Water Resistant Matchboxes

Hello fellow Makers.
So being sick sucks. But a positive is that you get a lot of extra time, so why not make some matchboxes?
In this Instructable I will show you how to make two different types of water resistant matchboxes.

I also want to thank everyone that voted for my previous Instructable in the Outdoor contest.
I really appreciate your support!

Becouse I'm not a fan of (or allowed by law) to take materials from living trees I needed to find some braches on the ground and a somewhat recently dead tree to take the birch bark from. Luckily for me I found both these things not far from home. The branches were already dry and the bark was relatively undamage, enough for me at least. When collecting the bark make a cut down the tree trunk, but be carefull not to damage the inner bark or you will kill the tree. Then carefully remove the bark from both ways around the trunk. If the tree is living, and it's the right time of the year for harvest, the bark should pop off easily. It's recomended to practice on dead tree trunks first before trying to collect bark from a living tree.

You will also need:
A knife
An awl
Glue
Rubber bands
A cylinder that fits inside the bark box
Small bits of wood
Linseed-oil
Leather straps
An old matchbox (and matches)

After some cutting and sawing I ended up with a 10cm (3.9") by 15cm (5.85") piece of bark and a 10cm high cylinder och birch wood.

I cutted the end of the bark like you see in picture 2, usually you should have "flaps" at the end of the cut, but the bark cracked when I tried to insert it to the opening, so i cut them off. Next I wrapped the bark around the cylinder (in my case a glue stick) and marked where the opening should go. I then glued (ordinary wood glue) the inside of the bark and rolled it around the cylinder and secured it with rubber bands. While I waited for the glue to set i started on the next box...

You only need a knife for this, but if you are lazy you can just drill the hole. Quick warning, if you are not carefull you can damage the tip of the knife.

After spending some very much needed hours in the sun I was happy with the deepth of the hole. I then took a bit of wood and worked it with the knife until it could be used as a lid for the box. Next I punched a hole through the lid and glued a leather strap in the hole (using contact adhesive). I also glued a piece of "unsmooth surface" to the bottom of the lid, so my strike-anywhere matches could be lit (I made an extra lid just in case).

The bottom for the bark box is no different from the lid, except it's glues in place and doesn't have a leather strap. When the lids and the bottom is finished you need to dip them in linseed-oil to make them water resistant. Two to three dips with drying in between should be enough for these small bits.

Done!

Now you can light up the darkest of nights, even if you take an accidental swim.

(Sorry for the lack of pictures, ill me was to tired to document everything)
OutdoorEnthusiast out!