Fire pistons
Fire pistons were first developed in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. In 1865 European explorers found their use to be widespread in Indonesia. The discovery was probably accidental and linked to the manufacture of the blowpipe. It is believed that the effect was first observed during the preparation of a blowpipe bore.
A metal fire piston was independently developed in Europe during the early 1800's, following the discovery of the effect by air-gun makers. An English patent was taken out in 1807. Operation of the European fire piston required some skill, and its use was superseded by the invention of the wooden match.
A fire piston has two parts. A hollow tube, (originally made out of wood, horn or bone), sealed at one end and lubricated inside. Pig or dog fat was popular with early fire piston developers. The second component is a plunger, typically with a small compartment at the tip to hold dry tinder. The plunger must not allow air to escape when placed into the bore of the piston, so the device had to be engineered with some precision. When the plunger is suddenly pushed all the way in, the air in the piston is compressed and, as result of the work done, will reach temperatures exceeding 400 °C.
Information from a Wikipedia link.