View Full Version : Favourite Things in Fire Starting
TheViking
02-10-2004, 12:01
What's your favourite way of starting a fire? (apart from fire by friction).
And what firetype do you like best?
What natural tinder do you like best?
Personally it's magnifying glass, but that'll only work if the sun is shining off course.
My favourite firetype is the ones in pits or long-log fires. :wink:
Favourite tinder has to be cattaildown. :biggthump
Cheers :uu:
i might not be the best at it... but its got to be the bow drill! :lol:
Got to be the fire steel - I seem to use it for everything.
All though soon I plan to go back to flint and steel as I want to take a more traditional approach to my kit.
i like the flint and steel as it realy give's you a feeling of being back to basics and it works well every time :wave:
wheres the cheapest place to get me hands on a flint and steel?
It's got to be flint and steel for me.
Squidders
02-10-2004, 19:32
Firesteel... favorite tinder has to be coconut husk as the ember is just so damn hot when you blow on it. I don't have a favorite fire as i'm usually chuffed with whatever fire I can make :wink:
woodlore or bearclaw both have them at good price's :wave:
MagiKelly
02-10-2004, 21:33
Firesteel. Just makes you feel like a real man (or women as the case may be).
Birch bark and the Firesteel, they where made for each other.
I like flint and steel best. :biggthump
(I spend half the time taking the skin off my knuckles rather than getting a spark tough! :o):)
BIG-TARGET
03-10-2004, 01:04
Magesium fire starting tool.
Never leave home without it!!! :biggthump :pack: :chill:
It has to be a traditional flint and steel for starting the fire, birch bark for tinder..... I don't really have a favorite 'fire type' but i do like clay ovens.
:biggthump
Ed
bushbasher
04-10-2004, 12:55
:super: The Swedish army firesteel is a great and efficient way to get a fire going, but there is nothing like the sense of achievement I feel from lighting a fire by friction.
Paganwolf
04-10-2004, 13:05
I like my Fire piston, many things can be used to ignite an ember, char cloth, cotton waste,amadou, wood punk ect and as tinder anything dry i have to hand, birch bark and dry fern works well :wink:
MartiniDave
04-10-2004, 13:13
I like firesteel for spark with clematis bark for tinder.
Second favourite is flint & steel with charcloth.
Dave
Firesteels good and reliable. The magnesium version can also be used to liven up quiet evenings if you raid the first aid kit for a bit of permanganate ( flash powder )..
( flash powder )..
Ooh, flash powder. I had forgotten that I've a pot of that lying around somewhere. I'll have to go find it in now!
:naughty:
Napalm works well - in fact, I love the smell of it in the morning - its the smell of .......... victory! :rolmao:
Sorry little Viking.
I mean wet-fire.
Paganwolf
04-10-2004, 15:17
:rolmao: Hmmmm napalm :shock: do you stock that?? :wink:
Tantalus
04-10-2004, 15:21
i never go anywhere without my zippo
on longer trips i take a tin of fluid with it too cos they do need topped up regular
i gotta admit its cheating too but natural flint is something i havent found round here (cept pea sized bits used for harling houses)
firesteel and magnifying glass (spectacles) i carry with me and play with given the opportunity and time
i really should learn to use a fire drill tho
Tant
TheViking
04-10-2004, 15:23
:rolmao: Hmmmm napalm :shock: do you stock that?? :wink:
You could make it yourself. :wink: But I don't think here's the place to post a recipe. :rolmao: :nana: :biggthump
You could make it yourself. :wink: But I don't think here's the place to post a recipe. :rolmao: :nana: :biggthump
No, you should start a new thread for it!!
:nana:
:bu:
Jeff Wagner
04-10-2004, 15:39
I have recently discovered that the hand drill method is quite easily accomplished when using a mullein stalk. I have made about 15 hand drill fires for practice over the weekend and think this technique has great merit in a survival situation since is very easy and fast to fabricate the required components and there are times when we may not have our other preferred devices close at hand.
