Bushwalk Australia

Who has had success with or uses fire steels?

e.g. http://lightmyfireusa.com/firesteel.html

A video demo

I wonder how effective that is for lighting a piece of bicycle inner tube? I guess you would need to fray the tube to make it easier to light.

I also bought some waterproof matches and and Coghlan's Plastic Matchbox for them. The little striker on the bottom of the plastic holder is just useless - although maybe it's just my technique. I was thinking that a fire steel would be a better solution for emergency fire lighting.

I have the firesteel scout. Have added it to a small survivial kit that I leave in my car and take with me when camping. Cant say i have used it on tinder but have used it when priming my MSR Dragonfly and lighting my Trangia stove. Im not a fan of matches, the blow out and once blown out you cant reuse the match so easy to go through a few on a windy day. I use a mini bic lighter instead of matches, a new lighter would last easily longer that a pack of matches and easier to use.

Oh and the striker is coated with something when u first buy it so scrape it throughly first, and flip the striker to the other side if you arent getting much spark...that could be your problem

i'm not so sure about a firesteel being able to light a tire tube? it does create sparks when you use it but i really doubt its enough to light a tyre tube.

For an emergency fire kit, just use cotton balls soaked half in vasaline as tinder. for something less messy, i use tinder-quick which light in all wind conditions. ive tried the wet-fire tinder cubes which light better, but i think they're abit overpriced. Despite what alot of people say about them being the same as the normal BBQ cubes, i think they light easier when wet, hence the $$$ price.

one tip is to hold the striker still, and pull the rod back from underneath, instead of striking the striker forward on the rod. less chance of knocking everything all over the place.

Ok I admit it I fell for the "Bear" using it and brought one. Actually great for lighting a gas burner that does not have a built in sparking device and it survived the bucket of water test but it was beyond my merger ability to start a fire with bone dry paper so in true TV style I will have to cut to a fire I prepared earlier. Actually the old fashion rotating steel wheel and flint lighter, cheap and cheerful Bic is probably the best thing to use as it survives the bucket of water test and even an accountant can work it reliably plus cheap too.

Cheers Brett

The only thing better than a Mini Bic is ...2 Mini Bics.
Franco

Franco wrote:The only thing better than a Mini Bic is ...2 Mini Bics.
Franco

. . or possibly a 1300°C mini butane blow torch at 45 grams that will also light wet wood under water

ninjapuppet wrote:one tip is to hold the striker still, and pull the rod back from underneath, instead of striking the striker forward on the rod. less chance of knocking everything all over the place.

Good tip, seems so obvious now that I think about it. I found lighting my MSR Whisperlight with the priming cup under the burner awkwards when doind it the other way and trying to not to spill things.

lint from the dryer is also excellent tinder

or lint from your bellybutton

Lizzy wrote:or lint from your bellybutton

ROFL!

tas-man wrote:

Franco wrote:The only thing better than a Mini Bic is ...2 Mini Bics.
Franco

. . or possibly a 1300°C mini butane blow torch at 45 grams that will also light wet wood under water

Mini blow torch.jpg

Why should it not surpise people to find I had and have one. Not a stunning success with the bucket of water test but great for litting a Primus ETA when running on liquid fuel as they are a little monster to do with a conventional lighter and the long hot flame can reach the lighting pad without burning fingers.

Cheers Brett

Your a "gear freak" brett......I like it!

Tas Man wins...
Franco

cotton wool and a few flakes off a fire-starter cube works really well damp or dry for tinder... also flakey paper bark or lichen works too. the flint is fun but a bic lighter is easier... just not the same for the cave-man genes tho

oh i have tried crumbled sparkler powder on top of fluffed up cotton balls, but it is not good damp like a few knife scrapings or thin flakes off a fire-starter cube - these cubes are water repellant too and cheap

Maybe obvious to most but just in case...
Olive oil burns very well, so just add a few drops to some cotton/lint/fabric and burn that.
Another reason for always having olive oil with you.
Franco

flatfoot wrote:Who has had success with or uses fire steels?

All I carry for fire lighting is a tinderbox, that is flint and steel and what goes with it. Pretty hard not to have success if you know how to use flint and steel. I carry my tinderbox in a greased leather fireworks bag, this in turn is carried in my belt pouch. The steel is tied to the buckle on the belt pouch so as not to get lost.

