How did pirates start fires?

[NicoleDeLaMer]

Flint an' tinder lad. An if tha' don't work Tim the Enchanter.

[Captain Jacob Badger]

I 'ave got a picture of one of those....just no nought how to be attatchin' it to the reply window....

[Roger the Red]

In days of Old when Nights Was Cold

and Warmth did Pirates Desire

They Used Tinderbox or Sparks From Flintlocks

To Start Themselves a Fire

RtR

[Patrick Hand]

Something that I was wondering about....

I know that "back then" flint and steel was "The" way to start fires.....

I just wonder how many sailors and pyrates carried a tinderbox with flint and steel?

[QueenLaDeDa]

RtR - where did you get that quote?

[the Royaliste]

Something that I was wondering about....

I know that "back then" flint and steel was "The" way to start fires.....

I just wonder how many sailors and pyrates carried a tinderbox with flint and steel?

My best guess is, 'why start fires as a sailor?...I'm quite sure that the cook's fire seldom went out. When it did, I'd guess that the flint, steel, and a touch 'o lamp oil fired the stove right back up..don't forget 'fire-glasses' either (magnifiers, eh?)

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

Mayhaps that the transversing the seas of the world was not as effective as bringing things of Eastern origen back into the rennaisance Europe by horse and camel. But! I hears spaghetti is from China try and tell that to an Italian right? Well, Laddies the predessor of "our today match" was: small sticks of pinewood impregnated with sulfur, struck on stone and was developed in China in the 6th century AD.

[Patrick Hand]

My best guess is, 'why start fires as a sailor?...

That would be my guess also. I can't figure why a common sailor would need to start a fire when he could get flame elsewhere abord a ship. Now I could see a few tinderboxes carried (such as by the gunner ) but not by everyone.

As for "matches" ... I'm not 100% positive, but I think they had an early form of match realy close to period.... sulpher and something tipped stick that you stuck in a small bottle of acid..... Just the thing to carry in my pocket.....

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

SMOKES! IS WHY

[Patrick Hand]

I smoke, and when I was doing Rendezvous, I carried flint and steal, but aboard a ship, if I needed a light, there would always be one handy.

[Jolly O'Grog Rogers]

Fires be easy... ye make grog extra strong, and use it as a sort of lighter fluid. Den you use flintrock to create a spark... Make sure ye were too drunk on grog or else ye might light your ship a fire!

[Patrick Hand]

ye make grog extra strong

Why not just use the rum, and not mix it with water to make grog

(grog is rum cut/mixed with water)

[Patrick Hand]

I figure that a lot of people don't know how to start fire with flint and steel....

stuff needed,,,

a chunk of flint (or hard glassy rock) with a good Sharp edge.

a striker (hardened steel... well case hardened iron)

char (100% natural fiber, I use cotton, never tried linen or wool (and not sure if wool would work))

tinder to "catch" the ember

and firewood...

a tinderbox to carry everything in (espessily the fragile char)

There are different ways of holding the flint, but I hold it in my left hand between my index finger and thumb with the sharp edge at about a 45 degree angle, with a kind of flick of my right hand, the striker hits a glancing blow across the sharp edge of the flint, shaving small pieces of the steel off (as a spark) The object is to get the sparks to fall onto the char, where they will smoulder as little red dots.... the smouldering char is then put into a "birdsnest" of tinder, and holding it above the level of your eyes (or else you get an eye full of smoke) you then blow on it untill (hopefully) it pops (burst is to big of a word...) into flaime.... this is then used to start the fire.....

It takes longer to read how to do it than to actully catch a spark......

Steel strikers (and entire flint and steel kits) are available through most blackpowder suppliers for about $10

I've never tried it, but you can also put the smouldering char next to the wick of a candle and start the candle with it......

notes on char...

to make char, use 100% cotton cloth (it can't have any synthetic fibers, or they will melt, not char) cut the cloth about 1" x 1" (cotton gun cleaning patches work well for this) and put a bunch of them into a burned out metal paint can with a nail hole punched in the lid. tap down the lid, and put the can full of cotton into a fire.... soon you will see a jet of flame coming out of the nail hole, when this almost stops, plug the hole with a stick or nail, then let it cool off. When the can is cool, open it, inside all of the cloth should now be burned down to char (if not, put it back in a fire again) What you've done is turn the cloth into charcoal cloth)

The char can also be made and "freshened" (ensured that it is very dry) inside of a tinderbox.

I now use a "New Mexican tinder tube" this is 100% cotton batting sewn into a 100% cotton cloth tube, this kind of cotton rope is then fitted through a short length of copper tubing, with one end chared. To light a pipe (or fire) I push the chared end out of the tube, and expose the char. when the end catches a spark, it will "hold" the hot "cherry" much longer than just char cloth.... when done, I pull the lit end back into the tube where it goes out, but the char is protected untill the next time I need it.....

[Jolly O'Grog Rogers]

ye make grog extra strong

Why not just use the rum, and not mix it with water to make grog

(grog is rum cut/mixed with water)

Aye grog tis mixed rum... but I be true to me nature and treat me lifesake with respect. Grog still be workin' just not as fast as dee rum... Dat be why ye fires catch faster dan mine... arrrrg. Tis a sad day when grog isn't dee best solution to all me problems.

