Firesteel tinder
- Thread starter WoodWhite
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
At the moot we challenged Mors to light a candle with a firesteel, and he promptly did so.
We are not worthy!:notworthy
Anyway I practiced this a bit and now I can light the candle every time. As I always carry a candle in Lantern I always have emergency fire steel tinder.
Failing that I always carry a small pump spray bottle of meths in my possibles pouch. This is used to clean lenses of glasses and binos, and also works well as an antiseptic for cuts (stings a bit) and as a hand sanitizer after a 'bear in the woods'.
It also is a guaranteed way to spice up any tinder for a fire steel......watch those eyebrows!
We are not worthy!:notworthy
Anyway I practiced this a bit and now I can light the candle every time. As I always carry a candle in Lantern I always have emergency fire steel tinder.
Failing that I always carry a small pump spray bottle of meths in my possibles pouch. This is used to clean lenses of glasses and binos, and also works well as an antiseptic for cuts (stings a bit) and as a hand sanitizer after a 'bear in the woods'.
It also is a guaranteed way to spice up any tinder for a fire steel......watch those eyebrows!
Dry bracken I'll have to try that
Theoretically? Practically, more like! It only takes a bit of practice.
The theoretically bit is because I haven't suceeded in lighting one yet.
Now I need to try again
<snip>
The theoretically bit is because I haven't suceeded in lighting one yet.
Now I need to try again
You'll get there in the end. The feathers where you cast your sparks have to be paper thin and curly. Get them as fine as you can.
For me the King of Tinders with a Firesteel is the feathery heads of Pampas grass. All it takes is one strike and it is away.
As I do not always practice making feathersticks often I always make lots of scores with the knife tip down the length of the wood before feathering. After I have made some curls I re-score the wood with the tip before making more curls. This helps to produce quite fine curls and so giving you a better chance of producing a flame from a Firesteel. I was shown this last year but forget who this was (sorry!!)
With Brasso pads you have to make sure you are in a very well ventilated area as the stuff is quite toxic.
I have never tried the inner bark of Sweet Chestnut (I will though soon) but for all of those who attended the Fire making classes at the Moot what you were using in the centre of your tinder bundles was Pampas grass with a bit of buffed up inner Cedar (Western Red Cedar) bark thrown in for good measure.
Keep the ideas coming.
Cheers
George
As I do not always practice making feathersticks often I always make lots of scores with the knife tip down the length of the wood before feathering. After I have made some curls I re-score the wood with the tip before making more curls. This helps to produce quite fine curls and so giving you a better chance of producing a flame from a Firesteel. I was shown this last year but forget who this was (sorry!!)
With Brasso pads you have to make sure you are in a very well ventilated area as the stuff is quite toxic.
I have never tried the inner bark of Sweet Chestnut (I will though soon) but for all of those who attended the Fire making classes at the Moot what you were using in the centre of your tinder bundles was Pampas grass with a bit of buffed up inner Cedar (Western Red Cedar) bark thrown in for good measure.
Keep the ideas coming.
Cheers
George
Tindercard is pretty good (if you remember to rough up the edge that is!).
Scrapings from hexi or esbit blocks work Ok.
Greenheat gel works, but only if you smear some over the striker! Not a good idea to ruin your knife!
Scrapings from hexi or esbit blocks work Ok.
Greenheat gel works, but only if you smear some over the striker! Not a good idea to ruin your knife!
I keep a tub of mixed tinders for demonstrtions,
thistle head down, rosebay willowherb down, fine buffed grasses, old wasps nests, scraped amadou fluff, punk wood, dry crushed bracken fronds... all sorts of stuff. If I see somethignthat looks promising, I'll chuck a handfull in and stir it into the mix.
ATB
Ogri the trog
thistle head down, rosebay willowherb down, fine buffed grasses, old wasps nests, scraped amadou fluff, punk wood, dry crushed bracken fronds... all sorts of stuff. If I see somethignthat looks promising, I'll chuck a handfull in and stir it into the mix.
ATB
Ogri the trog
A little ... historical ... sidetrip ---
"In the early 18th century Joseph Francois Lafitou Lafitau mentioned the Montagnais and Algonquins of eastern Canada dropping sparks from stones onto an "eagle's thigh dried with his down which catches fire easily". This seems quite the radical technique and a bit illegal these days!"
Quoted from an article written by Karl Koster in the May/June 2004 issue of On The Trail magazine titled "A look into fire-starting for the Nor'wester". On The Trail magazine is "A Journal for Historical Trekkers, Re-enactors and Students of Living History 1600-1840.
Yeah, I kind of think you would get in trouble for using an eagle's leg just for catching your sparks to light your fire nowdays. Even a Federally recognized Indian could get in trouble for that - unless he could convince the Feds that it was really necessary for some Indian religious ceremony.
But it does give you a ... hint ... of what had been used in the past.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
"In the early 18th century Joseph Francois Lafitou Lafitau mentioned the Montagnais and Algonquins of eastern Canada dropping sparks from stones onto an "eagle's thigh dried with his down which catches fire easily". This seems quite the radical technique and a bit illegal these days!"
Quoted from an article written by Karl Koster in the May/June 2004 issue of On The Trail magazine titled "A look into fire-starting for the Nor'wester". On The Trail magazine is "A Journal for Historical Trekkers, Re-enactors and Students of Living History 1600-1840.
Yeah, I kind of think you would get in trouble for using an eagle's leg just for catching your sparks to light your fire nowdays. Even a Federally recognized Indian could get in trouble for that - unless he could convince the Feds that it was really necessary for some Indian religious ceremony.
But it does give you a ... hint ... of what had been used in the past.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
Oh. I forgot this one, and it surprised the heck out of me when I tried it...
Another thing to fish out of the drier... spent fabric softener sheets. I figured those wouldn't light at all, being polymer based, and all... but they took a spark right off and burned for a while as well.
Doc
Another thing to fish out of the drier... spent fabric softener sheets. I figured those wouldn't light at all, being polymer based, and all... but they took a spark right off and burned for a while as well.
Doc
cotton webbing dipped in wax works real good and it's in a convenient form.. just unravel a little off of the frayed end and strike away... waterproof too!
Similar threads
