Fire and me or more correctly Fire and I.

P

pedropcola

Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
880
Just a few personal observations. I have always used the LMF Swedish Scout firesteel. With the right tinder I can consistently get a fire started and all is well. For me though, the correct tinder is PJB's or dryer lint or some such artificial stuff.

I started reading the differences between firesteel and misch metal. I understand the only real difference is compositional percentages so I didn't expect much difference in real world use even allowing for the advertising aspect of a million you tube videos. But, to be fair I decided to purchase some steels from firesteel.com (GoingGear was going to be my second choice and I am sure they would perform just as well). I got them today and I now wonder why I will even carry my LMF stuff anymore.

The misch metal stuff definitely burns longer and throws way more flammable stuff. I bought the 3/8's inch stuff and getting a little carried away I can tell that it won't last as long as a ferrocerium rod. That is not too much of a worry though because it certainly will last a good long time and is plenty cheap to replace.

On to my actual burning of things. This is where I am a convert. I have NEVER gotten news print to burn with my LMF. I can get singe marks but no flame. With the misch, I burned letters, newspaper, etc. every single time with the new rods. To me paper is kind of a good test for a firesteel. If I can get that going I can get my natural tinder going and I could and I did. Very excited at the improvement over my LMF. I read many times that it requires different technique but I found it to be pretty simple and didn't notice any difference in required technique from misch to LMF type. Or maybe I have always used the wrong technique with the LMF, hence my overjoyousness (new word) over the misch metal.

That is all for now.

Pete
 
Pete, when you use the scout. just scrape it real quick not just a one time deal and you can get paper and many other things lit too.

Bryan
 
pitdog said:
Good to hear, I'd like to try one of the Going gear ones !
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PM me your address, I got gads of 'em layin' around here. I'll send you one. I bought bulk, as I got 2 little survivors to be runnin' around. Jokes on me. They like LMF better. Go figure. Moose

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Once you get the knack of striking the misch metal they work as advertised. I have retired all my LMF steels in favor of the m/m. I have accidentally started collateral fires using the m/m steels, they are that good:D
 
There is quite a difference, isn't there?

I also first purchased a LMF device. It threw some nice sparks and I had fun learning about tinder and starting a fire with the firesteel instead of a lighter or matches.

Then, I decided to outfit all my packs and bags with one for emergencies. I ended up ordering them from Going Gear. I got nice, big, fat ones. At the time, I didn't realize there was a difference between mischmetal and the conventional firesteels.

I'll never forget the first time I tried one. When my order arrived, I was at work. I was explaining to our truck driver what they were and how they worked. When I struck the big mischmetal rod for the first time, big blobs of molten stuff came flying off and splashed and splattered on the table in the break room. Holy moley! Impressive... not just sparks, but burning blobs of molten goo!

I was worried I was going to set the wooden table on fire! It was evident the big mischmetal rods would give me a little more leeway with the quality of tinder necessary to get a fire to take.

:)

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Yea, I was kind of surprised too. I have tried the "spark the lmf as fast as you can" thing and truly have been underwhelmed with the results. So much so that I kind of relegated the firesteel to the last resort. No lighter, no waterproof matches, no active lava flows, etc. I guess it is just the idea that it does what the lmf does but on an entirely different level. I won't discount those of you who have way better skills with the lmf but the misch metal, for me, is in a whole different class.

Totally off the subject, I also bought one of those nanostrikers just because the machined aluminum design just seemed very cool. Uber urban warfare but cool looking/seeming anyway. We shall see.
 
pedropcola said:
class.

Totally off the subject, I also bought one of those nanostrikers just because the machined aluminum design just seemed very cool. Uber urban warfare but cool looking/seeming anyway. We shall see.
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Those are cool! I would have a difficult time walking past them if I saw them in a store. :rolleyes:


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
moosez45 said:
PM me your address, I got gads of 'em layin' around here. I'll send you one. I bought bulk, as I got 2 little survivors to be runnin' around. Jokes on me. They like LMF better. Go figure. Moose
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Can I quote you as saying that LMF products are for little girls? :D

We sell both and several other types as well, so whatever preference people have is fine by me. I've been using the permanent match myself lately (I'm lazy).
 
storl said:
Can I quote you as saying that LMF products are for little girls? :D

We sell both and several other types as well, so whatever preference people have is fine by me. I've been using the permanent match myself lately (I'm lazy).
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They like to hold their tinder down with the firesteel. The misch is too soft, they wind up with lots of shavings and no spark. But hey, I love my misch. So does my Lady, she says she likes lighting her tinder standing up. You'll keep gettin' my business. Moose
 
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