Problem with firesteel

I just can not seem to get this to work on a regular basis. I only ever got it to light very dry spanish moss a couple of times. I tried to use it today with some damp (not wet) spanish moss and I gave up after 6 min. I then took out my magnesium flint stick and set fire to another handfull of spanish moss (equally as damp) and successfully lit it after about a min or so.

Will somoene please outilne how to reliably light fires with sweetish fire steel? I can use the mag stick with ease, but want to be able to use the firesteel just as well. Ideas/thoughts?

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

Daffy wrote:

I just can not seem to get this to work on a regular basis. I only ever got it to light very dry spanish moss a couple of times. I tried to use it today with some damp (not wet) spanish moss and I gave up after 6 min. I then took out my magnesium flint stick and set fire to another handfull of spanish moss (equally as damp) and successfully lit it after about a min or so.

Will somoene please outilne how to reliably light fires with sweetish fire steel? I can use the mag stick with ease, but want to be able to use the firesteel just as well. Ideas/thoughts?

I have some fero on a deer antler handle and it doesnt always strike eitehr but when it does WHOOOSH lol! Are you using a flat surface to strike it on?

dude, i'm using the striker that came with the firesteel. Magnesium flint stick is fine, that is a brease. it is the firesteel that i have trouble with. It sparks like crazy, that is not the problem. The issue I am having is with the tinder. I pretty much need perfect conditions for it to light the tinder.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

O, well i dont know, i havnt used much other than char cloth and cotton balls with that. Im sorry dude, i dont know what to tell ya!

lol, cotton balls and dryer lint have been very effective too, but I was refurring to natural tinder that I can find.

_________________
Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

Ya, ummm i bet if you could find thistle down it would work great, we dont have spanish moss here so i cant use it Sad

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Most of the time I use dry grass. Take a bundle with one hand on one end and the other hand on the other end, push them together and rough the grass up really well so you get a lot of small fibers and theres you tinder Very Happy

eric

so to me it seams that the tinder has to be rediculously dry. Call me crazy but that doesn't seem like a good tool to me... sure it beats using a firebow/plough/hand drill but man, why use it instead of a mag stick. I have had very little trouble with the mag stick in wind too, just build up a wall of debris to block the wind.

_________________
Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqJi8coXzq4&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqp-pgDDhNY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQWe4nyPbHk

Here are some vids to watch!

recieved a pm from a user, gonna try their suggestion! they said to take a knife to a piece of wood to make shavings that are almost dust-like by running the blade at a 90 degree angle to the wood with some pressure to make the shavings. I will try this tomorow.

_________________
Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

Watch the vids and try what they say

Great links Survivor Kid 909 Very Happy

eric

survivorkid! i think it was you that recieved a kit from someone on the old site.. if not it was tel, regardless, you reminded me of something! using a pencil sharpener to take pencil sized branches and cutting them in to tinder!!!! I will be doing this tomorw, as well as this other method i said a min ago (which by the way is working well after about 10 min of grinding away!)

_________________
Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

yeah great links man that is cool. I should buy a sweetish fire steel! that would be fun to learn!

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"Wish I was an English muffin" - Punky's Dilemma by Simon and Garfunkel

Heres a video I made, all the credit goes to Woodsman for this Very Happy

eric

	Daffy wrote:
	survivorkid! i think it was you that recieved a kit from someone on the old site.. if not it was tel, regardless, you reminded me of something! using a pencil sharpener to take pencil sized branches and cutting them in to tinder!!!! I will be doing this tomorw, as well as this other method i said a min ago (which by the way is working well after about 10 min of grinding away!)

Ya, i got the kit from Normark, Thats a GREAT idea, thanks for reminding me. I may have to do that tommorrow because i have NOTHING to do anymore!

i've come to the realisation that the knife method is the same as make'n saw dust SO i switch'd to my saw blade to save my knife's edge. i find that this method works quickly but makes the wood dust VERY fine. Also it cuts through the wood (no kidding eh) instead of just thining it out. In the end i think you would get less with the saw, but it seems to work prety quick.

_________________
Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

Cool, I didn't even think of that Very Happy

eric

Another thing is buy a cheapo elcetric pencil sharpener and use that on sticks and twigs, it grinds um up reallly fine, and they light with a spark!

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-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.

-Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!!!"

Would you guys recomend this over mag sticks?