Magnesium (Doan) Fire Starters: Good? or bad?

Rich_S:
Yeah, i know it doesn`t look like a safety match striker at all, and it doesn`t work too well either. But if you had to use it, it`d work. You just need to be extremely careful not to break the match, as you need to press quite hard.
I`ve even struck water/windproof boat-matches on mine, but i`ve had to scratch the coated surface with my fingernail to get anywhere.
 
Rich_S said:
I have the same exact match case and I could never figure out what the thing on the bottom was. I couldn't get it to spark by hitting it with a knife, it doesn't look or smell like a safety match striker, and it's too smooth to strike strike-anywhere matches on.
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I have been able to get A spark off of these with a steel but it takes a little work as it seems to have a coating on it and you have to shave down the plastic on the sides of it which generally happens in trying to strike it with a knife blade.

I have not tried it as a mach strilker but i have to now.
 
Ok... I gitta explain this better i see.
The little thingy on the bottom of my match-case, isn`t a ferro-rod at all.
Let me reitterate, NOT a ferro-rod. It will not spark when you scratch it with a knife, at all. It will disintegrate into a fine powder.
Atleast, that`s what mine does.
It`s simply a scratchy surface on which to strike matches.

(Mind you, i live in Norway, and nothing in Norway seems to be the same as elsewhere. Think, twilight-zone..)
 
aarya said:
Ok... I gitta explain this better i see.
The little thingy on the bottom of my match-case, isn`t a ferro-rod at all.
Let me reitterate, NOT a ferro-rod. It will not spark when you scratch it with a knife, at all. It will disintegrate into a fine powder.
Atleast, that`s what mine does.
It`s simply a scratchy surface on which to strike matches.

(Mind you, i live in Norway, and nothing in Norway seems to be the same as elsewhere. Think, twilight-zone..)
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Regular safety matches will not ignite on a "scratchy surface" unless that surface contains red phosphorous mixed in with the friction material.
 
And this here small bit, probably has red phosphorous mixed in then. Cause here in Norway, all you can get are safety matches. And it`ll ignite those.
 
Thats a very through and well written report of the mag fire starter. I personally use one and have had a very good success rate. Thanks for taking the time to inform others on your experience.
 
Normark said:
In fact magnesium in this form is actually as tinder,, as far as I'm concerned..I look at Char cloth, fatwood shavings, cotton balls soaked in PJ or not the same way..

However with magnesium I consider it to be a "flash" tinder...
Takes a spark, burns and is gone,, just that fast...

I consider anything that takes, holds or combusts by spark, pressure or friction to be a Tinder.

Gasoline can be used as a tinder...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
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Yeah, I agree with your definition of tinder. I guess the point I am trying to make is you better have another form of tinder ready and some practice time with the magnesium fire starter if you want to be successful.
 
troutfisher13111 said:
Yeah, I agree with your definition of tinder. I guess the point I am trying to make is you better have another form of tinder ready and some practice time with the magnesium fire starter if you want to be successful.
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By definition, Magnesium is a tinder, but, then you have to add tinder. So you need tinder ready for your tinder? ;)

In practice, though, I think of shaved magnesium more like a match-head. :thumbup:

The match-head/magnesium is the fast source of ignition, the wooden match stick is the 'True' tinder.

Bottom line, magnesium is gonna get you quick ignition/combustion, but you must have a way to sustain the initial 2 to 3 second reaction. That was the initial point I was making.

The rest is merely a discussion of semantics.
 
Hey, skunk... Don`t knock semantics.. :p

I almost set fire to my livingroom table, so the magnesium block is definately worth to see if it`s something one can be comfortable using.
I found, after trying to scrape some off, and spreading the slivers all over aforementioned coffeetable... Well... When you then proceed to spark some you`ve gathered up onto a fireproof place, that the damn small slivers don`t need much to combust...
And then proceed to combust anything else around too...
:o
As i found out...

Hence, me not using it anymore... But having some magnesium powder in my kit, to just sprinkle a little bit into a tinder bundle, well.. That could prove useful, if i`m out in the wet/cold.
That`s iffen the magnesium doesn`t combust in my jeans-pocket that is...
:cool:
Try explaining that one to the doc... :o :eek:
 
On the match cases,I have one with a small ferro rod imbedded in it and another with a surface for stricking matches,I prefer the one with the ferro rod.
 
With all this talk of mag fire starters, I had to go out and practice with mine today. Instead of using a leaf as something to catch the flakes of magnesium like I usually do. I used a flattish piece of wood, like you would use for the baseboard for a bow drill. I dug a little indent into it with my knife to catch the flakes. It looked like a tiny bowl. This worked very well. Not only does it catch the flakes well, but it is also easier to ignite the other tinder this way. The indent gave enough space between the magnesium and tinder to easily allow the sparks to get in there, but not so much that my shredded birch bark wasn't easily lit.

All this while standing in three foot of snow!
 
I resurected this a little bit because I am a huge fan of the Doan mag/ferro block (Gotta be the Doan, don't get the knockoff ones). I first used them back in Scouts, and have used them ever since. In fact I probably carry two or three if I'm going on a longer trip. I have lost a few over the years, so I started tying a long piece of 550 cord to it, and to a belt loop. That way I don't set it down after using it. I also attach a piece of hacksaw blade to the cord so I don't have to dull my knife on it. Plus the saw teeth scrape off the magnesium faster.

Also wanted to add that if anyone watches anyone watches the show survivor, they get chances to win these in challenges. To this day I have NEVER seen them use it properly. They usually hack away at it with the machete, magnesium flakes flying everywhere. Even with no training, the instructions are printed right on the side of the block!
 
I actually use the spine of my knife to both scrape off the magnesium, and to strike the ferro rod for ignition. I have always had good results once I got used to it.
 
Hey Guys..

Knifeman...

I actually use the spine of a knife as well..

What I've been doing is using full tang cheap paring knives..
I sqaure off and sharpen the spine and use it to strike the ferro rod...

I don't like using a hacksaw on the magnesium, as it scores it up really bad...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
You guys are right, there are some of my knives that have a sharp enough angle on the spine for scraping. Another option I have found is the saw blade on my SAK, but not the teeth. The spine of the saw has a very sharp angle on it, works great. Just use your thumb to push sideways on the saw blade and it can't close.
 
I"ve used the back of a knife alot but I like a good hacksaw blade with the spine squared off and the teeth ground about halfway off at the end.I use the the back of the blade for magblocks,and the other for ferro rods when I need a bigger spark.
 
Normark said:
Hey Guys..

Knifeman...

I actually use the spine of a knife as well..

What I've been doing is using full tang cheap paring knives..
I sqaure off and sharpen the spine and use it to strike the ferro rod...

I don't like using a hacksaw on the magnesium, as it scores it up really bad...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...

Do you mean that you don't use the hack saw blade on the mag block ferro bar? I find that I almost have to use my piece of saw blade to scrape/slide/grind off mag dust as the magnesium is so hard. I can see not using the serrated hack saw edge on the ferro rod (on the mag bar) though as it really eats it up.

Oh ya. I'm finding that the flint at the bottom of those orange plastic match safes is next to useless. Anyone have any luck getting a spark off one ?
 
The sparker ate up bits of metal from my native last time I used it...which was..last time I used it. I carry it around, but it the LAST resort. Lighter, matches than that thing.
 
sherlockbonez said:
The sparker ate up bits of metal from my native last time I used it...which was..last time I used it. I carry it around, but it the LAST resort. Lighter, matches than that thing.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'll go lighter, then these alternate systems also....So what is your impression of the Native?..Sorry about the tangental hijack guys.
 
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