Paganwolf
04-10-2004, 15:53
er Jeff your supposed to say Fire piston! :shock: :wink: :rolmao: :rolmao:
Flint and steel with the char cloth placed into thistle down and clemetis bark.
Oh yeah, and a tube of witch hazel gel for after I've burnt me fingers!!!
(must get my asbestos chef's fingers relagged).
Jeff Wagner
04-10-2004, 18:09
er Jeff your supposed to say Fire piston! :shock: :wink: :rolmao: :rolmao:
Yes, of course. What was I thinking. The Fire Piston is my preferred method, however at the moment I am quite impressed with the mullein. Anybody interested in learning how to light a fire with an arrow? :naughty:
TheViking
04-10-2004, 18:14
...and off course the firesteel. It's great to have a reliable fire source. The only thing I really need is a Swedish firesteel now. :roll: :wink: Then kit's complete. :biggthump
Jeff Wagner
04-10-2004, 21:12
I can see from the poll this is predominantly an instant flame crowd. Paganwolf, we have much work to do...
Query - What would you do if you accidentally became separated from your fire steel in the bush? :yikes:
Is there a contingency plan to ensure survival?
Paganwolf
05-10-2004, 06:05
Jeff i would have thought you would have beed sympathetic to the cause! :rolmao: :rolmao: anyways isnt it favorite things in fire starting :?: fire spark is a great way of starting fires but to produce an ember with a fire piston is just amazing :-P :wink: ive been getting all sorts to catch now using the crunch method :biggthump
Query - What would you do if you accidentally became separated from your fire steel in the bush? :yikes:
Jeff, I am one of the many with an addiction to the evil nicotine, you would probably have to prise my fingers away from my lighter.
Having said that, I haven't really got a preference as to how I start a fire, I will use whatever is at hand, although at the moment the firesteel is always in my kit (so is a lighter and a magnifying glass). Haven't tried a fire piston yet, but will have to give it a go.
Once the fire is going I prefer to use a starfire, as this seems to be more economical as far as the amount of wood burnt and how much heat can be controlled with ease :-)
Jeff Wagner
05-10-2004, 15:05
I suppose the significant aspect is that one should become proficient in the art regardless of the tools used. They all have their plusses and minuses. I too was a smoker until about two months ago and I alway had a lighter in my pocket. I will say however that in very windy conditions I could light up my smoke better with a fire piston than a lighter. Now that I have given up the habit I sometimes have to scratch around to find something with which to light the barbeque.
The connection between devices and skills has always troubled me. We become confident in our bushcraft skills and abilities under specific conditions and so long as we have this knife or that fire steel and ...you get the picture. We become dependent upon the device rather than the knowledge. Remove the device from the scenario and the skill is often negated. Now that I have conquered the hand drill I feel much more able to make do with whats available. Go forth naked into the wilderness, so to speak...but avoid the briar patch... :shock:
Tantalus
05-10-2004, 15:17
find it hard to believe that only 3 people would use matches or a lighter
this does not go along with everything i have seen on campsites :nana:
and how come BIG TARGET got 4 votes anyway??
Tant
find it hard to believe that only 3 people would use matches or a lighter
this does not go along with everything i have seen on campsites :nana:
Tant
perhaps ones favorite method is not the one most offten used??
TheViking
05-10-2004, 15:27
and how come BIG TARGET got 4 votes anyway??
Tant
Because I enabled that in the poll options. :wink: But for some reason I can't vote several times. I would have voted for firesteel also. :roll:
You enabled Just Big T to vote several times or did you enable everyone?
TheViking
05-10-2004, 15:49
You enabled Just Big T to vote several times or did you enable everyone?
Everyone off course... :wink: But I don't know what's wrong. I can't vote more times. :roll: Adi!?? :o):
MagiKelly
05-10-2004, 16:41
perhaps ones favorite method is not the one most offten used??
I have been meaning to post that exact point for a while. All these poor people getting chastised for using a fire steel and being lost without it when in fact they may be perfectly capable of lighting a fire without it but it is not their favorite method.
