the fallacy of firesteels

[Guyon]

My standard fire kit in various packs consists of a mini Bic, a match case (with matches), and a firesteel. That's the order in which I attempt to use them.

 

[Maniacal Pete]

Full size Bic in my pocket, full size Bic in my dry tinder box.

I play with firesteels to learn new skills,
and to stay connected with the ways
of my ancestors.

Good post, OP.

 

[diced]

Agree fire steels are fun. In my, boat, kayak, tackle bag or anywhere I could take a cold plunge a flare is the way to go. I have fallen into cold water before (through ice) and if your lucky enough to get out before going into shock your brain and muscles will not be working well. Road flare is pretty easy an burns hot for 20 minutes (you can warm your hands while getting other materials). When hiking in the cold I sacrifice 8 oz if weight to bring a bottle of naptha or denatured alcohol if packing an alcohol stove. Fast easy fire for emergencies. Fun challenging fire for fun and practice. Starting a fire with a ferro rod does make you learn build a fire efficiently (tinder, kindling fuel etc).

 

[RWT]

Great post but I am curious if anyone thinks to scrape their fire steel into small shavings and use that as tinder. Works for me and if I am in the situation that I "need" to have that fire I will be found with a nub of a firesteel as I used the ENTIRE device to save my bacon. I also attach oak wooden handles to mine as I use blanks and then soak the handle in a clear epoxy. I can shave away at the handle and the steel to make my own tinder.

 

[ThriftyJoe]

......

 

[Thomas Linton]

On top of that, a storm match is much easier to bring to your tinder pile than a firesteel. Tinder piles tend to be fragile things where the construction is as important as the material, and when it's sleeting sideways and it's all you can do to protect your fuel from wind and sleet, trying to get a firesteel into the tinder and strike it without scattering your collection can be a challenge.

Put your scraper (Not really a striker is it?) just above the tinder and draw your ferro rod upwards keeping contact with the scraper. That prevents over-travel from knocking over your fire lay.

Tinder is commonly the weak link. Not having prepared tinder of some kind is an unnecessary risk. The pioneers went west with a "tinder box." Not wimps, just careful.

As for ferro rods being "one of the worst," they beat fire-by-friction sets, fire pistons, and natural flint and steel -- not to mention magnifying glasses in our gray Falls and Winters.

I always carry matches and a lighter -- and tinder and a "fire starter" (trick birthday candle lately). One of those little hot sauce bottles from a MRE with coleman fuel has occasionally come along as well. No extra points for doing it the hard(er) way.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I will say, that I 100% agree with the OP. But with one big caveat. I've gotten better at fire lighting with each "challenge" put before me. When learning from my Dad it was always the "one match fire" something that he used often as a fun gimmick, but has saved his life. (realizing that a 250 count box of kitchen matches makes a hell of a "one match" fire was one of those times) Since becoming much more familiar with ferro-rods, and other methods, my skills have further improved. Even learning to light matches with frozen fingers took time, but every little thing helps.
However, living here in Oz, matches just aren't much of an option. I can't get strike-anywhere ones, I've only just found a UCO storm match source, but I doubt I'll be getting them as shipping will cost more than the matches, and there are no other products from that vendor I'd likely buy. So for my EDC, a ferro rod is what I'm likely to have (recently got a peanut lighter but its far from proven yet) So while I'd love to carry matches, its just not a realistic option for me.

I've learned that my least favorite method is jet lighters. They promote impatience, don't light faster than other lighters, and are typically bulkier. The best and fastest would be a self igniting highway flare, but thats not something I keep in my pocket.

As for all the mentions of carrying gas, I can see the appeal. But from one who was started many fires with petroleum products, kerosene is much safer, no risk of a vapor explosion, (nasty surprise if your face is over your fire). It's also not that big of a help, by that I mean, I've lit many fires in the rain, using diesel/kero/jetB and you need a lot. you still need your little stuff, and need to arrange it to keep the fire going. But you need to have the fire from the liquid fuel last long enough to heat the wood enough to dry it. That takes a couple minutes at minimum, and even kerosine burns very quick. At worst you get steamed logs, or a few cinders here and there to mock you. If you can get the fire going with a half tablespoon of gas, you probably could have done it without. A bit of inner tube is safer, will burn longer, and has more other uses. Liquid fuels are about as effective as news-paper, just faster. You aren't going to be lighting round logs with newspaper, you'll need a tanker of gas to get the same effect.

