Fire Piston lighting wood shavings

[leon-b]

look forward to seeing the video, i need to learn a few more knots
leon

 

[ArkAngel]

I understand about the priciple of the fire piston..bit like a diesel engine? Compress enough air in a short space of time etc etc.

How do you get them going initally? Is that a small peice of charcloth in the smaller part of the piston?

I have only ever seen them advertised, never any instructions for use.

Facinating video, indeed lighting method, could someone explain it to me a bit further please?? :notworthy

 

[rich59]

Re the charcloth and wood shaving.

That's interesting Jeff... Any special technique, or just persistence?

I am guessing here but I wonder if this technique is like the method to get flame with just charcloth and a single leaf. In that one you get a reasonable sized dry leaf, roll it into a cigar shape, push some lighted charcloth down one end and just blow on the charcloth to white heat. Voila, a flame appears from the leaf.

 

[rich59]

How do you get them going initally? Is that a small peice of charcloth in the smaller part of the piston?

I have one of Jeff's fire pistons. There is a little well, cavity in the end of the piston. Into this is wedged a small amount of your chosen tinder material. The heat from the compression ignites the tinder. I have had success with charcloth, true tinder fungus, and cramp ball fungus. I think there are other materials that will work also.

 

[steveo]

Great video Simon !!! often wandered about fire pistons ,but it looks like it gets the job done well....

 

[Jeff Wagner]

Yeah, nice vid Simon!



That's interesting Jeff... Any special technique, or just persistence?

I like to roll the charcloth into a tube or just fold it such that the coal is concentrated into a small area. Then simply bring it in close proximity to the leaf, birch bark or wood shaving and blow.

I put up a video clip here showing this in action.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2100431105&page=0&g_Offset=0

Also of interest is a clip that show catching a spark in ordinary wood punk. This clip illustrates the value of natural tinders and why I rarely use charcloth.

 

[Simon E]

Outstanding Jeff!

Alas, I am really limitied to natural tinders due to where I live. I will try and get out some more though and see if I can source some.

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, good stuff Jeff! Thanks.

 

[Simon E]

I like to roll the charcloth into a tube or just fold it such that the coal is concentrated into a small area.

Me too, I have found that you can get away with just under an inch square, I have tried all sorts of sizes, but an inch is about foolproof. Its also important how tight you fold it. If its too tight it stops the air getting in even with blowing and you end up with the cloth burning a little like an onion losing its skin one layer at a time, rather that as a whole.

 

[Jeff Wagner]

I have added a third clip of catching a spark in Tinder Fungus
( Inonotus obliquus ). I have not yet had time to do the "unassisted punk to flames" thing. Perhaps tomorrow.

 

[Galemys]

I have had success with charcloth, true tinder fungus, and cramp ball fungus. I think there are other materials that will work also.

The -unprocessed!- inner layer (trama) of false tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) also works well. Just make sure you use very thin slices.

Tom

 

[jamesraykenney]

The stoned to death I can handle, its the Mayonaise on my French Fries that really scares me!

Had a friend from Greece that like them that way too...
It is not bad if you have ever tried it... Though it seems to work best(for me at least), with the big fries, and not so well with the thin McD's fries...
He absolutely HATTED the whole idea of Peanut Butter too...

 

[jamesraykenney]

Great video mate - showed it to some guys at work who couldn't believe it worked (I ahd banged on about my fire pistion before). Have to take mine into work next week - with my flint and steel too I'll convert the city folk yet

I have my flint, steel, and charcloth with me right now, along with a Fero rod, lighter, flashlights, knives, etc...
I try to convert people all the time...

 

[Simon E]

Had a friend from Greece that like them that way too...
It is not bad if you have ever tried it... Though it seems to work best(for me at least), with the big fries, and not so well with the thin McD's fries...
He absolutely HATTED the whole idea of Peanut Butter too...

Actually I used to live in Holland (Utrecht) for about a year(met a Dutch grad student when I was living in Italy, yada yada yada, Dank U wel! lol)

Anyway, I had loads of Mayo on my fries, the grub (food) and beer in Holland is great, I loved the place, but man oh man the tax is something else. I worked 40 hours overtime one month and ended up with LESS money than I would have had if I hadn't done any overtime at all. so much for ambition and drive!

In one year of being there, number of fights at the weekend witnessed. 0
Manchester... every night, sigh.....

 

[bazil]

i had an idea for a fire piston.....hard to describe........on the end of the plunger where you get the coal i think the tube should be split so that you can get a large coal.......you can get a bigger coal this way i think and it can be removed easier

 

[Simon E]

One usually uses a 'Coal Extender'. This is a larger piece of material similiar in properties to the tinder in the piston. With the ember from the piston, light the extender and either discard or use them together to produce a live flame (I usually discard it)


For example, when using char cloth the piece in the piston is about 5 mm2. I use that to light an extender of about 25 mm2 and just flick out the remains from the piston.

 

[Phantom]

Gud idea Bazil
phantom

 

[Brian Curnel]

If you "split the end of the shaft i'd think you'd loose compression and thats is how the piston works is upon that. I don't think it would work with all due respect because you would have that compression loss IMHO