Now if the results were to the question "what way CAN you light a fire?" then the citisism may be justified although I suspect that matches and lighters would get more votes :wink:
Nightfall
05-10-2004, 23:42
I like my firesteels.I always have one in a pouch in my pocket also a small one on my swiss army knife. For tinders I'll use cattail down, charcloth, finely shreded jute for the natural stuff. Man made cotton ball and P.J. Really like wetfire too. :cold2:
Favourite method? Magnifying glass - there's just something about this method that I really like; be it the fact that it's fairly effortless, it reminds me of time spent as a kid, and needless to say, it's goes hand-in-hand with sunny days!
Most frequently used method? Firesteel and lighter (the former mostly in summer, the latter mainly in winter - especially when it's blowing a gale and I'm trying to brew up, an occasion when the satisfaction of more traditional methods is often outweighed by the need hot tea, fast!).
And if I lost my firesteel and/or lighter? Then I'd have to dust down my fire by friction expertise (which ain't great, I'll admit!). Or find a tree and wait for some lightening ... Stone Age stylee!
G :-)
jamesdevine
06-10-2004, 10:56
I voted other as I love Fire by Friction with the Fire steel running a close second.
James
Jeff Wagner
06-10-2004, 15:09
I voted other as I love Fire by Friction with the Fire steel running a close second.
James
Is the weed mullein available to you? If it is, I can highly recommend its use as a hand drill.
[QUOTE=leon-1]Jeff, I am one of the many with an addiction to the evil nicotine, you would probably have to prise my fingers away from my lighter.
[QUOTE]
In an effort to quit I'd only allow myself a rolly if I lit using a flame I'd produced without recourse to lighter, matches or the gas hob. It's amazing how fast you pick up fire lighting skills when you're desperate.
Lost my steel ? - I'd just scout around for friction materials or a handy bit of flint. The steel/flint stick etc just happens to be my fave method - aside form anything else I can light a blow torch with it in the workshop.
Realgar
jamesdevine
06-10-2004, 16:22
Not Sure I recognise that one do you have link or pic as I am experimenting with everything. The Hand drill I'm still not all that reliable but my bow and drill is OK. I just like the feeling I get the fire seems warm when I have but so much effort into it.
James
Jeff Wagner
06-10-2004, 18:25
I am unfortunately unable to post a photo however you can find it here.
http://www.cloudnet.com/~djeans/FlwPlant/Mullein.htm
I had been frustrated by the hand drill for a long time and since discovering this weed I am now having success each and every time. I can consistently get an ember now with 3 - 5 passes down the shaft - time required is perhaps 25 seconds. Its really quite amazing and I very much like having the capability of making fire from only the materials at hand. The preparation time for this set up is minimal and I dont have to worry about making cordage for a bow drill.
Burnt Ash
07-10-2004, 03:04
wheres the cheapest place to get me hands on a flint and steel?
That is a serious question, right? The trick is to deal with the two components separately, then marry them together.
Flint you can pick up from the ground (there's a few million tons of it lying around hereabouts).
The steel can be any old chunk of, well, steel! Bits of low carbon mild steel ironmongery will generally do the trick: old horseshoes or gate hinges, for example.
Burnt Ash
[QUOTE=leon-1]Jeff, I am one of the many with an addiction to the evil nicotine, you would probably have to prise my fingers away from my lighter.
[QUOTE]
In an effort to quit I'd only allow myself a rolly if I lit using a flame I'd produced without recourse to lighter, matches or the gas hob. It's amazing how fast you pick up fire lighting skills when you're desperate.
Lost my steel ? - I'd just scout around for friction materials or a handy bit of flint. The steel/flint stick etc just happens to be my fave method - aside form anything else I can light a blow torch with it in the workshop.
Realgar
Although not overly bushcraty, the point was that I always have a lighter. One of my instructors always said that rather than "FAF" around with anything else, if you have a small Bic in your kit it saves a lot of hassle. This could be seen on the Ray in the Jungle bit.
