The tinderbox was used throughout history since early man and only began to fade from view after the invention of the friction match around 1830. Most tinderboxes were not boxes at all, but usually cylindrical in shape. They were used from ancient times to transport and keep dry the means of starting a fire, such as tinder, flint, and a metal striking device.
The cylinder or "box" was most often made of wood or metal, containing flint or quartz and a carbon steel striker. These were struck together to produce sparks that could fall upon cotton, linen, or jute cloth to produce fire. The cloth was also usually charcloth, having been subjected to pyrolysis, a process of heating the cloth to where it would ignite more easily and burn longer. The tinderbox might substitute straw or wood chips for charcloth.
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The tinderbox was also often contained in a leather or cloth carrying pouch so that the whole ensemble might be tied to the clothing for easy transport. The tinderbox was used for everything from lighting cook stoves, fireplaces, campfires, to candles for lighting. The accompanying illustrations show a nifty combination of tinderbox and candle combined into a single unit.
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