Making Fire

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I always teach/preach use your equipment don't just buy it and expect it to work.
So that being said let me say a word on my fire starting event while hunting with my daughter this weekend. I had given my daughter a ferous rod attached to a boat key floater filled with lint/cotton balls soaked in vasoline. We had practiced the lighting technique several times so I was confident she could make fire until I had her make one on her own when we arrived. She showed up to the fire pit with 6 leaves, 2 piece of green grass and about 4 twigs to make a "sustainable fire" that I requested. Things that make you go hmmm
I learned to practice everything with EVERYONE. As an old Platoon Army Sergeant I shoulda known that but failed on this one. We also replaced the string shown here with a cobra weave 550 cord to make it even more useful.

[Grand58742]

Good advice! I bought a Blastmatch I have yet to go out and try other than making pretty sparks when I happen to dig it out of the kit. But recently have been trying several other methods of firestarting. Found a bunch of birch for my outdoor firepit and stripped the bark to give it a whirl. It wasn't a huge fire or anything, but I could have kept it going had I needed the reason to. Have used dryer lint in recent times to help catch the tinder as well. Here is a write up I did last fall while out and about:

FIRE BUILDING FAIL:

Not really a fail, but more work than I wanted.

So yesterday on my hike, which turned into more of a backcountry trail blaze more than anything, I took a break in the deep dark part of the woods to nibble on something and rest up for a moment. While sitting there I happened to notice the abundance of dead spruce tree limbs hanging all around me.

Deciding to see if I still

[610Alpha]

I have a magnesium/ferro rod that I have on my key chain. I think I got it from campingsurvival, its not bulky fits in my pocket and it is always with me. I have used it several times, my wife thought I was nuts until I started a fire with it. Both her parents and her didn't believe me when I told them that you could start a fire with a cottonball dipped in vaseline, guess who's laughing now?

[EX121]

I applaud everyones deligence in practicing. I confess to being a bit of a snob when it comes to fire starting, I like to use primitive means. But several of my Search & Rescue buddies and I were recently talking about fire starting and they helped me realize that there may be a time & place for using white gas or something simular. I still believe that if you need to know how to start a fire with a primitive means, because if you can do it that way, then using the same principals you have a better chance of success everytime you start a fire.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Man I wish I was near cause them stick rubbings are kicking my b... I can't get the hang of it to save my life. I have figured out i'm gonna die if thats what it takes. Once things settle out for me thats gonna be on my list is to attend a class somewhere and learn how to do that.

[tomato]

I have taught my son to do fire by friction, making a bow out of a sapling and finding good logs to drill on. I have seen him do it twice. It has been a few years since I have made fire that way but I think I still could. Though i would probably never need to, I always carry a lighter (I am a smoker.) but I also carry mag/ferr rods when I hike and camp. I always have fun trying the different ways to make a fire each time I camp.
A fun thing to try out is boiling an egg in a styrofoam cup. You think it would melt but it won't when filled with water.

[M4Shadow]

my Girls starting a fire

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Thats awsome bro. I bought mine a gerber pocket tool and the coating wouldnt allow us to get sparks off of it. We used her skinning kinfe.

[alex john]

Use a hardwood drill and a 'softwood' board. Make sure that you pace yourself. Making a fire with a bow drill is not easy. Make sure your wood is dry and will not crumble from the friction. You also need to let the ash build up to maintain sufficent heat to create an ember. Good luck!

[EX121]

Also for a bow drill, the higher the humidity the harder it is to get a good ember. Not to be crude but it's like a lot of things start the motion slow, until the drill gets going good then finish fast.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Ok you all have shamed me into it, I will try again after we move and get settled in. I'm still pretty sure my ancestors stole the fire not made it though! LOL

[610Alpha]

they changed their name from alex john to ava john....hmmm. must be a zombie.

[protus]

they changed their name from alex john to ava john....hmmm. must be a zombie.

let the fire talking continue.

Those who wanna play stupid games will win the stupid prize. Like LD i dont have the nerve to deal with people who can not, or chose not to follow one simple rule of this web forum! Especially when already edited by other mods/admin and in a different account!!

[Christian for Israel]

I applaud everyones deligence in practicing. I confess to being a bit of a snob when it comes to fire starting, I like to use primitive means. But several of my Search & Rescue buddies and I were recently talking about fire starting and they helped me realize that there may be a time & place for using white gas or something simular. I still believe that if you need to know how to start a fire with a primitive means, because if you can do it that way, then using the same principals you have a better chance of success everytime you start a fire.

i'm much the same and practice a few times a year with fire drill, fire piston and flint and steel (NOT ferro-cerium). still, i carry a couple of 30 minute road flares in my get home bag just in case i'm in a monsoon and need brute force to get a fire going. ;)

[Benn Gleck]

Years ago I was into the blackpowder thing (rendevous etc.) so I've had tons of practice with a flint and steel.

I always keep a flint, steel and charcloth in my GHB, but last year I bought a few ferrocium rods with the little striker and have been using them to start fires. Using vaselene cotton balls is almost like cheating they work so good. I even keep some with my flint and steel.

I'm constantly on the lookout for natural tinder that will take a spark though. You guys have any secrets?