Strike Force Tinder cubes

messer454

messer454

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Oct 2, 2006
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I just finished 98.6 degrees and most of Bushcraft. I took what Lundin said to heart something to the effect of not worrying about starting a fire with bow and drill until you have all of the easier ways mastered. I dug out my car kits and looked at what I had put in there last year before reading these books.

One of the items was a Survival Inc. "Blast match" and some of the little tinder cubes.

Yes I should have tried these before counting on them I know but.... The spring in the blast match is almost shot and doesn't want to come out very far anymore. That doesn't bother me as much as the fact that I absolutely could not start the tinder with the darn thing in my garage. I then tried a lighter to the count of 15 and it would melt but not flame or even remain a coal.

Second pic is the melted one. It would not flame. Lesson learned.
 
Thanks for the info. After seeing your experience, I definitely have go and test the same tinder cubes that I have in my car kit.
 
Those tinder cubes work well but are a little pricey. Lundin is correct about the bow drill being learned after other firecraft skills are mastered. If anything, not knowing the bow drill will make you understand the importance and ease of carrying a small Ferro rod. However, the bow drill and other primitive fire making skills compliment your outdoor ability and inspire confidence if left with nothing but your mind.

If you like those tinder cubes, try vaseline cotton balls. You can get many fires out of a VCB if you pull the fibers apart and only use a little. They store forever and are dirt cheap.
 
messer454,

I have those cubes as well. I've found that if you scratch up the top a little bit, it is easier for them to catch a spark. that being said, I much prefer fatwood and firestraws.

-- FLIX
 
k_estela said:
Those tinder cubes work well but are a little pricey. Lundin is correct about the bow drill being learned after other firecraft skills are mastered. If anything, not knowing the bow drill will make you understand the importance and ease of carrying a small Ferro rod. However, the bow drill and other primitive fire making skills compliment your outdoor ability and inspire confidence if left with nothing but your mind.

If you like those tinder cubes, try vaseline cotton balls. You can get many fires out of a VCB if you pull the fibers apart and only use a little. They store forever and are dirt cheap.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you understood that I could not get them to work at all!!! I agree with you on your bow and drill comments 100%. I am definately gonna try VCB. I tried a little Vaseline lip therapy on a cotton swap and it flamed right up.
 
FLIX said:
messer454,

I have those cubes as well. I've found that if you scratch up the top a little bit, it is easier for them to catch a spark. that being said, I much prefer fatwood and firestraws.

-- FLIX
Click to expand...

Thanks but if I can't make them light with a lighter in 15 seconds than they are not worth anything to me in my kit. Besides unlike VCB they only served one purpose.
 
Just as with the VCB, break off little pieces of it and make it powdery if you can. A little bit will light with no trouble. I have a strikeforce that I like for winter use because of the easily managed pieces used with winter gloves. A great skill to practice is to learn to find natural tinder that large ferro rod will ignite. Fall back on the homemade and store bought tinder after all else fails.
 
I buy the Weber fire starters. Just as good as the expensive ones and much much cheaper. About $3 for 24 cubes..
 
I posted these pics awhile back but they show you can't go far wrong with some Fatwood and Ferro rod as back up for your matches....
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If I can do it any klutz can !
 
I have some of the Wet-Fire Brand tinder cubes and they light right up. Are these the same brand?
 
Don is right. Wet fire lights easily in fact you can light it with a flame (the whole block) and then blow it out.
If you are using a spark to light the tinder it needs to be broken up into a powder or flakes to act as tinder. I have even gotten wet fire dust to light with a sparklite.
If it is indead wetfire it needed to stay packaged. If it was unwrapped it may have oxidized and that might be your problem.
Bill
 
I'm beginning to think these two types of tinder are totally different. But Wet-Fire is simply awesome. I don't think it replaces cotton balls and steel wool and a knowledge of what you can find naturally, but if you were hurt, etc., etc., etc., and needed it fast, it will work great.

I really don't see why anyone should limit themselves to any one, two or three types of prepared tinder, hell, carry an assortment! It don't weight nothing! :D
 
These came with the Blast Match and say "strike force" on them. They are the consistancy of a packing peanut. When I tried to crumble it the pieces blew away. I couldn't believe a lighter wouldn't light it. i will try a couple more things but I think they are different.
 
I think billym may have this nailed. Possibly the packaging wasn't sealed, and the flamable gases leached from the solid before you got around to it. If so, better to find that out now!

-- FLIX
 
Well, I'll say this, PJ, cotton balls and OOOO steel wool light just as easy, to me anyway. So, you don't really need to go out of your way to purchase them. If you have them, they work, but you can get a lot of raw material for under 10.00 going the other way.
 
98.6 Degrees was a really great book with some really great straight forward advise. And, this brings up a great issue. Too many people purchase items to add to their kit without ever using it first. I'm as guilty as any other at times. Nothing should be added to our gear that we one day may need to save our skins without having first figured out if it really works.

Like Cody said, a survival kit should be filled with easily replaced items that are regularly used and restocked so that 1. we know HOW to use them and 2. We know that it works.

Good point and post from the OP
 
Wet Fire is some cool stuff but certainly not my first choice for a manmade tinder. It is bulky (solid) and must remained sealed in its wrapper. I think good old cooton-pj balls work awesome and if I am carryinf manmade tinder I would choose Tinder Quick that comes with the Sparklite.
The Strike force tinder is in a differnt wrapper (almost thought it was an Esbit tab) but looks a lot like the Wet Fire.
Bill
 
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