Help with FireSteel

[rich59]

Just got some half way decent sparks off the can openner blade on my SAK. I will look into the backs of blades tomorrow.

 

[tyrcian]

i've seen lots of posts about this before, why dont you try gently dropping shavings of metal without actually sparking them, then you get alot of little filings in one area, then all you have to do is let loose baby

 

[monkey_pork]

The Opinel steel is a very good choice with the ferro rods, it's a combination of the carbon steel and the hard angle of the squared off back of the blade.

In my experience the carbon steels are much better for drawing a spark than stainless are, especially for use with a flint - where stainless has been as good as useless for me.

 

[JoeG]

Hi,
I've been getting some bigger sparks using the back of the saw on my multi-tool. I got some birch bark and i have found a great source at Holme Peirre Pont, the trees arent too big and there arent many, but i got some big strips, i'm drying them out now, i have got them one going when i tried it, it was better when i used the back of my saw on my multi-tool, but its stainless steel, so i dont know if i used something else it would be better.

Thanks all,

Joe

 

[Stew]

Rich - the spine on a SAK is fairly rounded and in my experience, not too good at throwing sparks.
Maybe you could try filing it square?

 

[khimbar]

The best thing about the Maya Dust is you can reuse the tin it comes in.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Rich - the spine on a SAK is fairly rounded and in my experience, not too good at throwing sparks.
Maybe you could try filing it square?

Stew,
My suggestion was to use the back of the saw blade of the SAK, not the knife blade. Though its a worthy idea for those who don't have a saw.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[leon-b]

if you have a non locking sak the blade will just close on your fingures
leon

 

[DZ-Y]

I prefer to use the back of the saw blade of either my sak or my multitool.

As for tinder, once in a while I make a whole bunch of small balls of dryer lint and drip some candle wax on them. If you do it properly it waterproofs them and when ignited they burn for about four minutes.

 

[kb31]

if your on a downer try tolet paper- tear it up- put warp your layard round the saw on your sak to stop it closeing on your hand (use the back of it) takes time to crack it . draw it down slow but hard

 

[Stew]

Stew,
My suggestion was to use the back of the saw blade of the SAK, not the knife blade. Though its a worthy idea for those who don't have a saw.

ATB

Ogri the trog

Good point - the saw spines are very square!

 

[dommyracer]

Is there any reason that a lot of people seem to like using the back of a knife to strike their firesteel?

I've found the best striker is the striker that comes with the steel itself....

 

[gregorach]

It's OK - but it's not much good for anything else. If you've got a knife anyway...

 

[Simon E]

To be brutally honest, you should be able to shave wood fine enough for use as tinder. A good sharp edge on the striker is equally important though. A Fallkniven with its very sharp spine will throw sparks off a Firesteel at least 4 feet!

Knife: Bark River 'Highland Special' (A2)

Wood: Unseasoned Japanese Cherry

 

[Ogri the trog]

An excellent pictorial demonstration of the method.

Thanks for posting Simon E



Ogri the trog

 

[Mantic]

An excellent pictorial demonstration of the method.

Thanks for posting Simon E



Ogri the trog

But you can't see him shouting KAZAM!

Yup, a good picture showing not only how to light a fire but also from the positioning of Simon's feet, you can slearly see how he intends to put the fire out using his own internal water supply

 

[Simon E]

Thanks guys, I did a couple of pics for a topic on another forum. I tried to describe it as a long stroke (OK, OK, simmer down back there ) and a short stroke. You can see how a short stroke will concentrate the sparks in a very confined area and is especially useful when trying to ignite a somewhat less flammable tinder. The long stroke I find if best with finer, fibrous tinder like grass.

Long Stroke

 

[crazydave]

Continuing the theme of wizard sparks - I have a Swiss army knife as my chief tool. It occurs to me that many of you wizards are using the back of a fixed blade knife? Sharpenned? So can I get the big sparks with a SAK?

JoeG
Well done mate. Fire starting with a flame is a bit different than from a glowing coal - such as charcloth. Char cloth is an absolute doddle to light. The skill is in nurturing a glow all the way to flame. That is where my magical abilities are reputed to be. Have a look at http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=14445 where I reveal all.

if you have a swiss multitool then you can use the saw edge back the hacksaw/file blade is good or even the tin opener works on the smaller ones - I tend to leave the lil metal striker on the steel I do however have three steels and they all have different strikers, the newer ones wearing more away funnily enough. you can also grind a flat spot on the back of a swiss blade if its a locking one and use that. using the blade edge makes a good spark but remember you are using metal on metal so it wont like it for long.

if you struggle to get a spark and want some help then alcohol swabs light with no effort and are easy to carry in you med kit - puncture repair glue goes first time and shoe polish can be pretty good if its fairly new. all of which can take a soaking and help light wet wood.