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November's Challenge Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Moosez45
- Start date
So... if I'm a fire starting noob, do I get extra points for making an "easier" method work successfully?
Meaning, I'd never heard of a firesteel before I joined this forum, and I still haven't manged to start a fire with one using just feathersticks. I'm good at building "one match" fires, and have used a bowdrill successfully like once (with epic tinder).
Either way, I'll still be in, because I want to become great at this, but am just starting from what I feel like is lesser skills in this area.
Meaning, I'd never heard of a firesteel before I joined this forum, and I still haven't manged to start a fire with one using just feathersticks. I'm good at building "one match" fires, and have used a bowdrill successfully like once (with epic tinder).
Either way, I'll still be in, because I want to become great at this, but am just starting from what I feel like is lesser skills in this area.
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2011
- Messages
- 6,901
Learning's the name of the game. I'm gonna try drilling and the glass method. Never done those before. But remember YouTube and Google are your friends and have lots of good how tos. The key with a ferro rod or flint and a featherstick is you want a tornado of curls so oxygen can swirl around the tinder and keep it ignited. That's what I've learned from it. Make a ball of loose curls and watch em go up in flames. Most featherstick pica you see on here aren't good feathersticks. Your really need lots of curls, if it looks like a wave its not thin enough.
Thanks for the reply man, I figured it was my horrific curling skills that was holding me back. I've got the concepts of firestarting down, just not enough practice I guess.
Is it ok that the curls come off of the stick? Because whenever I manage to get them thin, they never stay on the stick
.
Ironically, of these, I'm best at the magnifying glass method, but I don't happen to have a magnifying glass anymore. Maybe I should go pick one up.
And I can't imagine how hard a hand drill would be, but I'm excited to see some of you guys pull that off.
Is it ok that the curls come off of the stick? Because whenever I manage to get them thin, they never stay on the stick
.Ironically, of these, I'm best at the magnifying glass method, but I don't happen to have a magnifying glass anymore. Maybe I should go pick one up.
And I can't imagine how hard a hand drill would be, but I'm excited to see some of you guys pull that off.
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2011
- Messages
- 6,901
Yeh they do that. I usually put a hat underneath to catch what falls. Although the true Bushcraft guys say that if they stay on the stick its a featherstick, off they are shavings. Tomato potato. Yeh it takes alot of practices. Wanna get good one day when you can't get to the woods? Grab a few paint stir sticks and shave those in your spare time. They also make good light weight easily packed tinder sticks.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 15,417
Feathersticks are fine, but unless you have some ultra dry wood, and your feathersticks are damn near perfect, you might not get the desired reaction. Namely fire.
Here is what I do, I use feather sticks as my "toothpick" portion of the fire making, by what I mean, is, I teach toothpicks, pencils and fingers to measure your wood size. When you are using firesteel, tinderballs are the name of the game. What makes a tinder ball? I prefer shavings. Split you a piece of good dry wood, and use either the spine (if you have squared the edge) or the edge to scrape back and forth on the inner dry, to make a big ass ball of dry wood scrapings. That's a tinder ball, fo' ya.
These are red oak shavings, and they will take a spark like it ain't no thang.
Tinder piles or balls will get you in the red, fast.
Be sure and scrape the steel against the knife, and never push your knife towards your tinder pile, as on mis strike, and you just spread your tinder to the winds.
Its about practice, practice, practice. I've made tons of fires over the years, and its all about DOING it. No method or study or book learnin' or internet readin' will show you the way, just good ol' gettin' your ass out there and doin' it. Its why we have these contests.
We (I) will be here to support you in anyway I can, because, believe me, this is a high priority on my list of skills everyone should know.
My daughters (9 and 6) have been making fires with firesteels for while now, and we have moved on to natural tinder with the big on, since she has a knife and can make it. She prefers cotton balls, but hell, don't well all.
Moose
Here is what I do, I use feather sticks as my "toothpick" portion of the fire making, by what I mean, is, I teach toothpicks, pencils and fingers to measure your wood size. When you are using firesteel, tinderballs are the name of the game. What makes a tinder ball? I prefer shavings. Split you a piece of good dry wood, and use either the spine (if you have squared the edge) or the edge to scrape back and forth on the inner dry, to make a big ass ball of dry wood scrapings. That's a tinder ball, fo' ya.
These are red oak shavings, and they will take a spark like it ain't no thang.
Tinder piles or balls will get you in the red, fast.
Be sure and scrape the steel against the knife, and never push your knife towards your tinder pile, as on mis strike, and you just spread your tinder to the winds.
Its about practice, practice, practice. I've made tons of fires over the years, and its all about DOING it. No method or study or book learnin' or internet readin' will show you the way, just good ol' gettin' your ass out there and doin' it. Its why we have these contests.
We (I) will be here to support you in anyway I can, because, believe me, this is a high priority on my list of skills everyone should know.
