Magnesium bars - old vs. new

[dawsonbob]

If anyone is interested and will be around for a while I am thinking about a little experiment of my own. I leave for Korea on saturday for a year, I am thinking of burying a brand new from wally world Coghlans magbar and a bic in the backyard till I get back, dig both up, and see if I can start a fire with either.

Anyone up for a really long term test. Chris

My guess is that I will have forgotten about your experiment long before you ever get back. My other guess is that both will still start a fire just fine after being burried for a year, which is one of the things that make them so great.

 

[August West]

My guess is that I will have forgotten about your experiment long before you ever get back. My other guess is that both will still start a fire just fine after being burried for a year, which is one of the things that make them so great.

Well if they do, it will with out a doubt prove the effectiveness of both. I am thinking the bic will be seized, but we'll see. Chris

 

[dawsonbob]

Well if they do, it will with out a doubt prove the effectiveness of both. I am thinking the bic will be seized, but we'll see. Chris

Before I jump to conclusions about how well they'll work, Chris, I should ask how you plan to bury them. Would you put them in some kind of container, like a Zip-Lock bag, or just throw them in a hole and cover them with dirt? I would think that the magnesium bar would be fine after being covered in dirt, but the sparking mechanism on the Bic might size up like you said if it's not protected somewhat. It would be interesting to bury one in raw dirt, and one in a baggie.

 

[August West]

Before I jump to conclusions about how well they'll work, Chris, I should ask how you plan to bury them. Would you put them in some kind of container, like a Zip-Lock bag, or just throw them in a hole and cover them with dirt? I would think that the magnesium bar would be fine after being covered in dirt, but the sparking mechanism on the Bic might size up like you said if it's not protected somewhat. It would be interesting to bury one in raw dirt, and one in a baggie.

I was planning on throwing them in a hole, no baggie or anything else. Chris

 

[dawsonbob]

I was planning on throwing them in a hole, no baggie or anything else. Chris

It would still be a neat experiment. Maybe even more interesting than burying them protected.

 

[August West]

It would still be a neat experiment. Maybe even more interesting than burying them protected.

That's what I was thinking, might even bury a piece of fatwood with them too, just to see how it fares. Chris

 

[dawsonbob]

That's what I was thinking, might even bury a piece of fatwood with them too, just to see how it fares. Chris

This is getting better. It really should prove interesting. What kind of soil?

 

[August West]

What kind of soil?

Dirt???

 

[dawsonbob]

Dirt???

Okay, I deserved that. I meant wet loam or dry sandy... or, what the heck, dirt's dirt.

 

[Wing-Man]

If anyone is interested and will be around for a while I am thinking about a little experiment of my own. I leave for Korea on saturday for a year, I am thinking of burying a brand new from wally world Coghlans magbar and a bic in the backyard till I get back, dig both up, and see if I can start a fire with either.

Anyone up for a really long term test. Chris

How did the test go?

 

[upnorth]

One thing to add, dawsonbob, to help the longevity, paint the ferro rod with clear nail polish (yes, you can use black, Siguy ). Ferrocerium seems to break down when exposed to moisture for a time.

Doc

The rod on my key chain is covered in clear silicone rubber then I sliped some gas line hose over it. It should be inert until needed. I remember a few years back noticing a big dude with a mag bar in some type of custom pouch on his belt. We were in a line to pay for fuel. I quickly mentioned the bar as it was unusual to see one like that. I was in a northern city. He told me that he was a bush pilot and that a mag bar had saved his life by his making a fire. It was busy and my time to pay came. I regret now not asking him about that situation. I should get a new one, my user looks like hell.

 

[upnorth]

This thread got me to wondering about the bars that I had. One was on my key chain for years, the other was taped into a knife fire kit several years ago. Old school Coughlan's and no China references. I just nail polished the rods on both and considering how long they last, I should be good for life with these two.