Flint and Magnesium Lighter.

[Muddy Boots]

Hi guys,

I could do with some advice with regards this kit.

http://www.campingworld.co.uk/Models.aspx?ModelID=325

I bought one of these a few weeks ago and tried to start a fire with it yesterday. I found it to be utterly pants. I'm pretty sure it is the technique I was using but trying to light even cotton wool balls covered with vasiline was more than an effort. I was going to carry this kit as a back up to the Light My Fire Army fire steel but the difference is so marked I think it is probably just worth carrying Scout steel instead.

I understand you need to shave off some of the magnesium block but with the striker supplied this is very difficult. How much of the magnesium do you need to shave off?

Also even when i could get it to strike the spray of sparks seemed very small and virtually impossible to direct to my kindling.

I know a few places sell magnesium and flint fire starters and although it only cost me a couple of quid (Trago Mills incidently) I am seriously thinking of just binning it off.

Any advice on using one of these lighters would be grateful.

Cheers

Muddy.

 

[Andy2112]

Hi guys,

I could do with some advice with regards this kit.

http://www.campingworld.co.uk/Models.aspx?ModelID=325

I bought one of these a few weeks ago and tried to start a fire with it yesterday. I found it to be utterly pants. I'm pretty sure it is the technique I was using but trying to light even cotton wool balls covered with vasiline was more than an effort. I was going to carry this kit as a back up to the Light My Fire Army fire steel but the difference is so marked I think it is probably just worth carrying Scout steel instead.

I understand you need to shave off some of the magnesium block but with the striker supplied this is very difficult. How much of the magnesium do you need to shave off?

Also even when i could get it to strike the spray of sparks seemed very small and virtually impossible to direct to my kindling.

I know a few places sell magnesium and flint fire starters and although it only cost me a couple of quid (Trago Mills incidently) I am seriously thinking of just binning it off.

Any advice on using one of these lighters would be grateful.

Cheers

Muddy.

Same problem here mate, you need to shave a lot off first. We did a comparison test with one got from the States and the difference is noticable, the US one is far softer than the one i used. Might be better shaving a load off, putting in a tin then mixing it with your other tinder as needed. Then use your firesteel to light it with.

 

[Muddy Boots]

Same problem here mate, you need to shave a lot off first. We did a comparison test with one got from the States and the difference is noticable, the US one is far softer than the one i used. Might be better shaving a load off, putting in a tin then mixing it with your other tinder as needed. Then use your firesteel to light it with.

Cheers for that Andy that's great.

I honestly thought it was poor technique or summut. I compared it with the fire steel tonight and the difference is massive.

Tried sparking it off my Mora and all it achieved was knocking the edge off that.

I should of guessed it was rubbish and the fact you have to clip off the dog tag chain and take it to pieces even to get a tiny shower of sparks kind of gives the game away at what a cr.p piece of kit it actually is.

Can't imagine trying to do this with cold / wet hands.

 

[Adze]

Description
The Gelert Flint Lighter is used for starting camp fires whilst camping in the great outdoors. Firstly gather a small bundle of dry leaves and kindling, using the striker scrape some shards of magnesium onto the leaves, strike the flint with the striker, this will create the sparks, gently blow the kindling whilst striking the flint and the fire will start.

Ahhhh ah ha ha ha ha ha ha, ohhhh oh ho ho ho ho ho (repeat as required)

 

[Hoodoo]

Not familiar with that tool. Some are definitely better than others. The rule of thumb is to scrape off enough to cover the area of a quarter. I have found that a tungsten carbide scraper and a Doan magnesium firestarting tool work well together. Still, it takes patience. Scrape a quarter sized pile of magnesium into a depression of some sort. Somethng protected from the wind. I keep my magnesium fire starter in an altoids tin and that also works great to catch shavings.

Magnesium is 100% waterproof and burns very hot when ignited by a spark. These are the two major advantages for use as a survival tool. But it does take some practice to master. Once you find the right combination and master its use, it is an ultrareliable firestarter. I'd caution against carrying premade shavings. From what I've observed, the shavings will oxidize and not catch a spark very well.

If you don't have a carbide scraper, a knife with a spine with sharp edges will work well. But it's not like you are carving wood. Takes some patience.

When you go to light the magnesium, hold the striker in place and put the firesteel towards you. If you do the opposite and strike towards the shavings, the little current of wind you create can blow your shavings away.

A fluffed up cotton ball will help catch the magnesium shavings and will burn hotter than just cotton alone.

 

[Air Pirate]

I have a couple of these and have not tried them out. I guess I just assumed I'd be able to use it if I every needed to...cuz, you know...Survivorman made it look so easy.

 

[johnboy]

Hi,

I have the DOAN mag block fire lighter and I find it works ok. As said you have to get a really good pile of magnesium scrapings together in one place I tend to use a biggish sized leaf to srcape them onto. Then collect them into a pile on the leaf then introduce the leaf under your tinder bundle , Feather sticks or whatever then use the back of a knife with a square spine to generate some sparks to ignite the magnesium scrapings and these in turn ingnite the tinder and fire follows.... In the wet it's a PITA to do.... best to revert to some bike inner tube and a bic lighter or perhaps a sparklite...

 

[helixpteron]

I'd been reading (for quite a while) that the Doan Magnesium Firestarter was THE best of the type..... This shouldn't be too surprising considering that Doan invented the type!

I'm also very impressed with the Stanley Carbide Scraper idea which Hoodoo kindly shared, and can confirm that it works brilliantly.

Heinnie Haynes sell the excellent Doan MFS for £5:95 delivered. I just got two, on the Cody Lundin principle of buy two of each of your PSK components, practice the hell out of one, and pack the new one into your kit.

Doan's homepage.

 

[Wayland]

I've had a Doan one for years. Tried it a couple of times and it worked OK.

It now lives in my PFD pocket for emergencies.

I like the look of that scraper though, any links for availability?

 

[helixpteron]

This ebay seller has them at a good price, £12:88, plus £1:15 P&P for the pair (they're only sold as a pair).

Its a good price as I paid £16:20 locally and had to order them, and the ebay one's have the same Stanley code, which is 0-28-641, Stanley call them 'Replacement Blades for Tungsten Carbide Scraper'.

They're really good quality, solid too..... and extremely sharp!

 

[Twodogs]

I brought my Doan from Ebay.US still worked out a good price,
Having tryed it against some others at a recent meet I would say thay are the best and worth tracking down .
The smaller size two inch are a right pain far to small
Twodogs

 

[Mistwalker]

I've used a few different knids. I've even had some of the ferro rods fall off of the cheaper ones. Never had any trouble at all with the Doan Mach. versions.

It's an old Doan Magnesium fiestarter that I used in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CiogcHsgTc

 

[apj1974]

I like the look of that scraper though, any links for availability?

amazon do them - not cheap though.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-Replacement-TC-Blades-641/dp/B0001IW662/ref=pd_sim_diy_1


Pesonally I've never liked these things (not used a Doan one) - its too much effort to produce a decent pile of magnesium, which then burns so fast that I've had it just burn a hole in tinder and not light anything. At best all I seem to end up with is a glowing ember. Have you noticed how in most of the vids the magnesium is hardly worn - I suspect for most people its just a handle for the steel. If you've gotta but one of the above scrapers to really get the best out of them, then I make that £15 - £20 to light your fire, you can buy a decent firesteel and lots of cotton wool and Vaseline for that. Or even a nice shaped forged steel and some flint and fungi all in a nice leather bag from some members on here!