Whats your opinion on the magnesium firestarters

J

Jess82

Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
41
Just wondering if you guys think the magnesium firestarters with the flint bar on the spine of it is a good firestarter and if not which one you would rather use.
 
Hi Jess82,

There's been a fair bit of discussion about this, with a range of views. Try using google to do a search - put 'site:bladeforums.com' into the search box with your search terms, so it just searches here.

Anyway, I've used them and would carry one if heading into the middle of nowhere.

The main good things about them are: they are almost impervious to damage, you can get them as wet and cold as you want and they'll still work when needed, the magnesium burns so hot that it'll light damp kindling, there's nothing to leak or break and they are very compact.

However, you need a sharp, hard blade to scrape the shavings off, it's hard to do if you are cold, wet and shivering or have an injured hand, the shavings easily blow away, and the burn doesn't last very long (it's more of a flash) so you need to get your kindling set up perfectly for it. Also, they can corrode eventually if kept damp for a long time, both the mag bar and the ferro rod, so if it's in long-term storage, put it in a ziplock bag or coat it with nail varnish.

Whatever you carry, it's important to practice with it until getting it right is second nature, in all weathers.

As I said, I would carry one, for the good points mentioned. But I certainly wouldn't make it my main fire method; it's a back up for the other backups (cotton ball in petroleum jelly, firestraws, fatwood, etc etc.) My main firemaker in an emergency is a Bic!
 
been real impressed with the military fire starters,oh they will work,but I've seen better ferro rods on other fire starters..the problem with magnesium is that the flakes will blow away in the smallest breeze so this has to be done in a covered area or make a small depression in the ground for the flakes to fall into.I like the fire starters Chris Janowski used to sell....
 
Playing around with fire starters (a little bit.), I have come to the following inexpert conclusions:

I like ferro rods better than mag bars (a lot more fires for the size, wouldn't want to be messing around with mag dust on wet, cold windy night)

I like PJ cotton balls better than tinderquik (but I carry both).

I like mini-bics better than spark-lites (mini bics are cheaper, roughly the same size, and well, they are lighters too).

Some of my preferences might just be based on a lack of practice (or competence) with the items listed.
 
I like them, they are widely available, they work, they are indestructable, and they are affordable. They will light natural tinder as easy as any ferro rod and you have a ready source of tinder available with the magnesium shavings if it is needed. The blowing around and the possiblility of upsetting the tinder pile is a problem at times but there are ways to work around it.

One tip I learned here and incorporated into the way I teach the use of the mag-block is to use a piece of tape to catch and hold the shavings. This works great. Just put a strip of tape on the side of the bar and leave it there for when it is needed. Most of the time the magnesium isn't necessary and you basically have a ferro rod on a magnesium handle. It will light natural fibers, plant fluff, or pocket lint easily.

Often I will have everyone in the group pull the lint out of the corners of their pockets and we use that. I also use the triple (PJ base) anti-biotic ointment and some cotton gauze from the medical kit to make tinder on the spot.

IMO they are a good piece of kit. I like them enough to have one tied onto each of the machetes I use. These each have a section of duct tape on them and are carried inside a section of innertube rubber that also acts as fuel. As long as you paint over the ferro rod striker with nail polish they will last forever in all sorts of adverse conditions. Mac
 
pict said:
I like them, they are widely available, they work, they are indestructable, and they are affordable. They will light natural tinder as easy as any ferro rod and you have a ready source of tinder available with the magnesium shavings if it is needed. The blowing around and the possiblility of upsetting the tinder pile is a problem at times but there are ways to work around it.

One tip I learned here and incorporated into the way I teach the use of the mag-block is to use a piece of tape to catch and hold the shavings. This works great. Just put a strip of tape on the side of the bar and leave it there for when it is needed. Most of the time the magnesium isn't necessary and you basically have a ferro rod on a magnesium handle. It will light natural fibers, plant fluff, or pocket lint easily.

Often I will have everyone in the group pull the lint out of the corners of their pockets and we use that. I also use the triple (PJ base) anti-biotic ointment and some cotton gauze from the medical kit to make tinder on the spot.