My brass tinderbox with some prepared plant tinder and some not charred.

Tinderbox and my late 17thc. to early 18th century fire steel.

My fire-bag or fireworks bag. I roll the top down to make it waterproof.

My belt bag. I keep this on me all the time, it also contains some fishing tackle in a brass container.
Regards.

Cotton balls that have had vaseline work into them works as a great starter when using a steel. I carry a some pack of 6 or so cotton balls. Puff them and flick a sparking them and they work a treat, burn time is about four times that of a standard cotton ball. Also use the steel to light my MSR whisperlight Int. which is great as you can throw the spark into to primer bowl form a foot away or so.

The only thing better than a Mini Bic is ...2 Mini Bics.

After that smart alec comment on my very next outing my only Mini Bic I had with me (I usually do have two...) refused to work.
So I had to use my Fire Steel (it is the Mini version) and my emergency Vaseline impregnated cotton to light my Caldera Cone burner.
Next trip (came back yesterday) I had the very same Mini Bic that I imagined somehow would magically come back to life. It did not..(apparently I had forgotten to put my other Mini Bic back into my emergency kit)
So I used again my cotton balls. I pull a very small bit from one and put it at the top of the burner opening. It catches fire very easily and then I drop it into the fuel.
A couple of times in the sun I started the stove without the cotton balls.
So, most likely it is the safest way..
BTW, my balls are almost dry (...) that is there is very little petroleum jelly on them .
Franco

Why not lubricate with Virgin Olive Oil tends take to longer to dry out ? no petroleum to evaporate
c

Seems to me, there are some things you can buy or might have on hand at home to take with you especially for this. What about things you would have on hand like fuel already mentioned. Toilet paper can be doubled a few times and ripped holding the torn edges with the striker to catch the spark and that will light reasonably OK.

Anything we bring in may become too precious or run out in some circumstances. So what can we find in the bush? I have heard you can use lichen and old mans beard but I have not tried these and they are not common in all environments. What else can be found and used?


Regards,
Ken

paperbark, horseshoe fungi, bull rush tops, dry bracken, wood shavings, frizzed-up bark, so on........ grab a few bits n play at home
ps i can vouch for lichen - it works really well.

"Why not lubricate with Virgin Olive Oil tends take to longer to dry out ? no petroleum to evaporate"

Petroleum jelly = Vaseline..
never seen that "evaporating"

The bit on the left is about the quantity I use. The ball on the right is a partially used one. out of that i probably get 20 or so uses. Inside that film canister I have 11 "balls" (12-13 when full)
Franco

How often do you need an emergency fire? Can't say I've even thought of one in 20 years.

well, i don't just walk in stove only areas and a campfire is like TV at times...
but i don't see why you bother pre soaking the cotton wool... it wil catch dry and still burn a few drops of olive oil if you add them at the time? I carry it for cooking so it is always handy... a little sugar will work too btw

When in the Scouts we discovered a handful of powdered milk works marvellously as well...sneak up and throw it on the other patrols fire just as they were lifting the dinner off.... I have a fire steel and after several experiments and practical uses I don't see the need to carry anything else.

Has anyone tried waterproofing the "vaselined" cotton balls in wax?

A few points..
I have not noticed Vaseline evaporating. I could be wrong...
Some of the balls I have used were a few years old but exactly how long they last I do not know.
I never started an "emergency" fire but used the Vaseline/cotton balls to start my metho burner at low temps .
All I need is about the same quantity as you see over the coin in the picture above.
Coating those balls with wax... why ?
Try this. Make one of those balls.
Get a cotton ball mix in Vaseline till it feels all "wet/waxy" .
(real cotton , not synthetic)
Drop the ball in a glass of water. Leave overnight. Pull a bit apart (again like in my picture)
Put a match to it ...
Franco

I read somewhere that coating it with wax helps to keep it waterproof. Anyways, I did dip the PJ cotton ball in wax and let it hardened. Then i tested it by dropping it in water for awhile then took it out and broke a bit of the wax to reveal the cotton ball, then fluff that small part and strike a spark to that. It flamed after 2 tries and started burning. Timed it for 8mins burn time. Have to say didnt try dropping an unwaxed cotton ball in water and then try to light it.

I also tried a DIY firestick using corrugated cardboard and dipping it in wax, managed 10mins burn time.