Used a Firesteel For the First Time - A Few Questions

Fire steels can be really tricky. If the proper tender is used it can be pretty easy to start a fire with one, but there in lies the problem. When you are in the woods unless you brought the tinder with you, you may or may not have access to something that will ignite with a spark alone. If it has been raining or snowing the challenges go up tremendously in trying to light a fire. There are ways in damp and wet conditions to procure dry wood and tinder, but if you are hurt, cold or disoriented from hunger your abilities to do those things are going to be limited. Lighters and matches will give you an immediate flame that will ignite material far quicker than a spark will. While they are susceptible to getting wet and not working, the time spent trying to light a fire with a fire steel when you are freezing to death might be of importance. Both methods have there pros and cons, so taking both into the woods is always a good idea. A Bic lighter and a fire steel will cover all your bases. Use the Bic as long as it works when you really need it and practice with the fire steel when you don't really need it in case you ever do. But i highly recommend that no one go out on a trip with just their fire steel as their only way of procuring a fire...you will think to yourself "why did i not buy a lighter at the gas station on the way out of town?"
 
I don not know how to be clearer. All ferro rods contain mischmetal. The different results are due to different proportions of the ingredients. Those with a higher proportion of mishmetal are softer and throw larger sparks --- and wear out faster. Those with all mischmetal do not exist.

It seems more useful to talk about brands and their different results than a non-existent distinction between "ferro" and "misch." Why this is upsetting escapes me.

As for what "everyone" calls them, I never heard of this supposed distinction until someone made it here. In the 1970's they were called "metal matches." In the 1980's, they were called "hot sparks."
 
Thomas Linton said:
I don not know how to be clearer. All ferro rods contain mischmetal. The different results are due to different proportions of the ingredients. Those with a higher proportion of mishmetal are softer and throw larger sparks --- and wear out faster. Those with all mischmetal do not exist.

It seems more useful to talk about brands and their different results than a non-existent distinction between "ferro" and "misch." Why this is upsetting escapes me.

As for what "everyone" calls them, I never heard of this supposed distinction until someone made it here. In the 1970's they were called "metal matches." In the 1980's, they were called "hot sparks."
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a simple google search "site:bladeforums.com ferro misch" shows lots of questions/statements referring to "ferro vs. misch" or along those lines so clearly i'm not the only one using those terms. it's easier to tell someone a specific brand is more "ferro" rather than "misch" instead of saying brand x has "higher proportion of mishmetal are softer and throw larger sparks" than brand y. this site is where i learned the terms "ferro" and "misch"...just keeping it simple is all.
 
If you wrap that paper towel in the striker, then strike the LMF, it will ignite.
 
JV3 said:
a simple google search "site:bladeforums.com ferro misch" shows lots of questions/statements referring to "ferro vs. misch" or along those lines so clearly i'm not the only one using those terms. it's easier to tell someone a specific brand is more "ferro" rather than "misch" instead of saying brand x has "higher proportion of mishmetal are softer and throw larger sparks" than brand y. this site is where i learned the terms "ferro" and "misch"...just keeping it simple is all.
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Terminology aside, something like this might explain why the firesteel on my scrappy Bear Grylls knife and my LMF throw completely different sparks.
 
Paper towels can be difficult unless you fray up an edge really well. Try tearing up the edge so it has little 1/4' wide strips, then roll up the paper so that frayed edge creates a nice bundle of fluffy surface area then try and light that part.
Better yet, use something like dryer lint.

My favorite material is fatwood. I drill a hole in the fatwood and attach it to the lanyard of all my fire steels. If you live in the city and can't easily find fatwood then go to Walmart or lowe's home improvement and pick up a box of fatwood tinder. Use your scraper to scrape a small pile of fatwood dust and light that. Fatwood makes it stupidly easy and you'll be lighting fires in one strike. You can work on using more difficult materials later.
 
JV3 said:
a simple google search "site:bladeforums.com ferro misch" shows lots of questions/statements referring to "ferro vs. misch" or along those lines so clearly i'm not the only one using those terms. it's easier to tell someone a specific brand is more "ferro" rather than "misch" instead of saying brand x has "higher proportion of mishmetal are softer and throw larger sparks" than brand y. this site is where i learned the terms "ferro" and "misch"...just keeping it simple is all.
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Yes, the Internet is full of questions and statements.

