Firelighting & Sparks

[Nod]

This may sound a bit basic, but I only got the hang of it a couple of weeks ago.

I've been using my knife and steel to produce lovely showers of sparks, but it was taking me lots of attempts to actually get anything to land where I wanted it to, and for the spark to then ignite the tinder.

I was using the back of the knife at about mid point, and scraping it along the full length of the fire steel.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I had some cramp balls, and cut a piece off one to try to light it. The piece was a bit too small really, and my sparks were going all over the place. So, I used the very end of the fire steel and the back of the knife closer to the tip and just did little strikes, a few less sparks, but those that were produced all landed where I wanted them to and the cramp ball was duly smouldering away with the minumum number of attempts.

Just thought I'd share it as I find it easier to control doing it this way.

 

[Ed]

I was using the back of the knife at about mid point, and scraping it along the full length of the fire steel.

A quick tip ;-) Dont scrape you knife along the firesteel..... hold the knife near to the tinder and draw the firesteel back.... all the sparks will hit your tinder....

Hope this helps


Ed

 

[Scott]

Totally agree with Ed re how to use the Firesteel.

I have a question for those who use the Ultimate Survival firesteel/blastmatch...

Has anyone found that by pushing the flint into the tinder they've destroyed their bundle or struggled to get it to light?

 

[jakunen]

Yeah, Ed is right. I was draging the steel over the blade and getting huge showers of sparks, but no ember, so Gary showed me by holding the steel rigid and pulling the knife towards me, you got a nice confined stream of sparks where you wanted them.
As they say its all in the technique

 

[Womble]

I showed you that back in April Jak...

 

[jakunen]

Yeah, I know but that was months ago and I hadn't used one much since then...

 

[Tony]

There's another good thread on here somewhere about holding some tinder on the back of the knife while using the steel....be worth finding that and having a read.

 

[jakunen]

The charcloth thread? After all, that's how use use charcloth...(he says smugly having been shown how to use a real flint and steel without shaving his knuckles off)

Just need to make some successfully now...

 

[Gary]

I've created a fire lighting, brew drinking monster!

 

[boaty]

I've created a fire lighting, brew drinking monster!

I can feel you glowing with pride!!

 

[jakunen]

:rolmao: :f: ): :uu: