Fire Piston

[nightstalker]

Hi All,
Today, a reenactor friend told me of an item he reciently picked up that really interested me. It is called a "fire piston" used to start camp fires. This is a very simple tube, about four inches long, with a wooden rod that is pushed through the center and the pressure of the compressed air causes a small piece of tinder placed in the bottom of it to glow.
After looking it up, I found that this device has been around for many years before the CW and would be interested to hear if anyone in the reenacting community has ever used one of these.
Has anyone ever ran across mention of a "fire piston" being used during the CW by anyone? I would love to hear more on this.
Wouldn't have to deal with those damp matches any more.
Thanks, Nightstalker

[indguard]

It's a great idea... if you are doing the Span Am War. (If you can believe Wikipedia) the first mention of it in the west was in 1876 and it is a device that hails from South East Asia.

Looks like it would be a no go for Civil War reenacting.

WTH
The StuckWithMatches mess

[Spinster]

Fire pistons are documentable Pre CW. More common in Europe, they are sometimes referred to as a 'Parlor Match'

If you are skilled with flint and steel, a fire piston is easy to use. If you expect them to work with the ease of a match, well not so much. Hand grip and strength is important. And they are small and reliable. You'll find them in a more period correct exterior at good 18th century events.

In looking to the larger issue of commonality, certainly flint and steel was more ubiquitous and would be a better way to solve the problem.