No Spark from Magnesium Fire Starter?

S

Serrinon

Joined
Aug 19, 2007
Messages
233
Hi All,

So I purchased a Magnesium Fire Starter, and for some reason I can't get it to spark with my SOG Seal Pup Elite. I've tried scraping the hell out of it, and no luck. Any ideas? Or suggestions for something else I should be scraping it with?

Thanks!

EDITED: Thanks Docdredd, typo fixed.

And, could the TiNi finish on the knife be what's preventing it from creating a spark?
 
Maybe the spine is too round. You need sharp edges on a striker.

You could try other knives, or a piece of a hacksaw blade.
 
im gonna go out on a limb here and say that you mean scraping when you say stricking right? as long as you scrape the embeded ferro rod you should be in good shape
ps. not being a smart aleck
 
penls said:
Maybe the spine is too round. You need sharp edges on a striker.

You could try other knives, or a piece of a hacksaw blade.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Used a pair of scisors lying around, that did the trick. Not sure why the knife wasn't working. I'll look into picking up a hack saw blade to keep with me in the Survival Kit that I'm trying to put together.

EDIT: Could the TiNi finish on the knife be whats preventing it from drawing a spark?
 
I'd say Penls is probably right. If the edge between the spine and blade is not at least "sharp", it'll be hard to generate a spark. I would think, if the TiNi coating is thick, it could cause the spine edge to be rounded and not allow the knife steel to contact the flint. I'd look first at the spine: maybe consider a file on the top of the spine near the scales... about an inch or so in length along the spine.... file it down enough so that you have a nice edge there and see if it sparks.
 
by sharp you dont necessarily have to have it knife sharp. It can be just a squared edge. If you have a leatherman or SAK with the saw try the back of that. *Becareful with the sak the saw has a tendency to close.
 
Definitely looking forward to trying out some of these suggestions when I get home from work today. Seems as though there is something with the TiNi coating on the knife that was preventing it from working. I had used both the blade and the back of the knife and got nothing. Tried with a pair of random scissors lying about and it worked perfectly.
 
Lots of people on this site complain about the little striker that comes with the swedish fire steels, light my fire, or whatever they are called. I have found that it works perfectly. I have tried a couple of my knife spines and not one of them sparks as well as the supplied striker (or leaves scrapes and deposits on my knife spines!). I figure I will always bring a dedicated striker (doesn't take much space) and have my knife as a backup.

pete
 
I think the coating is your problem for sure. I just got some good sparks from my SOG Field Pup. Rumor has it carbon blades give you better spark than stainless, but I haven't seen that much difference as long as the spine had a good sharp corner to strike with.
 
ilbruche said:
Rumor has it carbon blades give you better spark than stainless, but I haven't seen that much difference as long as the spine had a good sharp corner to strike with.
Click to expand...
That applies to natural flint not ferro rods or doan tools.
 
The fast and easy way is best at this point, look for any carban steel blade or hack saw blade and cut it to the size you like,drill it out,and keep it with the rod on a rope or other line so it will not get lost.

Some knives are not as good for what you want it for, i have alot of SOG"s my self, love the blades, so keep the knife, and add the saw blade, or other carban steel.

Your friend at the post, Donald S.
 
If you have a SAK or multi with a file on it, that works really well.
 
I use the file on my mulit-tool, saves the blades edge and I think it does a better job.
 
ilbruche said:
I think the coating is your problem for sure. I just got some good sparks from my SOG Field Pup. Rumor has it carbon blades give you better spark than stainless, but I haven't seen that much difference as long as the spine had a good sharp corner to strike with.
Click to expand...

After further testing this does seem to be the case.

thesupersurvivalpost said:
The fast and easy way is best at this point, look for any carban steel blade or hack saw blade and cut it to the size you like,drill it out,and keep it with the rod on a rope or other line so it will not get lost.

Some knives are not as good for what you want it for, i have alot of SOG"s my self, love the blades, so keep the knife, and add the saw blade, or other carban steel.

Your friend at the post, Donald S.
Click to expand...

Good idea, I'll be picking up a hack saw blade when I get the chance. Thanks
 
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