Wood Match Annoyance

[burleybreath]

brass pipe Zippo, I didn't know there were brass zippo pipes, are you kidding? Hey brother, thank you for your generosity, I accept the gift. Damn translator, zippo brass pipes?

Funny. Brass pipes smoke hot. Really hot. John, I need your mailing address. Use the conversation thing in the upper right corner, the little envelope symbol, I think.

 

[username]

Yeah the diamond green strike anywhere matches suck.

 

[craiginthecorn]

I buy these at Meijer in the Chicago area. They are made in Sweden by the same company that makes Swan Vestas, Swedish Match Industries (SMI). I think they're the very same matches inside the box, but are only $1.99 for 3 boxes of 100 matches.

 

[n_irwin]

I use matches exclusively. Swan Vestas are my faves.
Another issue people have is flareup/rim char. The key is to bring the flame to the bowl on the inhale, and pull it away before you stop the inhale. Otherwise you get a backdraft causing a flareup which causes the rim char.

That’s good advice. Thanks for sharing

 

[n_irwin]

I have several of these eternal matches in my collection; also called evermatch, metal match, or other trade names. They are basically a metal stick with a piece of wick on the end, held by carbon steel which sparks as you drag it over the striker. You can put any fuel you want into them, but they act as a match over and over again.
They say that they never wear out, but the strikers are usually the first thing to wear out. But... they work.

View attachment 145992

That’s pretty slick. I haven’t seen one before.

 

[ssjones]

Anyone else notice the piece of match head that always flies off every match when you strike it? They always land on my keyboard or clothes or some other awkward place. Probably not a problem for someone smoking outdoors, or whoever doesn't use matches, but I much prefer wood matches over lighters, and this feature irritates.

I buy plain old grocery store matches (strike on box brand), nothing special but this very rarely occurs to me. I've been using matches for a decade now, so I guess practice makes perfect? I get in trouble when I toss my match into our flower bed, or stick them in my wife's flower pots.. (hey, they are biodegradable, right?)

 

[scloyd]

It's a tiny, barely noticeable fragment that seems to eject from the match when struck, every friggin' time.

Yep, I know exactly know what your talking about. I notice it when I light up in my indoor porch/smoking room. My favorite matches are these that my son brought back from a cigar bar in Boston. I like the thickness of the wood and the 4" length.
The problem is, I only have three boxes.


I'm going to try the matches Craig buys at Meijers.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Funny. Brass pipes smoke hot. Really hot. John, I need your mailing address. Use the conversation thing in the upper right corner, the little envelope symbol, I think.

It's easier to click on the intended recipients avatar and select Start PM at the bottom- the name is automatically inserted.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I have several of these eternal matches in my collection; also called evermatch, metal match, or other trade names. They are basically a metal stick with a piece of wick on the end, held by carbon steel which sparks as you drag it over the striker. You can put any fuel you want into them, but they act as a match over and over again.
They say that they never wear out, but the strikers are usually the first thing to wear out. But... they work.

View attachment 145992

Me too! They work really well.

 

[jpmcwjr]

You folks using kitchen matches, have you tried smaller wooden matches?

 

[burleybreath]

I buy plain old grocery store matches (strike on box brand), nothing special but this very rarely occurs to me. I've been using matches for a decade now, so I guess practice makes perfect?

I've been using matches for five decades. Guess I just don't have the touch, and don't know what the hell I am seeing or talking about. Need more practice, obviously.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

I mainly use transparent metal matches these days.

 

[craiginthecorn]

My real question is, does anyone know of a suitable substitute for the match stick ? In other words, something I could light with a Bic or something? Call 'em match blanks, for lack of a better word. I suppose I could just turn the match around...hmmm

I don't see why you'd want to turn the matches around. The tip comes flying off when you strike, right? Light them with a Bic instead of striking them. It'll either look very wise and clever or a bit strange, depending upon the person watching.

But I generally agree about the quality of matches. Even the most expensive Swan Vestas will break every so often, but it's a natural product, so it's not too surprising. I see some folks striking wooden matches while holding them unsupported near the tip. I learned to use cardboard matches from matchbooks where you need a finger almost directly behind the head,.which you retract as you strike. It helps avoid broken matches, but doesn't help much with tips that fly off. In my experience, matches that have been subjected to humidity are far more prone to failure.

 

[burleybreath]

You folks using kitchen matches, have you tried smaller wooden matches?

Like the ones they used to (maybe still do) give away in classy restaurants and hotels? Those did work well. I had forgotten about them. The days of traveling with an expense account are long gone.

 

[buckaroo]

Yeah, I know what you mean. The Diamond green matches (I think it even happened with the red) throw small really hot sticky pieces almost every strike (I'm not pressing that hard.) It's extremely annoying. My skin has been burned. My clothes have been burned. Carpet. I like smoking inside and my knee-jerk reaction some time ago was to start lighting them with a Bic and that works, but I feel like an ahole doing this because I'm compensating for an inferior product that I spent my money on. Will not buy anymore.

 

[burleybreath]

I don't see why you'd want to turn the matches around.

To light the tail end. That way, I could hold the head between my fingers, waiting for a grim timing miscalculation to ignite both my pipe and my fingers.

 

[anotherbob]

I've been using matches for five decades. Guess I just don't have the touch, and don't know what the hell I am seeing or talking about. Need more practice, obviously.

yup sounds right.
Though in seriousness it does raise the question of what factor is different here. Why are a small number of people having that issue? And pretty much no one else?

 

[n_irwin]

Lighting the back end w a lighter would help avoid the sulphery smell when you light a match

 

[burleybreath]

Though in seriousness it does raise the question of what factor is different here. Why are a small number of people having that issue? And pretty much no one else?

I really can't answer that. My best guess would be that I'm insane.

 

[anotherbob]

I really can't answer that. My best guess would be that I'm insane.

maybe. Or it could be environmental or if you're getting them from one source it could be how they handled them before they got to you. Could be how you strike the matches. The point being it's not an issue most people are experiencing, so something is different. Hard to pin point what though. Or a good excuse to experiment.