Unfortunate as it seems to have replaced traditional knowledge, it is still a handy thing when you cannot get an ember by any other means.
The Major thing is to not let traditional skills die, be it a hand drill or firebow or any other means of starting fire. Reliance on one thing may be the difference and I think that Jeff already mentioned that, if we diversify then we will be able to start fire no matter what (unless of course we are submerged) :-)
mine has to be my new firepiston real fast fire from this piece of kit
Jeff Wagner
07-10-2004, 21:23
mine has to be my new firepiston real fast fire from this piece of kit
:o): Glad you like it, Jon
My favourite has to be Firesteel with favourite tinders being cattail down, birch bark and red cedar scrapings.
I like the Indian fire lay and also the log fire for long cooking.
I hope to make and master the bowdrill set before my 14th birthday even though it is unlikely that I can do it by then..
Paganwolf
07-10-2004, 21:50
The fire piston rules ok!! :rolmao: ive lit wood punk,cotton waste,amadou, charcloth, compacted tissue with mine so far im addicted! :shock:
I also like using charcloth but have a limited supply of it as i haven't had the chance to make some more on the BBQ yet. It is a great material!
Paganwolf
07-10-2004, 21:58
Has Gary sent your mini charcloth maker yet dude? He is a mega busy fella if he aint ill nudge him :lol: :biggthump
Jeff Wagner
07-10-2004, 22:11
The fire piston rules ok!! :rolmao: ive lit wood punk,cotton waste,amadou, charcloth, compacted tissue with mine so far im addicted! :shock:
ATTABOY! If you are able to locate some of the mullein ( figwort) plant over there, the pith works great. This weed is supposed to be native to Europe.
I Like the swedish firesteel because it's like your own little firework display watchin' them sparks fizz and crackle as they bring your fire to life. Second is the bow drill cuz it's sort of basic and earthy.
Fave tinder is cattail down and dry bracken
ChrisKavanaugh
08-10-2004, 06:57
Firemaking is one of our oldest skills and rich in social and individual meaning. From the most ancient african hearths, Prometheus and Jack London's To Build A Fire and finally a rocket burning toward the heavens it is deep in our core of humanity. People expect me to have some impressive parlour tricks with fire. I am competant with most. But I like matches. My grandmother had a huge brick fireplace with a tin matchbox bearing a knacker's logo from an agrarian Los Angeles long vanished. My twit younger brother tried to light some matches and made a broken mess without success. Then with it's discovery he blamed me! I was so wronged at this injustice I resolved to " do the crime" and at least succeed where he failed. So I waited until late at night, secured a supply and secreted myself behind a huge Sycamore in the back yard by the fishpond. I gathered my bit of newspaper, scattered twigs and bark and a few smaller bits of fuel from the stacked woodpile. I built my fire and sat there listening to the frogs, crickets and local Greathorned Owl. When my fire burned out I slipped back in minutes before everyone woke up. :chill:
Sounds almost idyllic Chris.
What's your favourite way of starting a fire? (apart from fire by friction).
BlastMatch (so I picked "other" in the poll since FireSteel is a particular brand of ferrocerium rod.)
And what firetype do you like best?
Chaos
What natural tinder do you like best?
Fatwood
masongary44
12-10-2004, 14:22
It has to be bow drill / friction fire. The satisfaction you get from taking easy to find materials, wherever you are and conjuring a miracle from it :) is second to none (fire steels are pretty cool too though)
:chill:
Lighter for me
Strip of rubber inner tube.
Parallel fire lay
Mike Ameling
27-11-2008, 03:15
As I said the last time such a question/poll came up, my preferred fire starting method is ---
having a buddy along to start the fire!
Hey, it's an old cowboy philosophy type of thing.
Kind of like seeing three guys in a pickup truck all dressed pretty similar. Just by looking at them, which one is the real cowboy?
It's the one setting in the middle. He is there by design. He don't have to drive, and he doesn't have to open/close the gates!
