Fire Building

[DuctTape]

Learning to do things for themselves in the out of doors is kind of the purpose. It matters not whether they use matches in their normal everyday life. They probably don't set up tents on a regular basis at home either. Nor use an axe or paddle a canoe. We provide the opportunity for all of these things and more. At least we should. They begin as tenderfoots (not the rank, but as one with limited skill) and through scouting we help develop their skills and understandings that they did not previously have. Sure civilization has changed, but even when match lit stoves were common in homes it didn't mean the boys ever lit them. Sometimes in scouting is the first time they swung an axe even though there is one in their garage.

[blw2]

....Sometimes in scouting is the first time they swung an axe even though there is one in their garage.

making Scouting even more relevant as a growth and experience tool, in at least that regard.

 

As a kid even, I always hated sitting through some basic introductory lesson that I already knew about.  I remember a lot of that in scouts.... and as a Scouter I'm still seeing it often too....

At least it finally becomes an interesting and maybe fun activity if it's the first time they've done it!

[Oldscout448]

On the subject of matches, do strike anywhere matches still exist?

 

We used to set one in a log head up and challenge the scouts to grab a hatchet and light it with one swing.

[TAHAWK]

Strike anywhere matches exist.  They are just hard to find in many areas and expensive to buy on the Net.  The quality is also not very high for the most common brand - Diamond.

 

We can find them here in Ohio in small stores catering to the Amish.

[Stosh]

They stopped shipping strike anywhere matches in large quantities in that when the semi-truck hit a good bounce or had an accident, the matches in the cases often times started on fire.  I don't know how they get around shipping in small quantities other than the fact that one or two boxes might not cause as big a fire as a whole case.

 

It is a bit more sane than the fact that the old match books had the scratch pad on the front and now, for safety purposes, it is on the back.  No more one-handed match lighting....

[qwazse]

... Sometimes in scouting is the first time they swung an axe even though there is one in their garage.

Yesterday Son #1 and I were helping each other on our respective houses. In my yard we need to cut a rope, Having left our knives at his house, I went and grabbed my hatchet from the garage.

 

He said, "Is that thing even sharp?"

I said, "Since you guys have stopped putting it away with dents in it, yeah."

Before he could walk to the back door for a kitchen knife ... THWACK ... Rope split, and old 4x4 with one more small nick.

 

Pity we don't have matches that I could have struck off the ax head. I would have cut and fused with the same tool.

[Eagle94-A1]

Strike anywhere matches exist.  They are just hard to find in many areas and expensive to buy on the Net.  The quality is also not very high for the most common brand - Diamond.

 

We can find them here in Ohio in small stores catering to the Amish.

 

 

I told a friend of mine how hard I long I've been searching for strike anywhere matches. He found a place and got 2 boxes for me, and 5 for him. Agri Supply is the companym and they are located in the following places

• Garner, NC
• Greenville, NC
• Lumberton, NC
• Florence, SC
• Petersburg, VA
• Statesboro, GA
• Tifton, GA
• Valdosta, GA

[ianwilkins]

 

I told a friend of mine how hard I long I've been searching for strike anywhere matches.

 

What? You have trouble getting strike anywhere matches? You mean the likes of which Clint Eastwood would strike off his stubble in cowboy films? (Yeah, may be misremembering a little here, but he was hard as nails so...)

 

Well there's a thing.

 

We can get them anywhere that sells cigarettes, brand of Swan Vestas usually. Can light them off most hard rough surfaces. Brick, some rock, metal. Of course, when we got them as scouts on summer camp, you went around trying to find things that you could light them on, until you had none left to light the fire. Oops.

Edited November 7, 2016 by ianwilkins

[TAHAWK]

Only brand sold in this area is Diamond.  About 20% useful only to bundle as fire-starters -no or pinpoint head.

Edited November 7, 2016 by TAHAWK