Fire Pistons???

johnwaynesandw

johnwaynesandw

Joined
Mar 18, 2005
Messages
2,754
I am new to this neck of the woods, but I have a question about fire pistons. I have seen them for sale here on the forum by a member that makes them himself, and I never could get it worked out to get one until yesterday. I bought one of the fire pistons right before he sold out again. I bought it because I have been wanting to try one out for a long time. I keep a frint stick in my Scrapper 6 sheath, but will replace it with the new piston.

Well my question is, would it not be better to throw a 99 cent bic in your kit as to the piston? It seems like the lighter would work better. Are there any benifits to having a fire piston?


Thanks,
John
 
Lighters can get wet and run out of fuel/flint. A fire piston works everywhere. Carrying both couldnt hurt.

Having a fire piston also attracts attention cuz they are so neat.
 
besides the cool factor, the unlimited tinder that is available is a plus. if you were going out long term, I would suggest an extra o-ring, because that is the only thing you will need to replace to keep it going a long, long time. sometimes the flame of a lighter gets blown out in the wind, where as a coal from the piston will get stronger with wind.
 
johnwaynesandw said:
Well my question is, would it not be better to throw a 99 cent bic in your kit as to the piston? It seems like the lighter would work better.
Click to expand...

A lighter does work better. Its flame not a coal. Bics work after they get wet and the flint doesnt rot.

You are better off with a few bics scattered around yourself than a fire piston. Pistons are much more bulky. They are fun to use but for a small pocket kit they are not needed.

If you were transported back to the stoneage I'd take a fire piston.

Skam
 
The fire piston is a very traditional way of lighting fires but it is more of a novelty in today's age of ferro rods, lighters and matches. I can demonstrate how to use a fire piston using tinder fungus or char cloth but it is not 100% reliable. Remember, it is a tool and it has moveable parts. The seal can not be tight, the tinder too damp and the coal won't ignite. Do they work if properly maintained, yes. Are they perfect for fire starting under all conditions, absolutely not. Lighters are faster to use and have other advantages as you gents already know.

My personal favorite not mentioned here, ferro rod. Works everytime for me and just keeps going! To get back to your original question, are there any benefits? Yes, you now know how to use another firestarting method but now that you do, put it aside and focus on a more contemporary way that is a more efficient way of starting fire when the chips are down.
 
So I take it that the fire piston is a good for an expensive back way to light a fire.

I thought the way it works is pretty cool, so I had to give it a try. I think next time, I will just buy 10 bics.


Thanks for the help,
John
 
I usually carry a small fire piston as a fourth source of fire.

Ferro rod.
Bic.
NATO matches.
Fire piston.

I cracked a Bic once in a fall. I suppose one could carry a passel of them, but I like my redundancy in differences not sameness.

A fire piston beats the living hell out of using a fire bow, a fire plow, or rubbing sticks together. My Neolithic lighter is probably the toughest of the fire makers I usually carry.
 
I normally have a zippo on me, and other than it running out of fluid and flint I don't think it could be stopped.

I am fairly new to this game, so what are all these other neat sounding things you use to start fires?


Thanks,
John
 
Fire pistons are really cool and I love playing with them when I am out in the woods. However, in a true survival situation, I would not want to have to rely on one. In a survival situation you may have to face extreme cold, wind, rain, etc... and in those situations, a fire piston would probably work but is clearly not the best choice. Carry a ferro rod and some PJ cotton balls. They will work in any weather, light up immediately and can be worked one handed. Basically, fire pistons, saws, bows and other primitive methods are really cool and make for great conversation, but you shouldn't be counting on those methods as your sole source of starting a fire in a true survival situation.
 
I'll buy one of those fire pistons sooner or later i'm sure.
They are kinda neat!
I used to be a Zippo guy but lately ive been carrying a little keychain peanut lighter.
They work great and they they are small!
They have an O-ring that keeps the fuel inside.
I filled up my peanut back in October and its still ready to go!
Zippos are more fun but they tend to go dry in a couple of weeks even when they aren't being used at all.
 
