FireSteel from Can Tire

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
7,039
Is this fire starter, spark producer, any good. If it is lame, or you know of a better product that I can find in Canada, please give me a link or address, thank you. I believe in extra redundant systems for the outdoors, particularly when it comes to fire starting. Ill likely go to a metal supplier and get them to saw me off some pure magnesium to go along with it.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/p...4443288135&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true
 
I've got a couple of those in my gear, work great with a little practice.

Just point out though that a ferro rod will degrade quickly in a wet/humid pack. If you coat it with clear nail polish before packing it away you will have a functional ferro rod years down the road. Takes a few strokes longer but at least it won't crumble.

Have 2 sizes of ferro rod, magnesium block, trench lighter, bic AND matches in my bag. The trench lighter will burn anything and stays full just as long as a zippo. I usually have a couple good lighters near me (colibri both on belt and in fatboy).

A short hunk of hacksaw blade works great on a ferro rod, in case you're wondering ;)
 
VampyreWolf said:
I've got a couple of those in my gear, work great with a little practice.

Just point out though that a ferro rod will degrade quickly in a wet/humid pack. If you coat it with clear nail polish before packing it away you will have a functional ferro rod years down the road. Takes a few strokes longer but at least it won't crumble.

Have 2 sizes of ferro rod, magnesium block, trench lighter, bic AND matches in my bag. The trench lighter will burn anything and stays full just as long as a zippo. I usually have a couple good lighters near me (colibri both on belt and in fatboy).

A short hunk of hacksaw blade works great on a ferro rod, in case you're wondering ;)
Click to expand...

Good info thanks. Actually I thought of snaping off a chunk of old hack saw blade as I saw the diff models, types. I didnt realise that those rods degraded so easily though, hmmmm.
 
That's the Firesteel you hear a lot about in the Wilderness forum. Supposed to be a good one... I've got one that I've not had a chance to test out yet.
 
Ive got one, one of the best fire steels i've ever used. keep it attached to my Fallkniven F1, throws lots of hot sparks.
 
FoxholeAtheist said:
That's the Firesteel you hear a lot about in the Wilderness forum. Supposed to be a good one... I've got one that I've not had a chance to test out yet.
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. I have hunted and fished, off and on, all my life. However, Ive never really taken much time to think about gear like knives, firemaking etc. as it just seemed intuitive...and I wasnt in the really deep bush much, mostly in the surrounding countryside. I am taking a more serious approach now because my partner and I have decided that we are going to live in the north. This means that I will have to take all this stuff more seriously because I KNOW how rough the country and weather can be. A mistake in bad weather out there can be fatal. What I have been learning lately is that Im opinionated, but my opinions are sometimes conjecture and not always fact.....so Im willing to learn.
 
I have a "Fireflash" and would like an opinion if anyone has one?
I have found that they fit into the sheath of a mora clipper perfectly with the knife and mine even is the exact coler of the mora's hande. The CT one looks the same size so it should work as well.
 
The "Light My Fire" firesteel is the best available. They are selling it for a very reasonable price, too. It will degrade with time, as they all do, due to oxidization. Nail polish will keep it going for a long time, as will a coating of vaseline, which can be wiped off with a 100% cotton ball, which them becomes excellent tinder!

I have been using a firesteel built into a folder (the SL3 Fire at http://www.raems.com/store/shop.html ) An excellent combo...
 
Hey Guys..

Upnorth....

What you have there is whats referred to as the "Scout" 3/8" model...

Why they don't carry the large "Army" 1/2" model I don't know...

It is a Very good firesteel...

A couple of things...

In My opinion skip the magnesium bar,, it's a waste of time..

Don't get me wrong,, they work well, they are just a pain in the Arse..
If it's windy,, forget using it,, your shaving will blow away...

Those little tins of "Maya dust" are an absolute waste of money..
you can make a ton of it,, with just a few sticks of fatwood..That's all it is,, and they sell a small tin for $6.00...