Never walk when you can ride. Never stand when you can sit. And always get the coffee water upstream from the cattle herd.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands - who's also trailed a few beeves in the past
p.s. But of the listed methods, I prefer Flint and Steel
Still like matches the best.
Maybe because I'm rubbish at all the traditional firelighting methods... :o
.snip...Kind of like seeing three guys in a pickup truck all dressed pretty similar. Just by looking at them, which one is the real cowboy?
It's the one setting in the middle. He is there by design. He don't have to drive, and he doesn't have to open/close the gates!
Never walk when you can ride. Never stand when you can sit...snip.
Sounds like a so called "manager" to me... :cool:
drewdunnrespect
27-11-2008, 12:11
fire steel is fav method
with tampons or cotton wool being the best tinder these have of course been soaked in vaseline
I do love the staged simplicity of flint and steel. Spark into a bit of charcloth or amadou, into your tinder bundle and away you go! I always have a firesteel as back-up, though, and it comes in as a very close second, purely for its ease of use in just about all conditions.
william#
27-11-2008, 19:23
use to love the way vegetable oil got the wood going when i had to light an arga every few days and an open fire in the main room when i had the cottage .
when im out and about i just enjoy using what ever i find
though i love a bit of birch bark some cotton wool and a flint and steel the best
inthewids
27-11-2008, 20:42
Birch bark and fire steel for me too, sometimes matches but usually 1st method. I need to get a flint and steel as i have only tried it twice with amadou or charcloth.
firestarter31
28-11-2008, 10:26
Flint and Steel with cramp balls
Landy_Dom
28-11-2008, 18:49
Birch bark and the Firesteel, they where made for each other.
What he said :D
Dom.
Good old matches first.
Firesteel second.
The answer to this really depends on the time of day and frame of mind I'm in...
I love flint and steel, but hand me them when I wake up at 4am because the temp has dropped to -4 and the tarp is surrounded with snow and I'll just give you this look: :bluThinki and get a lighter out.
MartinK9
09-12-2008, 17:35
As a newbie to the firesteel, and still practising - I would have to say that my trusty Zippo always stood me in good stead. Now I have more time I'll probably amend this at a later date.
No fire piston option on poll :rolleyes:
amateurs!! ;)
Then firesteel and cramp balls :D and if it rains too much, my home made secret 'magic napalm' potion :ban:
cotton wool/Vaseline lit with a bic or fire steel, if the weather is damp, a good splash of paraffin does the job
Mistwalker
16-12-2008, 14:38
I know I need to practice more with the bow and hand drills..., I've barely even started...., and I have only made a few attempts with flint and steel with fungus, but matches and lighters are too easy now so right now it's the firesteel for me. I have been practicing with it and it is what I have used to start the last dozen or so fires I have had.
just for the kicks, here's my favourite pyromania mix...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye0k-qRDSno&feature=related
rob
The last time I had to make a fire to actually fight off hypothermia I had a trioxene bar in my kit and used that to get things going real fast. I use all sorts of different techniques like everyone here and I'm always looking for something new or a fresh challenge. Learning the "floating hands" technique for the hand drill is next on my list.
That said, in winter weather I always carry something that will give me an emergency fire right away. I tend to remember those fires for a long time. Mac
a doosh of petrol seems to get the bonfire started for me !!:-)
steven andrews
22-08-2010, 20:48
A Bic lighter and a chunk of firelighter works for me. To get things going after that I like to use seasoned Gorse.
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/9999/00804036.jpg (http://img837.imageshack.us/i/00804036.jpg/)
I've now become a firm member of the flint and steel brigade, brilliant!
i might not be the best at it... but its got to be the bow drill! :lol:
il second that i love working with a bowdrill
I've now become a firm member of the flint and steel brigade, brilliant!
Traditional flint & steel with char cloth as tinder is my latest fad.
DaveBromley
23-08-2010, 20:07
as i'm quite new I only use a Ferro rod ATM but im looking into the possibility of making my own steel striker, with the experience gained whilst making my first knife (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60536) I think I could do it and would certainly have a laugh giving it a go!!
