Re-Fire kit by Francesco Faccin creates fire without matches or a lighter
Milan 2014: rubbing together wooden tools in this kit by Italian designer Francesco Faccin creates fire in a "primitive manner" (+ movie).
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_4.jpg)
Francesco Faccin revisited a manual fire lighting technique, using the friction created by rubbing a soft wood against a hard wood to produce glowing ashes that can be used to light straw.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_5.jpg)
"This project has been designed to manually light the fire in a completely primitive manner," said Faccin, who showed the Re-Fire Kit at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan last month.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_3.jpg)
In this case, a beech spindle is rotated within pre-formed holes in a board made from linden wood, creating a device known as a bow-drill. The user kneels on the board to weigh it down and keep it in place.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_2.jpg)
The bow-drill comes in an aluminium tube with caps on either end. One serves as a socket to put pressure on the spindle and the other is used as a container for the straw to be lit by the embers.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_11.jpg)
A walnut bow is used to spin the beech stick fast enough to create a spark. The spindle is stayed using a hole made by a loop in the rope, held in tension by a brass screw, then rolled back and forth.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_7.jpg)
"The rhythmic movement of the arm combined with the pressure of the hand on the socket creates friction on the fire board, which in a few seconds produces the ash required to light the straw," Faccin explained to Dezeen.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_10.jpg)
Making your own fire gives a greater sense of achievement than using modern tools, according to Faccin.
"When I actually managed to create fire with my own hands, I was overwhelmed by a powerful sensation of self-sufficiency and independence," he said.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_6.jpg)
The wooden elements were shaped using a combination of laser cutting and CNC routing, and went through many iterations before they worked together.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_8.jpg)
"This project is emotionally charged and extremely physical; it cuts across innumerable frustrating attempts to identify the perfect equilibrium between the various components," Faccin said.
![Fire Kit by Francesco Faccin](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Fire-Kit-by-Francesco-Faccin_dezeen_9.jpg)
The project was first shown during Stockholm Design Week earlier this year, before being displayed at Orlandi's courtyard gallery during Milan design week.
Photography is by Delfino Sisto Legnani.