Out in the real world, a "ferro" rod is something that has mischmetal in it, a pure mischmetal rod basically does not exist as a fire-starting device, and implying that a "mischmetal" rod is fundamentally different from a "ferro" rod" is not a clear distinction.

Some ferro rods have "more" mischmetal than others simply because they are larger in an absolute sense; it's the proportion that makes the difference.

Terminology aside, something like this might explain why the firesteel on my scrappy Bear Grylls knife and my LMF throw completely different sparks.
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Same scraper?

Instead of paper try cotton balls smeared in Vaseline
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Pretty much the Gold Standard.
 
Thomas Linton said:
implying that a "mischmetal" rod is fundamentally different from a "ferro" rod" is not a clear distinction.
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there is a difference: one's sparks stays alive longer than the other and makes a big difference in lighting more difficult tinder.
 
The term mischmetal is from the German meaning mixed metal so it can be more or less of a mix but never pure anything. The largest portion of it is about 50% cerium and depending on who mixes it the rest is varying portions of lanathum, neodymium, praseodymium and who knows what else. What you see with the better blends is hotter sparks that hold ignition longer so you probably get what you paid for. Cheap rods generally throw milder sparks.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Same scraper?
.
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Good point. I tried again last night while mixing and matching the strikers. The LMF striker is definitely better than the rough spot on the BG blade. The sparks off the BG rod are still fewer, but maybe that's because the rod is smaller.
 
The LMF is an excellent Firesteel. I have several of them.

I doubt I'd be able to light toilet paper as it comes with it either, if I were to try I'd get it down to single ply then rip it up finely and i'd think it would take a spark.

You need something that will take a spark easily. Anyone can use a rod to start a fire, there's no technique really. Some people prefer to pull the rod up holding the striker stead, some to push the striker down the rod. If you see sparks falling where your tinder is, you're good.

Fat wood finely shaved with a knife takes a spark nicely, birch bark shredded, saw dust, straw, or anything very dry and shredded/shaved very finely dead grass, moss, fungus, cotton but again you'll want to shred it, you can scape cotton from jeans or a tshirt and get a fine kind of fluff which will take a spark. Basically anything you're trying to light needs to be really fine.

Or people use cotton balls coated in petroleum jelly and various other home made things, char cloth..


Edit: Just tried and lit toilet paper on the third strike, separated the layers then shredded finely! Good luck!


I think while it is easier to just carry a lighter, it teaches you a lot more about fire making to use a firesteel. And when you think throughout history how hard some people have worked just to get a spark or ember, bow drills, flints, etc. a firesteel is incredible technology, a shower of sparks with the flick of your wrist. They're also great if you backpack with a gas or alcohol stove.
 
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alfk said:
The LMF is an excellent Firesteel. I have several of them.

...


Edit: Just tried and lit toilet paper on the third strike, separated the layers then shredded finely! Good luck!
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After reading this, I did the same. Four strikes on the LMF. Didn't bother with the GB since I kind if have to get to work. Also, dryer lint is great, I did it with one strike after pulling a corner apart a little bit.

I want to learn to do it with birch bark and such so that I won't have trouble if I get caught without toilet paper et al out in the bush. I agree that it's a great start, though.
 
cm_Bushman,

Ferro-rods (not "firesteels" by the way) require quite a bit of practice before they become completely reliable ignition tools. Practice involves getting the hand motions and positioning right relative to the sort of rod you have and the sort of scraper you are using and knowing what materials are combustible for the quality of sparks being produced.

Without having a video of your spark-generating technique the best suggestion I can offer is to concentrate on your choice of combustible materials. Many people imagine that toilet paper or paper towels are ideal tinders, but they are not. In fact, they are designed to be extremely hydrophilic (moisture absorbing) so as to absorb moisture even from the surrounding air, your hands, etc., making them the worst possible choice of paper products for the purposes of ignition. Absorbent paper - once it's lit - burns up fast, but that doesn't mean it's a good choice of ignition materials for sparks. You should not be learning on any absorbent paper products. You would actually do better to make very fine shavings of birch bark or any perfectly dry wood you can find.

