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Scraping Magnesium
- Thread starter Buck268
- Start date
I use the blade (sharp side) on my SAK and have never had a problem getting enough shavings. You guys aren't buying you magnesium bars at the dollar store are you
Why? Are they containing softer Mg?
CZ
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2006
- Messages
- 140
The biggest secret is patience
...but you can get yourself a tool to make things easier. I made myself a little funny blade from old saw to work with mag and flint becouse I would never want to scrape shavings or burning sparks with knife ..if you have a high-end knife it is probably hard enough to do this but I really want to have a knife ready for cutting.
It is best to use the hardest piece of steel you can get and make a decent edge on it ..no need to make a small angle like knife but just a strait edge and you will get the result
Pease don't use utility knife!! It could end with doctor not a fire.
my tool ...zippo is for size comparation
sharpened part for scraping magnesium block(about 45 degrees)
flint scraping part
after 5 strokes
firemaking tools lineup
I had a larger(3x3x1.5 inch) mag block and made some smaller ones for my friends. I few shavings came out
patsknives,
Thanks for the pics. I seem to have some very hard firesteels, that cannot generate very much/thick sparks with hacksaw blades or HSS sawblades. They flex a lot. But.......on my Swedish firesteel (like your in the pic) it gives "enough" sparks. At least a lot more then on the no name firesteel.
I think the main difference is the hardness of the firesteel. The Swedish one seems to be softer material. Can you confirm this? And how much flex does your scraper have?
Thanks again for the good pics!
CZ
Thanks for the pics. I seem to have some very hard firesteels, that cannot generate very much/thick sparks with hacksaw blades or HSS sawblades. They flex a lot. But.......on my Swedish firesteel (like your in the pic) it gives "enough" sparks. At least a lot more then on the no name firesteel.
I think the main difference is the hardness of the firesteel. The Swedish one seems to be softer material. Can you confirm this? And how much flex does your scraper have?
Thanks again for the good pics!
CZ
Great responses! And wow pat, thats some nice shaving, especially for only 5 strokes. Maybe I should take an old file to the grinder and see what happens... But for now the hacksaw blades are working, I just gotta get out there and practice more.
The cottonballs seems like a lot of work for my purposes (mostly playing around and such). Like I've said before (here or other places), I am a smoker so the mag bar and 'flint' is half-toy half-emergency back up.
The cottonballs seems like a lot of work for my purposes (mostly playing around and such). Like I've said before (here or other places), I am a smoker so the mag bar and 'flint' is half-toy half-emergency back up.
I use PJ cotton balls in straws only as emergency tinder, in case i need a fire really badly and my hands are too cold to be able to make a lot of little wood scrapings. I don't really see a use for the mag blocks, but have never used em so I could be talking outta my arse.
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2007
- Messages
- 2,798
For just playing around with, then the mag bars are fine, but the cotton balls aren't any work at all.
What you need:
Cotton balls
Petroleum Jelly
container (plastic film canister, milkshake straws, eyeglass repair kit tube, spy capsule, etc.)
What you do:
Put the cotton ball in the PJ and smear it around until the outside of the Cotton ball is good and covered in PJ.
Place cotton ball in chosen container.
(If you just want to play with them and want easy access then just put like 5 in a film canister. For emergency use, stuff them into a milkshake straw and pinch the ends with some pliers and use a lighter to seal. A chopstick helps when stuffing a straw. You can make the straws as large as you want. I have made single cotton ball straws that are only 3/4" long, or make a 5 ball straw that is 4 1/2" long.)
Cotton balls are a little messier but are a lot less work in my opinion, especially if you're just messing around.
P.S. Just made one. It took me seconds and burned for minutes. I have a mag bar, but it seems it takes minutes and burns for seconds.
You should know that you have to tear them open, because the dry cotton catches a lot easier than the PJ on the outside.
Either way, have fun with whatever you enjoy, just don't wright off PJ balls completely.
What you need:
Cotton balls
Petroleum Jelly
container (plastic film canister, milkshake straws, eyeglass repair kit tube, spy capsule, etc.)
What you do:
Put the cotton ball in the PJ and smear it around until the outside of the Cotton ball is good and covered in PJ.
