Where to get steel wool

L

lumpymike1

Joined
Sep 3, 2004
Messages
476
Hey all,
Does anyone know where to get the fine steel wool (I believe it is 0000, give or take a 0). I have been reading about it for a while now, and when I look in my local grociery store (vons) I can't find any.
I want to try my BSA hot spark on it. I have used it with dryer lint and almost never fail to get a blaze going after 3-5 tries. (mostly under optimal conditons, but it worked out well on a foggy camping trip too, but I kept the lint VERY dry)
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Mike
 
Yes, like deer runner said, most hardware stores carry it by the sand paper.
 
Just make sure you get the very, very fine kind. Coarser stell wool won't light, and wont work with the battery or hotspark.
 
You can even get it at Walmart as well.
 
Any hardware store. Once upon a time back in the seventies I was able to find 00000 wool.

RL
 
Brothers & Sisters of Fire,
lumpymike et alia,

There are several techniques for fire starting and several different items to consider:

1) Matches in a waterproof container (dip matches in wax)
2) Cotton balls/Vaseline
3) Railroad flares
4) Magnifying glass
5) Flint & steel
6) Windproof lighter (Windmill)
7) Bic
8) Ferroceum rod (Magnesium rod)
9) Tinder -
a. "fuzz sticks"
b. maya wood
c. steel wool (0000) - try Home Depot
d. Spark Lite "Fire tabs"
e. Spark Lite fire starter flint
11) Coughlin's Fire Paste
12) 9v battery (Use with 0000 steel wool - make an alligator clip pair)
13) Trioxane Fuel Tabs
14) Survival lighter

Additionally watch this forum as well as www.equipped.com for other survival suggestions. You'll do well to spend some time prior to travel in practicing using all of the methods to see which work best for you BEFORE you need them!

Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I picked some up at Home Depot yesterday and took a shot at it. 1st time got a little flame out of it, but the next 2-3 tries it just seemed to consume itself with out actually producing a flame. What might I be doing wrong?
Thanks
Mike
 
lumpymike1 said:
but the next 2-3 tries it just seemed to consume itself with out actually producing a flame. What might I be doing wrong?
Mike
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong.

That's sort of what steel wool does. It 'embers' itelf to death. Like what CharCloth does.

You need to supply it with tinder (like cottonballs or dryer lint or ...), and that's what flames up. For about 5-20 seconds. Just like a match.

That's about how long you have to get your kindling going.

You get the same effect by hitting the steel wool with a spark or touching it with a 9v battery.

At least, that's what my limited experience has shown.

--Mark
 
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