My recommendation is that you learn on cotton balls made from real cotton (not the synthetic stuff one often finds) so check the package. Go to the pharmacy and buy yourself a bag of 100% cotton balls or 100% cotton pads and then pull each one apart to produce a mass of fibers ideal for catching a spark. Once your technique is such that you can reliably ignite each without scattering it or having to strike 2-3 times, then move onto producing your own tinders from natural materials such as birch bark shavings or milkweed or catttail fluff, cedar bark shavings, and the like. I have had very mixed results when using dryer lint, depending on the composition of the lint. If most of your clothing is cotton, then the lint will ignite well. If there's too high a percentage of synthetic fibers in the lint, it may burn well but be very hard to ignite with just sparks.

Very nearly everyone has difficulty using a ferro-rod at first. It takes quite a bit of practice before it becomes easy and reliable.

In answer to your question about what specific technique we all use, I do it this way:

I place my tinder on any dry, stable surface (a log, rock, bark on the ground, etc) and then I put the tip of my ferro rod right onto the tinder holding the tinder in place with the tip and I angle the rod so that it is at about a 45 degree angle. The tip of the rod is held down against the surface, making it stable. I then take my scraper or the back of my knife and scratch down a bit of the rod toward the tip while putting a significant amount of pressure on the rod with the scraper. This causes a small, controlled shower of sparks to fall almost straight into my tinder pile. I do not hold my rod over the pile and try to 'throw' sparks toward my tinder in the hopes that some sparks will land in the tinder pile. Having the tip of the rod firmly planted in the tinder pile and braced on the supporting surface allows me to really scratch the rod hard with the scraper in a controlled manner without the tinder being thrown about. I find this works every time and there's no need for a fast and violent movement of the hands or pulling back on the rod or any of that sort of stuff. Here's a video that demonstrates the technique: http://youtu.be/XxcQ_9uayro

One other small tip: The very best scraper I have ever used on any type of ferro-rod is a small piece of a an old hacksaw blade.


Hope this helps,
- Martin
 
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If you're using paper, you really need to rip it and rough it up. A flat surface won't take a spark. I'd try shredding it up, like it's been through a shredder and then hold the paper at each end and push your fists together and rub. Imagine you're rubbing a stain out of a T-shirt or something. Then place the rod right into the bundle and push down with the striker with about 30% power and pull back with 100%. The most important thing when using a spark to light a fire is to prepare the tinder well.

Good luck and persevere.
 
1. Prepare a good tinder bundle.
2. Place the tinder up against the blade.
3. Hold your knife solidly in place while pulling the fire steel away from the knife. Having the fire steel under the tinder helps.
4. I've lit fine tinder using the itty bitty fire steel on a Coglins match case using this technique.

Moving your knife will get sparks, and create a breeze, and hit the tinder bundle, and etc..
 
There is a lot of good info here about technique and tinder prep. And I followed much of this advice. But what REALLY made a difference for me was the striker that I used. Instead of the flimsy factory striker, which gave off ok sparks, or a piece of broken off hack saw blade which gave off a better spray of sparks. Someone here mentioned the back of the saw on a multitool. Man oh man what a difference !! I was just ripping off huge gobs of longer burning sparks now from even the cheapest ferro rods. I find that I just save my Light My Fires and just use the cheapie Coghlans now as they work fine. Apparently the difference for me was using a scrapper with a very hard and sharp square shoulder. The difference was night and day for me and the effort that I had to put in for lighting tinder was noticeably reduced. With all that said I will still pack a couple of lighters. I just experiment with this stuff as a back up or a bit of fun. But I still take using these rods seriously and I needed to practice until I felt self assured. I saw Mistwalker using a rod with a sharp rock in a video once, that was a heads up for me.
 
I've never actually tried to light only a papertowel of piece of paper. I first tried with a cottonball and a mischmetal firesteel and it light first time I ever tried. As others have said, you need a lot of fine fibers, which I don't see a papertowel or a piece of paper really giving you.

That said, I need to see if I can get a paper towel lit now that I am proficient with my firesteel now.
 
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