Today's experiment

M

martino910

Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
91
today my 13 yr old son and i tried the cochlans mag firestarter...all went well and we celebrated success...both of us
the tools we used:

1. leatherman skeletool
2. vic ranger
3. coghlan mag bar
4. various twigs and sticks
5. fire containment unit (foil bowl/tub)
6. imagination
7. some Jack Daniels Old no 7( for me)


some thoughts...
7. it was awkward trying to throw the sparks on the shavings
8. if it had been raining/windy we were SOL
9. you need enuf shavings to make it flame
10. the saw on the vic ranger is awesome- thru sparks a mile away...
11. the more the striker gets used, the easier it is to throw sparks...
12. it was great to "actually do it" than comment about it and not having done it
13. WSS rocks!
 
sounds great, im glad you had sucsses i remember that that was the first mag/firesteel i owned and i started quite a number of fires with it. I Believe that i was also 12 - 13 yrs old when i got it but didn't have the privelege of having a father around. ( he worked in the oil patch for 8 months ) Good for you for spending the time with your son & teaching him, im sure he will look back fondly on those memorys. :D
 
Sounds like you had fun. A tip for windy conditions is to shave the shavings on to a piece of duct tape.
 
Congrats on your success :thumbup: and it's true about needing a nice sized pile of magnesium shavings, I think that's why some people have issues with the magnesium bar. Magnesium is a flash tinder which burns tremendously hot but only for a short while.
 
CoyotePhysics said:
:eek: That is amazingly brilliant.:thumbup: Is there anything duct tape can't do?
Click to expand...

CoyotePhsics, excellent advice & tip. I have started fires along the same line, but using an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit. The shavings and some magnesium "dust" along with the alcohol wipe would stick to it and would catch before I could get my hand back. Now I know what I can do with the small left over pieces on a few rolls I have. Thanks for the tip.
Be safe.
 
Shotgun said:
Sounds like you had fun. A tip for windy conditions is to shave the shavings on to a piece of duct tape.
Click to expand...

Yes, I remembered the duct-tape trick once while I was out but I didn't have any along, so I used the sticky side of a Band-Aid to hold the magnesium from blowing away in the wind. The Band-Aid also caught fire, and acted as additional tinder.

Another trick I use with both mag blocks and fatwood, is to drill a small depression into some dry wood with the tip of my knife or hatchet, and drop the dust into that. It helps stop the wind from blowing the chips away, and also it keeps them from scattering if you get a bit close with the ferro rod.

BB
 
beeperboy said:
Another trick I use with both mag blocks and fatwood, is to drill a small depression into some dry wood with the tip of my knife or hatchet, and drop the dust into that. It helps stop the wind from blowing the chips away, and also it keeps them from scattering if you get a bit close with the ferro rod.

BB
Click to expand...

That's a new one for me, nice tip, thanks.
 
i keep trying to teach my brother all of my "so extensive" wilderness knowledge because my dad doesn't get off the couch enough anymore to do so, but every time we get to ferro rods i can never get a fire lit in front of him. when he isn't there second or third try every time but we have tried for hours and nothing will ignite.
 
Sort of related, but I use a mischmetal rod and find that a good long stroke with a striker is necessary to throw big sparks. Since this tends to scatter the tinder (you tend to hit it with the striker), I prefer to hold the striker still and pull the rod against it and away from the tinder. This way, the sparks are cast off just above the tinder and it is not scattered.

I really like that duct tape tip as well. I'll have to remember that
 
dnhald said:
i keep trying to teach my brother all of my "so extensive" wilderness knowledge because my dad doesn't get off the couch enough anymore to do so, but every time we get to ferro rods i can never get a fire lit in front of him. when he isn't there second or third try every time but we have tried for hours and nothing will ignite.
Click to expand...

dnhald, could it be stage fright ??? :) Keep practicing, it will be second nature to after awhile, trust me, & besides, it gives you an excuse to get outdoors more often.
Be safe.
 
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