If you want a much better tinder than Magnesium,, just make some Vasoline cotton balls...

Get a tub of vasoline,, melt a huge glob of it in a pan,, drop in a small tea candle and get a bag of jumbo 100% cotton balls..

Rip the balls into 3 pieces or leave whole...

This and Fatwood are probably the only tinders you'll need for a Very basic kit...

Add some steelwool,char cloth, cotton balls,jute string and dryer lint if you want to make a really nice kit...

That's pretty much all you'll need on spark based firestrating..

Add a lighter and magnifying glass and your rock'n...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark said:
Hey Guys..

Upnorth....

What you have there is whats referred to as the "Scout" 3/8" model...

Why they don't carry the large "Army" 1/2" model I don't know...

It is a Very good firesteel...

A couple of things...

In My opinion skip the magnesium bar,, it's a waste of time..

Don't get me wrong,, they work well, they are just a pain in the Arse..
If it's windy,, forget using it,, your shaving will blow away...

Those little tins of "Maya dust" are an absolute waste of money..
you can make a ton of it,, with just a few sticks of fatwood..That's all it is,, and they sell a small tin for $6.00...

If you want a much better tinder than Magnesium,, just make some Vasoline cotton balls...

Get a tub of vasoline,, melt a huge glob of it in a pan,, drop in a small tea candle and get a bag of jumbo 100% cotton balls..

Rip the balls into 3 pieces or leave whole...

This and Fatwood are probably the only tinders you'll need for a Very basic kit...

Add some steelwool,char cloth, cotton balls,jute string and dryer lint if you want to make a really nice kit...

That's pretty much all you'll need on spark based firestrating..

Add a lighter and magnifying glass and your rock'n...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...

This sounds like a perfect set up and I will go for it. Thanks for the straight talk and info. I did pick up a magnesium bar and it worked fairly well. I used a snapped off chunk of old hack saw blade and it really exploded with sparks on the striker. However, I wasnt really dancing with joy over the mag cuttings and how they lit. They lit fairly easily but there was no flair up, just a one -two second white glow as the pile burned. I would really have to move my ass to make use of that. It gave me the impression that the mag bar was a magnesium, aluminum alloy, or some type of non pure alloy. Oh well, I will try different methods and probably keep 2-3 options on or with me while out and about. I carry my keys on a SAK and Ive included the mag bar to this set now. I dont think that I want much more on that ring as it is getting almost clunky now, a borderline pocket full. After being a cocky ...hole about fire starting, as is the worse side of my nature, Im giving new methods a try. The one trick pony thing with only a lighter will surely bite my ass one day so Id better be open minded. Ill be picking up a few of those firesteels from Can. Tire when Im up around there and I like the previous tip of coating the rods to avoid premature degradation.
 
Hey Upnorth...

No problem at all.. Fire making is my passion and I'm a little bit of a Pyro..

A couple of problems with the mag bar is that you need a good amount of shavings to get only a few seconds of ignition..Magnesium is a flash tinder.. It burns Very hot about 5500f however it burns quickly..Your fire materials have to be all laid out and in position, which can make throwing a spark into it very difficult...

In a panic more times than not,, you knock over your fire,, and that will be the end of it...

Magnesium also has a nasty tendency to blow away when windy,, and that really sucks...

When you use a PJ soaked Cotton ball, a nice little trick that I thought up is to get your fire all ready to go..
Skewer the cotton ball with a small sharp stick, like roasting a mini marshmellow.

Throw a spark on the cottonball.. Makes sure it is lit,,and pick up the stick and move it into your fire...

A PJ soaked cotton ball has been reported to burn 8-10 minutes, and up to 30+ minutes when wrapped in tin foil."a nugget"

Upnorth..
If you go to the wilderness forum there are some Excellent fire making threads,, with all kinds of different methods,, including chemical and electrical ( 000 steel wool and 9 V batt)

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
moving-van.jpg
 
I don't think this should have been moved as it is about a firesteel that is from a
canadian store.
 
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