IMO they are a good piece of kit. I like them enough to have one tied onto each of the machetes I use. These each have a section of duct tape on them and are carried inside a section of innertube rubber that also acts as fuel. As long as you paint over the ferro rod striker with nail polish they will last forever in all sorts of adverse conditions. Mac
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Pict pretty much covered everything I was thinking. The tape (a trick I picked up here a long time ago) does work.

I have read where the steel breaks away from the mag block, but this has never happened to me.

Also, you can prepare the magnesium before you go out. I normally use a bastard file to get myself a nice pile of shavings, and a old knife for some bigger clunks. Then I stuff it in a black film vile. Great hot source of tinder, small packaging that can fit in your pocket.
 
I like them and have used them a lot over the years. They are inexpensive and light weight. But like any method of starting a fire, you need to practice using them.
 
pict said:
I like them, they are widely available, they work, they are indestructable, and they are affordable. They will light natural tinder as easy as any ferro rod and you have a ready source of tinder available with the magnesium shavings if it is needed. The blowing around and the possiblility of upsetting the tinder pile is a problem at times but there are ways to work around it.

One tip I learned here and incorporated into the way I teach the use of the mag-block is to use a piece of tape to catch and hold the shavings. This works great. Just put a strip of tape on the side of the bar and leave it there for when it is needed. Most of the time the magnesium isn't necessary and you basically have a ferro rod on a magnesium handle. It will light natural fibers, plant fluff, or pocket lint easily.

Often I will have everyone in the group pull the lint out of the corners of their pockets and we use that. I also use the triple (PJ base) anti-biotic ointment and some cotton gauze from the medical kit to make tinder on the spot.

IMO they are a good piece of kit. I like them enough to have one tied onto each of the machetes I use. These each have a section of duct tape on them and are carried inside a section of innertube rubber that also acts as fuel. As long as you paint over the ferro rod striker with nail polish they will last forever in all sorts of adverse conditions. Mac
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i also agree with pict...:thumbup: the mag blocks are a great addition to anyones kit....

they are affordable, they work great and are easily available.. i have owned/used one for years....
 
I never thought of the tape either, that's an idea worth trying, but what we do is find the smost sheltered spot to shave the magnesium onto whatever we have at hand: paper, napkin, hollowed piece of wood, etc. Then we carry that over to our tinder pile where the fire will be and gently dump it into a small pile where we want it. Trying to shave magnesium into an already prepared tinder is, for us anyway, almost always frustrating.

Usually, though, the magnesium isn;t needed IF your tinder is dry. A larger ferro-rod will ignite any dry tinder on usually the first or second or third try.
 
Well, maybe I need to give them another whirl... I know from Pict's posts that he has a lot more experience than I do. I did in fact have a rod separate from the mag block once. It was a cheap one from Mall-wart though, but it probably accounts for some of my prejudice....
 
The biggest problem I had when using a magnesium bar wasn't really starting the fire but when shaving off the magnesium I screwed up the plain edge portion of my vic oht. Looking back on it I probably should have either used the serrated portion or used the file on my multi tool. Other than that the wind was the only issue I had but I think the tape suggestion just solved that one.
 
It's nice. 99% of the time I just use the ferro rod and the mag part makes it easy to hold. But if things are moist or other factors make it harder, then I have the mag available.
 
knifeman65 said:
These work great. The ones made by Doan are the best (no rod seperation problems).
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We like the Doan's mags too, Knifeman. Now I know there are exceptions to every rule, but they do come apart. My daughter's just came apart from the mag block last month :(

I agree with Brian, too: we use the ferro rod more than anything, and the magnesium is there if we need it.
 
StretchNM, could you tell how the ferro rod was originally held in place? Could it be repaired with adhesive?
 
I like my little cheapo version I got from walmart. I have been thinking about drilling out a hole in the block to shove a a straw filled with pj cotton balls(hold the flame a bit longer). I dont have a drill press or bench vice so I dont want all the flammable shavings near my hand.
 
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