But back to the OP I use A ferro rod with birch bark or cotton wool soaked in petroleum jelly. I also like to use Ash wood as it takes the worry out of finding seasoned wood
Dave
forestwalker
24-08-2010, 04:33
Flint and steel for me, since that is what I use most, unless you count lighting the woodstove in winter.
I also like to use Ash wood as it takes the worry out of finding seasoned wood. Dave
Would you care to expand on that, Dave?
I was taught the use of a fire-drill by a Forester in the 70's and always carry a mag-rod and various materials I know will ignite readily, cotton wool, old-man's-beard, birch bark, etc, and am always on the lookout for combustibles as I go. Old-man's-beard is common in Scotland and is available all year round, as is bog-cotton. Both dry off at body temp... eventually. I carry one or two of those little black horse hoofs found on birch, which has been charred. They'll take a spark easily!
In any other situation than a good day and time on my hands though, my first choice as a source of heat is a mechanical gas lighter. I also carry rubber and a wrapped fire-lighter. I carry a little petrol stove, so always have petrol, but throwing petrol at a fire is a waste of fuel... 2 tablespoons of petrol will burn for 10 minutes if put in a small container with sand or gravel... wet or dry! In fact, the colder, dreicher and more miserable the day, the longer it will burn for.
Matches get wet, as do electronic lighters, there is no room in my kit for unreliable tools!
There have been occasions where I've escaped from mountain weather by the skin of my teeth, hopefully in an area with a forest at hand. A bow-drill, fire-steel or mag-rod are of no practical use if your hands don't work and your teeth are rattling around in your head, so my mainstay is the quickest and least painful way of getting fire!
You know what they say, 'Any fool can be cold, wet and miserable!'
Cheers.
Harvestman
30-10-2010, 21:19
For me my favourite thing about fire-lighting is achieving success. The result (a fire) is far more satisfying than the method I use to light it.
I started lighting fires in the scouts as a young lad .... back then it was the kudos of doing it with one match .... now in Bushcrafting circles it seems Flint and Steel shares the same podium on kudos .... the more I have need of a fire though the less the method matters .... satisfaction wise I like a fire drill .... no greater feeling of success and accomplishment ....
My most common method and the one that has given me a fire when I appreciated it most is using a lighter with a small strip of inner tube rubber to get it going .... that method gives me a fire in a down pour all the time .... every time .... so it gets my vote as my favourite method :campfire:
Stanleythecat
05-11-2010, 12:47
Have to say that the miracle of friction still makes me smile and feel like an alchemist. The bow drill is a pleasure to use but I can only ever aspire to win at the hand drill I think. I would love to be able to do it, you, + skill + drill + hearth board. Anyone near Wiltshire/South Glos care to show me how!?
Lighter naturally!, and birch bark. I've proven to myself I can use other methods and I carry a lot of other firestarting equipment with me.
So, lighter, if that fails firesteel, if that fails bow drill, if that fails char cloth + flint, if that fails I go home and pick a different hobby =)
Dormouse
21-11-2010, 19:02
I like using a firesteel. I'm only usually lighting a hexy block for a brew and as a smoker I always have a lighter with me, but I really enjoy the shower of hot sparks and the sound of the firesteel being struck.
i think my fave has to be paper birch bark and fire steel and lots of little birch twigs, even when damp you are guaranteed to get a warm brew
Birch bark is my favourite, followed by honey suckle using friction - still perfecting this one :-). However for man-made my favourite must the 'amazing cotton ball' as coined from someone on the Internet. Instead of cotton balls soaked in Vaseline they are soaked in gel candle wax. On first impressions they last three times longer and are fully waterproof (can be used on snow or in sodden ground) and can still be started with a firesteel. I've always thought they could replace using inner tube for when it's really wet which means using a firesteel instead of a lighter which feels more reliable! (IMO).
Flint and steel without a doubt, it's just like having your own personal firework display, I just love to watch the sparks dance, for me the Bowdrill is so completely over rated that it has actually become the top bushcraft cliche`...