The Fire Piston represents the evolution of modern and primitive fire starting devices from the 1800's. It was in the early 1800's that fire by compression was discovered by air gun manufacturers in France and this sparked investigations from physicists that found that the compression lit tinder. Fire pistons were a scientific and physics novelty item used for demonstration purposes but also became used as a household appliance. The first fire syringes, as fire pistons were called then, were patented in 1807. Typically fire syringes were made from metals. They used Amadou and cotton rags soaked and dried in Salt Peter for tinder. The use of the fire piston in Europe was short lived though as matches were being developed at the same time. The first match was created in 1805 but it was the first friction match in 1827 that left little need for fire syringes in the modern culture. It wasn’t until the later half of the 1800’s that explorers found fire pistons used throughout South East Asia from Malaysia down through the jungles of Indonesia. Many debate whether the fire piston is was actually primitive to the South-East Asian Islands or fire pistons were brought there by European explorers earlier. Another debate is whether the fire piston was developed by the more advanced societies of Asia and then adapted by the primitive cultures then spread to the shores of the other South East Asian Islands. They were found made from horn, antler, bamboo, and hard woods. In some areas, they were made from lead molded in bamboo. Most examples of fire pistons were quite small in comparison to those made today. There is not much to find in recorded history on the fire piston after the early 1900’s. They slipped out of time until they were again discovered still in use in the Philippines natives. STRONG>

The fire piston made it into American History in 1947 through John J. Rowlands book, Cache Lake Country. Here we find a drawing of the fire piston he made as well as a description on how to make one. In the mid to late 1960’s that they were again found in the Philippines by Mel Deweese. He can not recall the area where he found them but the device he brought back home with him has sparked the curiosity of modern survivalists and bushcrafters ever since. In 1989, Steve Leung began recreating these primitive tools and sharing his knowledge with others who were interested. He has created his from Water Buffalo Horn, acrylic, bamboo, and various hardwoods. Wyatt Knapp wrote an article in 1996 that discussed the history of the fire piston and there also references the how to make one information from John J. Rowlands book as well as recommends Steve Leungs fire pistons.

Since then, there have been several people to recreate the fire piston for personal use and for sale. Another well known maker, Jeff Wagner, has taken fire pistons to another level by manufacturing and intensively advertising them since 2002. He primarily uses Water Buffalo Horn and Cocobolo, while he has experimented with other materials. He has been careful to not reveal the secrets in crafting these tools as well as attempt to enlist all those who figure it out on their own to work for him. In the last few years though, many have figures this out on their own or with help from photos and the scant history that is available. Darrel Aune began selling fire pistons online in early 2005 and has been very competitive with Jeff Wagner, while also helping him out with some of his orders. He primarily uses Water Buffalo Horn and Cocobolo and specializes in mixing the different materials to give fire pistons a whole new look. Darrel Aune also made his first DVD, a Do-It-Yourself tool on how to make the fire piston, making both a simple metal version and a more in depth lathed version. Emil Banks joined the online selling in 2006 and his creations are not like any of the primitive or modern examples. He makes his from American hardwoods and lines his with brass. His are the most affordable and have continued to stay popular. Incredibly, he continues to find ways to make this tool more reliable and easier to use, also inventing a tinder that works amazingly reliable with fire pistons. There are also less known makers that have been seen on eBay and forums online that can be found but do not sell fire pistons as the others mentioned above do.