So I finally got to play with a fire steel and had an idea.

S

Squashfan

Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
1,670
I found a couple of Kershaw firesteels on sale and picked them up. I finally got out to try one of them out. Starting a fire with a firesteel is HARD. I tried to light a pack of papers that I needed to burn and ended up using a lighter. Then I tried to light a receipt that I had torn and folded into a shape to catch the sparks. No luck. So then I got to thinking about what I keep in my pocket on a day to day basis. Then I remembered that I carry rubbing alcohol for disinfecting tables, pocket knives and my hands when I am at work. I work in the medical field so I am big on cleanliness, even off the clock. So I swiped the bottle out of the house and sprayed a couple of sprays on the receipt. Voila, fire! Probably a miracle that I didn't burn my eyebrows off.

Maybe I am crazy but I always carry some form of hand sanitizer. Right now I am carrying the alcohol not purel but why couldn't I use something like purel or germ x for a inexpensive fire gel? I am probably the last person to think about using purel like this but it is something I hadn't thought of.
 
Paper by itself isn't very good for fire starting from my experience. I think using alcohol like that is "cheating". If you are going to use alcohol to start the fire why not just use gasoline! Lol
 
Whatever you have on hand to make a fire in a emergency is fair game. If I was lost in the wilderness with a Bic and a full gas can should I instead try smacking rocks together first :rolleyes: . I have used hand sanitizer to start a fire while camping mostly because is was much more easy than the alternative. In the case of the failure to light paper ,try rubbing it until it gets fuzzy and then tear tiny strips in the edge like you are trying to make a paper feather then roll the paper to concentrate the tiny strips into a small area.
 
I use a strike force from ultimate survival technologies. Mine throws a good shower of sparks. Inside the strike force there are some tinder rolls. It does take some practice. I have to get the rod right into the tender. I'm site thete are some fire experts on this forum that know a trick or two. In my bag I carry the normal cotton balls with Vaseline which will light fairly easy. It even helps to have those if you do have a lighter, as they burn slower and allow the fire to build. I admit I don't practice enough with what's available to me in nature because I'm usually prepared.
I have lit paper, and it burns out pretty fast. I agree with the other posts above.
 
If I there is the tiniest remotest chance Im going to be making a fire , or just driving the two 1/2 hours up n down to see the MRS in hospital ( fair bit of bush to go thru there ) , I carry cotton wool smothered in vaseline / petrolium jelly in a little baggie , in another baggie .. it doesnt take a lot to catch a flame off the ferro rod .. really useful when thins are damp or im just tired and cant be stuffed shredding up stuff .
scraping slow down the ferro rod will give some dust .. a spark into that dust is cool too , it all lights up in a BIG one usually
Biggest secret to making it happen easy tho is practice .. and more practice .. try new tinders , try old stuff , naval lint , dryer lint , inner bark off Iorn bark trees , paper bark crushed up , resinious pine wood shredded up .. there is a LOT of excuses .. umm .. make that reasons .. to research fire lighting :)
 
Squashfan said:
Starting a fire with a firesteel is HARD.
Click to expand...

I find it not that much harder than a lighter. Like most things in life practice makers prefect. Yellow, White or River birch bark are a good start because they burn like the devil and easily ignited with a firesteel.






It even works in the snow.

[video=youtube;1qrI9CkD56Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qrI9CkD56Y[/video]

Wood shavings, dried grass, fluffed up cedar bark, fatwood etc etc etc will all work. Tell us something about your woods and I am sure we can work out the best options.
 
The foil wrapped alcohol prep pads work well for this and carry/store well also--KV
 
I try to use natural materials in any part of the country that I am in. Then trying to use those materials when damp from a rain or in the cold. It has been quite challenging and interesting for me. And at times quite difficult. But I do pick up tips here and there from this forum, which helps a lot.
 
1- wrap the paper tight around the fire steel .
2- strike it on the striker so that the paper is between the steel and striker.

It will work
 
Another thing to remember is that sometimes bringing the temp up on the material will help ignite it. Try striking the firesteell in rapid succession. This will throw a bunch of sparks in there to char the material a little. This is the method I have to use with old man's beard. Even in summer it can be a little damp around here.

Also, try "fuzzing" up what ever you want to ignite. You want the tinder to be small, fluffy, and dry.

At the end of the day if you're always carrying alcohol then I see no reason not to use it. Practice with it til you're proficient and then use it as a backup when trying natural tinders. Most woodsman carry some way of "cheating" as far as fire starting goes. At least the smart ones do. ;)
 
I keep a Bic, a "can candle', Blastmatch, vasolined cottonballs, and a magnifying glass in the BOB, as the kit is termed. :-) Normally, the bic or the glass easily ignite one of the charred candle wicks very easily, and the candle then dries out the fuzz sticks that in turn ignite the kindling, etc. The cottonballs and blast match are for dire emergencies, when things are really wet and I need a big fire, right NOW.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top