Lot of good posts in this thread. Especially agree with Quirt, Fumbler & PineMartyn.
It's all about skill. Knowing how to use your chosen ignition method and what materials work with what type and degree of processing. Flint & Steel, Ferro, Fresnel, etc are almost as easy and just as reliable as matches or Bic.... once you pair the knowledge with the skill. Five strikes or less with F&S or Ferro are achievable. Nice thing about spark based (F&S or Ferro) vs flame based (matches or Bic) is that spark based ignore the wind. IMHO, ferros are hands down the most reliable, portable, cost efficient, etc method out there. Ferros can produce flame from an amazing variety of materials from green wood when the sap is running to various barks, leaves, grasses, etc. Fatwood fluff is my fav tinder with a ferro. Waterproof, compact, easy to use, reliable, often get flame with one strike and almost always less than ten strikes, free if you know what to look for or $1/lb on sale. I've made FW fluff with knife spine, knife edge, any saw blade (usually use hacksaw or SawzAll), Rasp Planes, Flint, Glass, etc. IMHO, PJd CBs are a poor imitation of FW fluff.
Dunno what the proper definition really is, however I consider mischmetal to be a ferro with a high magnesium content. These throw the gobs of molten metal and often produce strings of sooty smoke. To me, ferros are those that produce an abundance of short lived sparks. The sharper the striker, the easier it is to make those molten globs. The stock strikers are good but there are better options out there.
It's all about skill. Knowing how to use your chosen ignition method and what materials work with what type and degree of processing. Flint & Steel, Ferro, Fresnel, etc are almost as easy and just as reliable as matches or Bic.... once you pair the knowledge with the skill. Five strikes or less with F&S or Ferro are achievable. Nice thing about spark based (F&S or Ferro) vs flame based (matches or Bic) is that spark based ignore the wind. IMHO, ferros are hands down the most reliable, portable, cost efficient, etc method out there. Ferros can produce flame from an amazing variety of materials from green wood when the sap is running to various barks, leaves, grasses, etc. Fatwood fluff is my fav tinder with a ferro. Waterproof, compact, easy to use, reliable, often get flame with one strike and almost always less than ten strikes, free if you know what to look for or $1/lb on sale. I've made FW fluff with knife spine, knife edge, any saw blade (usually use hacksaw or SawzAll), Rasp Planes, Flint, Glass, etc. IMHO, PJd CBs are a poor imitation of FW fluff.
Dunno what the proper definition really is, however I consider mischmetal to be a ferro with a high magnesium content. These throw the gobs of molten metal and often produce strings of sooty smoke. To me, ferros are those that produce an abundance of short lived sparks. The sharper the striker, the easier it is to make those molten globs. The stock strikers are good but there are better options out there.
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