im getting frustrated firestarting help

Respectfully, doesn't have to be ferrous.

When using a fire steel, the striker can be stainless (The backs of Falkniven's are famously good, being designed with that use in mind.).

Anything hard and sharp works. Steel works. Sharp edges of glass, flint, or porcelain all work . (I have used all three.) Brass, copper and aluminum are probably not hard enough. Ti also probably too soft.

Some cheap SS knives can be too soft, but usually their spines are just not sharp enough (You can try dressing them by passing back-and-forth against a file or flat sharpening "stone" until they have sharp edges.).

Hacksaw blades are a consensus good choice and can even be sharpened to be a back-up cutter. Saber saw blades are good.

Now if you want to strike a spark from steel with flint, SS is no good. Knife-hard carbon steel is the thing for that operation.
 
Hey Thomas..

I'll back you on All that....

I made a custom striker out of a 4" wide steel bandsaw blade from a metal cutting shop,, this blade was frigging huge....

You should see the shower of sparks I get from it.. Holy cow...
It's eats the crap out of my rods though..I probably cut the life span easily in half...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Thomas Linton said:
Respectfully, doesn't have to be ferrous.

When using a fire steel, the striker can be stainless (The backs of Falkniven's are famously good, being designed with that use in mind.).

Anything hard and sharp works. Steel works. Sharp edges of glass, flint, or porcelain all work . (I have used all three.) Brass, copper and aluminum are probably not hard enough. Ti also probably too soft.

Some cheap SS knives can be too soft, but usually their spines are just not sharp enough (You can try dressing them by passing back-and-forth against a file or flat sharpening "stone" until they have sharp edges.).

Hacksaw blades are a consensus good choice and can even be sharpened to be a back-up cutter. Saber saw blades are good.
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TL, my idea is that if he is having problems, to reduce the probable causes by process of elimination. He can try a piece of glass, stainless steel or whatever, later, after he resolves his issues.

If he comes back, after using carbon steel/hacksaw or whatever, (not cheapo stainless) and is still having problems, then we know it's NOT the striking implement.

When he said "stainless beater knife" , that perked my ears a bit.

We also do not know the quality of the fero-rod he is using. They range from great to poor. A poor one will work with good carbon steel, a great one will work with soft metals.

If he still can't strike decent spark with a hacksaw blade, then there is something else going on.

I was concetrating on trouble resolution.
 
Hey Guys...

I just went back and re-read the message...

I think it's more about How he's doing it rather than What he's using to do it with..

In his initial post he said the his hand was getting injured on the concrete..
This is interesting...

Maybe once of twice have I hit my hand on the ground,, not many more...

This right here tells me he's too close and striking too fast...

If you are going to get really close to the ground,, like resting your hand on the ground type of strikes,, you have to strike the steel very slow,, with a Great amount of pressure...

This type of strike on the firesteel will shave off bigger chunks and should in fact burn hotter.

It can be a very difficult thing to do, as your tinder can be disrupted very easily, and all of your prep work can be thrown everywhere....

It's also not what he is using..
I had the cheapest POS paki made knife, and still have it as a matter of fact,, and it's started hundreds of fire...

It has alot to do with the angle it's being held at.

The further off 90 degrees you go,, you'll get different types of sparks..

When I get set to start a fire,, very rarely do I strike hard and slow from close range..
I usually yet it rip, hard and fast and send a huge shower of sparks into the tinder bundle.. This increases my odds of a spark catching.

It also may be the tinder itself..

Lets face it,, grasses can sometime be difficult to ignite..
We also don't know how dry they are and their moisture content...

To me,, dry grass isn't tinder...

Tissue paper,fatwood,steel wool,charcloth, cotton balls, saw dust, cat tail/milk weed fluff ect ect are tinder..Dry grass in itself I personally don't consider tinder.

Try the same steel with Fatwood and see what happens...
I bet it lights if his strikes are right..

All of these factors , including the experience of the user play a role in how successful someone is going to be with fire...

Prepping the fire is a very large part of haveing a successful ignition ..If you don't have the proper material in the proper way,, you limit your chances of ignition as well...

Kevin said a "Swedish Firesteel" so I'm going to assume it's a good steel...

I haven't met a firesteel I didn't like...

I say, keep at it,, with what was supplied with the steel..
It's a matter of gaining experience and how to use the tool properly,, than it is the tools themselves... Even a cheap assed metal match will light a fire if it's used correctly...

Experience here with the tool and types of tinders are key...

Good luck brother Kevin,, don't give up!!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark,

I say, keep at it,, with what was supplied with the steel..
But he wasn't, he was using a cheap beater knife, per his own admission.
My thought is to relieve that variable.

We asked him to try a switch to toilet paper and/or PJcotton, as that tinder should pick up even a fairly lame spark. No Report back.

In terms of it being a true "Swedish Firesteel", that is a widely used term for any fero-rod, But let's assume that for a moment it is high quality.
Saying it's "worn out" also leads me to believe it may be LOADED with soft metal, not truely 'worn down'. That would be a lot of passes over the rod to actually wear it down.

I don't think that "Just keep at it" particularly solves any difficulty he may be having , nor does it lead us to any further steps toward trouble resolution.

If it is "technique" , that will become evident as the tinder and equipment questions are resolved. Eliminating any questionable variables will hopefully lead us toward overall resolution.

Kevshin! Report back, please, curious minds want to know how you are doing.
 
Hey Skunk....

Yaa I agree to remove the variable for sure...

However on the other hand,, I really doubt that it is what he is using, rather than the way he is using it..

I do understand what you are saying...

I do agree that a different tinder should be used..PJ/balls are ideal...


SkunkWerX said:
Normark,

I say, keep at it,, with what was supplied with the steel..
But he wasn't, he was using a cheap beater knife, per his own admission.
My thought is to relieve that variable.

As for the Firesteel itself....

Yes with the word "Swedish" we'll have to assume it's either an army model or the Scout model...

I've used many different firesteels in my time,, and I haven't found one that Doesn't work yet..

Sure there may be different qualities,, however they should all give a decent spark..

As for wearing it out..

Yaa that is strange...

I would also suggest that the knife or tool he is using to spark the steel with isn't sharp enough...

A dull tool, no matter what it is will slide across the steel rather then Scrape across it..

I notice a Huge difference between the one I made,,and the one that was supplied...

The one I made from a large hacksaw blade gives a shower of sparks, as it is Very sharp...

As for just keeping at it...

I think theres a level of skill needed to do this properly..

With the good advice he is getting here,, he should be gaining an understanding of it,, but keeping at it will build his skill with it..

I'm also interested in hearing back from him and how he's making out....

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
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I don't know what area you are in but if you are near a pine forest, look for some rich lighter pine. It is the core of a pine tree that has deteriorated to that point. You can cut some of that into shavings, use pine cones, even brown pine needles with some other tender and use a magnesium fire starter. Everyone should keep a little rich lighter knot stashed somewhere....
 
SkunkWerX said:
TL, my idea is that if he is having problems, to reduce the probable causes by process of elimination. He can try a piece of glass, stainless steel or whatever, later, after he resolves his issues.
Click to expand...
I my own way I was attempting the same by focusing on the essential characteristics of the "striker" - sharp, hard.

While my favorite strikers are made from hacksaw blades, some hacksaw blades are differentially hardened - hard teeth, dead soft backs. You can tell when you break them into pieces (or try to get sparks with them).

And why do we customarily call it a "striker"? It's more like a hard, fast scrape.


The material from which the fire steel is made is nothing exotic. It's been made into cigarette lighter "flints" for generations. I have seven different brands still no hand, and they all work so far as I can tell, although the 1/2" diameter one certainly gives a greater volume of sparks compared to a Scout "Hot Spark."
 
Hi CFA...

Alot of us do carry that pitchwood....

However it's a little bit different of a form..

Ours comes in sticks and comes from Honduras..

It's called Fatwood..
The resin content is 80% and in it's stick form is waterproof..

It is highly flammable and works Wonderfully...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
One thing you might try, on your hikes when it is dry, take your fire steel and nail everything that looks like it would make good tinder. Many plants are naturally teased on their ends and make good tinder right on the stalk. Once you have located numerous types of tinder in your area, then you can begin to collect it, and experiment. I try to instill in my kids that woodcraft is a process not a technique. If you are wandering around in the woods, collect tinder as you go, pick up pine lighter, etc. If you wait till you are ready for a fire and go looking, you may end up on the short end of the stick if darkness catches you. I carry a possibles bag and Lord knows all the dirty stuff I've put in it over the years (my wife gives me an earful when it's time to wash it.)

Keep at it and it won't be long till you can identify and use ALL of the types of natural tinder native to your area.
 
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