Fire kit, what do you think?

great kit , i love mag blocks...i also carry mag/shavings done before a trip,less hassle,shave them into a little zip bag or into foil, pencil sharpener is a great idea (pitdog) !
 
Another vote for mag blocks. I've been carrying them for more than 20 years. In the words of Karl Malden, "Don't leave home without it".

I think I would take it out of the tin, though - all your eggs in one basket kind of thing. I have a small loop of 550 tied through my mag bar and it is attached to my belt 24/7. Most of the time I'm not even aware that it's there, but if I need it............................. It keeps company with a Fox 40, spare van and apartment key (also survival items).

Doc
 
Quiet Bear said:
What is nice about the magnesium and ferro rod is they are very durable, no moving parts, and can get wet and work immediately thereafter......the magnesium may provide the extra heat needed to get your tinder bundle to ignite.

It a good idea to carry one of these in your pocket or around your neck should your tinder get wet or you lose your tinder/fire kit. To me it is almost as important as my knife - I ALWAYS have both on me at all times.
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I always carry one of these in my front right pocket as well. It is the first thing I grab in the morning besides my knife. From what I'm hearing I'm surprised at how many people don't seem to know too much about the magnesium block. To me it is one of the easiest ways to start a fire. I always shave some of the magnesium off and poof, the fire is started with one or two good shots of sparks. I actually never really could get that BSA starter to work. If anyone knows how to get that going feel free to englighten us, J.
 
The BSA is so simple. some sparks and a cotton ball or dryer lint. It is the fastest way I know without liquid fuel.

The problems I have had with the mag were just annoying and labor intensive. The shavings fly all over it takes a long time to get a decent amount and when you strike the rod they bounce every which way.

That said I will give it a try again.
 
Hi Chris-

I had to give mag bars a try again before 'accepting' them. Practice helps a lot, just to find scraping and striking methods that work well for you. Also, you can 'cheat' a bit (which is my normal practice) by keeping some foil, for starters, onto which you can scrape the mag and place tinder. Scraping the shavings onto a little bit of duct tape is also helpful, and the PJ on cotton balls can help hold a lot of it together.

All that said, it's often hard to beat a good dedicated firesteel like the full Army model.
 
if you look back a page or so and i posted my BK7 with a mag block & pre-shavings into little baggies,I bought two extra mag blocks only and with a rough file/rasp and make shavings,yes it takes time that is why i do it before hand,but if needed I can shave them in the field(just takes little time). scout model firesteel and single mag block only, I do have the Doan style but i prefer a dedicated fire steel and mag block.
 
I found it helpful to get a small container full of scrapings prior to leaving the house. I've read that others have added the mag scrapings to their PJ and cotton ball tinder.
 
In addition to regular firestraws with cotton & Petroleum jelly, I have made some "magnesium straws." I made the shavings from drilling (skeletonizing) :D a mag block. These staws are small, don't spill, and really get a fire going quick. Just be careful when sealing the end! :eek:

-- FLIX
 
I've found that using a short length of hacksaw blade is a good fit with a mag block. By making a kind of sawing/scraping motion with the toothy side, it produces a largish amount of magnesium scrapings in a hurry.

That having been said, in a recent test I did much better with the fire straws than with the magnesium, and they are much smaller and lighter.

$.02
 
Hey Guys..

Snake

The only I can suggest now is teach them how to use the items..

I'm not sure if you've done this or not..

Looks pretty good to me..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
WOW, great feedback! I did include a sort of instruction guide with the kit. My brother lives in Salem, Oregon and they are leaving tomorrow, I plan on calling him tonight and discuss the details. We all went camping over the summer and his whole family enjoyed using my "light my fire" fire steel.

Thanks again for the helpful advise!
 
chrisaloia said:
I would ditch the magnesium and save some weight and bulk.

Other wise it is awesome.
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Exactly what I was thinking. Everything seems to fit nicely, but the mag block is pretty much useless replication with a ferro rod already in the kit.

Great job, none the less. Real fatwood is becoming popular in my area (AZ) and I have seen it for sale at safeway and target.
 
All that said, I went to walmart and picked up a new mag bar.

My son and I went hiking this afternoon. I tried my BSA rod with some mildly damp tinder. It did not light. However, I did get the fire started when I added a cotton ball from my kit. With a dry cotton ball and some dried bark, I had a small "camp" fire in 2 minutes.

I was thinking, let's say I ran out of cotton balls, not hard to imagine. You can't carry 100 cotton balls but how many mag shavings can you get out of that bar? Alot!

I think the mag bar is worth revisiting.

Thanks guys

Chris
 
chrisaloia said:
All that said, I went to walmart and picked up a new mag bar.

My son and I went hiking this afternoon. I tried my BSA rod with some mildly damp tinder. It did not light. However, I did get the fire started when I added a cotton ball from my kit. With a dry cotton ball and some dried bark, I had a small "camp" fire in 2 minutes.

I was thinking, let's say I ran out of cotton balls, not hard to imagine. You can't carry 100 cotton balls but how many mag shavings can you get out of that bar? Alot!

I think the mag bar is worth revisiting.

Thanks guys

Chris
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Now you've got to the heart of it. When all else fails......................

Doc
 
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