Some kid I knew had a weird little matchbox-size box with something like a nail sticking out of it, which he called a permanent match. He would pull out the nail and it would be on fire - he might have struck it on the side of the box, I forget. Presumably the nail was coated with some flammable substance from the box. Seemed like the simplest thing in the world - no mechanics like a lighter. I don’t know why those didn’t catch on but I’ve never seen another one.
What an oddity - I never even heard of those.
They were used on boats and in WW1 trenches where matches weren’t reliable due to water, wind or mud.
Some kid I knew had a weird little matchbox-size box with something like a nail sticking out of it, which he called a permanent match. He would pull out the nail and it would be on fire - he might have struck it on the side of the box, I forget. Presumably the nail was coated with some flammable substance from the box. Seemed like the simplest thing in the world - no mechanics like a lighter. I don’t know why those didn’t catch on but I’ve never seen another one.