Fireskill testing with BK2/BK14/LMF Scout II & review (PIC HEAVY)

thrillbilly

thrillbilly

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was a beautiful day today so I took my 14 yr old nephew out of the house for awhile. I ordered the LMF Scout II ferro rod when I got my BK2, so I thought I'd test it out and use my Beckers to whack some wood.


The Scout II is basically same as the original, maybe a lil more sculpting on the handles...only real difference is they added a built-in whistle in the handle of the striker, useful but not life-changing LOL. I tried the whistle, pretty durn loud! Throws good sparks, comfortable to use, lightweight & compact. I like that size ferro rod for EDC and small kits. Supposedly good for 3,000 strikes.


First, I used the BK2 to baton a chunk of dried ~4'' log into sections
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Then used the BK14 to baton the sections into small kindling
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Pretty well processed
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The 1st one I started with a cottonball smeared with Vaseline, because that's my "standard" that I know will work. My nephew was impressed by how my ferro started the blaze with one simple strike...I think he was skeptical about fire from a metal stick LOL. I forgot to take a pic before I lit it, but here it is blazing nicely.
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The second one I started with some natural tinder, some pine bark I had my nephew smoosh and fluff up.

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I also tried out a couple of Nato Storm matches I picked up the other day, worked OK but didnt seem much hotter/longer lasting then normal wax-dipped strike anywhere matches (which are much cheaper)

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All in all a fun lil outing to the backyard. My nephew seemed to enjoy it and maybe learned something.


Added some orange 550 to my matches and LMF...hate losing stuff in the woods

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yes...that IS a ''PINK'' ferro rod. It was 2 dollars cheaper then the other colors, and I'm a cheap bastid. Plus I aint gotta worry bout anyone ''borrowing'' it at the camp lol
here's a pic of a LMF Scout (original) for comparison
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This last part is pertaining to one of my pet peeves....people who mess up the woods. This is what the fire area looked like when I left it
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all fire out out and charred remains turned under the sand, LEAVE THE WOODS THE WAY YOU FIND THEM!
 
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Sweet post man, I've been working on things a bit for the last two days, and am still having a hard time getting things to light.

For instance, I tried twice today and once yesterday taking a piece of wood that I had laying around, tried making fuzzies, and then a few other techniques to prep the wood. Then I busted out the firesteel and then proceeded to try for like 15 minutes to get the dang thing started. The important part is that it never lit.

Today I tried again, but spent more time on the prep, and then tried again for like 5 minutes and I got it to go once.

Thrilled that I had succeed, I took another stick and spent more time getting that prepped. Sadly, while I feel like I did a better on the prep, I still couldn't light it :(. Sounds like I need more practice.

I think for right now I'll start with some vasaline and cotton balls and then work on my skills from there :).
 
Also tried something out that I have wondered about...tested to see if cigarettes were useful as tinder/spark catchers. I shredded one and added it to my pine bark...was pretty much a fail. Didnt hurt, but it burned really quickly and didnt produce much if any actual flame. Not something that would be very useful.

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just a waste of smokin baccer lol
 
ocnLogan said:
Sweet post man, I've been working on things a bit for the last two days, and am still having a hard time getting things to light.

For instance, I tried twice today and once yesterday taking a piece of wood that I had laying around, tried making fuzzies, and then a few other techniques to prep the wood. Then I busted out the firesteel and then proceeded to try for like 15 minutes to get the dang thing started. The important part is that it never lit.




Today I tried again, but spent more time on the prep, and then tried again for like 5 minutes and I got it to go once.

Thrilled that I had succeed, I took another stick and spent more time getting that prepped. Sadly, while I feel like I did a better on the prep, I still couldn't light it :(. Sounds like I need more practice.

I think for right now I'll start with some vasaline and cotton balls and then work on my skills from there :).
Click to expand...

just takes patience and practice. It took me several tries and a lot of puffing to get that pine bark to flame. smoldered and smoked for 5 minutes...it had rained for a couple days this week, stopped yesterday morning so the bark was slightly damp.

vaseline cottonballs are way to go to build confidence...they go up like roman candles and burn quite awhile, easily long enuff to get kindling started. Burns even longer when stuffed into straws.
 
thrillbilly said:
just takes patience and practice. It took me several tries and a lot of puffing to get that pine bark to flame. smoldered and smoked for 5 minutes...it had rained for a couple days this week, stopped yesterday morning so the bark was slightly damp.

vaseline cottonballs are way to go to build confidence...they go up like roman candles and burn quite awhile, easily long enuff to get kindling started. Burns even longer when stuffed into straws.
Click to expand...

Thats what I figured, which is why I'm trying to take the time to do this before the camping season starts back up around here. I really would like to be confident in my ability to start fire with nothing other than my knife and my firesteel. I know most here are already at that point... but I'ma practicing.

Also, what do you mean by stuffing them into straws?

