What is your preferred method of fire lighting.

Discussion in 'Bushcraft' started by sticks65, Jan 19, 2010.


  1. BAT1

    BAT1 Cowboys know no fear

    Magnesium stick, a Bic, and corrugated cardboard soaked in wax and rolled up with hemp rope and a magnifying glass.
     
  2. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    A match.
     
  3. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Preferred? Speed and ease counts with this olde pharte. Trash barrel gets started with a Bernz-O-Matic. Most else, Bic. However, backups include strike anywhere matches, with in depth support from friction devices and flint and steel as a last resort. I have not mastered (meaning make them work reliably) either f&s or friction. When the weather gets better, will work on those.
     
    john316 likes this.
  4. vegasrandall

    vegasrandall Monkey+++

    a gallon of avgas,throw in a thermite grenade and then pour a gallon of liquid oxygen on it.it never fails.
     
  5. Snake Plisken

    Snake Plisken Monkey+

    I don't know if anyone else already mentioned alll these ?
    If so, Sorry...my bad.
    1. BIC
    2. Matches/weather proof
    3. Flint/Steel
    4. Magnesium rod.
    5. Battery/Steel wool

    And last, the old fall back... Potato Chips.
    Yea thats right! Potato Chips.
    Almost all Chips are cooked in and full of oil. Just light em' with a match and you got fire! And yes, I do almost always have at least one chip in the car. With my kids, I just need to look under the seats.[flm]
    Call me Snake.
     
  6. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    Molotov Cocktail, Thermite.
     
  7. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Edc fire lighting kit.
    [​IMG]

    heres the fire lighting kit i keep in my backpack.
    [​IMG]

    Fire lighting kit i keep in my shoulder bag.
    [​IMG]
     
    Brokor likes this.
  8. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Sparks from my striker.

    Striker.

    I use crampball fungi to take the spark.
    [​IMG]

    Or char cloth.

    Or a slow match take a spark very well.
     
  9. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    I like to use Jute string to make a tinder nest or i make a birch bark tube.


    Birch bark tube which you just put you crampball or char cloth in and then blow until it takes a flame.
     
  10. Hispeedal2

    Hispeedal2 Nay Sayer

    Very cool stick! Thanks for sharing. I have a couple strikers and have had some luck with char cloth. I think I will give some of your other methods a try.
     
  11. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Love those strikers! Suprised our resident blacksmith, Bear, hasn't made a comment yet- I'll go find his cave and poke him with a stick.

    We really need to preserve this knowledge. It's one thing to read about it and an totally different thing to have to do it. Especially under stress.
     
  12. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    I also think it very important to preserve this knowledge and to practice these skills.

    I watched a documentary when a bushcraft guy called Ray Mears went out to stay with an Amazon tribe,he asked them about making fire using traditional methods and they had forgot these skills which i find very sad indeed.
    Anyway Ray showed them the bow drill and by the end of his trip they could again make fire using the old ways.[beer]
     
  13. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    The tinder i like to use with a ferro rod.

    Birch bark is my preferred tinder,all i do is pull some form the birch tree which freely gives it up,then i scrap the bark with my knife to fluff it up and it lights very easily.

    You can also use ceder bark and cherry bark in the same way.

    I also use fat wood.

    I just scrap thin curls off and when ive got enough strike the ferro rod and its away.

    Pine sap is also great for firelighting.

    Cattails [reed-mace]also light well using a ferro rod.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    also when i can get my hands on sulfur i make my own splints [matches]

    Something else that is good to keep in you kit is strike anywhere matches which you can dip in wax to water proof them.
     
  14. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Let me know how you get on and which method you prefer.
     
  15. Hispeedal2

    Hispeedal2 Nay Sayer


    The slow match looks really interesting. What diameter is the brass tube? I assume that it doesn't matter much as long as the rope/cord fits tight?
     
  16. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    "Regular" birch bark is far less amenable to fire than "paper" (the one with the peeling, white bark) birch. Haven't tried that in many years, but did in scout camp. Works well, but best with a spot of dry moss tinder to ease catching a spark. Thanks, sticks.
     
  17. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    the tube i used was 6mm but you are correct,as long as it fits tight.
     
  18. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Here im practicing making fire using flint and steel,i use a crampball fungi [King Alfred's cake] to take the spark,once the fungi takes it glows like a cigarette
    and is great for getting tinder nests going.

    I use jute for the tinder nest and i also use some birch bark and feather sticks to get the fire going.
     
  19. Bear

    Bear Monkey+++ Founding Member Iron Monkey

    Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to poke a hibernating bear???[lolol]

    Seriously though.... nice strikers and knives....
    What kind of steel did you use?.... (I'm an old bear so please forgive me if you mentioned it earlier...)

    I love flint and steel... yes I know a bic lighter, propane and even a flame thrower make better fire starters... but where's the fun in that?[boozingbuddies]
    Surprised no one mentioned making their own jelled gasoline [lolol]

    Its a skill thing and a sense of pride to go primitive and and a sense of accomplishment... and a very rare appreciation of the past....

    Nowadays... I'm liking fatwood and ferro rods... cool to make your own char cloth or use some oakum.... tinder fungus or chaga is cool too... and it smells nice ... fatwood too....

    But have played with have quite a few other toys... bow and drill, fire piston, lenses, all the other cool ways to make fire and yes even some of the torch methods....

    I like your skills and forging is just one of those primal things that I get supreme satisfaction out of....

    Cold and freezing my hairy butt off... yup... a lighter and lighter fluid...
    Got some time and just want a sense of satisfaction and maybe teach the next generation a little patience and appreciation of the past and some of the old ways....
    Flint and steel... bow drill... fire plough... friction thing a ma bob (I forgot what its called) etc...

    JMHO....

    Thanks for starting this thread.... its a good one....
     
  20. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Hi Bear.

    I use old metal work files,the older the better as the steel in the old files just seems to give off more sparks.

    Good to see another that appreciates the old ways and a fellow forger.

    Im looking into fire pistons at the moment and would like to make my own,ive not made fire using a lens since i was a kid and will have to play around with this in the summer time.

    Thanks for your reply.[beer]
     
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