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MegC
USA
1258 Posts |
 Posted - 10/31/2009 : 8:26:27 PM
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Posing a question to all the great minds here... what do you recommend for emergency fire starting that actually works when you need it?
Husband and I have messed around with serveral magnesium things without being impressed. In fact, it was a resounding dud when we were caught out in a fast moving storm backpacking years ago, and he resorted to just pouring white gas stove fuel on some dry wood (which worked like a champ). Due to this and a couple other situations I prefer taking lighters with me instead of matches also.
I've heard folks rave about drier lint but haven't had a chance to play with it yet. |
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Dougskijors
Canada
329 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 8:29:57 PM
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I have had reasonable results with a magnesium/steel fire starter and some tissue paper. I shoot the sparks directly into the kleenex, wrapped in birchbark.
But, I have not tried under wet conditions yet.
The Coghlans 'waterproof' matches may be waterproof, but for me, they are also fire proof.
So I carry ordinary wooden matches in an old film canister. |
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swanny
USA
641 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 9:04:55 PM
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Laugh if you like, but I carry obsolete flint and steel, with a healthy supply of charred cotton or linen cloth to catch the spark. Unlike a butane lighter it never runs out of fuel, and unlike matches you can use the flint and steel over and over and over again.
To make charred cloth you need a tin with a lid. Punch a hole in the lid with a nail or something. Stuff it full of 100% cotton or linen fabric. Make a fire (preferably outside the house) and put the tin over the fire to cook. Watch it closely and when smoke is no longer coming out of the tin use a stick to remove it from the fire and check it out.
Your charred cloth should be black. If it's only brown it's no problem, just put it back in the fire to cook a while longer. Store it in a crush proof container. In use just take a piece of the charred cloth, strike a spark into it until you get a glowing ember. Place it in your fine tinder and blow like a hurricane. In short order you'll have a fist full of fire, ready to light whatever you need to burn.
Rather than using fine tinder, dryer lint saturated in Vaseline won't catch a spark, but once you light it you will have a strong flame that will burn a good long time to help you get things going. Another option is an old-fashioned paper egg carton, fill each egg cup with dry sawdust, and then pour melted paraffin or bee's wax into the cups. You can also saturate a length of cotton, hemp or linen rope (100%, no plastic please) in paraffin or bee's wax to serve the same purpose.
These 18th century solutions are just as effective today as they were back them.
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“A good dog is so much a nobler beast than an indifferent man that one sometimes gladly exchanges the society of one for that of the other.” William Francis Butler
http://www.tworiversak.com/mushing.htm |
Edited by - swanny on 10/31/2009 9:07:46 PM |
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David Lowry
USA
484 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2009 : 12:59:32 AM
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| Blast Match and WetFire tinder work well. But you know where we are, sometimes just good cover is the best thing. Otherwise it is just too much trouble splitting down to dry wood. |
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Mike Murphy
USA
167 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2009 : 05:11:07 AM
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Ahhh, the good ol' days. Flint and steel and charred cloth. An old mountain man trick. That does work really well by the way Swanny. Another option with flint and steel, is to use very fine steel wool. Catches a spark really quickly and isn't as fragile as charred cloth. It's also very light so you can carry a bunch, and it'll work with those magnesium gizmos too,,, and in a pinch,,, touching it to both ends of a headlamp battery will start it. It also doesn't hurt to have a supply of birch bark as well. It doesn't catch a spark well unless finely shredded, but once you get the spark on something else, you're good to go. A nest of finely shredded cedar bark, dry, is also good. The sawdust and parifin deals work well too, and there are a number of commercial products out there that work fine.
I usually carry a butane lighter, but in extreme cold they don't work all the time. Might be a problem in a survival situation. I do also carry wooden matches in a waterproof container with some sort of striker inside as well. A small piece of sand paper or the side of a match box. The ole' using your zipper, or the seat of your pants, or if you're really tough, the stubble of your beard  ,,,aren't all that reliable.
But then again,,,, white gas on dry wood, always works  , as long as ya got a way to light it  |
Edited by - Mike Murphy on 11/01/2009 05:17:50 AM |
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Cliff Maxfield
USA
2438 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2009 : 08:30:26 AM
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Old birds nest material and a friction bow, stick and small board. A bottle of rubbing alcohol used in small amounts on a cotton swap placed by the heat point.