I have this mental image of a fancy cast iron fireplace tool set with the poker and shovel and little broom and all, and in the stand is built a firepiston. Pull the handle up, fit some tinder, slam it back down, pick it up and light your laid fire. No more long matches to buy. Oh well. I do not have the wherewithal to make it happen.

In the field or even on the side of the road, when you need a fire, you need a fire. You never want to be down to your last firemaking option. I have multiple ferro rods on me, fresnel lens in the wallet, bic or 3 scattered, little orange match safe, cotton and vaseline, scraps of bicycle innertubes, bit of magnesium, little notebook that lives in my pocket can be scavenged for paper, the waterproof license holder with tissues is reserved for more, ah, delicate operations, but is there if I need them.

So, multiple means of making fire. Which one should you practice the most? the most difficult one. Practice the most with the coldest spark, least flame. Then when you NEED a fire, use whatever is handiest and simply make it happen.
 
grommit said:
So, multiple means of making fire. Which one should you practice the most? the most difficult one. Practice the most with the coldest spark, least flame. Then when you NEED a fire, use whatever is handiest and simply make it happen.
Click to expand...

Thanks, thats good advise. I now know it is better to have something and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Getting the fire piston was something I did mainly out of the coolness of it and how it works. I am sure my Physics teacher would like to see it. Thanks guys for your input. I welcome anyones else opinion on the fire piston.


Thanks,
John
 
I have one and love it, but will never take it on a trip. It is just not very practical. Fun to use? Definitely. Better than a lighter, firesteel, or even a rope lighter? Not in my opinion. I think you are less likely to have a lighter, firesteel, or other tool fail than always being able to find the proper tinder. Not to mention that o-rings are not indestructible, so that will eventually fail, no matter how well you lube it. You can take spare parts, but why not just take a couple firesteels and lighters instead? If I am ever in a situation where the several thousand fires I can start with a firesteel are not sufficient, then I think I will have other things to worry about. :)

I wrote up a wiki article on fire pistons a little while back, and included a link to a video that the maker of mine made. Hope this helps.
 
I would say that a benefit to a fire piston is that it can be used indefinitely without needing to return to civilization.
 
I saw a fire piston on Survivorman last night and was going to start a thread asking about it and found this one this morning. Anyone know where to get one premade? I think that I would still prefer the Ferro Rod but it doesn't hurt to have extra insurance.

Edit: I guess I should reword this and see if anyone know where to find a "reasonably" priced one. An online search turned some up but I could buy A LOT of ferro rods for what they cost.
 
Triquetra said:
I saw a fire piston on Survivorman last night and was going to start a thread asking about it and found this one this morning. Anyone know where to get one premade? I think that I would still prefer the Ferro Rod but it doesn't hurt to have extra insurance.

Edit: I guess I should reword this and see if anyone know where to find a "reasonably" priced one. An online search turned some up but I could buy A LOT of ferro rods for what they cost.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen one for less than $40-50 anywhere. Not a compact one, anyway. You could probably make one with parts from HD. I made an all metal Blastmatch, so I would imagine a fire piston isn't that much worse.
 
badmilk002 said:
I would say that a benefit to a fire piston is that it can be used indefinitely without needing to return to civilization.
Click to expand...

Indefinitely, until the o-ring breaks, is lost or wears down, or you run out of lubricant, or you use a lubricant that flashes under pressure like diesel fuel and damages either the firepiston or you, or you run out of and can not find a low temp tinder, or either part of it is damaged in some unfortunate accident, or you lose one of the 2 essential parts.

I am not picking on you. Almost every other firestarting method that depends on any part produced with modern technology will permanently wear out, use up or fail before a well made firepiston would. The only method that would work "indefinitely" is something that you can reproduce in the field from, well, field. (That or a 5 pound hunk of ferrocerium, but that would be simply ludicrous.) That is why I suggested practicing with the most difficult, lowest temp, least flame method, like most things that could be reproduced in the field.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top