protection of ferrocerrium rods

[forrestdweller]

after hearing and reading so much exited comments about this ferrocerrium rods(also often incorrectly called "firesteel" or "powerflint") i made the mistake of buying one of this newfangled toys. not only am i disappointed (too unreliable in my experience)by it, i had also to discover that this ***** piece of **** starts to oxidate (only from contact with LOW air humidity!!!) on the still coated and unused backside. has anybody had similar experiences and if yes: how do you protect yours from becoming a expensive pile of grey dust? would ordinary cooking oil do the trick?

thanks for your help

"disappointed by the monkeys, god created man. then he renounced to further experiments." mark twain

 

[Toddy]

That's unfortunate.
I've had a firesteel kicking around in my bag for four years now, and though it's getting a bit thin, there is abosolutely nothing wrong with it. The only problems I know of are when folk work wet with them and don't dry them off properly, when they are laid away safely somewhere that isn't as dry as it might be or tuck them into the loop of their knife sheath and don't check how dry it all is.
A friend who frequents another forum says that their members found that some varieties corroded more quickly than others. I think mine are the kind labelled 'Army' and 'Scout', from Light my Fire.

Firesteel used to be the name given to the striker used for making sparks from flint, nowadays we usually just call it a steel, as in flint and steel.
If you talk about firesteel most folks, certainly here, will think of the ferrocerium rods......which contain an awful lot more than that.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[hiraeth]

What make is yours ? I have both scout and army models from" light my fire", both have had a lot of use in all conditions (mostly wet as i live in Wales) and to be honest they have been used and abused with no special care or maintainence and both are still functioning well. Interesting to hear of your problems though.

 

[leon-1]

after hearing and reading so much exited comments about this ferrocerrium rods(also often incorrectly called "firesteel" or "powerflint")

Actually they are not incorrectly called Firesteel as these are the name they are marketed under by Light My Fire in the UK. Powerflint I have no experience of, but I would imagine that would be the same that it's a marketing name.

i made the mistake of buying one of this newfangled toys. not only am i disappointed (too unreliable in my experience)by it

There have been many posts of people having difficulties in using them and as with anything else a lot of the time it's technique and familiarity. They are by no means brilliant, but they do a job.

I had also to discover that this ***** piece of **** starts to oxidate (only from contact with LOW air humidity!!!) on the still coated and unused backside. has anybody had similar experiences and if yes: how do you protect yours from becoming a expensive pile of grey dust? would ordinary cooking oil do the trick?

thanks for your help

"disappointed by the monkeys, god created man. then he renounced to further experiments." mark twain

Unfortunately it is quite well documented that they have problems with moisture, not just humidity, rain water and heaven forbid salt water (eats them like nothing else). If you have a girlfriend or you're married then you could ask your partner if you could use some of their nail polish and coat them with that.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I've only witnessed corrosion problems with the cheaper ones in my arsenal,
but even that isn't serious. A coating of nail polish for long term storage or plain wax for daily use should suffice.
I'm alos supprised at your dissapointment as it should be a very reliable means of igniting your fire - perhaps a better quality one is in order.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[ehedwr]

Never had a rust problem, however any oil rubbed on the surface would protect it from oxidation. As for efficiency, alot of variables such as technique, weather, choice of tinder and grade of steel used to strike a spark effect you results. I use the back of my knife for striking. If you don't get on with it try a lighter.

 

[littlebiglane]

I have experienced light oxidation on the used surfaces of the rods I have used - cheaper and more expensive ones. However this has not been more than a light 'tarnishing' of oxidation. I just go ahead an use the rod as I normally would and the first 'strike' usually scrapes this off anyway.

The quality of these rods - along with their chemistry - can vary considerably. For instance I am testing one at the moment - made by Alan Finlay - that took him over 2 years to get the balance of materials correct. Whilst it produces less sparks it produces a high temperature burning ball rather than shards of sparks that cool before contact. This is a world away from many of the rods I am used to.

LBL

 

[forrestdweller]

thanks for your answers, folks. i guess wax is in my case the best answer- easy and cheap to get and also easy to store in my pockets when i travel around(and useful for lots of other things as well). nail polish might be bit difficult to get for a single (and travelling) bloke...

the maker of my ferrocerrium rod is "light my fire", it's their thickest version.

what tinders do you use for your rods? (dry rabbit- and kangaroodroppings (great with a bowdrill) and punkwood did'nt catch a spark; charred punkwood and charcloth work, but this i can also ignite with empty gaslighters(much cheaper) and traditional firesteels. and buyable things and soaked cottonballs i have' nt tried yet because i can'nt replace them in the bush; +in a filmbox i can store about 90matches plus striking surface- i doubt that it is possible to store soaked cottonballs for 90fires in one filmbox.) the best success so far i had with the fluffy stuff on thistle seeds and bulrush.
i saw a few photos of rods which had the plastic handle removed and a piece of antler or carved wood instead-what's the best way to remove the plastic? there's an idea floating around in my head...

