) created very small embers as they fell onto the charcloth, the glow of which, with some gentle blowing, would be enough to ignite a sulfur tipped wooden splint. In use the flint was struck in a vigorous downward motion against the steel, sending a shower of sparks into the tinder which was arranged in the bottom of the box. Rotten wood, known as touchwood, was also used, as well as amadou, which was a tinder prepared from fungus steeped in potassium nitrate ( saltpetre) and dried. cotton, linen, or jute) which had previously been charred via pyrolysis, giving it the low ignition temperature and slow burning characteristics suitable for use as tinder. The charcloth was fabric made from vegetable fibre (e.g. The flint was sometimes chipped to provide a suitably sharp edge to obtain a spark and if necessary other hard stones, such as quartzite, chert or chalcedony could be substituted. This was simply a piece of carbon steel (it is difficult to obtain sparks with ordinary iron), which was usually wrought into a 'D' shape, or an oval ring, so that it could be conveniently looped around two or three fingers for striking. With the development of iron ore smelting in the Iron Age, the firesteel eventually replaced pyrites. As an example, Ötzi (the natural mummy of a man who lived some time between 33 BC, discovered in September 1991) was found with tinder fungus along with flint and pyrite for creating sparks. Throughout prehistoric Europe flint and iron pyrites (commonly known as fool's gold) were struck against one another in order to create a spark for firelighting. Tinderboxes fell out of general usage when friction matches were invented. A tinderbox may also contain sulfur-tipped matches. This type was used during the Boer War due to a scarcity of matchesĪ tinderbox, or patch box, is a container made of wood or metal containing flint, firesteel, and tinder (typically charcloth, but possibly a small quantity of dry, finely divided fibrous matter such as hemp), used together to help kindle a fire. government did not lend support to the Nazis.Pocket tinderbox with firesteel and flint. The opening paragraphs read like they could have been dated in the 1930s, except the U.S. In The New York Times, more evidence of the ill effects of Trump's cozying up to Russia and denigration of our NATO allies: He backs the rise of right-wing nationalist leaders in Europe like Hungary's Viktor Orban. Putin is not only playing with fire, he is playing in the middle of a tinder box. When Trump defenders ask, "So what is wrong with having a good relationship with Vladimir Putin?", direct them to this article in Foreign Policy about Putin's building up a paramilitary force in Republika Srpska, the semi-autonomous region of Bosnia led by Serb separatists that is barred from having its own military. Watching them throw barbs at each other the past few days, I could not help but hope they drag each other down into the mud together and disappear from public view. She seems every bit as miserable as he does, and they most certainly deserve each other. Not sure if President Donald Trump has met his match in Omarosa Manigault Newman, his protégé who, more than any other, has learned well from the master, as this article in The Washington Post explains.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |