Knife vs Magnesium Fire Starter

[Col Defender]

How do you guys feel about practisng starting a fire by scraping a good knife blade on a block of magnesium?

To me it would be an obvious choice in a survival situation but does it not dull an otherwise sharp blade?

 

[Cynic2701]

Wouldn't the back of the knife be a better choice?

 

[tiguy7]

The Magnesium block isn't too hard on a knife, but the ferrocerium rod (firesteel) leaves big deposits on the blade. I would use an old knife and use the back of the blade for a striker. Sharpen a spot on the back of the blade to a 90 degree "corner". A radiused or chamfered edge will not produce a very good spark. Flea market knives are excellent for this type of work.

 

[1066vik]

if you're practicing at home, it'll be easy to touch up the blade afterwards.
a 1" scrap of hacksaw blade works very well for a scraper/striker - run the firestarter lanyard through the hole in the end of the scrap and it takes up no extra space and doesn't get lost.