firesteel

[WolfTracker]

Weird that you're having problems with the rods from FireSteel. I have several different sizes from them and they work awesome.

 

[storl]

There are two types of Ferro rod out there - the harder black kind that LMF uses - and a more gray and silver kind. The black is far superior in my opinion.

TF

Those could still be the same thing, from the same manufacturer. One of the big manufacturers switched form using an expoxy protective coating (black) to using an oil/wax protective coating (silver/grey). Half of the ones I have from them are black, and the others are silver/grey, with the same properties and performance. I can pretty much always start my tinder going with the first strike, because like RAT said, they do throw hotter sparks that will burn for longer.

 

[C Bryant]

hey guys. i was wondering if anyone could recommend a good firesteel to compliment the compact scout by stomper i am ordering?

If you can get a ferro rod blank or two, send it to John and have him handle it to match your knife

 

[Rotte]

Weird that you're having problems with the rods from FireSteel. I have several different sizes from them and they work awesome.

Is RAT right? Is this a misch metal rod? I will say that when it sparks, it can throw a big, chunky, hot spark. But getting it to spark is not easy. I've used up a good portion of the rod today (15% +) and gotten 5 fires started. Best results were with waxed jute, but I can get that to light by looking at it cross-eyed. I was also able to light tissue paper, dry grass, and fine steel wool.

So it does work, but it's real work to get it to fire up. Wolftracker what do you use as a striker?

(I was wondering if these were just a lame batch, but the dealer sent me a nice e-mail assuring me that the product is good--I just suck. )

 

[Fonly]

I'm partial to Light My Fire brands. I only tried two different brands and LMF worked better. I often thought about the scout size vs. the army sized ones. I kind of like the smaller scout ones better. I'm thinking about getting 10 scout blanks and stashing them around different parts of my kit rather than fewer army sized ones. Its a cost/quantity issue.

You know, when I first bought a light my fire brand, I bought it at a local hunting shop and it was $20! I couldn't believe it.
I then went to CDN tire recently and found a striker literally twice the size, length and width wise. $13 bucks, I know where Im getting my strikers from now on.

 

[cz75b]

As far as I've experienced, no matter what rod you use, you have to use them like you're scraping small slivers of steel from them. Hard and slow will work and hard and fast scraping. It all depends on the hardness of the steelrod. You want/need long lasting sparks.

Sharp scrapers work well. I allways carry a SAK with a file so I can square the scrapers edge so I can allways get good strong long lasting sparks.

The general use you mostly see is fast and light scraping, with sparks close to the rod. You want to have pieces of sparking rod going to your tinder, like R.A.T. is saying.

It's important to have a good scraper. Then is doens't matter what firesteel you have.

CZ

 

[WolfTracker]

So it does work, but it's real work to get it to fire up. Wolftracker what do you use as a striker?

I use any type of sharp (not edge sharp) steel; a spine of a knife or a striker made of 01 tool steel.

Sounds like you're having the same issues as my son when he was learning. Try to remain consistent with equal pressure along a long stroke down the steel.

Perfect practice makes practice perfect

 

[R.A.T.]

Is RAT right? Is this a misch metal rod? I will say that when it sparks, it can throw a big, chunky, hot spark. But getting it to spark is not easy. I've used up a good portion of the rod today (15% +) and gotten 5 fires started. Best results were with waxed jute, but I can get that to light by looking at it cross-eyed. I was also able to light tissue paper, dry grass, and fine steel wool.

So it does work, but it's real work to get it to fire up. Wolftracker what do you use as a striker?

(I was wondering if these were just a lame batch, but the dealer sent me a nice e-mail assuring me that the product is good--I just suck. )

Trying using the edge of your knife and striking it hard and fast. I can get the misch metal rods I use to strike every time and throw a huge chunk of molten metal, lighting about anything it touches. It will smoke up your knife edge a bit but let's be honest here: unless we're just practicing, if we're having to use ferro rods then we're probably in a situation that our matches or Bic lighters don't work and we need a fire, so who cares if we smoke a bit of the knife edge.

 

[j williams]

I guess it's just a matter of opinion and where/how they're being used and with what types of tinders. From my experience, the black rods require better tinder even though the rod will strike and throw showers of sparks every time. The softer rods are harder to strike but will light just about anything that will burn and can be carried as a stand-alone starter without tinder with guaranteed results.

Yep, I have both, and the mish metal, while harder to strike, Ive found are more controlable, and like throwing Napalm on your tinder.:thumbup:

 

[Rockywolf]

I have several of the LMF steels and they work well. I also have a Boy Scout one around here somewhere and it did a pretty good job too. Have to get one of those Rat steels-they look awesome!

 

[IUKE12]

Weird that you're having problems with the rods from FireSteel. I have several different sizes from them and they work awesome.

Same experience here, in fact they throw better sparks than my LMF scout and army models. I take some coarse sandpaper and rough up the rod when I get them new, they work well with a hacksaw blade, spine of my 01, A2 blades. The more you use them, the better they get.

 

[tonym]

and like throwing Napalm on your tinder.:thumbup:

Si I take it you like the one I sent ya

 

[Rotte]

I ordered a striker from Scott Gossman. The older variety without an "edge." The striker cost more than the rod, but it's all for the learning process

R.A.T. , I hear ya about using the edge. Don't really like the idea of trashing my edge though. I'll practice more.

Edit: tried using the edge of an old Kershaw lockback. Big juicy sparks. Sometimes the burning metal stuck to the edge of the blade. Lit up some jute and some sawdust nicely. These FireSteel rods can throw some big sparks, but the sparking seems inconsistent. I'm not sold yet.

 

[tonym]

These FireSteel rods can throw some big sparks, but the sparking seems inconsistent. I'm not sold yet.

Hey Rotte,

The rat rod is a lil small, and meant for last ditch survival effort. However I have a 5" version of the rod and I love it. The longer rod definately makes striking easier. Still harder to get a spark from than a reg rod, but with practice you will be able to get it on your 1st or 2nd try. They are my favorite because they will light tinder that a reg rod will not. You can spend less time preparing tinder this way.

 

[Rotte]

Sorry if this thread is getting old. I'm still intrigued by the differences in fero-rods.

I've tried a few now:

Clockwise from the top they are: a Ferrocerium rod epoxied into an antler (with a Scott Gossman striker), Strikeforce, LightMyFire (Army), and FireSteel.

The first 3 (Ferrocerium, Strikeforce, and LMF) all produce small, consistent sparks with just about every 'strike'. The Firesteel rod can produce big, fat, hot sparks, but I still can't get it to 'spark' reliably.

Maybe it's me.

I've tried just about every striker I can think of (except flint or glass), but I still get inconsistent results. The factory supplied striker and the hacksaw striker in the picture work best.

Having said that, I have managed to light about a dozen or more fires with the FireSteel rod. And when it does spark, it creates bigger hotter sparks than the others. I think Tony and R.A.T. are right about being able to light more types of tinder with this rod.

The StrikeForce (from REI) is nice because it comes with it's own striker (sharp!) and has a small storage space under the cap for tinder (I've got some wax impregnated jute in mine).

I like the way the Ferrocerium / Gossman kit came out and will probably carry that now in my pack. The long rod makes sparking quite easy.

Happy fire making!

 

[Loosearrow]

I have one of those steels that has a bar of magnesium glued to it. It throws sparks well enough. Ive always easily started a fire with natural tender. But Ill be darned if I can scrape a pile of magnesium shavings off of it .

Try using a file from a multi tool to make your pile of magnesium and save your blade.