Place cotton ball in chosen container.
(If you just want to play with them and want easy access then just put like 5 in a film canister. For emergency use, stuff them into a milkshake straw and pinch the ends with some pliers and use a lighter to seal. A chopstick helps when stuffing a straw. You can make the straws as large as you want. I have made single cotton ball straws that are only 3/4" long, or make a 5 ball straw that is 4 1/2" long.)
Cotton balls are a little messier but are a lot less work in my opinion, especially if you're just messing around.
P.S. Just made one. It took me seconds and burned for minutes. I have a mag bar, but it seems it takes minutes and burns for seconds.
You should know that you have to tear them open, because the dry cotton catches a lot easier than the PJ on the outside.
Either way, have fun with whatever you enjoy, just don't wright off PJ balls completely.
Cotton balls must be carried separately from flint and are thus prone to loss. They also dont light near as many fires.
Mag flint bar all in one unit that will work 50 yrs from now if stored.
Not the easiest to use but it works fine for a backup.
BTW, I would carry a couple bics before cotton balls.
Skam
Mag flint bar all in one unit that will work 50 yrs from now if stored.
Not the easiest to use but it works fine for a backup.
BTW, I would carry a couple bics before cotton balls.
Skam
No reason not to carry both
A coarse file?
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2007
- Messages
- 373
Matches, bics, cotton balls and mag blocks all way next to nothing, so there is no reason to leave one of them at home. A mag block is the hardest to use, but it is also the one that will last the longest. I don't use mine much, but if a true survival situation ever arose, I would be glad to have it.
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2007
- Messages
- 373
True, but I see no reason to not be prepared. Leaving extra fire starting material at home isn't saving any weight or any space in a pack, so I can't see any reason to leave it. It isn't much to worry about. All you have to do is put it in your pack and leave it there.
Edit: It clearly isn't necessary to take all the kinds of fire starting and I can't fault anyone for not doing it, I just can't come up with a reason for not being as prepared as I can be.
TX,
That's exactly what I trying to tell. Why not beeing prepared as much as you can? PJB weights nothing, a bic lighter weights nothing, same for a Doan tool. If it's all to heavy in some way, you should get out and get a few good workouts, so you're physical fit enough. Again, tools isn't all you need, physical fitness is just as important, just like knowledge (weights nothing
)CZ
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 2,373
My go-to firelighter is a Bic, large one in my kit, small one in my canteen pouch.
My back-up system is a Magblock, hacksaw blade, metal match container filled with PJ cotton and a few birthday candles. This is all on a ball chain with a pair of rubber ranger bands around it. If you can't get a fire going with those options chances are you're still in the lifeboat.
I really like that dedicated scraper, it looks very effective. I'm going to have to make up a few of them. Mac
My back-up system is a Magblock, hacksaw blade, metal match container filled with PJ cotton and a few birthday candles. This is all on a ball chain with a pair of rubber ranger bands around it. If you can't get a fire going with those options chances are you're still in the lifeboat.
I really like that dedicated scraper, it looks very effective. I'm going to have to make up a few of them. Mac
I like the cotton balls in PJ too.....also saturated with parrafin oil. It's easy to agree with the others though, using a mag/flint is just like using anything else, you work at it and try to get as good as you can just in case that's the only thing you end up with someday.
Another thing I like to carry is 0000 steel wool. There's always a pad in my BOB, and I have a very small ziplock baggie with several strands of parrafin soaked steel wool that stays in the BOB.
Another thing I like to carry is 0000 steel wool. There's always a pad in my BOB, and I have a very small ziplock baggie with several strands of parrafin soaked steel wool that stays in the BOB.
Sorry guys but I draw the line at cotton balls. Yes they weigh nothing but its still one more thing I gotta carry regardless.
If I want another backup I carry another Bic. Pissing with cotton balls takes too long.
Backup can also be more than one in the same fire making type. They all dont have to be different. They dont get much better than a bic.
KISS theory.
Skam
If I want another backup I carry another Bic. Pissing with cotton balls takes too long.
Backup can also be more than one in the same fire making type. They all dont have to be different. They dont get much better than a bic.
KISS theory.
Skam