YMMV

 

[KuRUpTD]

I also attach oak wooden handles to mine as I use blanks and then soak the handle in a clear epoxy. I can shave away at the handle and the steel to make my own tinder.

Try making a handle out of fatwood ... now that's the ticket :thumbup:

 

[lmalterna]

Since we are talking chemical "cheats" pick up a small inner tube repair kit for bicycles, the rubber patch burns good and the tiny rubber cement tube is like thick napalm. Much like the Balsam sap but something you can keep in a small pouch with the rest of your fire kit. Until you puncture the tube, it has a long shelf life.

Bill

 

[panzertroop]

dump on some Coleman fuel (aka white gas), stand back, and throw on one of your windproof matches? Instant fire, no dry tinder needed.

It doesn't always work. Fire is a tricky muther sometimes. Fuel burns quickly, sometimes too quickly. I have seen people with gas not be able to sustain a fire. I prefer to rely on my skills.

 

[panzertroop]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN2tjcXwVmg&feature=channel&list=UL

 

[jdk1]

....The pioneers went west with a "tinder box." Not wimps, just careful....

Many of the old (as in 19th century) khukuri scabbards have a tender pouch as well. The scabbard was a survival kit and it shows tender was an integral part of the system, along with a big knife, small knife, and method of sharpening/repairing the edge.

Redundancy is king. I've had times I couldn't keep Kingsford Matchlight Charcoal lit in my pit when it was windy That stuff is soaked in lighter fuel and I use the big BBQ lighters! This is a great thread and I really like all the options given. I never would have thought about the bicycle repair kit, but it makes good sense. I have a small tube of vasoline lip therapy I've been meaning to try. It's not messy, as it's secure in the tube until needed, appears to be nothing but vasoline, and works great on chapped lips/cuts/etc. Take care.

 

[Hammer67]

Bottom line? Situations where you can't afford to carry a small amount of tinder, and more than one ignition option, are not situations where you should expect to be building a fire under the conditions that you will likely need one. It's hard to imagine any backwoods scenario where you have room for just one ignition option, and don't have room for a small, lightweight and reliable kit. Mine is no bigger than a Cliff bar, and includes three ignition options and three different tinder options. Why carry less than that?

 

[FingerBlade]

OP nailed it, and powernoodle summed it up. Well done fellas.

 

[MrApple]

I would agree that a firesteel would not be my first choice of fire making EDC. It seems to me that the only acceptable choice would be a lighter, even in the anti-smoking environment we live in in modern day America. All other choice would make you and your EDC supplies stand out among the sheeple.

 

[panzertroop]

Improvised tinders/starters:
Fritos corn chips
Chapstick
Vaseline soaked cotton balls
Hand Sanitizer
Candle Wax dripped on cotton balls
Rubber products like bands and tubes
More???

 

[chris0827]

I've used it for years, and I trust the O-ring system on this matchsafe as much as I trust the O-rings in my SCUBA equipment when I'm 260 feet under the sea breathing Nitrox.

Nitrox at 260fsw w/o convulsions due to Oxygen Toxicity? Might be time for you to look into Tri-mix...

I do agree though- if I'm cold and wet the firesteel wouldn't be my first choice!

 

[Maniacal Pete]

I have a small tube of vasoline lip therapy I've been meaning to try. It's not messy, as it's secure in the tube until needed, appears to be nothing but vasoline, and works great on chapped lips/cuts/etc. Take care.

I've done it and it a permanent piece of gear for me.
100 % pertroleum jelly in a small tube:
Great lip balm, excellent fire starter.

 

[Hammer67]

All other choice would make you and your EDC supplies stand out among the sheeple.

I don't see how that's necessarily so. A small fire kit stored in a stuff sack/zip pouch, carried in a day pack/satchel/pants pocket/whatever doesn't really stand out at all.

Regardless, while I don't go out of my way to advertise, I couldn't care less what sheeple think. They're sheeple, after all.

 

[Mannlicher]

for starting fires, I like matches first, lighters second, and fire steel as a tertiary choice.

That said, I see no reason to beat folks up because the favor a fire steel. To each, his own.