Fire starting methods?

Triquetra

Triquetra

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
759
I am looking at some ideas for easy fire starting methods. I've seen a few here like Vasoline or lighter fluid soaked cotton balls. I've also heard about using steel wool but I'm not sure what kind to use or how to make it work. I've heard that if you put steel wool on a 9 volt battery that it will make fire. Someone at work told me that taking Sweet Gum tree balls and filling them with wax works well. Any other ideas? Especially compact ones that can be put in a surival kit.
 
For ignition sources I've tried; flame adjustable disposable lighters. Always got one around in my kits.

wax coated strike anywhere matches

I carry a couple of different ferrocerium rods, the BSA Hotspark and a Swedish scout firesteel marketed here by Kershaw.

I have a blast match (came with a NRA kit).

I have several of the Spark-lite firestarting kits stewn throughout my gear. I like the tictac container sized kit that is a sparking tool and coated cotton tinder that lights wet or dry.

I like the spark-lite tinder and carry it on me in a match tube w/compass that's mated in a belt pouch with a Vic SAK Hunter that has a BSA Hotspark in tow.

a mag bar that I have scraped a film canister full of the magnesium for ease of access.

Pitchwitch tinder is a pretty good wet weather pitch based firestarter.

I also experiment with different materials like birch bark, grasses, moss, etc., that I find in the field.
 
petroleum jelly soaked cotten balls are the way to go, waterproof and a ferro rod will light them with one strike much less a match or lighter.
 
skunked said:
petroleum jelly soaked cotten balls are the way to go, waterproof and a ferro rod will light them with one strike much less a match or lighter.
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I don't like spending too much time lighting a fire, soaked cotton balls get things going quick.
 
A road flare will start a fire just about anywhere, anytime, under almost any conditions.

Too big and heavy?? Cut one in half and tape the end nearest the fuse. It'll still work.

L.W.
 
I'm a fan of Trench Candles as a firestarting aid.

To make a trench candle, take a piece of cotton string, lay it near the edge of 6 to 10 stacked strips of newspaper and tightly roll the newspaper around the string so that you get a cylinder of newspaper with a wick in the middle. I like to use enough newspaper to get a candle about 5 inches tall with a 1.5" diameter. Tie more string tightly around the cylinder to keep it from unrolling.

Melt a big pot of parrafin wax on the stove (dont use a pot you like!) and soak the whole deal in the wax for about 2 minutes, then remove the candle and let it dry.

Trench candles require a flame to light, but once lit burn exceptionally well and last long enough to ignite even wet wood. In a pinch you could even use one as a small cooking fire.
 
BalefireX said:
Trench candles require a flame to light, but once lit burn exceptionally well and last long enough to ignite even wet wood.
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Stuff petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls into the rolled up newspaper and then you can light them with a spark. I learnd to make these many years ago as a boy scout. A bit messy and time consuming, but they do work.

Will
 
i've used p-jelly cotton balls for a while. recently i was told that parafin dipped cottn balls will burn longer (and are also less messy). if you tear them open they'll still accept a spark. i have the parafin, but haven't gotten around to making any or trying them out yet.
 
I've made up some of the parafin and cotton firestarters and they do a pretty good job, but are subject to wind and wet until they get going good, which could take a little bit. Might be how I made them though. Cone shaped and saturated with wax.
 
I carry a couple of mini-bics, a small vial stuffed tightly with p-jelly cotton balls, a few waterproof matches, a few hurricane (windproof) matches and a few trick birthday candles. There always a couple of esbit tablets in the daypack too.
 
Here are links to a few threads on this frequently addressed issue. If you use the Bladeforums search function or search over on Doug Ritter's excellent www.equipped.org Survival Forum you'll find tons of input on it.

Fire starting in wet conditions:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234959

"Playing With Fire" by Evolute (an absolute classic IMHO)
http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000069

"Egg carton fire starters" by Cliff Stamp (another favorite of mine)
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181735

from the author of the "Playing With Fire" thread:
As small update to my "playing with fire" thread: I now also carry a tube of bike patch repair glue ("vulcanizing fluid"), and bands cut from bicycle inner tubes.

The glue lights very easily (within three strikes on the ferro rod), and a gram sized glob burns with a decent sized medium-hot yellow flame for twenty seconds or so.

The bike innner tube lights from the burning glue quite easily, and burns well. (It stinks, though.) It's waterproof, durable, and can serve other (rubberband-like) purposes.
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What I have done is take the dryer lint (need a bunch) take a egg carton and stuff as much lint in each egg hole (hee hee). Pack it as tight as you can (that is key), and then melt parifin wax and saturate each one. They will set up like bricks, cut them apart and you have a dozen starters that will burn for about 10 minutes in high wind. They are fairly compact, not as much as the cotton balls, but they do the trick very nicely.
 
I have an idea of taking a magnesium bar and shaving the whole thing into a powder and storing the powder in a film canister to use when needed. it seems as though it would be more effecient than trying to shave the magnesium in the field. I have not tried it yet but it seems as though it would work. Also, I was thinking of taking one of those pocket alcohol flasks and filling it with lighter fluid or white gas to use to start fires. again I have not got around to trying it out.
 
I would suggest being careful in trying to "pre-shave" a magnesium bar. They are very stable in block form but once they are in shavings it might be a little too easy to ignite them. A film canister full of magnesium shavings going up in your hand or pocket would ruin your whole day. Also, it would be very time consuming which might lead to using a short cut method that would generate too much heat and have the same effect.

Also, make sure you label the flasks well. I would hate to confuse my bourbon with my lighter fluid!!
 
Will said:
Stuff petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls into the rolled up newspaper and then you can light them with a spark. I learnd to make these many years ago as a boy scout. A bit messy and time consuming, but they do work.

Will
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Thanks Will, I'll give it a try!

knivian said:
Also, make sure you label the flasks well. I would hate to confuse my bourbon with my lighter fluid!!
Click to expand...

When packing light, try Chinese Liquor - Baijiu - It is lighter fluid!
 
Tinders, funny things i have used are

rubber tube glue for bike tires...small, light, burns like mad for about 15 seconds per drop,waterproof

bike inner tubes...light, can bes used for other stuff, okay aid,water proofed

tropical steel pot helmet rubber for ataching leaves for camo...very cheap,light, burns like mad one whole piece burns for about 5 mintues,water proofed

cotton balls with vasline...light, water proof, u only need a small amount

chared cloth...tinder fungus...dried bark...wood shavings...for primative style fires they work if u have the right tinder like jute fibers and other fiberous materials
 
Since no one else addressed steel wool, I'll hit it here.

I use #0000 (I think this is the finest grade). I've used it with sparking methods and it works fairly well. I have not tried any of the 'battery' methods with it, but would expect that to be fairly easy...just make the connection between the battery terminals with some fluffed steel wool, and you'll likely end up with a quick-burning nest.

Overall, my current favorite arrangement is cotton balls/petroleum jelly in a 35mm film canister.
 
I find that the steel wool does not work?Could u tell me how u start ur fire, i have tired every thing from a ferro rod to a mini butane lighter...it just turns red hot???
 
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