Comments on: The Story of the Match ~ a Great World Industry http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/02/24/the-story-of-the-match-a-great-world-industry/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:04:18 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Toronto http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/02/24/the-story-of-the-match-a-great-world-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-1066089 Toronto Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:30:46 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=7237#comment-1066089 Jerry - hey, you've got something there! Bjorn Frei and his triple agent girlfriend, Strike Anywhere. See the Friction, the spark! Feel the heat! Smell the sulphur! Swan, James Swan, in "Matchless." (Swan Matches are, of course, part of the Swedish Match Company. Really.) Jerry – hey, you’ve got something there!

Bjorn Frei and his triple agent girlfriend, Strike Anywhere. See the Friction, the spark! Feel the heat! Smell the sulphur! Swan, James Swan, in “Matchless.”

(Swan Matches are, of course, part of the Swedish Match Company. Really.)

]]> By: Jerry http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/02/24/the-story-of-the-match-a-great-world-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-1066082 Jerry Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:34:34 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=7237#comment-1066082 The idea of the world's match supply being controlled by a Swedish man of mystery sounds like a particularly inept James Bond plot. The idea of the world’s match supply being controlled by a Swedish man of mystery sounds like a particularly inept James Bond plot.

]]> By: Rafer Hoxworth http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/02/24/the-story-of-the-match-a-great-world-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-1066080 Rafer Hoxworth Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:01:57 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=7237#comment-1066080 Here's the rest of the story. Very interesting read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_Kreuger Here’s the rest of the story. Very interesting read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_Kreuger

]]> By: rick http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/02/24/the-story-of-the-match-a-great-world-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-1066073 rick Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:09:23 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=7237#comment-1066073 That Malay igniter is really fascinating. I saw it demoed on a documentary about 40 years ago in which they were showing some of the customs of a tribe of people back in the jungle, I believe it was in Borneo though, not Malasia. The one they showed was about 5 or 6 feet long and was only a little over an inch wide. The stick-piston that went into the bamboo cylinder was made to just fit into the cylinder with no play at all. They didn't mention anything about lubricants but I assume there must have been some sort of light grease involved to aid in the compression. The demonstrator affixed a bit of tinder at the end of the stick, placed it into the cylinder and with one quick shove pushed it all the way in. When it was pulled back out, the tinder was smoldering. Pretty impressive. I've been wondering ever since how that tribe or any other "primitive" culture of that sort ever came up with an idea like that. They beat out Diesel by several millenia, it seems. Rick That Malay igniter is really fascinating. I saw it demoed on a documentary about 40 years ago in which they were showing some of the customs of a tribe of people back in the jungle, I believe it was in Borneo though, not Malasia. The one they showed was about 5 or 6 feet long and was only a little over an inch wide. The stick-piston that went into the bamboo cylinder was made to just fit into the cylinder with no play at all. They didn’t mention anything about lubricants but I assume there must have been some sort of light grease involved to aid in the compression. The demonstrator affixed a bit of tinder at the end of the stick, placed it into the cylinder and with one quick shove pushed it all the way in. When it was pulled back out, the tinder was smoldering. Pretty impressive. I’ve been wondering ever since how that tribe or any other “primitive” culture of that sort ever came up with an idea like that. They beat out Diesel by several millenia, it seems.

Rick

]]> By: Toronto http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2009/02/24/the-story-of-the-match-a-great-world-industry/comment-page-1/#comment-1066069 Toronto Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:33:27 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/?p=7237#comment-1066069 Good article. Before I read this, I knew Zippo about the Swedish match monopoly. Good article. Before I read this, I knew Zippo about the Swedish match monopoly.

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