DIY fire-starting tinder?

[Falstaff]

I love the closures on that, better than plastic, simple, easy to use, non-breakable and looks cool too.

 

[matarius777]

I think 'pre-shredded' magnesium flakes would oxidise pretty quickly. My Mg block that I've had for years has a considerable layer of oxidation, and when reactive metals are finely divided they oxidise more easily.

To be quite honest, since doing them with a rasp and decanting into the vial, apart from burning them at the time, they’ve just sat in my pouch and I’ve never used them- just there for ‘in case’. Maybe I should check, the last time I got them out, they still looked shiny but…..
Maybe a drop or two of some mineral oil in with some new shards, and a good agitation might protect them?

 

[Pattree]

It might very effectively prevent them from oxidising when that is exactly what you want them to do.
Burning = rapid oxidation - requires oxygen. I think maybe oil would insulated the flakes from the air.

 

[matarius777]

It might very effectively prevent them from oxidising when that is exactly what you want them to do.
Burning = rapid oxidation - requires oxygen. I think maybe oil would insulated the flakes from the air.

Back to the drawing board then!

 

[demented dale]

This is a link to a picture of one but not a great image. Not at home until Tuesday, but will take a better picture when I’m back. It’s just a perfect size for a couple of hook knives, couple of sloyyds, a Puukko or two, a leather thigh protector pad rolled up, and a mini Casstrom double sided strop, and Fallkniven CC4 stone. It’s just the perfect height for all the cutting tools. Actually, there’s enough room for a basic fire kit as well.

East German NVA 4-Cell Ammo Magazine Pouch | #3896675037

East German NVA 4-Cell Ammo Magazine Pouch.

www.worthpoint.com

ah yeh, when it said nva i thought was north vietnamese army from the nam conflict, x

 

[Jared]

If want a really simple firestarter, grate a bar of cheap soap, put it in a squeezable bottle of some kind and add a flammable liquid and shake.

As demonstrated by Des Cattys.

Around 25 mins in, if link does't take you directly to it.

 

[Garnett]

Thanks for so many excellent ideas and suggestions everyone.

I think 'pre-shredded' magnesium flakes would oxidise pretty quickly. My Mg block that I've had for years has a considerable layer of oxidation, and when reactive metals are finely divided they oxidise more easily.

Yes, I've been reading around the subject and reached the same conclusion myself - I'm surprised places sell these magnesium flakes because they must become fairly useless fairly quick.

To be quite honest, since doing them with a rasp and decanting into the vial, apart from burning them at the time, they’ve just sat in my pouch and I’ve never used them- just there for ‘in case’. Maybe I should check, the last time I got them out, they still looked shiny but…..
Maybe a drop or two of some mineral oil in with some new shards, and a good agitation might protect them?

It's a bit different to how you're using yours, but I'm thinking of mixing some into a mix of bio-ethanol and paraffin wax.

If want a really simple firestarter, grate a bar of cheap soap, put it in a squeezable bottle of some kind and add a flammable liquid and shake.

As demonstrated by Des Cattys.

Around 25 mins in, if link does't take you directly to it.

Thanks. That's brilliant. I've not seen that chap before - he's quite watchable! I was already thinking along those lines a bit, and that has given me the push to try out something similar.

 

[saxonaxe]

If like me you have time to 'Potter' you may like to give this process a try. Just block your ears to cries of Cheap Skate.

The inner cardboard tube of toilet rolls cut to 25 mm ish lengths...

Other ingredients are..Kitchen paper towel, candle wax, white spirit and wood wool packaging material (or any fine wood shavings)
Lay the cardboard rings on paper towel, stuff wood wool into ring. Drip a few drips of White spirit onto wool, allow to soak in.
Melt wax over low heat and pour wax onto wood wool. When semi hardened, compress wood wool and pour in more wax.
Place a kitchen paper disc on top before the wax hardens as a lid
The result should be a cardboard 'Tablet' about 25mm or so thick filled with wax impregnated compressed wood wool, sealed both sides by a paper 'lid'


Tea light for comparison.


Sources of wood wool...recycling skips behind shops, in my case
Or if you want to be cheeky... ...https://woodwooluk.com/products/wood-wool-packs/
I put a little white Spirit in the mix because I had an idea that wood wool packaging may have been treated with anti fire gloop (Elf and safety?) but it seems not.
My fire starters burn for about 5 minutes or so and more importantly keep the 'ol boy amused by the making process..

 

[Toddy]

The other thing that's really good is pieces of bicycle inner tube. Quite handy to use rounds like elastic bands around tinder too.

 

[Chris]

The other thing that's really good is pieces of bicycle inner tube. Quite handy to use rounds like elastic bands around tinder too.

My emergency firelighting kit is a square of innertube (sliced vertically to open it into a flat square) wrapped around a Clipper lighter. It's all then held together with a small circle of inner tube used as an elastic band - that stuff catches even when it's soaking outdoors.

I open it out into a square just because then it's easier to slice strips off with a knife in the event I have frozen hands.