Fire piston

[Thetillerman71]

Can anyone recommend where to get a good fire piston from

Recently bought one from France on evilbay (which i have now returned) only to be very disappointed, both that it didn't work nor come with any instructions

 

[Kepis]

got mine from EBPrimatives in the US, link to his Ebay page, http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/ebprimitives-usa although he doesnt seem to have anything there at the moment, worth dropping the guy a line though, found him very helpful

 

[Wook]

I bought one of these:

http://www.survivaldepot.co.uk/Numyth_Vulcan_Fire_Piston/p474753_3929184.aspx

I've been very happy with it. It's not got that traditional look, but it is one of the best value fire pistons on the market. In particular, it is the cheapest one I have seen with a pressure relief valve, which is a must-have in my view.

 

[Thetillerman71]

Was it the Numyth Vulcan Fire Piston that you bought?

I bought one of these:

http://www.survivaldepot.co.uk/Numyth_Vulcan_Fire_Piston/p474753_3929184.aspx

I've been very happy with it. It's not got that traditional look, but it is one of the best value fire pistons on the market. In particular, it is the cheapest one I have seen with a pressure relief valve, which is a must-have in my view.

 

[Wook]

Yes, it was the Numyth I bought. It is still going strong. I lit some amadou with it not 2 minutes ago. It comes in a wee pouch with instructions, spare o-rings and silicon grease for the piston. Great value I thought.

If you do get one you may wish to consider ordering some extra o-rings though. Apparently they have a life of around 100 ignitions. Extra o-rings can be ordered from GoingGear (which is an American website). Alternatively a plumbers merchant could probably get o-rings in any size you want.

 

[norca]

Pyro-Piston Fire Piston its british made http://www.survivaldepot.co.uk/ the guy that makes them has his own site to think its bushcrafttools http://www.bushcrafttools.com/pocketpyro.html saw him at the bushcraft show good stuff

 

[norca]

spoke to the guy that does the pyro think they are the biz so gona get me one on monday cant wait check them out
http://www.bushcrafttools.com/pocketpyro.html this is the new model i think

 

[Thetillerman71]

Its the same site I got mine from that didn't seem to work, still trying to get my money back

 

[Ogri the trog]

You really do have to practise a lot to develop the right technique, but once you have found it it sticks.

Fire pistons are very susceptible to dirt which gets onto the sealing surfaces and prevents sufficient compression to generate an ember. Mine need to be cleaned thoroughly before each use if I want to get anything better than a 10% success rate. With a good cleaning and set up regimen, I can get about a 60% ember success.

A made a couple when I had access to workshop machine tools, but they took an age to get used to - but a worthwhile project nonetheless. Overall, my success rate with a piston is only marginally better than friction techniques - so I stick with flint & steel, solar or modern methods.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Mike Bowler]

Have a look here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EBprimitives-Canoeist-Fire-Piston-Fire-Starters-/261067068789?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc8cf5575#ht_1028wt_1156

 

[norca]

Its the same site I got mine from that didn't seem to work, still trying to get my money back

was wondering did ya get your money back

 

[norca]

got all sorted

 

[Chiseller]

I bought one of these:

http://www.survivaldepot.co.uk/Numyth_Vulcan_Fire_Piston/p474753_3929184.aspx

I've been very happy with it. It's not got that traditional look, but it is one of the best value fire pistons on the market. In particular, it is the cheapest one I have seen with a pressure relief valve, which is a must-have in my view.

+1 loving mine, very good with chaga and cloth

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[norca]

got it sorted

 

[norca]

all sorted Dustin James made contact post was at fault here and my emails were going in his spam box
all sorted got me piston was a long time comming but it works just fine

 

[spiritwalker]

without being negative whats the point of them? i saw them at the bushcraft show last year but failed to see why one would want one is it just for the sake of having another means of fire lighting or do they benefit over other methods? i can see the point of fire steels as they work when wet and also mastering the bow drill as a skill for when you have nothing but i cannot see why the piston exists? as they seem to represent modern tech way of lighting a fire (the ones i saw where metal with orings) in which case why not use a lighter?

Go on enlighten me and perhaps put a case forward why i might need one

 

[Kepis]

Go on enlighten me and perhaps put a case forward why i might need one

here you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_piston

I have one from EBPrimitives in the States, i tend to use it when i do shows and demo's as it's a totally alien concept to a lot of people who see it

 

[Wook]

Fire pistons were first recorded by white man in Malaysia in the 19th century. According to the inhabitants they'd had them for ages by then, although they didn't know how long. They are frequently found in the same cultures that use the blowpipe, suggesting a common origin. Perhaps one day someone tried to clean out a length of bambo, but accidentally left one end sealed. When they shoved a rag down there with a stick, perhaps it caught on fire. Who knows.

They are at least as old as the technology found in things like the "Hudson Bay tinderbox".

The charm in learning the fire piston is exactly the same as what you get from any other traditional firelighting technique. Although many are made from modern materials, it definitely is not a modern technique.

Rumour has it Mr. Diesel saw a Malaysian fire piston in a museum shortly before he went on to invent an engine you may have heard about It utilises exactly the same principle - compression of a piston results in flash ignition through increasing air pressure.

 

[Thetillerman71]

I cant defend them as fully take your points onboard, similarly using a fresnel lens or solar reflector probably fits the same criteria

Firstly when I first got into bushcraft bought up as much kit as I could (and wouldnt be the first or last to do that), have since attended about half a dozen courses leaning increasingly to naitive skills and realised somewhat slowly all the kit you need is knowledge and experience, the forest provides all the raw materials

 

[spiritwalker]

cool enjoyed the wiki thanks