My daughters (9 and 6) have been making fires with firesteels for while now, and we have moved on to natural tinder with the big on, since she has a knife and can make it. She prefers cotton balls, but hell, don't well all.
Moose
Thanks for the advice guys. Like I said, I really want to get better at this.
Also, how is your girl moose? Her arm healing up ok?
And clich, great idea on the paint sticks, maybe I'll try that leading up to my official entries for the contest. Even though I doubt that they are legal for the contest, even though they are kind of natural, kind of man made.
Also, how is your girl moose? Her arm healing up ok?
And clich, great idea on the paint sticks, maybe I'll try that leading up to my official entries for the contest. Even though I doubt that they are legal for the contest, even though they are kind of natural, kind of man made.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
- Messages
- 267
One of the methods to start a fire is light refraction
Would a magnifying glass count, or is that cheating/not allowed?
Would a magnifying glass count, or is that cheating/not allowed?
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 6,118
That is a method of light refraction, and what he meant by it I believe. (Could be wrong, but it would make sense to include as it is one of the methods most commonly discussed, although slightly harder to pull off than one would think.)
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2008
- Messages
- 712
The credit card sized fresnel lens works pretty well - however, WV is now mainly gray all day every day. Light refraction a much better option about 3 months back...
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
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- 267
Texas gets pretty good sunlight most of the year!
Hopefully I can take advantage of that!
Hopefully I can take advantage of that!
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
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- 15,417
Magnifying glass is fine, fresnell is fine. Ice is fine (mad skills if you can do it, and it can be done), condoms are fine (yeah, you can do it too, mad skills and all) coke cans are fine, anything that uses sunlight and will start a fire.
Its an old method that takes the right kind of skills and mentality, as well as some science, so, if you think its gonna be easy, it might be, but chances are, it won't.
The main idea here is to get outside and try some of this stuff out, so, when you are in a tough spot, you got some experience behind you. It helps to make better decisions based on what YOU have done before, not what you heard/read someone done before.
Try the mag glass, try the coke can, try the condom, try the ice, try it all, and learn to carry a BIC.
Moose
Its an old method that takes the right kind of skills and mentality, as well as some science, so, if you think its gonna be easy, it might be, but chances are, it won't.
The main idea here is to get outside and try some of this stuff out, so, when you are in a tough spot, you got some experience behind you. It helps to make better decisions based on what YOU have done before, not what you heard/read someone done before.
Try the mag glass, try the coke can, try the condom, try the ice, try it all, and learn to carry a BIC.
Moose
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2009
- Messages
- 1,425
I assume, char-cloth is allowed to catch the initial spark (traditional flint & steel method)... (?)
Not sure if I was supposed to post it here or on the other thread but you suckers are already behind! lol http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/895468-Ethan-s-November-Challenge-FIRE!!?p=10150784#post10150784 Get out there and start some fires cause I love seeing the pics.
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- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 15,417
Flint/steel and natural tinder.
You need fire to make a charcloth, and unless you're using natural cotton fibers, i.e. off a cotton tree, I would go with not gonna happen. Its prepared tinder, gotta rule out charcloth.
Look into some of the tinder fungus and see what grows around your area.
Moose
NixKustoms
Sheath and Knife Maker
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Messages
- 5,883
Here's my problem(S)
I live in WA state.
Bow/hand drill, pretty much impossible from what I've tried and have been told. Most branches and other wood found on the ground is wet, and if it's not wet then it's been so super saturated from previous years that it's rotted.
Parabolic lens, right now the sun is so low in the sky it looks like morning all day so I would never get enough sun to even consider that to be an option (but I still carry a magnifying glass in my kit, for them summer days).
Flint rock and steel, I have yet to find a rock to pull a spark from any of my carbon knives. Every time I've been to the river beds this year I've been looking for anything that would through a spark, and nothin.
My only option, IMO, is my firesteel(s).
The good part though. We do have a lot of good tinder that will take a spark from a steel and I just so happen to have a metric butt ton right around here
More fire starting soon
I like fire!!!
I live in WA state.
Bow/hand drill, pretty much impossible from what I've tried and have been told. Most branches and other wood found on the ground is wet, and if it's not wet then it's been so super saturated from previous years that it's rotted.
Parabolic lens, right now the sun is so low in the sky it looks like morning all day so I would never get enough sun to even consider that to be an option (but I still carry a magnifying glass in my kit, for them summer days).
Flint rock and steel, I have yet to find a rock to pull a spark from any of my carbon knives. Every time I've been to the river beds this year I've been looking for anything that would through a spark, and nothin.
My only option, IMO, is my firesteel(s).
The good part though. We do have a lot of good tinder that will take a spark from a steel
and I just so happen to have a metric butt ton right around here More fire starting soon
I like fire!!!