Firepistons

[match]

I have been looking at getting hold of a fire piston, but being rather short on cash I was hoping to try and make one.

I was wondering if anyone else had any experience of making fire pistons (or a source for extremely cheap ones

the only real instructions I've found so far are these:

The Fire Piston

Any comments etc greatly appreciated!

 

[Ed]

I've made a few with some success.... I used bamboo.... double skinned so to speak (thin bamboo epoxied inside a thicker bit) with a wooden plug epoxied into the end to make the cylinder.... and a hardwood dowl for the piston with a wooden cap on the end for the plunger and a small hole for the char cloth to fit in the other end.

You must make sure the bore is dead straight..... use a thin dowl and wet and dry to get it smooth and straight. Make sure your seal is air tight (use a little grease or fat)

They are not great, and i can't get them to light first time..... but you just remove the piston quickly to get more oxygen in .... replace it and give it another whack!!! sometimes it takes a couple of goes at this before the char cloth is lit..... but they do work.

:biggthump
Ed

 

[tomtom]

Check this out

and this

and this :biggthump

im sure you will find something there.. let us know how it goes!

also you might want to drop Jeff Wanger a PM he owns www.firepistions.com and is the man in the know when it comes to these things

 

[Ed]

Jeff also used to sell fire piston kits that you can make up yourself ;-)

Ed