- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
So, I have been practicing my skills a lot lately - just in the garage doing my best to take advantage of the little time I have (watching the kids) and replicating challenging surroundings (I used my fan on low to give me a windy scenario). It is the best I can do right now, or in between hiking and camping expeditions!
I have two types of firesteels, Light My Fire - and the softer type that Going Gear sells.
I have found that they take a different technique to use well. The best method and fastest method to catch fatwood on fire is with the LMF Firsteel.
I shave off thin curls of fatwood and place them where I can control them, shield them from the wind with my body, put the steel tip down right on one of the curls, use the back of my knife and the very tip of the firesteel to scrape (somewhat slowly and under control). This usually gives me fewer sparks - but they are under control and placed where I want them. Within three strikes I can get fatwood to flame.
With the Going Gear firesteels, if I try to slowly scrape like described above, I get no sparks and only get curls of firesteel to come off and into my pile. This is okay - I scrape a bunch of curls into the fatwood and then move to step two. I hold the firesteel above the pile, drag the firesteel away from the pile of shavings, holding the knife still, quickly to get sparks. This takes some movement but I can get slabs of firsteel to fall off the firesteel.
I have trouble getting them into the pile of fatwood, but with some time, I get one to spark the fatwood, or the other curls of firesteel and get a flame.
I think that the goinggear firesteels burn with more fanfare - but I prefer the LMF firesteels. I can control the sparks better and put them where I want them. They also seem to burn with less violence so they seem to stay put on the fatwood a little better. The goinggear style ones want to burn violently and seem to jump off the fatwood.
With this all said - they going gear ones seem to be better for more fluffy types of tinder. For instance, a spark from my goinggear bounced on a terrycloth rag and light it on FIRE! Not a smolder - on FIRE!
I think this is because it stuck to the cloth and just flamed it up. If you are trying to get a cotton ball lit or some cotton - I think the goinggear is your best bet. If you are trying to get fatwood or harder curls going - I think the LMF firesteel is better.
This is just my opinion...
TF
I have two types of firesteels, Light My Fire - and the softer type that Going Gear sells.
I have found that they take a different technique to use well. The best method and fastest method to catch fatwood on fire is with the LMF Firsteel.
I shave off thin curls of fatwood and place them where I can control them, shield them from the wind with my body, put the steel tip down right on one of the curls, use the back of my knife and the very tip of the firesteel to scrape (somewhat slowly and under control). This usually gives me fewer sparks - but they are under control and placed where I want them. Within three strikes I can get fatwood to flame.
With the Going Gear firesteels, if I try to slowly scrape like described above, I get no sparks and only get curls of firesteel to come off and into my pile. This is okay - I scrape a bunch of curls into the fatwood and then move to step two. I hold the firesteel above the pile, drag the firesteel away from the pile of shavings, holding the knife still, quickly to get sparks. This takes some movement but I can get slabs of firsteel to fall off the firesteel.
I have trouble getting them into the pile of fatwood, but with some time, I get one to spark the fatwood, or the other curls of firesteel and get a flame.
I think that the goinggear firesteels burn with more fanfare - but I prefer the LMF firesteels. I can control the sparks better and put them where I want them. They also seem to burn with less violence so they seem to stay put on the fatwood a little better. The goinggear style ones want to burn violently and seem to jump off the fatwood.
With this all said - they going gear ones seem to be better for more fluffy types of tinder. For instance, a spark from my goinggear bounced on a terrycloth rag and light it on FIRE! Not a smolder - on FIRE!
I think this is because it stuck to the cloth and just flamed it up. If you are trying to get a cotton ball lit or some cotton - I think the goinggear is your best bet. If you are trying to get fatwood or harder curls going - I think the LMF firesteel is better.
This is just my opinion...
TF
