Matchstick Roll Up Blinds

Matchstick roll up blinds might not be exactly what this is site is about, but they are made out of matchsticks and I thought I would include them.

Matchstick roll up blinds are normally actually made out of bamboo and you can see how they look by clicking on some of the photos for a bigger look.

There is actually not that much information about matchstick roll up blinds and how they are made (I bet in China!), but I found some interesting information about what you can do with old sets:

1 Drive some metal stakes or wooden posts into the ground then staple, wire or nylon twine to tie these blinds to the posts to make a sort of “fence” from them, then on the back & the front, then spray them with a clear linseed oil deck sealer or an colored stain to keep them safe from the weather. Then plant some ivy or similar fast growing plant and you are good to go.

2 If you have a chain link fence for more privacy you can zip-tie or wire them to your chain link fence after sealing them

3 Hang them on the wall to give it the oriental look.

4 Hang a mirror on the wall and then hang the matchstick roll up blinds in front of the mirror. It give the room a bigger look and reflects the light.

5 If you’d like a shorter garden trellis, I bet you could cut them in half with wire snips, sturdy scissors or even a jig-saw.

6 Glue them on to old cupboards to give them a new look.

7 Tie them around plant pots

8 Hang them on a wall for plants to grow up

9 To cover the sides of a treehouse or a kids clubhouse.

10 Put them on a muddy path. The grass will grow up through it and make it part of the path

11 Use them when working on the ground (like under a car for example) so you don’t have to lie directly on the road or concrete.

12 Roll one up and put it in your car to use as snow tires to give you traction.

13 Use as a rug or place on the grass when at picnics

14 Put underneath your towel when on the beach to stop sinking in the sand.

15 Use it as a door mat.
I hope that you like some of these ideas in using matchstick roll up blinds.

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Matchstick Puzzles

Matchstick Puzzles are nothing new and probably date back to the time when we had no electricity and everyone carried matches around to light the candles.

Matchstick puzzles are basically rearrangement puzzles in which a number of matchsticks are arranged as squares, rectangles or triangles. The problem is to usually form in a specific number of moves another shape of some kind.

Matchstick puzzles normally involve lateral thinking and is not just about making shapes.

The common wooden matchstick, with its brightly colored tip and sturdy box, has inspired tricks and puzzles ever since it was invented. Here’s a collection of the most baffling matchstick puzzles of all time, from the six riddles of the nine squares to the astonishing effect of the matchstick telegraph. Can you build a bridge with just two matches? Can you balance matchstick equations? Can you calculate how many matches you would need to cover the distance from the earth to the moon? With a rating of easy, medium, or difficult for each puzzle and illustrations showing colorful matchbox covers from around the world, this fascinating potpourri of brain-benders will provide hours of amusement for young and old alike.

For more fun with matchstick puzzles you may want to check out this link.

Lateral thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono, for the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach. Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.

Did you know that…

The first “friction match” was invented by English chemist John Walker in 1826. Early work had been done by Robert Boyle and his assistant, Godfrey Haukweicz in the 1680s with phosphorus and sulfur, but their efforts had not produced useful results.

Walker discovered a mixture of antimony sulfide or stibnite, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch could be ignited by striking against any rough surface.

Walker called the matches congreves, but the process was patented by Samuel Jones and the matches were sold as lucifer matches. The early matches had a number of problems – the flame was unsteady and the initial reaction was disconcertingly violent; additionally, the odor produced by the burning match was unpleasant. It is described as a firework odor.

Despite these problems, the new matches were responsible for a marked increase in the number of smokers Lucifers reportedly could ignite explosively, sometimes throwing sparks at a considerable distance. In the Netherlands matches are still called lucifers.

Now that sounds like one of the biggest matchstick puzzles

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