Creating enough heat to make fire!

In order to make fire you need heat, this heat in the 18th century was created by smouldering tinder that had caught & held a spark. Kindling such as dry grass or similar is placed next to or on the smouldering tinder and then blown into flame. But sometimes in wet weather this heat generated by the burning kindling grass is not enough to cause damp kindling twigs & sticks to burn, so you need a more constant flame.

In my fire-bag I carry a little kindling and a stubby beeswax candle. If the fuel for the fire is damp and will not easily catch fire, then I light the candle and place the candle beneath the damp fuel. This constant heat although only small, aventually will dry out some of the sticks & twigs and they will take fire.

My Tinderbox and contents.

Closed Tinderbox and steel.

My Fire-bag which holds the tinderbox, some kindling and a candle.

A dipped beeswax candle, broken but will still function.

Period Terms. Tinderbox, Tinder Box, Fire box

Note the damper for the tinder box above and the square one for the wooden tinder box below. This is to put out the smouldering tinder after use.

This tinder box appears to have its own conical candle snuffer. All three tinder boxes have candle holders on the lids.

The author's tinderbox with charred tinder fungus, uncharred punk wood and a musket flint.

A Fire Box was a Tinder Box. Both names might be used to describe the equipment used to make fire, for instance a musket lock used to make fire could be called a tinder box as mentioned in Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe. So by the same rule I would think that a tinderlighter could also be termed a tinder box or fire works.

'fire or Tinder-boxes the groce, containing twelve dozen boxes' [Rates (1660)].
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=58765#s1