Also, to stay on topic, I tried all of this with my BK2, and it did fuzzies and shavings really well. I'll post pics up in a little bit.
 
google ''Firestraws"


basically you just saturate some cottonballs with vaseline, and take some drinking straws cut up into 2'' or so pieces. pinch one end of straw shut with some hemostats, use a Bic to melt it shut...then stuff the cottonballs into the straw with a toothpick or something, then pinch and melt the other end closed. To use, simply cut one end open, drag out a lil bit of the fluffy cotton, and light it using ferro or match or whathaveyou. I've heard they burn even longer if you wrap the straw in a piece of duct tape...but haven't tested that theory myself.




I swear the more I use the lil 14 the more I like it! I mean, the 2 does great work...but it's a tank, I Expected it to be a workhorse...but i'm impressed by how hard the EsKabar works!
 
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Great thread!

Great to see you including your nephew. Teaching outdoor skills to kids is fun.

Jeremy
 
dresnor said:
Great thread!

Great to see you including your nephew. Teaching outdoor skills to kids is fun.

Jeremy
Click to expand...
is truth!

My favorite outdoor time/memories is taking/teaching my nephews/niece! Anyone who has a chance should take a kid along, and every kid who grows up hunting/fishing/shooting/camping is one more future Pro-Gun Pro-Knife voter!

the same nephew's first buck, from back in November.
I was with him, wouldn't trade that morning for a sack of money.

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.270win FTW (again)...dropped in his tracks.



Oldest nephew (in college, plans to be a Marine officer) and my niece draggin their brother's deer out on my homemade deercart
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thrillbilly said:
just takes patience and practice. It took me several tries and a lot of puffing to get that pine bark to flame. smoldered and smoked for 5 minutes...it had rained for a couple days this week, stopped yesterday morning so the bark was slightly damp.

vaseline cottonballs are way to go to build confidence...they go up like roman candles and burn quite awhile, easily long enuff to get kindling started. Burns even longer when stuffed into straws.
Click to expand...

Is that what they call tinder straws?
What are they and how does one make them?

-orangish ducktape
 
A really fun read and I could not agree more with the sentiments you expressed....It IS all about the kids.....Getting them out there and teaching them the basics of self reliance.....Huntin', Shootin', campin' SURVIVIN'.....Put 'em in any orderer you want......

GETTER DONE.....

ethan
 
Awesome possum. Love these posts, got some real quality going on here. :D

Taking' the lil'uns out and teaching them how much more fun the woods are, is important work. Fun work, but also very important.

Me and willis went hunting this weekend, and I was planning on making us some lunch a'field, but turns out, the critters weren't really behind that idea, so, we made other plans.

How it pertains to this post, is as we were walking the field, I scrounged my tinder bunder for a flint and steel fire to cook our rabbit on. I always "Lundin" up when it comes to scrounging bundle material as we go, so I have it, and don't have to find it.

Good shot, 'billy.

Moose
 
i love the deer cart.

pictures of dismembership if possible would be appreciated
 
Bladite said:
i love the deer cart.

pictures of dismembership if possible would be appreciated
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My brother had some parts to 2 TreeLounger treestands that he had stolen. Was 2 shooting rails and the TreeLounger wheel kit that he had stored. I bolted the two ''U'' shaped shooting rails together then drilled holes for the axle of the Wheel kit. Then bought some webbing at a local store...wrapped it and secured the strapping with selftapping metal screws. Took me about 30 minutes...works great.

In all honesty you could buy a commercial deercart cheaper probably then the sum of my homemade one's parts. (TreeLounger stuff is High) but this was stuff that was just cluttering up his shed since the stands themselves were gone.

I don't have any pics...but I can take some tomorrow in the daylight if you would like.
 
thrillbilly said:
My brother had some parts to 2 TreeLounger treestands that he had stolen. Was 2 shooting rails and the TreeLounger wheel kit that he had stored. I bolted the two ''U'' shaped shooting rails together then drilled holes for the axle of the Wheel kit. Then bought some webbing at a local store...wrapped it and secured the strapping with selftapping metal screws. Took me about 30 minutes...works great.

In all honesty you could buy a commercial deercart cheaper probably then the sum of my homemade one's parts. (TreeLounger stuff is High) but this was stuff that was just cluttering up his shed since the stands themselves were gone.

I don't have any pics...but I can take some tomorrow in the daylight if you would like.
Click to expand...

sssssssswwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeettttttttttttttt

me? i'd probably want one of those plywood things with those big wheels, the yuppy wheel barrow... plus it would get used for gardening :>
 
got a lil more closeups for Bladite (or anyone interested)


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it's right at 5'x2'
I didn't run the webbing all the way to the top, this way I can step inside the frame and pull it with my hips.
We just use a couple simple ratchet straps to secure the deer/load to the cart


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TreeLounge stuff aint cheap, but this wheel set is STOUT!
diameter is 16'' with 13/4'' wide, solid rubber tires
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I just used some brace pieces that were on it, it's held together OK, pulled 4 deer out with it over Rough hilly terrain, been logging our deer woods so it went over a Lot of limbs and logs on the way to the truck. I plan on finding either some square tubing just big enuff to fit over the frame or some ''C'' channel, use it for a collar to beef it up a little.





the cart is handy for when I can't or don't want to use the ''Powered Deer Cart''
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