Vintage matchbook safety

June 23, 2023 6:47 AM

If I pick up some vintage matchbooks, is there any reason I shouldn't burn them? Will they burn?

I saw this and previously about preservation. But I want the opposite! I want to use them as matches today. Will the matches reliably burn or will I get frustrated trying to strike them? Or were they typically made or treated with something that's now considered cancerous or bad to breathe in?

posted by paradeofblimps to Grab Bag (2 answers total)

I have used quite old 'close cover while striking' safety matches in the little cardboard folder, and haven't had trouble striking them. Well, not any more trouble than using modern ones, if you can still find them.

The issues I've had were more about the red phosphorous striking strip getting something on it or getting worn so it didn't strike well, or the cardboard 'sticks' being structurally weakened due to age, which can cause the heads to crumble off or be too weak for you to put pressure on them against the striking strip.

But, as far as the chemicals involved, I believe they've been the same components for a long time and they don't degrade over time (although they will if they get wet, get other things on them, etc.).
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:56 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

They last for decades, if kept dry. But just a bit of damp will make the matchheads crumble, or the striking-strip ineffective.

will I get frustrated trying to strike them?

Yes, when the match head disintegrates, as does the next one, and the next. But possibly, the most central match will ignite.
posted by Rash at 9:18 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]