"Lighting your match?" Topic

I presume arquebusiers and musketeers each carried a steel and flint in order to light their match. And that they did so individualy. Is this right or would you need actual flame rather than sparks to ignite the match? Also does anyone know how quickly the match burned? And lastly was it susceptable to rain. Thanks.

I recall reading somewhere you need about 6 feet of match per musketeer per day.
I expect they'd more likely have lit it in a campfire or house hearth than with flint and steel. Match needs a pretty good flame to get it going – I've spent ages holding it over a modern gas lighter only for it to go out as soon as I take it away. You have to twirl it around once it's smouldering to get a good "burn" going.
Yes – it is very badly affected by rain. The saltpetre attacts water and it goes stiff as a board and won't burn hot enough or just goes out. I speak from bitter experience here!

That is very interesting Martin. Do you think the NCO's would have walked the line applying flame to match? Or would you each light you match before deploying?

Dip the end in priming powder and apply flame – it lights. You may lose an eybrow, but it lights.

Six feet of match! I never even thought about that. You learn something new every day.

At Bristol, they were reduced to requistioning the cord from people's beds and curtains and making their own. I am surprised it worked, but they claim it did.

Pat

I have used American washing line cord with the plastic removed from the middle and it works well. To light flint and steel work OK but once you have one alight it is easy to get the rest going. Opening the end up "rope" fibers really helps too. I agree with big Martin about the rain terrible.

Tinder box and charred linen.

During this period, and in ancient times, there were "firebearers" who were kept the flame sort of speak. It was much more convenient to have a flame already for all sorts of reasons and emergencies outside of slow match. Also, one must remember that wheellocks existed during this time, and this compact cigarette lighter mechanism was also available to some men in the unit. For my matchlock I find that if I soaked the hemp cord in diluted blackpowder and water for several days, the cord burns VERY slowly, about an inch maybe during a half hour. It is a controlled, steady burn that can be brought to more intensity by blowing on it prior to igniting the pan. During the TYW and ECW, the trigger mechanism was by bipassed and men simply by hand drove the end of the lit match onto the pan and held the weapon at waist height. This made sense, since the match had to be removed from the serpentine during the priming process anyway. Two or three rounds would be the norm, then off to the melee with the butt of the musket.
On a side note. The cord often seen wrapped around the right arm near the shoulder on offices was a relic of the fact that officers during that times were given extra match cord. Hope this helps.

ilodic.

If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of the developement of matchlocks and their kin, I highly suggest the following book: 'Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe' by Bert Hall.

Hi

There is a type of model airplane flying called "Free Flight". You launch the airplane without radio or control of any type, relying on good design to make it circle over head. That said, a good thermal and the plane goes straight up and is lost forever unless you have an aero device called a "dethermalizer". Usually just a flap that kills lift causing the plane to act like a chute and drop.

Many flyers STILL use renaissance equipment her, which is why I mention it. You make your own chord soaked in powder as above. But you light it with a hand held device like a set of spring loaded pliars. Squeeze, a spark lights the end of a bit of chord that burns, and you apply to the dethermalizer chord(which cuts the restraint on the flap in several minutes). They DO this with a monster engine running next to their face. It MUST work every time….and does.

Not a problem, in short.

Rocky

Another short note – you can light match from a piece of already lit match – like desperate cigarette smokers – by simply placing the unlit piece against a lit piece and blowing gently on it.

This is all good. Thanks everyone.

In my research I kept coming across the name Zippo. I don't know if this helps.

Rich