View Full Version : Fire Steel... how do i use one?
Dave Barker
21-11-2004, 15:40
Probably a silly question.
Got a black swedish foresteel yesterday, with striker attached.
I can get plenty of spaarks with noth it and the back of my knife, but not get anything to light .
Question how far away from the material shouls i be before i strike it, and what would you recommend as simple tinder.
I tried a pile of sawdust dunked in meths... nothing, cotton wool and also polish cloth for cars, still nothing. A match lit everything forst time.
Come on guys help me here, i want to use it.
thanks
TheViking
21-11-2004, 15:45
With charcloth you will only need one strike into the cloth. Just hold the spine on your knife or striker and pull the steel. Sparks will fall into the tinder and ignite. A knife is better IMO, cause it creates decent sparks, but a hacksaw striker will only make some light on the steel itself.
bambodoggy
21-11-2004, 15:45
I find that thinly threaded birch bark will light easy but I'm very suprised you can't get cotton wool to work (try it dry). I tend to have the end of the steel actually on the floor, hold my knife in place and then pull the steal up and away rather than running the knife down it.
Hope that helps....good luck! :chill:
giancarlo
21-11-2004, 15:57
if you're trying cotton wool, then try to tease it out a fair bit and make it very fine, it should take a spark quite easily then.
cotton wool should burst in to flames.. make sure it is not bunched up as Giancarlo says tease it appart.. cotton wool is the fule.. the sparks are the heat but you got to let the oxygen in!! :biggthump let us know how that goes..
hot it on or close to the tineder!! :chill:
Dave the advise about holding the knife still and withdrawing the steel is the top tip. This does two things concentrates the sparks and stops you knocking your tinder every where.
Once you have the technique sorted start on cotton wool and then work your way up the tinder list.
There is actually three ways of using a steel (different sparks and uses) but concentrate on the basics first all else will follow!
TheViking
21-11-2004, 16:17
There is actually three ways of using a steel (different sparks and uses)
What are the 2 others Gary? I'm curious now! :o):
OK first way is steel held high to caste shower of sparks for lighting stoves ect.
Second is above per above knife held still and steel dragged back - good for most tinders
Third is last 1/4 inch of steel and the striker is pushed forward with thumb as steel is drawn back - a slow deliberate action which creates only a few but very very hot sparks - good for difficult or damp tinders - with this you can light candles and even feather sticks!
TheViking
21-11-2004, 16:23
OK first way is steel held high to caste shower of sparks for lighting stoves ect.
Second is above per above knife held still and steel dragged back - good for most tinders
Third is last 1/4 inch of steel and the striker is pushed forward with thumb as steel is drawn back - a slow deliberate action which creates only a few but very very hot sparks - good for difficult or damp tinders - with this you can light candles and even feather sticks!
Great! :D :You_Rock_
A fourth way is to slowly and carefully scrape some ferrorod dust off the rod and then ignote that ... great for damp tinders!
TheViking
21-11-2004, 16:39
A fourth way is to slowly and carefully scrape some ferrorod dust off the rod and then ignote that ... great for damp tinders!
I broke my homemade firesteel some weeks ago, by accident and tried this.
It's really handy and long lasting, but sometimes it ignites when cutting off.
Bit like a mag block! Good idea although if you can master the third way described you shouldnt need to worry about scraping the rod - one of the reasons we dont like mag blocks is the scraping scatters tinder ect everywhere - but another weapon int he amrour isnt a bad thing!
Don't forget to space you firestick as closely in to the tinder as possible. I just put mine right IN to the tinderpile and strike it.
There is another way to use a firesteel, I'm sure I read it on a thread here a little while back.
This way is to not lay the tinder on the ground but to trap it between knife and firesteel. As you scrape down the firesteel the tinder travels with the knife.
What Gary said :biggthump
A fourth way is to slowly and carefully scrape some ferrorod dust off the rod and then ignote that ... great for damp tinders!
Yep, that makes for a biiig fireball :burnup:
There is another way to use a firesteel, I'm sure I read it on a thread here a little while back.
This way is to not lay the tinder on the ground but to trap it between knife and firesteel. As you scrape down the firesteel the tinder travels with the knife.
This works really well with flint and a proper steel ;) too, I hold a small piece of flint with a bit of charcloth on top of it between finger and thumb of my left hand (even a tiny piece of flint will do), then slide the steel across the flint. With very little practice this works every time as long as the char cloth is good.
Jason
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2918
Dave Barker
23-11-2004, 07:52
Well last night i tried again.
We had no cotton wool left, so I used some toilet paper and some meths.
We have wood burning fires here in te Land Of Nog, and i thought i'd try.
2 strikes and it burst into flame.. My initial reaction was whooooaaa ****
followed by :red:...
then Swmbo said 2 Huh another toy.. suppose you'll be burning everyhing now.. Dave Crashes and burns.
Thanks for the help tho, nest time it'll be cotton wool...
Yay, success!!
Thanks for the help tho, nest time it'll be cotton wool...
Check the package to see that it actually is cotton wool - some of them are a mix of cotton and synthetics, which are most reluctant to take a spark!
Excellent!
Another point - some people say that you can use lint out of the dryer but I think that this depends a lot on the clothes you dry in there ... mostly cottons will be fine but in you have synthetics in there it usually won't work.