Boing Boing: Repeating matches, a lost wonder of 1933

View a recent day: June 10 | June 09 | June 08 | previous days | by month and year

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Repeating matches, a lost wonder of 1933

In January, 1933, Popular Science reported on a "repeating match" that could be lighted up to 100 times. Like the secrets of the pyramids and the the ancient technique for finding happiness while scrubbing in a field for root vegetables, the details of this technology have been lost to the mists of time.

If you borrow a match from the gentleman pictured at the right, he is likely to want it back! He is one of the users of a new repeating match recently produced in England. The match may be struck and relighted more than a hundred times. A small box, coated with a special composition used as the striking surface, serves as a holder for the repeating match when it is not in use. The device is much thicker than an ordinary parlor match and gives a correspondingly larger flame.

Link

Update: Spoilsport Hens points out, "Not really lost in the mists of time."

Update 2: Emily sez, "My friend returned from a year spent teaching in China last summer, and brought me this bitchin' Mao Tse-tung reuseable match. Everyone I showed it to seemed temporarily amazed by it. I used it for a few months before it stopped working. On the side it says it's made by the Nanyang Yanju Co, LTD. As you can see from the picture, you take the little match stick out from the top, and then strike it on the side. I believe it's just your basic flint and steel."

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:43:10 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments

View a recent day: June 10, 2007 | June 09, 2007 | June 08, 2007 | June 07, 2007 | June 06, 2007 | June 05, 2007 | June 04, 2007 | previous days | all BB archives by month and year

suggest a link \| defeat censorware \| rss \| archives \| t-shirts \| digital emporium \| podcast feed \| mark \| cory \| david \| xeni \| john
Support Bloggers' Rights! HOWTO: Get a link posted to Boing Boing Boing Boing Mobile powered by Winksite Fark rules! This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States [and other countries]. Stats (About our stats) defeat censorware Policies Our first five years' worth of posts in one file	View a recent day: June 10 \| June 09 \| June 08 \| previous days \| by month and year Wednesday, May 30, 2007 Repeating matches, a lost wonder of 1933 In January, 1933, Popular Science reported on a "repeating match" that could be lighted up to 100 times. Like the secrets of the pyramids and the the ancient technique for finding happiness while scrubbing in a field for root vegetables, the details of this technology have been lost to the mists of time. If you borrow a match from the gentleman pictured at the right, he is likely to want it back! He is one of the users of a new repeating match recently produced in England. The match may be struck and relighted more than a hundred times. A small box, coated with a special composition used as the striking surface, serves as a holder for the repeating match when it is not in use. The device is much thicker than an ordinary parlor match and gives a correspondingly larger flame. Link Update: Spoilsport Hens points out, "Not really lost in the mists of time." Update 2: Emily sez, "My friend returned from a year spent teaching in China last summer, and brought me this bitchin' Mao Tse-tung reuseable match. Everyone I showed it to seemed temporarily amazed by it. I used it for a few months before it stopped working. On the side it says it's made by the Nanyang Yanju Co, LTD. As you can see from the picture, you take the little match stick out from the top, and then strike it on the side. I believe it's just your basic flint and steel." posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:43:10 AM permalink \| Other blogs' comments View a recent day: June 10, 2007 \| June 09, 2007 \| June 08, 2007 \| June 07, 2007 \| June 06, 2007 \| June 05, 2007 \| June 04, 2007 \| previous days \| all BB archives by month and year Email this entry to: Your email address: Message (optional):	Boing Boing Sponsored by: Your Text Ad Here Get BB by email: