I highly recommend this fire piston maker

[Toadflax]

I recently got a fire piston as a swap from another BCUK member. It was used but in excellent condition, but I couldn't get it to work so I thought I'd try replacing the seal (I emphasise here that this is no reflection at all on the person who I swapped it with). Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking properly when I removed the old seal and I ended up damaging the tip of the piston, rendering it unusable.

I contacted the original maker of the piston via a message on ebay to ask if he could quote me a price for a replacement plunger for the piston. He got back to me very promptly, and not only did he offer me a replacement plunger for me to fit into the head of the old fire piston, but he also offered me a brand new fire piston as well. To top it all, he wouldn't take any money from me, not even any help with the postage costs to ship from the USA to the UK.

The package arrived today, with the new plunger for me to fit into my old piston and a COMPLETE brand new fire piston set: piston, cleaning rod, tinder bricks, grease, tinder box and tinder.

Now that's what I call customer service.

If you want a fire piston, I thoroughly recommend that you check out the ebay seller EBPrimitives. :You_Rock_ I have no connection with this person, other than being a very satisfied customer.


Geoff

 

[andy_e]

Now that is customer service, have been thinking of getting one of them for a while. Many thanks Geoff, you've just pushed this supplier to the top of my list, when I get around to it I'll be sure to mention your recommendation.

 

[spamel]

I'm pretty sure that is who I got mine from. the end of the plunger is a rubber disc nailed into the end grain, but the nails don't come out! Mine snapped, so I ground off the rest of the nail and glued another rubber into place and also carved a depression into the rubber and it works a treat. You can pick his fire pistons up for about 12 quid so they are excellent value for money. If you want an entry level fire piston, they are the ones to go for, and the char bricks will light if you look at them the wrong way, they are an excellent tinder!

 

[Toadflax]

I'm pretty sure that is who I got mine from. the end of the plunger is a rubber disc nailed into the end grain, but the nails don't come out! Mine snapped, so I ground off the rest of the nail and glued another rubber into place and also carved a depression into the rubber and it works a treat.!

That's what happened to me - the nail head snapped off as I tried to pull it out. Interesting to know that you can glue the seal in place. I had wondered about that but was concerned the glue wouldn't hold and I'd be left with the seal jammed in the cylinder.


Geoff

 

[spamel]

In fact, I think I used superglue! Just give it time to go off correctly and you won't have any problems at all. Not sure what nails he uses but they grip the wood very well and are impossible to pull out, but they are incredibly brittle too!

 

[Buckshot]

Shame I didn't read this yesterday - I'd have liked to have seen this.!

Perhaps next time...

Cheers

mark

 

[Toadflax]

In fact, I think I used superglue! Just give it time to go off correctly and you won't have any problems at all. Not sure what nails he uses but they grip the wood very well and are impossible to pull out, but they are incredibly brittle too!

He's changed the design now. Rather than using nails (which as we have both found out make it well nigh impossible to replace the seal) he is now using a screw to hold the seal in place. Not only does this makes it much easier to change the seal (as I've already had to replace one), but he is using a cross head screw with very deep slots, which means that the tinder does not need to be 'glued' in place with grease, it can be poked into the screwdriver slots in the screw head.


Geoff

PS: Buckshot - there's a PM for you.

 

[andy_e]

There have been a few post recently where members have been rightfully annoyed by the failed transactions either with websites or deals on here not going to plan.

So, I thought I'd share an example of how it can work. Some time ago I gave Geoff a Trees book, it was a duplicate and had no real monetary value as such. When I posted to this thread Geoff very kindly offered to send me his old Fire Piston, it needed a wee bit of work but was in perfect order otherwise. It arrived today and I am chuffed to say the least.

So, many, many thanks to Geoff for his thoughtfulness.

 

[Tourist]

Marvellous, ordered one last tuesday it arrived today (monday).

All very well packed in a cardboard box. Every item then in an individual mini ziplock bag. The kit also included instructions for a whiggly fizz tinder pot and the piston.

All in all Emil, the maker, sent me: a piston; cleaning rod; seals; lube; tinder for the piston; a whiggly fizz tinder fire pot; tinder for the pot; two instruction sheets; extra tinder and seals because of the high postage costs to the UK..........It all cost £17.00 including postage, the man must do it for love because a fiver of that was for postage.

I read the instructions, and had a go, zap, pow, it worked...........big smile..........very happy.

I'll put up some pics tomorrow.

 

[Toadflax]

After a bit of learning at the start, I'm getting reliable lighting pretty much first time every time. I found that it is worthwhile greasing the seal every time I use the piston, and not pushing the tinder too far into the screw head - i.e. leave a bit of 'fluffy' tinder hanging out. I have also had to use a separate (larger) bit of tinder to transfer the 'burn' from the piston to the tinder box (e.g. light a crumb of cramp ball from the piston, and transfer this to the cross-hole in the tinder box).

Replacing the seal is also very easy - the other end of the wooden piston cleaning rod is cut to a screwdriver shape and the seal is held into the end of the piston by a screw.

I'm glad that someone else is as pleased as me with the kit.


Geoff

 

[andy_e]

Meant to say, I was using the one you sent me the other weekend on my trip up north, worked a treat to get my kelly kettle going. Cheers again

 

[Toadflax]

Meant to say, I was using the one you sent me the other weekend on my trip up north, worked a treat to get my kelly kettle going. Cheers again

Geoff

 

[madfaxman]

Im glad that someone actully posted about this so to the person who started this thread :You_Rock_

The easy of use and uncomplicated instruction and design make it a pleasure to use.

I order one of the newer models of firepistons that Emil makes (screw head instead of nail).

As Tourist? said in an earlier post he really must do it for the love of making the pistons.

I received a Piston, pick, extra seals, companion box and enuf tinder and shredded bark for months of use.

The instructions were clear and to the point. (big plus)

After 3 attempts i got a coal fm the piston. Using the companion box was extremly easy to get flame. It surprised me how simple it was to use and how quickly your hands get used to the "right" position to get proper "ignition".

Again it does take a little getting used to how little tinder you need and my main problem at first was using to big a piece of tinder, but once you get used to it is extremly easy to use, you find your own "style" of use very quickly.

When he puts more on E(vil) Bay i highly recommend that you buy one, even if you are die hard flint and steel / firerod user. Just for the experiance of using a wonderfully simple tool.

Again i have no connection to this person i am however a VERY SATISIFIED BUYER.

Well thats my 2p worth.

BCUK rocks!

 

[Tourist]

This is what you get for your £17.00 - which is below the VAT/Duty threshold so there is nowt extra to pay either.........

back to front & left to right:

Sturdy well packed box it all came in, well written instruction sheets - for everything

Extra tinder for the PISTON PAL TINDER BOX (cedar I think), the PISTON PAL TINDER BOX, 2 * packs of tinder biscuits

2 * packs of piston seals, pot of lube, cleaning stick, fire piston.

If you look at the piston you can see a piece of thread, this is an intentional design feature. If you run this down the piston and over the seal it allows you to push the piston fully down by eliminating the pressure - making it easier for transport in your pocket.

I can honestly say Emil must be related to Santa Claus, because for what he charges it is a gift. I do not personally know him or receive any kind of payment for singing his praises.

 

[tyfy]

I can honestly say Emil must be related to Santa Claus.

I must second that. I purchased an Ultimate Fire Piston from him through evilbay at the weekend and he emailed me saying it had been sent on Monday.

Guess what, it was waiting for me when I went home for lunch . 3 days from the US to Scotland is very impressive.

I have not had a proper chance to look through the box but it appears he has included extra seals and tinder to make up for the extra postage as it is outside the US but if the delivery is any indication of service then I would have no worries buying again from Emil.

I have no links with Email other that the order just received

Richard

 

[tyfy]

Just like to say that I managed to get a coal on my second attempt .

I will now add this to my growing collection of firestarting methods.

Ultimate Fire Piston
Skeletal Dragon striker and Flint
Blastmatch
Ferrocium Rod
Wire Wool and 9V battery

I just need to get in some practice with the Bow Drill kit I bought from Bernie Garland and I might get that working as well.

When I get round to buying one I think I will have to look for an Everythings Possible pouch

 

[madfaxman]

I had purchased one of Emils fire pistons fm ebay a while ago and it has seen almost non stop use in the feild.

How ever i did manage to get the rubber seal of come completly off the end of the plunger and getting stuck at the bottom of the piston chamber at a very inopportune time when i was showing off how "handy and clever" i was using the piston in front of some freinds

After much laughter from my friends (swines ..lol) I contacted Emil to see if he had any other reports of this happening. (there wasnt ..typical ..lol)

Emil was extremly helpful. :You_Rock_

So with Emil's help we figured out that if use a heavy duty paperclip bend straight with a small hook on one end works wonders on removing the stuck seal.

He also sent me a replacement piston and some new seals to try in case it happened again. (in case it was a bad seal)

His follow up customer service is simply AMAZING. He refused any type of payment for the new piston and seals. (Something you dont see much of these days)

I have no affliation with Emil other than a very very happy customer!!!

If i fig out how to post a pic i will post the paperclip hook just in case it happens to someone else.

 

[Mang]

Could I trouble one of you to post EBPrimitive's EBay address? I've done countless searches and come up with nothing!

 

[Toadflax]

Could I trouble one of you to post EBPrimitive's EBay address? I've done countless searches and come up with nothing!

Try a Google Search for ebprimitives - that should come up with one or two listings on ebay (it did when I tried it), from which you should be able to do a Contact the Seller. All my PMs to him on ebay have disappeared.


Geoff

 

[Indoorsout]

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZebprimitives