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The wipes with alcohol are not for babies but cleaning computers etc. Try wiping your whatsit with one of those and you'll wake the baby from hunting camp! The brand we used to see at work was called ISO Wipes. They are good for cleaning your dishes when packing into places where water is scarce, though. If they dry out between hunts you can add a bit of metholated spirits to restore the power. | |||
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Here is an place to buy good ferro/firesteel rods and the excellent firesteel scrapper. I've bought from them before and received fine service and products. I favor the 3/8"x4" Armegeddon blank model. http://www.survivaltopics.com/gear/ I also carry my old Zippo, and yeah, I keep it fueled. There are a number of advantages to a Zippo that BICs do not have. 1. It is virtually windproof. 2. You can light it and set it down for some light, or to warm your hands. 3. If your hands are extremely cold, you can hold the Zippo between the heels of your hands and run the sparker wheel down your thigh/pants leg and it'll light. I also carry two of the clean 1/8 oz. Tobasco bottles filled with lighter fuel. One of those poured in a dry Zippo will last for several days with multiple burns. I don't smoke so my old Zippo lasts a long time. L.W. "A 9mm bullet may expand but a .45 bullet sure ain't gonna shrink." | |||
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I did not take the time to read all the responces so I apologise in advance if I repete what has already been stated. Trioxaine bars IMHO as good a fire starting material as you can buy, I ask anyone to prove other wise. They are super light weight, come pre-packed in water tight spill/leek proof foil, will ignite if exposed to the smallest of sprarks and once lit will litteraly burn while floating on water. They are basicly small flat thin rectangles that pack much easior than any DIY FS's in short you can not improve on perfection. I strongly as is possable recommend to all reading this to do what I have done. After a few lagit remote pack in hunts I desided I should actually try to start a fire in adverce conditions in a situation of say getting lost or other reasion that might force me to having to spend the night out away from camp. I picked a state forrest nesr my home and picked a rainy cold night (in the 30s-40* range) and equiped with only my standard survival kit spent the night out doors several times. To say what I experienced was a educating eye opener would be a mamoth understatement. I carry trioxaine bars and a Blast Match and a swiss army steel with striker as a back up. Both work superbly. I also carry Brittish Army issue life boat matches as well. Always figyred if I am able to get a decent fire going I most likely will survive untill my hunting partners do what it takes to find me. But I would not even consider any fire starter other than Trioxain bars, and yes I would bet my life on them. | |||
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ArtJR you bring up a good point. You can read all the books you want to, take all the "daytime" courses too....but if you really want to test yourself and your equipment spend a few nights out with only what's in your pockets. You'll be amazed how exhausting it is and how much time you spend just trying to keep hydrated let alone anything else. You'll also learn a lot about yourself and your limits. | |||
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These ideas give alot of choices and all seems to esy smart and convenient. They are so lite you could take several varities w/ ease. My favorite is dryer lint nd split up pieces of pine knot. In East Texas they are vituaully everywhere in the piney woods. I split them into about 3-4"x 1/2" and they are basically waterproof. This is pine knots concetrate the turpintine type sap. And once lit, which does take much, they burn very weel. Also if you are in a piney woods are just look for a old pine on the ground the knots are not hard to find. I have a couple 5 gallon buckets of them at home. They won't rot. Just my 2 cents. P.S. also have Bic lighters w/ ur starter kit. Cheap lite weight waterproof. The things you see when you don't have a gun. NRA Endowment Life Member Proud father of an active duty Submariner... Go NAVY! | |||
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I finally tried out my Light my Fire striker with dried gumleaves, the most flammable fuel in our bush. It gave a great spark but even 20 strikes failed to light the leaves - makes a $2 gas lighter look good. | |||
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I don't know what everyone else's experience is, but you can't even get a Cabela's windproof/ stormproof lighter to light at altitudes above about 11-12,000 feet. Ditto for Brunton, etc. I doubt seriously if Bic or Zippo are any better, just too little oxygen. Also, last 3 trips the TSA has taken ALL of my matches, lighters, etc. out of my CHECKED bags and confiscated. Goes without saying you can't carry-on as well. So, I've gone to the Wet Fire and steel myself. Some in shirt pocket, pants pocket, and pack, and in saddlebags if horseback. If I'm not flying to where I'm hunting, I still carry one of the super-duper-light anywhere but at altitude- lighters with me but they just don't work as advertised on say a high-country elk hunt. | |||
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Since I've moved to the UK I've had a lot of nice flint around the place so I've been playing with natural flint and steel. It's kind of fun but has one drawback. The sparks produced will only catch on certain materials. One is charcloth which is fine if you carry it. The other is "tinder fungus" which is a certain kind of fungus that grows on birch trees, not to be confused with horse hoof fungus. I had brought some with me from Canada to make tea with as it's pretty yummy so luckily I could use it with the flint too. Another drawback is that not just any piece of steel will work. I've been going to places that sell old tools and have found a few wrenches that make nice sparks. I tried using the back of my ax (Gransfors) and it's too hard to spark. I think my ax back in Canada would be good as it's a nice splitting ax with softer steel. This is where a good carbon steel knife would be a good thing. Natural flint has been fun to play with and I can easily start a fire with it or with a bowdrill but I think for serious stuff it's still going to be man made flint or matches/lighter for me. | |||
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Beware the type of flint used in BIC lighters tends to swell once its been wet & jams in its tube to the extent that the spring cannot keep the flint in contact with the wheel when that happens your BIC is good for about 2 sparks & then its next to useless ........waterproof they are not they need to be kept waterproof. A neat way to keep a BIC lighter fairly water proof is to wrap it in a freezer bag & store it in a used mini M&M's lolly tube.Saves the plastic bag from being inadvertently damaged. | |||
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As a note this an an area I have studied frequently and have tried to stay up with current fire making technology. For my personal use I use medical alcohol wipes. Just tear open the wipe and add ignition source. I have used, for ignition everything from fire plow methods (essentially rubbing two sticks together) to modern fire steels and the like. One nostalgic item that brings both tradition and usefulness to the table is the fire piston, which are made from a variety of materials from exotic woods, to titanium. I will not bore y'all with the physics, but they represent a reusable means of fire making and use char cloth as a ignition material, or chaga fungus, which in itself is an awesome tinder. They can even be purchased on online auction sites. I carry a custom cocobolo model as well as a fire steel. -Private Contractor- Retired Private Security Contractor Executive Protection PMC WWPS Instructor and Collector of Pokey and Sharp Things USTC | |||
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[quote]AGGIE - "I don't know what everyone else's experience is, but you can't even get a Cabela's windproof/ stormproof lighter to light at altitudes above about 11-12,000 feet. Ditto for Brunton, etc. I doubt seriously if Bic or Zippo are any better, just too little oxygen."/quote] Aggie, I can guarantee you that a Zippo will light and function just fine at 13,500 feet altitude. I've hunted in s.w. Colorado, n.e. of Durango, and used my old Zippo to light a fire at that altitude, at noon, to heat lunch. Also used it to light a fire when I killed an elk at around 12,500 feet. It was very cold and we needed some heat while we gutted and quarterd the elk. Don't know about a BIC at that altitude, but the Zippo works way up there. L.W. "A 9mm bullet may expand but a .45 bullet sure ain't gonna shrink." | |||
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Lint from the trap of your clothes dryer works well Hunting is not a matter of life or death....It's much more important | |||
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The "type" of "flint" they use is the same little 0.080" diameter FerroCerium rod as is used in Zippo lighters, but being cheap and intended to be short service life disposable they don't bother coating them with enamel like Zippo or Ronson replacement flints and as Cerium corrodes fairly rapidly. I've gotten great amusement from using those chips of "flint" broken out of dead butane lighters into the back end of an air rifle pellet then load the pellet backwards and shoot it into any large solid object... it virtually explodes. a "Neat" item I got several years ago at campmor is a little backpack stove that burns wood... The neatest thing about it is that it is a forced draft burner with an electric fan. What powers the fan you say? a single penlight cell gets it started but once the fire is going the penlight cell does NOTHING because the solar cell that's built into the stove actually provides more voltage to the fan... solar cells actually run on better on infared light than visible light. As for starting a fire I ascribe to multiple methods.... I always have a USGI gun oil bottle filled with glycerine and a couple of plastic film cans (ones without labels) packed with my TWO kits of salt & pepper shaker topped film cans. A Zippo lighter... BTW there IS a TSA approved transport container that will Hold TWO Zippo lighters in your checked baggage, it is available from Zippo. AD If I provoke you into thinking then I've done my good deed for the day! Those who manage to provoke themselves into other activities have only themselves to blame. *We Band of 45-70er's* 35 year Life Member of the NRA NRA Life Member since 1984 | |||
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Cotton balls, a small can of lighter fluid, a magnesium striker, plus a Zippo Lighter. Although this is what I carry, I have some new ideas. | |||
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Doan's magnesium bar/ferrocium Light my Fire firesteel Bic lighter REI waterproof matches. For tinder, trioxane is good stuff, but hard to beat these little buggers.  Good place for all kinds of fire starters. http://bepreparedtosurvive.com...estarterProducts.htm Hunting: Exercising dominion over creation at 2800 fps. | |||
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i carry purell or equalivant opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I"m always amazed at the never ending learning lessons of AR. Tonight I learned that dryer lint can save your life. McGyver would be proud of all of you! "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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My wife tosses the dryer lint as quickly as she can so I and my son don't use it to start fires in the garage with the firesteel. I wish I was kidding. Hunting: Exercising dominion over creation at 2800 fps. | |||
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I have used very fine steel wool to start fires, I stuff some unused medicine plastic bottles or zip lock bags, it'll start very easy, some guys I know will keep some Vaseline for other purposes and use some to fuel the steel wool. Again you will need some dry kindling wood to get the real fire going. I have also used batteries to get the steel wool burning like the 9 volt but any battery will work as long as you can arch the wool . NRA Life Member, ILL Rifle Assoc Life Member, Navy | |||