Practice at home first by all means. |
Edited by - Cliff Maxfield on 11/01/2009 08:35:23 AM |
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Ladysibes
Canada
462 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 08:24:42 AM
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| dryer lint and or coffee-mate (in a ziploc baggie) and matches in a film container. lightweight and catches pine needles, birchbark etc with not too much trouble. try it though - don't take my word for it.. lol |
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THZSteele
USA
1051 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 08:47:27 AM
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We have a few things on our firestarter kit in addtion to water proof matches...
1. a 9 volt battery and steel whool - works great just touch the battry terminals to the steel whool and you have ignition.
2. an empty TP roll stuffed with dryer lint...a cheap easy fire starter...light the lint with a match.
3. a road flare - easy to start w/o matches and makes pretty flames. :) |
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m04a17
USA
44 Posts |
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Andy R
USA
71 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 10:26:22 AM
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| For a fire prime - big wad of drier lint stuffed in a egg carton depression, fill with candle wax. Keep a bic or 3 dry and warm they always seem to lite, Always works for me. |
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Linda Lange
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 1:28:55 PM
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We used a wad of paper towel soaked in Heet this past rainy weekend. One bottle of Heet kept us in campfire mode for two days (2nd day restart.)
Ann had some really nifty jumbo matches (4" long, inch wide, 1/2 inch thick, with a huge sulfur end) that worked as ignition and burn material all in one. And they were a little damp when we tried them. |
LML
http://lastchanceretreatandtrails.blogspot.com/ |
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Kennel GB5
Canada
68 Posts |
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Razor
Canada
424 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2009 : 05:39:55 AM
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You can always carry a small can of Sterno because you can just put the lid back on to put it out and reuse it later and if you need to refill just pour white gas back in it to top it up. Make your own sterno by putting roxul insulation or a roll of toilet paper in a small coffee can or metal tobacco tin, pour on the white gas and put the lid on till needed. Once it's lit start putting dry leaves, pine needles or what ever you have to start your fire, once that is burning well pull out your can and your good to go. I too carry 2 lighters, one in my pocket, the other in my mitt so it always stays warm and lights when I need it.
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Razor |
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Evan
Canada
184 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 5:54:38 PM
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I remember trying to light a fire once quite a few years ago, and had done everything but throw a grenade at it. A friend took out a bag of chips (we were ice fishing at the time) and crushed a few into smaller pieces and laid them at the base of my neatly piled but as of yet fireless fire. He lit one match, the chips sizzled and the flames caught the damp wood. We had a fire.
Now for my firestarting, I carry 2 lighters, matches in tinfoil (strike anywheres), a magnesium stick and some Cedar bark that I rub between my hands to make soft. It will light even when wet. My fire making skills have improved greatly since the chip incident, but I'd hate to be caught short, hence the arsenal.
Incidentally, the chips make a great coating for fresh caught, pan fried fish. |
http://profitablephotosites.com/nomadracing/ |
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Dennis Waite
USA
129 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 6:11:52 PM
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| I too use WetFire and any number of "flint/steel" strikers. It is compact, never fails to take a spark even if wet, and burns long enough to catch damp tinder wood. My second favorite is waxy cotton that Colligans sells - they work great with the magnesium shavings to catch the spark. If I'm using a lighter or match, the blocky sawdust wax fire starting sticks are great too - they are Colligans too. Cheap and simple. I almost always prefer a flint/steel sparker to matches or lighter when cold or damp make them "iffy." |
Dennis Waite
Phoenix Consultation
www.phoenixconsultation.com/rescue |
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ARTpaws
USA
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 07:59:22 AM
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| This is probably going to get a few laughs, but I've heard from more than one survivalist that the best tinder to carry around is new tampons. They are compact, can be easily water-proofed, and pull apart into tinder that catches very quickly with nearly any type of ignition. I haven't personally tried it, but have gone the steel wool and cotton ball route before with pretty good success. |
http://ar-travis.blogspot.com/ |
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Tinder that actually works?
