A little disappointed with my Misch Metal ferro rod.

J

jeff_c

Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
725
Well, maybe Im doing something wrong, but Im not real pleased thus far.

Granted I just got in from work and I have not yet REALLY worked with my new fire starter, but thus far Im not throwing "gobs of molten metal". Im sure not getting the results I see on the GoingGear videos.

I ordered a rod a few days back, and also the GoingGear striker. So far... eh, not that much better than the Firesteel I have been using from Light My Fire.

I will keep working with it. So far the only thing I like is that the one I ordered (badger) is a bit bigger than my medium sized LMF.

Molten metal? Havent seen that yet.
 
Hmmm... using your knife? You may try one of their strikers. I was having a hard time just today getting sparks to come from a Cohglans mag firestarter....could barely get any to come..even w/ my Gossman PSk. I might get a handful of those strikers. They seem to work for the GGG guys.
 
Mine works great. Try to pull the rod a bit faster and with some more pressure than the LMF to get the gobs you speak of.
 
It just takes practice and adjustment. Trust me--you'll get it. ;)
 
No idea about those rods, never touched one. But try running a bit of hacksaw down it. If that doesn't do it something is up with it surely. If it works you just want a refund on the striker you bought.
 
Misch metal does take some practice to get right, but once I got it I prefer the sparks/gobs/whatever it throws to the LMF sparks. Once I got the misch metal down the LMF sparks seemed wimpy.

Of course this is all opinion, you may master misch and still like LMF better?
 
It is a different technique, but the Misch metal works MUCH better, in my opinion.
 
I do like misch metal better, though you petty much have to use a knife to get the globes of molten steel. I got one of the scrappers, pretty much a squared off carbide scraper, and it is good for smaller sparks, but that is about it. Try a knife with decent pressure and a quick run down the rod. Should help.
 
Make sure you get all the black paint off and use a knife or striker with a sharp spine. Try different angles against the knife spine and rod.
Pull the rod towards you and hold the striker in place. Try slowing down when striking it but use firm pressure.
 
Like the others have said, if you have been using a LMF and are using the same technique for the goinggear rod then you are going to have poor results. Firm pressure, fast stroke. Slow strokes will only shave off pieces from the rod.
 
Jeff - I went thru the same damn thing. Frustrated the bejiggers out of me. But, others here have given you the technique the works. Practice, have faith and when you figure it out you will like it better than the standard ferro rod.
 
As everyone before me has mentioned, the technique is different for the GG steels. I was used to the old style, too, and it took me awhile to get the hang of the GG steels. Once you do, though, oh brother, does it throw sparks.

When I first got mine I tried all kinds of things to use as a striker: knife spine, hacksaw blade, sharp rock, etc. They all worked to varying degrees (any sharp surface that's harder than the firesteel will throw a spark), but the best — THE BEST — in my opinion, is the GG striker. That little beauty throws some sparks!

As others have mentioned, it all in the technique. Hold the GG striker so that it meets the firesteel at about a 45 degree angle (meaning that the sharpest edge is meeting the steel), and give it a fairly rapid (fairly rapid; not too fast, not too slow) stroke using a fair amount of pressure (not so hard that you're gouging the steel, but enough that you're shaving the very top few microns off).

Now practice. Once you get the hang of it, it's super easy to do.

Good luck,
 
The molten metal is there, be patient. The more you use the steel, the better it actually becomes at throwing sparks. Heck, you'll end up flaming combustible objects outside your target area if you aren't careful:D Try that with a LMF.
 
I really want a GG firesteel, they look like they perform incredibly!

I have an LMF army model and it works good enough for me, but in the future i want to try one of those misch metal rods.
 
IUKE12 said:
The molten metal is there, be patient. The more you use the steel, the better it actually becomes at throwing sparks. Heck, you'll end up flaming combustible objects outside your target area if you aren't careful:D Try that with a LMF.
Click to expand...

I love my LMF firesteels, seldom do they fail to...well...light my fires. But...just as with the LMF, the more I use the mischmetal the more I like them. The only advantages I see that the LMF have over the mischmetal is just how short of a strike I can use to get good sparks, and that they may wear longer because they are harder and don't throw as large of sparks. The mischmetal will ignite damp tinders better from what I've seen once you get the hang of them.
 
Ok gang.. thanks for the help.

I will keep trying. I did get two fires going this evening, so I guess it cant be all bad. Then I looked over to notice a little puddle in my basement... yeah, waterline break.

Ive been digging holes and playing plumber since. argh... I will have to re-do the whole main connection tomorrow.

Maybe I will get done early and have a chance to practice with the fire again.
 
I have both and never had a problem with either one, the LMF is easier to use IMO but the GG ones through hotter sparks, just make sure to get the black paint off first.
 
Been saying this for a while, hopefully it helps...

Instead of striking your knife or striker down, pull the fire steel away. Using this method gives you much more control and you can out as much speed and pressure as you want on the steel and you wont mess up your tinder pile or anything. Been using this method since I first got my GG Steels and I've had lots of success.

Just mess with them for a while, that's what I did and I learned a couple other cool ways to get nice sparks for smaller more finesse areas. It entails quickly (with small movements) scraping down the steel at a certain angle (depending on striker). It creates a constant spray of sparks that sort of... "spurt" off the steel. Good luck.
 
I'm on the fence about misch firesteels VS regular..........I can spark a regular one under duress, when i;m cold wet and tired, and ignite my tinder..........yet misch ones take forever, EVEN with a very sharp scraper.........

that being said, i carry BOTH.
 
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