Ferrocium rod technique

[ScottE]

Hi
I'm ok with fire starting in general using birch bark and fat wood etc, not yet got round to friction methods but keen to in time.
At the moment I use the back edge of an opinel to strike a ferro rod but want to get the knack of using the back of my mora, I've ground what I thought would be a sharp enough 90degree on the spine near the tip and want to get the method down that I see some guys using where the knife tip just kind of pivots slowly against the thumb of the hand holding the rod (does that make sense?) anyway I just can't get sparks trying it yet....any tips? Could it be cheap/soft ferro rods? I seem to just remove ferrocium in spark sized bits but no sparks!!

 

[Mesquite]

Have you checked out this video from Paul Kirtley?

 

[ScottE]

Thanks, I'll study that and practice some more, need more vigor I think....

 

[lostplanet]

Is your mora stainless or carbon steel?

Think i used an angle grinder to get a sharp edge on my mora stainless companion, you can actually feel the burr. It would take quite a bit of filing by hand i would imagine, but I did it at the top of the blade near the handle. works for me. I tend to hold the knife still and pull the rod up.

Usually i will try to scrape some fero from the rod without it sparking and then eventually you get a good flash. have a play with a magnesium block as a companion, they are cheap and you get some really good results.

 

[ScottE]

It's a carbon steel companion hd.
Thanks for replies, I had my pivot point too close to the rod so wasn't getting enough speed, got a technique that works now so will build on it.
I used a grinder too, I got the edge right just the technique was off!!
I'll try a magnesium rod combo, where's the best place to get one?

 

[lostplanet]

I got a small stick one in a survival kit years ago and still havnet worn it out.

if i was going to buy one it would be this i guess

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coghlans-M...1511125640&sr=8-1&keywords=coghlans+magnesium

 

[Robson Valley]

I like those. With fine shreds of birch bark, I can get a light in 30 seconds of fire making.
Hard part for me is to remember which kit pocket it might be in.
There's enough metal in one to last 2 lifetimes.

 

[KaniJonas]

My experience is that even fire steels of same make and model can be very different. You might have got a bad one. I have more than 5 five different fire steels just from Fireflash and only one or two are good enough to be used.
It could be that the flakes you're getting are too big? Since they ignite from the heat generated in contact with air. If the flakes are too big they can't heat up enough. Try pulling the knife faster. Making the metal flakes move faster in the air also raises the chance of ignition.
You can read this article https://tinyurl.com/y8ovotor It's an article on knives, but there is a chapter on how to use fire steels with your knife too.

 

[ScottE]

Definitely found a variance in the the two ferrocium rods I have, one just needs a small scuff near the end to throw some sparks, the other shaves big clumps that only ignite when a full fast strike is used as it seems much softer.

 

[oldtimer]

I have three and they do vary. My Light My Fire one gets most use. I always use the striker that came with it rather than the back of my knife because I may not have the right knife at the right time and place, but I always have a ferrocium rod in my EDC.

I'm very much in favour of the Paul Kirtley method, which I have used ever since I read about it on his blog.

 

[Phil_B]

There is a definite technique to producing sparks from them.

My method is this :

I use a Gerber diamond sharpening steel (this one - https://www.gerbergear.com/Equipment/Sharpener/Diamond-Knife-Sharpener_09841) to grind a small half moon shaped notch in the base of the edge of the blade of the knife. It is D shaped so 5 minutes will produce a deep enough notch for the purpose.

This does two things. It is a square edged notch (good for producing sparks) and is shaped to fit the fire rod. On a folding knife it is on the cutting edge, not the back edge. This means that there is no chance of the blade folding closed and cutting your hand. On a fixed bladed knife, it is still useful.

Put your tinder/char cloth or vaseline soaked cotton balls on your substrate (bark, wood etc.) and place the tip of the knife so the notch is over the tinder. You want to press the tip into the ground/log etc. so it cannot move and knock the tinder off or away.

Draw the ferro rod towards you keeping the knife stationary - you want the smallest possible distance between the notch in the blade and the tinder so the spark does not cool before it hits the tinder. This generally produces a shower of sparks and a successful result.

Moving the knife makes the method a bit hit and miss.

 

[sunndog]

Have you checked out this video from Paul Kirtley?

Definitely the best method

 

[Tonyuk]

Get a better striker, the best one i have came with a firesteel from exotac, this kind;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EXOTAC-p...hash=item5d5ebb258c:m:mD8hW7Yf_ByuDpehbI3eb7g

Its a piece of tungsten, it really bites into the steel and throws a massive amount of sparks. Pair it with one of the cheap firesteels and it'll still work very well.

As mentioned above hold the striker steady and draw the steel away from the tinder. Saw blades designed for cutting steel also work well (any hard metal really).

 

[Nice65]

I’ve got one of these attached to my ferro rod, very good.

https://www.contactleft.co.uk/6-sided-super-alloy-fire-starter-striker.html

 

[Burncycle]

My kit has a Corona carbide knife sharpener with the handle cut down. It's been the best striker I've ever used. As far as technique, I find that holding the striker still, close to the tinder, and then firmly retracting the ferrocerium rod backwards yields pretty good results and reduces the risk of accidentally hitting the tinder and scattering it.