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I agree with Duckear. Firesteel and lint from your clothes dryer works well. The lint lights quickly and is obviously light weight and packs nicely in a baggie. Start young, hunt hard, and enjoy God's bounty. | |||
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9 volt battery and some fine steel wool will get you going. toss in a cotton ball soaked in pertoleum jelly, and you are in business. SCI Life Member DSC Life Member | |||
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I'm a fairly strong proponent of cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly, but I'm interested in alternatives. Last time I measured their burning time, they burned for > 5 minutes, even after having been submerged in water. How long does lint burn after having been submerged? To me, burning duration, ease of lighting and being virtually impervious to water are all essential considerations. | |||
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Clothes dryer lint works well if the clothes that were dried are cotton. Lint from synthetic clothes or from clothes with fire retardants in them are another matter. | |||
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I've read through this and also read similar threads on other forums over the years. I have used ferro rods and steels, dryer lint, tinder in wax, fuel bars etc. Just curious if plain old gun powder would be worth a try. just a small amount sealed in something like a piece of shrink tube? not sure if it would draw in too much moisture or not during storage. | |||
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Well thermite would work too. Gunpowder dumped out of a shell in an emergency situation is definately an option. | |||
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Boomer, if you think about it. If you're out hunting, you've already a supply of gunpowder in waterproof containers ..... They are called bullets!  Grab your multi-tool, pull the bullet, and you're in business! Interesting idea..... but I think magnesium powder would work better..... burns much hotter and doesn't "hop around" as much. Deserves some testing...... | |||
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The German Pocket Stove I mentioned in my previous post is the Esbit. It comes with white square tablets, one of which will boil a cup of water for coffee, tee or soup. They also work great as a fire starter and do not stink or leave a nasty residue on the bottom of your metal cup. I do not remember ever trying to fly with them, but I suspect that now it would be pulled out of your bag. That is why when I fly I carry the Birchwood Casey Sheath Oil gun wipes and the Canadian plastic 5.56mm stripper clips. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I used those Esbit stoves years back. Not my favorite...... but they work.... if you have enough patience. The Esbit tabs provide even clean heat. But they are hard to ignite with a match and wind.... and will not ignite at all with fire steel. I've even tried shaving them to get more surface area. That helps a little with match ignition. | |||
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I have never had too much trouble getting them on fire. I have also used a gel firestarter, that came in a tube like tooth paste, that worked good and is safe to use. Not sure that you could fly with it. usually when you fly into a place to hunt you can arange to go to a "store" and get some matches, and some lighter fluid. I carry a water proof carrier for the matches, empty on the plane. I consider the ability to start a fire, of the utmost importance, when in the "woods". I plan accordingly. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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This post motivated me to teach my boys these techniques before they need them out in the woods. We tried Handi wipes, lens cleaner wipes, vaseline soaked cotton, steel wool, pine pitch & lint. By far the best was the vaseline soaked cotton balls. Which is what my previous experience has taught me. From the many suggestions here, I plan on picking up some trioxane fire starter the next time I run across it and give that a try. | |||
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Even when I am hunting with a well known Outfitter/Guide, I always have my own fire starting ability. My Life always depends first, on ME, fire, water, food, ammo, it is first and last, on ME. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I concur 100%. | |||
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Has anyone bought & tried one of the little "peanut" lighters like the ones from CountyComm? There are cheaper ones that are not ss or Ti but I don't mind extra cost for better quality. | |||
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I use the cotton balls and Vaseline but I save my kids old bike inner tubes cute them in to 2 inch pieces put 2 cotton balls in each chunk and staple the end closed. The rubber will burn for a long time even if you only have wet wood it will burn long enough to get the wood started . | |||
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Vaseline (or Purell) cotton balls/lint A magnesium striker, plus a Zippo Lighter And use that to make a fire candle (Swedish fire torch) for a portable and wind resistant fire  ~~~ Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 | |||
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Well, I like Light my fire steel, I can get a fire going with just one or two strikes. What I do is, I find good tinder. I make a good pile, then some small dry sticks and a good supply to fuel the fire once going. All I then do is strike the steel into a little ball of 0000 steel wool, its light and its cheap and a little goes a long way. Once the steel catches a spark, put in the tinder and just blow lightly and you have a fire, then just feed it. Not hard. Of course having a lighter in your pocket is good insurance. | |||
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