Question about fire.

DerekH

Handsome According to my Mother
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We all have the fatwood, the PJCB, the jute, the magnesium rod, the stormproof matches, etc... We all have something like that. If you spend time outdoors, you know the value of fire, the value of being able to start it quick, and you plan accordingly.

So, over the last month, I got bit hard by the stove-making bug. Made an alcohol stove. Am in the process of the woodgas stove. And during this process, while sitting at my desk with my dremel making all kinds of a mess, I ended up with one thing; metal dust. Aluminum, stainless steel, even a bit of iron(wanted to see what the dremel could do to it).

Then I got to thinking. Thermite. It is a pretty stable, simple compound to whip up. Aluminum, iron oxide, and a dash of magnesium for flavor. Thermite burns good. Real good. Like really, really, really good. Wet wood? Not for long.

So, anyone ever use any of this whilst in the bush? I know it burns quick, but it should be more than sufficient to get your tinder going.

For those curious, it is, according to the internet (I love that place), 8 grams iron oxide to 3 grams powdered aluminum (by weight, otherwise if you go by volume it is approximately 50/50), both of which should be available at most paint stores. The magnesium would be used to ignite the thermite, since a firesteel alone may not be sufficient.

Thoughts? Ideas? Speculation as to whether or not my name is now on a list somewhere?
 
Interesting thread. I would use powdered monkey dung if it made a reliable fire. I was never a fire making snob and I'll pack anything that works. Neat ideas buddy.
 
isnt fire paste the same thing?

firepastecogh.jpg


I love fire and all the ways it can be made too
 
Don't think that fire paste is the same thing as thermite.:D Check out some online videos of thermite.


Sounds like a fun project. Would shaved magnesium from one of those fire starters be sufficient? Could be a useful thing in the winter when everything is usually wet/frozen.
 
Would shaved magnesium from one of those fire starters be sufficient?

It should be. Magnesium burns really hot, hot enough to ignite thermite. Thermite burns even hotter. I suggested the magnesium because I am not sure if a firesteel, misch metal or otherwise, would be sufficient to ignite the thermite. The magnesium however should be.

And I have to say, never even heard of fire paste. Interesting...
 
Would have to get somebody else's opinion to know for sure, but when I used some of that paste last year, it didn't seem to burn all that well. Maybe just the tube we had.

PJCB with some magnesium mixed in! Or maybe mix the iron oxide and powdered aluminum with some water, soak into cotton balls or jute cord and light that way. Not sure if the heat from the jute or cotton would be hot enough either, but it may be an easier way to carry the mixture, after it dried that is.
 
potassium permanganate crystals and a teaspoon of mineral oil will start your thermite just fine. save the magnesium for something else :>

there's a guy i've seen at locals shows selling bags of the stuff.

the major problem with it is, once it goes, you cannot put it out until it's done, and then you have metal oxides in your fire and what not. as a point source, it'll probably fail to start a decent fire in wet wood. just burn through and into the ground.

need to start a fire? a tub of vaseline, cotton (char), and one of those pocket torches should get you going in wet wood. be liberal with the vaseline and cotton, and whoosh. heck, there's probably 2-dozen ways to make your own napalm/fire-jelly :>

in yosemite, the wood is very wet, and after an hour i got a little thing going. the 8 inches of snow was fun too. we weren't cold, but a fire would've been fun. guy came over from the neighboring camp and said "hey, try this" and pulls out a MAP torch :> hah. fire NOW.
 
Thermite is not good for starting fires. It burns so hot that even difficult to light mediums are destroyed like flash tinders. I won't actually ignite wet wood. I hear this online way to much. It will however, burn through the wet wood and leave a char on the sides of the burn hole. You are much better off with something that doesn't burn as hot so the medium being lit has time to take on the heat without being disintegrated.
 
Ah, I see. So you are saying that instead of trying to start a crap fire with wood that will be completely disintegrated, we need to just forgo the wood altogether and just use more thermite. Gotcha!
 
Ah, I see. So you are saying that instead of trying to start a crap fire with wood that will be completely disintegrated, we need to just forgo the wood altogether and just use more thermite. Gotcha!

:thumbup:
 
Just my thoughts about fire while camping, backpacking, hiking, etc....
My friends always wait for me to start the fire because they know I am always pumped to start the fire. They don't give a S*** about it. I love to use my imagination, from steel wool and batteries, to the bladeforum-typical ferro rod. I have learned, though, that's there's no substitute for the confidence of having a few lighters with me. I have learned this from a time or two of trying to start a fire when ALL the wood is soaked with rain. I have purchased, but not used the Magnesium stick. I have read a few ideas of having a small bag of the shavings ready. Can't wait to try this magical fairy dust.

Also, not only do I love to start the fire, I love placing the tinder, sticks in logs in specific orders to create effeciently starting fires.

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Beckerhead #32
 
pine sol & powdered HTH is supposed to work pretty good, too.

Had to look up HTH, though it seems it is the same as Pool Shock which can be used to purify water. If Pine sol did work with HTH or Calcium Hypochlorite in general, it may be a good way to go. Could start a fire and purify water, plus be able to smell piney fresh!
 
sorry - HTH is the most common brand of pool shock around here.

Not a problem, have no familiarity with that stuff other than the In The Swim pool shock. And even then, I only remember what the bag looks like, had to look up the name of it. Cool idea though.

Ever try it?
 
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