Long story, but sometime back, and in the winter, I was out hiking late in the day with some folks not too accustom to being in the out-of-doors. Long about sundown, I was going to impress them with my flint & steel fire making ability. Crossing a small creek to get to a great spot, I stepped on a loose stone and went head first into the drink. Had to pour the water out of my Ted Cash brass tinder box. Everything was sopping wet and it was now dark. Luckily, one of the "city slickers" had a BIC lighter. Very embarrassing situation.
So, not to be caught in that situation again, I made this little brass, waterproof, fire kit.
It holds a couple of strands of charred cotton rope and a few double ended sulfur spunks. The brass can, with a waxed leather washer, keeps everything dry (even if your dumb enough to fall in a creek). To use, I pinch off a piece of the charred rope and it catches a spark from flint and steel very quickly. Even easier, if the flint rifle or pistol is unloaded, is to put the piece of charred rope in the pan, close the frizzen and snap the lock. Either way, I drop the lit char into the cap of the can and touch one end of a spunk to it. One or two quick puffs of air and the spunk takes light.
The charred rope was also made over an open fire without the use of the usual tin or can with a hole in it.
Well.....might be a waste of time, but I sort of like the look of it..and making even useless things keeps me out of trouble.
