Another Ferro-rod Failure Day !!!!

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
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Decided to test out my fire-making again today, good job I took out my big knife cos battoning Fatwood was on the cards.......

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After the recent thread I decided to try some paper as tinder.......

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Now I could just show the fire pic and say one strike of my Ferro-rod and I had fire but this was not the case, try as I might the bloody Ferro-rod was not working for me today so it was out with the trusty Bic....

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Maisy entertained herself by eating Barnacles off some driftwood !!!!!:barf:

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Found plenty of Otter signs such as this scat, I left Snicker in the frame as a size guide......

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And a Scenery pic.....

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What kind of ferro rod are you using?

Try scraping some lint off your socks or pants to get the paper started, that's worked for me several times.

I really gotta try this fatwood stuff.

Looks like a fun time! Wish my Satchmo could go woodsbumming with me, but the big mutt is just too hyper.


ETA::

Remember, everything has an ignition point. Until that temp is reached, there won't be a flame. Maybe the chunk of wood you had your paper on was sapping the heat out of your spark faster than it could heat the paper (it does look a little wet, possibly getting the paper a little moist)? Were you holding the FR close enough to the paper?
Spark-based fire can be a little tricky sometimes...sometimes it just takes a finer tender than what you have to catch a spark. PJ Cottonballs are kickass (points down to Macclint's post), I always have a bunch of them stuffed in my packs.
 
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Well, I cannot say I can get a fire going every time either. However, is this just starting to happen recently, or have you always had some trouble with them?
 
I can nearly always get one going with the PJ balls or Dryer lint, provided it's not in a down pour, but I was just trying to use the paper and Fatwood. In Summer I can usually just get one started with Fatwood but today it just wasn't happening !!!!
 
The fatwood its self makes excellent tinder. Shave back some curls then scrape it with the knife perpendicular to the wood and make a pile of fluff under the curls. The fluffed up fatwood catches a spark from a firesteel very reliably in my experience.

I usually just spark it up with it all still attached to the block and light my kindling with it like a big match. Gives a more solid base to work with when your striking the firesteel, nothing more annoying than your carefully prepared tinder getting knocked over into the wet ground.
 
Sorry to hear it. May I offer some criticism? Of course I can't tell completely but it looks like your tinder goes from too fine, to too large, and not enough. Do you use the spine of your knife, or the blade perpendicular to the wood to "scrape" instead of "shave"? If not, try that, and try to get a fluffy pile about the size of half a golfball at minimum.

Maisy chews on the barnicles?!

Love that last shot! Nice to see both dogs getting out.
 
Found plenty of Otter signs such as this scat, I left Snicker in the frame as a size guide......

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It's always the otters fault. You need to ease up on the fiber in Snicker's diet.:D Great pics.:thumbup:

I always carry dryer lint, in a plastic bag, with my LMF. I usually use my Aurora or Going Gear fire steel now though. They put off molten balls instead of just sparks. Going Gear posted a video where he started a cotton ball on fire while standing, with the cotton on the ground.
 
Your curls are too fat. You need to scrape off what amounts to dust. Capture it safely and then drop the scrapes right on it.

TF
 
Pit are you still using that worn out ferro ?

might be time to break out a new one :D
 
You could try to use what my friend calls "Crazy Style." That's when you run the striker back and forth really fast and throw lots of sparks. Works okay with old man's beard as well but that's the only way I've been able to get whole sheets of paper burning. What happens is the first few strikes will singe the paper and turn into a sort of char. Then if you keep striking the charred piece will eventually catch a spark and flare up. In the other thread I noticed he shredded a piece of the paper which is probably the way to go, give it more surface area and such.
 
pitdog said:
Decided to test out my fire-making again today, good job I took out my big knife cos battoning Fatwood was on the cards.......

After the recent thread I decided to try some paper as tinder.......

P4170003.jpg


Now I could just show the fire pic and say one strike of my Ferro-rod and I had fire but this was not the case, try as I might the bloody Ferro-rod was not working for me today so it was out with the trusty Bic....
Click to expand...

If I remember right, the guy had torn/cut some strips in the paper (Fuzzed it).
From you pic it looks like your trying to light a piece of paper that has just been folded once (My guess is to prevent it from sucking to much moister from the ground).
I could be wrong, its hard to get the hole picture from just pictures ( :D ) -easier from video's.



Bahh shotgun beat me to it
 
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paper in general is a lousy ferro rod tinder. It only tends to work in ideal circumstances. Also, paper tends to absorb moisture readily, rendering it useless.

-- FLIX
 
One of the nice things about carrying bits of hacksaw blade for use as a striker is it overcomes stuff like this so easily. Not only do you not have to square the spine of your knife off, so that is more kind on your hands when working the knife bit for a start, but also the hacksaw is also so good for fluffing stuff up and teasing materials out. Grated across that paper or a bit of cloth it would have got you a pile of very fine material to take a spark easily.

I also find the bit of hacksaw blade is fuel economical. Used wisely with a single tampon one can start loads of fires. I've seen other people using tampons whole as if each was a one time fire lighting unit. Waste of resources. Further a cotton ball really saturated with Vaseline and very compressed makes a matted clump. A bit half the size of a pea can be ripped off and teased out so easily with a hacksaw blade. Compare that to trying to tease out the greasy compacted lump with your fingers, knife, bits of stick and so on and you'll find a huge difference. I don't dig on this current trend in using knives as strikers at all. It's like people remembered to bring a lighter but willfully forgot to put the flint wheel back in. Strikes me as bloody-minded, remiss, and deserving of the twenty pushups. :-)
 
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just find some dry grass or forbs and make into a birds nest type with fatwood on top. works every time. here in montana beargrass grows almost everywhere. even in high country you will find some kind of dry grass. been starting fires with rods for 20 years!
 
Also, you can scrape off a small pile of the ferro rod. That will give you a nice hot flare up.
 
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