Two Tinder Survey !

I have PJCB in my kit, but I also carry other methods as well in about this order-

1. PJCB
2. Magnesium with a flint
3. Char cloth
4. Extra fine steel wool for cleaning pots / fire
5. I’ve started looking into fire gel and trioxane for a fuel outside of denatured alcohol (stove).
6. Alcohol wipes / first aid

Here’s a link to the trioxane I found
http://beprepared.com/product.asp?pn=CK S011

Here’s a link to the fire gel
http://www.adventuresurvivalequipment.com/pyropac-gel-fuel-and-fire-starter.html

Good luck finding your favorite combinations, it’s the best part of it. I'm not a pro, but I like to experiment/train, I just wish I could do more of it
 
Fatwood shavings & fluffed up jute twine.
I was really impressed with how readily the separated jute strands took a spark.
And even a little fat wood will burn long enough to get your prepped wood going good.
It seems the PJCBs are pretty popular & I hate to say I haven't tried them yet,but I will.
They sound like a good DIY alternative to fat wood if you don't have any in your area.
 
pitdog said:
I knew PJCB's would be popular......I'm suprised some others have not been mentioned though !
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PJCBs are the easiest to work with all around for the size you mention. Easiest to manipulate and get the most packed into the dimensions you specified and it wouldn't require any tools to prepare it for use. Under cold wet conditions anything thumbnail sized that required whittling or shaving would be time consuming, could be difficult, and could even be dangerous leading to an injured hand. I agree with BTII's question, with a kit that small why pick two when you can pick one that works any where any time. In my area the odds of me being able to supplement that kit would be about the same as yours other than you also have the balsam fir, but even in another area for a lit this small I'd still likely go with densely packed PJCB, and that would be enough to start a few fires under even very bad conditions.
 
tried the alcohol pad today. works great , who knew being diabetic would pay off in the woods
 
First tinder: Firestraws with beeswax instead of PJ. The wax burns longer than PJ and paraffin. (see quote below)
Second tinder: Inner tube rubber scavanged from Ranger Band stash. Rubber burns tenaciously and for a very long time.

Process: Get the firestraw burning with a spark from ferro rod, then feed the rubber into the flame to ignite it.

Here are results from a test that was done in 2002 by Cliff Stamp.
...the first beeswax (egg carton firestarter) I lit didn't want to go out, at 20 minutes it still had a 1/2" flame. It finally died at 21.5 minutes. The next one lasted fifteen minutes, then 10.75 minutes and the last one was 12 minutes. All the candle (paraffin wax) ones had much shorter burn times. The first was 6.5, then 8.16, and finally 9.5 minutes.

This round of burning showed a significant difference in how the two fuels burned. In all cases the beeswax versions significantly outlasted the regular candle wax ones. Both produced enough head to melt the ice off of 2x4 sized lumber and catch it on fire. Easily catching small pieces of wet wood, even green wood.
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In that same thread, MuzzleUp gave his recipe for his "kisses of fire" made with CB, beeswax, and PJ wrapped up (twisted like Hershey Kisses) in waxed paper, which introduces a little more wax into the mix.

Another tinder alternative is calcium carbide, which produces acetylene gas when mixed with water. This was used in miner's lamps and can still be gotten online, although the Hazmat handling fees makes it expensive. Controlling the rate of water feed into the reaction vessel determines the rate of acetylene gas production. However, wilderness control of the reaction in jury-rigged equipment might not be exact enough to be practical.
 
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I would jam as many tinder-quicks in along with ranger band rubber.

I have to add; thanks to my lessons here in W&SS, I habitually pack birch bark into my pockets as I walk!
 
PJCB are grate but if it is a one thing my life depends on it there is a store bought version that is cotton and paraffin wax that I would go with and pare that with a hexalite tab or something interchangeable. Use the cotton to start the fire with a spark hextab will light off that and burn like the fires of hell.
 
Dan,
I think you are describing tinder-quick. it's cotton with wax (probably paraffin). Works wet, takes a spark and burns for a few minutes each. Would definitely work to get a Hex Tab burning.
 
RokJok said:
First tinder: Firestraws with beeswax instead of PJ. The wax burns longer than PJ and paraffin. (see quote below)
Second tinder: Inner tube rubber scavanged from Ranger Band stash. Rubber burns tenaciously and for a very long time.

Process: Get the firestraw burning with a spark from ferro rod, then feed the rubber into the flame to ignite it.

Here are results from a test that was done in 2002 by Cliff Stamp.
In that same thread, MuzzleUp gave his recipe for his "kisses of fire" made with CB, beeswax, and PJ wrapped up (twisted like Hershey Kisses) in waxed paper, which introduces a little more wax into the mix.

Another tinder alternative is calcium carbide, which produces acetylene gas when mixed with water. This was used in miner's lamps and can still be gotten online, although the Hazmat handling fees makes it expensive. Controlling the rate of water feed into the reaction vessel determines the rate of acetylene gas production. However, wilderness control of the reaction in jury-rigged equipment might not be exact enough to be practical.
Click to expand...

Some good info...thanks for sharing !
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
Petro jelly cotton balls and a small piece of pitchwood, maybe preshaved and packed in around the PJ cotton ball.
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Ya, pretty traditional here also. If it aint broke, don't fix it. But Lord knows that I have likely half a dozen different fire starting materials all over the place. Including a plastic tub in the car trunk with multiple goodies. I believe in back ups to my back ups.
:D
 
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