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Mentioned this in another posting, but I scored a dozen LARGE pieces of flint off eBay.... they arrived yesterday. Napped a couple of pieces for my two new flintlocks, the rest I will use to.... START FIRES!

[QueenLaDeDa]

I read in one of me pirate books that there weren't many fires started because of how easily the wooden ships could catch aflame and I believe I even read that it wasn't allowed, except by Captain on some ships.

I'm thinking drunken sailor and fire - testosterone... As all ye fire starters know better than I, eh!

I love this info - going to put it in my pirate's survival guide class for the lass.

Much obliged to all for the great input. This be a fine group of pirate men I do say!

Fair winds!

[John Maddox Roberts]

Yesterday I needed to light some charcoal for a barbecue and found not a match or lighter in the house. So I got my fire kit from my shooting bag and struck a light with flint, steel and charcloth (made from old Army fatigues from back when they were made from 100% cotton. Old blue jeans work well, too) . I hold my charcloth on top of the flint because I find that when I strike, more sparks fly upward than down. The char caught on the second or third strike and I stuck it into a nest of tinder made from old rope fibers (hemp only, those newfangled nylon ropes don't work) and blew on it gently. In a few seconds I had a flame and dropped it into the charcoal. Voila, I had a fire without recourse to the 20th or 21st centuries. Hell, not even the 19th. The whole process took maybe two minutes. Of course, this is under ideal conditions: everything dry, daylight to see by, everything prepared properly. It isn't always that easy.

[LadyG]

Nothin' like bein' th' new kid at th' back of the crowd....ya get in on things after everyone's lef' th' room! Regardin' my own experience with combustibles....

DO NOT EVER attempt th' ol' trail o'powder trick! (no, I never dun this personally, but I am fairly acquainted with 'real' black powder-- none of this namby-pamby new stuff....) Unless ya got kitty litter in yer mix, there's no such romantic slow burn so's ya kin pull a rescue and get outta the way before she blows.

I'd recommend keepin' a lit 'match (slow match) handy, tho they need constant attention. When I used to drill wi' me matchlock, it was a tedious affair. Ev'ry 3rd command wuz 'blow on yer match'. O' course, if yer dull enough (as wuz I) to be standin' there with yer apostles danglin' an' full o' powder, 'blow on yer match' might be th' highlight o' yer day....

I smokes, ya see-- hard ta believe a delicate flower like meself--,an' frequently have a lamp or cook fire to light from. BUT when not possible, I have used my flintlock pistol, uncharged, to light a bit o' flame, an' then light from that.

When I wuz wit Hessians I learned th' glamorous life of a Grenadier could off be a short one-- those grenades wuz not always reliable!

Word o' warnin' to ya, if ya be handlin' powder at all-- be careful! Nothin's worse on a Monday mornin' than havin' to explain to folks why yer missin' an eyebrow....

[Patrick Hand]

I have used my flintlock pistol, uncharged, to light a bit o' flame, an' then light from that.

I haven't tried using my flintlock to start char (have to knap some more flints first)... but the part that always puzzled me..... the gun used to start a fire HAS to be unloaded...... somehow using a gun as a lighter, and keeping it unloaded dosen't sound right.......

[LadyG]

Well, I don't prime th' pan' til needed-- an' o' course I don't ram a charge in that case. But if ya REALLY wanna get a burn started, I suppose a blank charge would give enough of a muzzle blast to start tinder. Ain't tried that mesef, but I DO love fire-fights! (musket/pistol firin' at night....ah the romance of it all...) Jus' keep yer powder dry!!

[Captain Jacob Badger]

Wot about lamp oil?

't is been used fer centuries.....one lighted and well maintained lamp can supply the whole ship with fire.....from galley to cannon.

it worked for the Egyptians..... they used it for hundreds of years.....and then there was the Romans...lets not start there shall we....

Just a thought...

[QueenLaDeDa]

Good advice m'lady.

However I noticed that your signature changed just a wee bit - what happened to faith, trust and pixie dust???

[LadyG]

Ah, methinks ya have me sig confused with one other's. While I 'ave no qualms 'bout pixie dust an' th'like, me love (who once was Blackbeard's bosun says he) has a problem with pixies, fairies an' such....and brats that fly, and sal'water crocs, 'specially what tick....

[Captain of the 'REVENGE']

Something that I was wondering about....

I know that "back then" flint and steel was "The" way to start fires.....

I just wonder how many sailors and pyrates carried a tinderbox with flint and steel?

My best guess is, 'why start fires as a sailor?...I'm quite sure that the cook's fire seldom went out. When it did, I'd guess that the flint, steel, and a touch 'o lamp oil fired the stove right back up..don't forget 'fire-glasses' either (magnifiers, eh?)

Methinks we covered the lamp oil on another watch

[Captain Jacob Badger]

Aye, ye be right there....should 'ave started at the beginin', 'stead o' just burstin' in.....(doffs hat.......backs away)