Help!; Firesteel Profficiency

4028 Views 20 Replies 17 Participants Last post by danmc, Jul 13, 2008

Giguere

Discussion Starter · Mar 29, 2008

Hello, While I was at "****'s Sporting Goods." Looking at the camping isle, making searching for some cheap, useful things, I stumbeled apon a "Light My Fire", "Firesteel." I've heard good things on here about them, and saw them mentioned in "Backpacker" Magazine. My dad has never used one of theese, and sticks to modernized, conventional methods. I can properly get LARGE sparks off of the firesteel. I however, couldn't get a propper firegoing, and would like to be proficient in the Firesteel by my family camping season, as I plan to do some Solo Survival camping, in the deep woods (Capiable of getting back to parents easily, I know the terrain, Cellphone also in my pocket.) I was wondering if any of you fella's out there with this device, could explain to me how to catch the sparks from the firesteel onto tinder properly, I have tried this, even with cloth soaked in gasoline.

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

FredLee

· #2 · Mar 29, 2008

Start with a couple cotton balls.Pull them apart,kinda fluff them up a bit. They should light right up.Dryer lint would also be good.In Nature,you need to find materials as fine in consistency as cottonball,like cattail fuzz,or dried flower from wild rice.
I did a personal challenge last year,I lit every fire in my woodstove with a LightMy Fire,and used those materials to start it.After a while,I got to where it was amazingly easy and fast.The key was prep.

Reactions: 1

Josiah922

· #3 · Mar 29, 2008

It appears that your problem is not proficiency with the firesteel since you said that you can get LARGE sparks off of the steel.

It is probably your choice of tinder. Look at the definitions of tinder and kindling. Tinder can catch a spark and turn it into a flame. Kindling can turn a small flame into a larger flame capable of lighting sticks and etc.

I would spend a good bit of time identifying true tinders. In the previous post lint and cotton balls were mentioned and in truth they are my favorite but there are others. Start experimenting and remembering what makes a good tinder and what doesn't.

Some others are:
* Dry pine needles, leaves or grass
* Birch bark
* Dead, standing (usually one season old) Goldenrod
* Cloth, lint, or frayed rope (if made from plant fibers and not treated with fire retardant)
* Char Cloth
* Cotton swabs, tampons
* Paper, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.
* Punk wood (in the process of rotting) or charred wood
* Some types of fungus (best known is the Amadou or horse's hoof fungus)
* Bird down
* Small twigs (poor tinder but commonly available)
* Fine-grade soap-coated steel wool
* Shaved magnesium or other alkaline earth metals
* rabbit droppings
* Alcohol Prep Pad
* Hand Sanitizing Gel

Don't let Survival Helper know I made this post or he will come behind me with 10 more items that make good tender. Me and him live to start a camp fire out of the weirdest stuff imaginable. LOL

See less See more

Reactions: 3

The_Question

· #4 · Mar 29, 2008

its all about the fluff, make sure its dry and make sure to have tinder nearby varying in sizes as your fire gets bigger. If i cant find dried up moss what i sometimes do is scrap a dead twig with my knife to get the dead bark off it, if you wrangle it around a bit it'll become a little fluffy, get a dry leaf and crumble it up and kinda ball it inside the fluff.

but yeh, if you can use non natural means, cotton balls in Vaseline are always great.

Reactions: 2

ARCTICWOLF

· #5 · Mar 29, 2008

i own the same product from dicks and i've lit a few fires with it without any trouble, but i was using dryer lint.

Reactions: 1

ww2willysjeep

· #6 · Mar 29, 2008 (Edited)

Giguere said:
I was wondering if any of you fella's out there with this device, could explain to me how to catch the sparks from the firesteel onto tinder properly...

You are supposed to, from what I was taught AND what I actually do, is to shave a bunch of the metal flakes off the fire stick onto the medium you are trying to light on fire (ie: paper, bark etc. etc.). Instead of just trying to light the tinder with a few sparks, you actually pile up a bunch of metal shavings and THEN flick some sparks onto that. It usually lights up REAL fast kinda like gun powder. If there are enough metal shavings, it'll get hot enough to start something goin.

Reactions: 1

AAPEXX

· #7 · Mar 29, 2008

at 2:30 into the video it shows the correct way! good luck

Reactions: 3

Survival Helper

· #8 · Mar 29, 2008

One of the best tinders available is on every single person in a semi modern society. Socks (cotton). Take your socks off and "shave" them with a knife to remove the tiny fibers that form (don't cut them up, just shave them like you would your face). This tinder burns with barley a spark, and should burn more than long enough to start a fire (if you prepare first). See and Josiah thought I would give ten more, nope only one really weird one

for now.......

Reactions: 3

Kid_Molasses

· #9 · Mar 29, 2008

check out this thread
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=1015

cotton balls and vaseline are my favorite way to start a fire. SUPER easy especially with the spark shower coming off of one of those firesteels. if you have some other tinder like all of the great suggestions above on hand to throw on after (not necessary at all but its nice) and then you have all of your other sizes after that, small kindling, bigger kindling, small branches, small logs etc etc
I'm sure youll get the hang of it quick
let us know how it goes and what your favorite way turns out to be
Kid_M

ww2willysjeep

· #10 · Mar 30, 2008

AAPEXX said:
at 2:30 into the video it shows the correct way! good luck

Good video! Really shows the correct way to do it!

