What-is-it-Question CLXXIII

[dognose]

I posted these photos a couple of years ago in connection with a mystery object that was the subject of http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 36&t=13579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; As it turned out, there was no connection.



I have recently been made aware of the use for this object and it now deserves a 'What-is-it-Question' of its own.

This object is 4 3/4" (12cm) in length, unmarked silver, it's an open ended hollow tube with a plug for one end only. What was missing from my example was a small chain and hook that attached to the plug. A photo of a similar example that is complete is shown below.



Any takers?

Trev.

[Granmaa]

A needle case?

Miles

[dognose]

Hi Miles,

No, not a needle case.

The tube is open ended at both ends. The hook would connect to a non-silver item that would be drawn through the tube.

Trev.

[dognose]

OK, a clue that may be of assistance, I've read that there was revival in the use of this object by troops serving in the trenches during the First World War, they made their version out of used shell cases.

Trev.

[silverport]

Hello

It's maybe a wick container, and the tube used as handle, to pull a wick through the barrel of a rifle - to clean up the barrel?

Kind regards silverport

[dognose]

Hi Silverport,

No, it's not part of a rifle cleaning kit, but you are correct about the wick.

It's a tinder cord lighter.




Photos courtesy of Pete O'Keefe

The wick would drawn through the tube to expose part of it, then lit by a tinder box. The smouldering end would then be passed around an asembled party of smokers to ignite their cigars or cigarettes. When everyone was lit, the cord would be drawn back into the tube and the plug inserted to extinguish the burning end of the wick.

If I remember rightly, Postnikov has an example of a Russian cigar case with a similar form of ignition, hopefully he will see this and post a photo of his example.

The revival of this form of lighter during WWI was because of the danger of lighting cigarettes with matches often attracted the attention of snipers.

Trev.

[Postnikov]

Hi -
here are some pics to show the different possibilities to use the tinder cord - used all over Europe. My examples are from Russia. Just a short explanation to understand the reason. After inventing the new matches, it showed that they where extremly expensive and dangerous - they sometimes selfignited. So you needed a match safe (in the true sense of the words)! And to light up the cigarettes of your friends you did not want to use more than 1 match. So you brought the flame of your ignited match to the tinder and make it glow - after that you passed it around. To extinguish the glowing tinder cord you just pulled the hanging part and the tinder cord disappeared into its shelter, the end (ball, cap, lid etc.) closed the opening and extinguished the glow by lack of oxygene.

Here some cigarette cases with match compartment and tinder cord:





Here some match safes with tinder cord (one for pipe smokers)







Regards
Postnikov