thanks


"disappointed by the monkeys, god created man. then he renounced to further experiments." mark twain

 

[eraaij]

after hearing and reading so much exited comments about this ferrocerrium rods(also often incorrectly called "firesteel" or "powerflint") i made the mistake of buying one of this newfangled toys. not only am i disappointed (too unreliable in my experience)by it, i had also to discover that this ***** piece of **** starts to oxidate (only from contact with LOW air humidity!!!) on the still coated and unused backside. has anybody had similar experiences

Yes

As to preservation - I heard of the transparent nail polish thingy trick - just apply a coating. But I never do that and made a habit out of carrying two in my gear and do regular inspections. My steel corroded after a two week store in the moisty cellar in a backpack. That was after a week of bushcrafting, so it may have been a bit moist to begin with.

I did send it to Light My Fire and I received a replacement

-Emile

 

[leon-1]

thanks for your answers, folks. i guess wax is in my case the best answer- easy and cheap to get and also easy to store in my pockets when i travel around(and useful for lots of other things as well). nail polish might be bit difficult to get for a single (and travelling) bloke...

the maker of my ferrocerrium rod is "light my fire", it's their thickest version.

what tinders do you use for your rods? (dry rabbit- and kangaroodroppings (great with a bowdrill) and punkwood did'nt catch a spark; charred punkwood and charcloth work, but this i can also ignite with empty gaslighters(much cheaper) and traditional firesteels. and buyable things and soaked cottonballs i have' nt tried yet because i can'nt replace them in the bush; +in a filmbox i can store about 90matches plus striking surface- i doubt that it is possible to store soaked cottonballs for 90fires in one filmbox.) the best success so far i had with the fluffy stuff on thistle seeds and bulrush.
i saw a few photos of rods which had the plastic handle removed and a piece of antler or carved wood instead-what's the best way to remove the plastic? there's an idea floating around in my head...

thanks


"disappointed by the monkeys, god created man. then he renounced to further experiments." mark twain

Your model is the army one by the sound of it.

We use them on birch bark finely shredded, feather sticks, scrapings from the bark of a redwood and according to Ray they can be used on paper bark. They can also be used on firedogs in the morning if the fire has gone out, waxed paper and a number of others.

I was pretty sure there was a list of tinders on here somewhere. I'll see if I can find it,

Leon

 

[John Fenna]

If your aim is good you can also light candles with them...

 

[rancid badger]

Like any tool, you have to maintain them. Never store them damp and if your not going to be using it for a while, a light squirt of wd40 or similar is a good idea.
It also helps if you know how to use them. You'd be amazed how many people have bought them, then found that there is, in fact, a bit of skill involved in getting them to work.

Your matches in a canister are fine, assuming you don't lose them or crush the canister by sitting on it, thereby allowing moisture in.
I normally carry my firesteel on a cord around my neck, in this way it is as dry as I am and I always know where it is.
As far as tinders go; Manmade, I would go for cotton wool balls moistened with parafin-not soaked. Natural, You cant really beat shaved up birch bark although hessian fibres and pine resin go very well.

your success with thistle down and reedmace seed, is a start but you tend to get a "flash" type flame which flares then is gone, rather than a sustained flame which will then light small twigs bark etc. you get a sustained flame with the tinders I have already mentioned.

So, learn from the corroded rod, get another one, look after it and then experiment with tinders until you find the ones which suit you best. Failing that just keep going with matches

 

[Eric_Methven]

If you're going bush, just pack an extra sleeve of cotton wool balls in you FAK. Your firesteel will light a cotton wool ball if you fluff it right up, pin the cotton wool down with the end of the firesteel and drag your striker down the firesteel right onto the cotton wool. Provided you keep the cotton wool dry, you don't need paraffin or vaseline for ignition, that's just handy for damp environments. Make yourself a small neck pouch and keep your firesteel in there. Give it a good soaking in neetsfoot oil, then from time to time (beginning and end of trip) use some 3-in-1 oil and put a few drops down the hole where the firesteel lives. That way it'll be lubricated constantly and you'll know exactly where it is.

Eric

 

[Bushcraft4life]

Never had any problems with my firesteels and i have quite a few, often take them out in damp conditions but make sure they are dry when i am home.

They have never let me down either, i reckon they are one of the most reliable and easiest ways of starting a fire when you don't have matches or lighters.