Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sandra on May 31, 2009 at 5:26am

I plan on trying out some forms of ignition this summer. Will let you know how the experiments turn out.

Permalink Reply by Steve B. on May 31, 2009 at 9:23am

Sandra (or do you prefer Sandy?), the next time you dry clothes, take the lint from your dryer and - in a safe place, of course – ball it up and light it. You'll be amazed with its flammability. In addition, it is very lightweight and compactable, making it perfect for backpacking, and you get a free supply each week. I keep ziplock bags by my dryer and save it every time I clean my lint screen.

The only downside is once you see how quickly it flames you'll start to obsess that your dryer will catch fire and burn your house down. :-)

Permalink Reply by Sandra on May 31, 2009 at 9:33am

Lol... yes, I have heard of using lint but have not tried it yet. I plan to do so in my fire starting "experiements" this summer.
I answer to both Sandy and Sandra btw. It seems everyone in California calls me Sandy :)

Permalink Reply by Sandra on June 10, 2009 at 9:42pm

If you take a cotton ball and work Vaseline into it, it makes a great firestarter. Just make sure that you can tear apart a few dry threads of cotton where you will initially light the fire.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on June 10, 2009 at 9:45pm

I was playing with some flint and steel today, trying to catch a spark on some char cloth, and the sparks were going all over the place. I wondered how on earth I would ever land some sparks on the char cloth, but I kept trying. I was concentrating so hard on sparking the flint and steel together that I barely noticed a burning smell. I looked down at my char cloth and sure enough, embers were glowing! If I had had a nice tinder bundle to put it in right then, I could have had a fire :)

Permalink Reply by Sandra on June 23, 2009 at 2:56pm

I've ordered a bunch of fire "toys" and some of them have arrived! For me, they are treats in terms of making a fire, because they are so much simpler than making a bow drill and then making a bow drill fire. But I wouldn't trade that knowledge -- of how to make a bow drill fire -- for anything.
Still, these technological modern matchless fire making tools are fun. Even though they are modernly made, they are based on past technology -- flint and steel, fire pistons, and so on.
My fire piston was the first to arrive, and what a beautiful tool that is -- made out of gorgeous wood with a brass plunger and a brass-lined wooden tube. It's like magic, too -- just stick some charred string on the end of the plunger, push the plunger into the tube quick and fast, and pull it out fast -- there will be a coal on the end of the plunger! (on the charred string) Amazing!
It kind of works on the principle of car pistons compressing air to produce a spark. Still an awe-producing mystery to me. I think natives in the South Pacific were the first to come up with this method (only they used bamboo).
If you are interested in buying a fire piston, just Google "fire piston price" for selections. I would recommend you look at at YouTube video on how to use a fire piston before you actually try it yourself. They aren't the cheapest matchless form of fire-making, but they are the most beautiful matchless fire-making tool I've seen and are a delight to add to your camping or survival gear.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on June 23, 2009 at 3:02pm

Char cloth or string, by the way, is an excellent method of catching a spark. There's a video on YouTube that shows you how to make it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7uLVGrAt1M), but basically it is 100% cotton material heated up just below the ignition point until it is black.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on June 23, 2009 at 3:04pm

I know how to make a tipi fire (wrote a blog about it), and used to make an A-frame cooking fire when I was a Girl Scout. It looks like an "A" laid out on the ground, with two small logs about a foot to a foot and a half long for the legs of the A, and a smaller log laid across those two logs to complete the A form. Right under that cross piece is where you start the fire (as I recall). At the top or apex of the A is where you would set a pot to cook food in.
What other types of fires do you build?

Permalink Reply by Sandra on July 5, 2009 at 11:17pm

I have a flint and steel magnesium lighter that I love. It comes in a stainless cylinder, unscrew the cap and you have the rod (nice and dry inside the tube). The device puts out lots of very hot sparks and easily starts a fire, better than regular flint and steel. You can see it at http://www.campingsurvival.com/aufistflstan.html.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on July 5, 2009 at 11:19pm

For tinder, I get some jute string and pull it apart thread by tiny thread until it's a big puff ball. This will catch a spark nicely. I am still experimenting with natural material. I've heard you can light birch bark even when it's wet, although I have not tried it yet.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on August 1, 2009 at 5:09am

If you do use natural material for tinder, mix it with a number of types of tinder, because some natural tinder catches fire fast, while others will hold a spark longer, and so on. For bark tinder, take some inner bark (like of cedar) and pound it with a rock on another rock or piece of wood until it is quite shredded and practically falling apart. Pound dry grasses in the same way.