Reactions: 2

FredLee

· #11 · Mar 30, 2008

Josiah922 said:
It appears that your problem is not proficiency with the firesteel since you said that you can get LARGE sparks off of the steel.

It is probably your choice of tinder. Look at the definitions of tinder and kindling. Tinder can catch a spark and turn it into a flame. Kindling can turn a small flame into a larger flame capable of lighting sticks and etc.

I would spend a good bit of time identifying true tinders. In the previous post lint and cotton balls were mentioned and in truth they are my favorite but there are others. Start experimenting and remembering what makes a good tinder and what doesn't.

Some others are:
* Dry pine needles, leaves or grass
* Birch bark
* Dead, standing (usually one season old) Goldenrod
* Cloth, lint, or frayed rope (if made from plant fibers and not treated with fire retardant)
* Char Cloth
* Cotton swabs, tampons
* Paper, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.
* Punk wood (in the process of rotting) or charred wood
* Some types of fungus (best known is the Amadou or horse's hoof fungus)
* Bird down
* Small twigs (poor tinder but commonly available)
* Fine-grade soap-coated steel wool
* Shaved magnesium or other alkaline earth metals
* rabbit droppings
* Alcohol Prep Pad
* Hand Sanitizing Gel

Don't let Survival Helper know I made this post or he will come behind me with 10 more items that make good tender. Me and him live to start a camp fire out of the weirdest stuff imaginable. LOL

I played around with some amadou that I collected last winter,I had let it dry out in the stove shed over the summer.Stuff was bone dry,and I ground it between two firebricks to get it to a fine powdery consistency.I used my Light-My-Fire,the bigger BBQ model.It took quite a few strikes to get the spark to catch into the fungus,and it only glowed.No flame.I blew the thing into a decent coal before adding dried inner bark tinder from an aspen.Even then,it was an S.O.B. to get ignited.Amadou is good for holding a glowing ember for travel,but I would not rely on it for quick fire.

Foxtrot

· #12 · Apr 1, 2008

First, I don't know if the other posts or the video covered it, but when using firesteels, hold the striker firmly (in place) above your tinder and pull the ferro rod towards yourself. This makes it less likely that the striker hits the tinder and sends it flying.

Reactions: 2

Kid_Molasses

· #13 · Apr 1, 2008

Foxtrot said:
First, I don't know if the other posts or the video covered it, but when using firesteels, hold the striker firmly (in place) above your tinder and pull the ferro rod towards yourself. This makes it less likely that the striker hits the tinder and sends it flying.

+1
this is super important. cant tell you how many times i had to redo my tinder set up because i didnt do this and ended up throwing my cotton ball or pile of wood shreds all over the place with the striker...

AncientBrit

· #14 · Jul 9, 2008

Use some birch paper bark,Scrunch it up and rip it,use a golf ball size piece i use less now,get your steel in the middle and strike your steel it should light with a couple of goes,there is lots of resin in birch bark.

Keep trying you will get there Bud.

Reactions: 1

BobNidaho

· #15 · Jul 9, 2008

your tinder choice is key. ive had guys on some of the camp here, not even get one going with a blast match...for 45 minutes!
like i tell them... think big,fluffy and soft. if you got grass,roll it in your hands make a big "fluffy ball". so many try to use stuff like pineneddles and grasses that work light with just a "spark".
PJ balls work well ,but you gotta fluff em out.. cotton balls soaked in candle wax work well,,again you have ot fluff one end,, dryer lint...its fluffy aint it...
see that lil common thing...fluffy

Ive used my usgi issue fire stell deal with 100% success everytime,,blastmatch is twice as easy. learn proper firemaking skills, if not even withgas,napalm, 3 road flares and some tnt you wont get a ifre....

Paradox

· #16 · Jul 9, 2008

Firstly I have to thank Apexx for the bushcraft vid. Wish I'd seen that when I bought my firesteel.
Second, use whatever tinder you find the best and practice practice practice.
Try afew different tinders out especially ones that are available where you are going and dryer lint as mentioned ( I am still yet to try the cotton balls and vaseline )

91g-dub

· #17 · Jul 10, 2008

Foxtrot said:
First, I don't know if the other posts or the video covered it, but when using firesteels, hold the striker firmly (in place) above your tinder and pull the ferro rod towards yourself. This makes it less likely that the striker hits the tinder and sends it flying.

Yup, that's the way to do it. Works everytime for me with dryer lint or cotton balls.

SCBadger

· #18 · Jul 10, 2008

firesteel are a great thing to have and master but whats wrong with throwing a couple packs of Bic lighters in your BOB they are crazy reliable and will light many fires.

kev

· #19 · Jul 10, 2008

At 3:30 of this video my son uses a Swedish firestarter to get the camp fire going. We used dryer lint, and with 2 strikes of the sparks we had a fire.

And as SH said, use the lint off your socks for quick start.

Another way to do it is to get dry grass, and rub it between your hands to grind it up. Smash that dry grass up really fine and then get after it. The tops of dried grass works well.

Giguere

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jul 11, 2008

Heh thanks guys, I have mastered the Art of using a firesteel know. I usually cary cotton rope with me, and pull out the center cotton bit before I use the rope, the cotton can be pulled apart, and used to make a fire.

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.