What's your prefered firelighting method?

[HawkesNest]

My ... preferred ... method of fire lighting is ----

to take along a friend that lights the fire!

But when I have to light the fire, I usually use the traditional Flint and Steel.

What great responses, I really got a good giggle from this one. Thanks to everyone for sharing there preferences for firelighting, it been fun to read them all.

Larry

 

[Dave Budd]

when I'm demonstrating as the Iron Age smith, or teaching I tend to use my flint and steel with charcloth or king alf's cake.

but my favourite mehtod of lighting a fire on a regular basis is a bottle of parafin and a cheap gas lighter Never fails!

 

[spamel]

When I was in the Army, I quite liked initiating the incendiary devices on Demolitions Days! Watching a large fireball fly out of an old Astra was a sight to behold!

These days, I keep my fires burning a little longer and a little smaller! I'll use matches or a lighter but find on really bad days that the ferro rod is the least stressful of my options. Firelighting (and this can make you sound like a bit of a psycho!) is lots of fun and trying different methods is a great way of testing your skills. I've dabbled with fire pistons which are great fun and always get a few raised eyebrows at first :"Yeah right, like that's gonna work! " Once shown that it does work, you feel like a magician, you made fire from nothing! Flint and steel is definitely one of my favourites, not least because it has the chicken and the egg scenario of char cloth!

 

[ZDP-189]

I have had no luck with firepistons. I have one by the best known maker and it's not exactly reliable.

The only bushcraft method I know is the bamboo fire saw. It helps a lot if the first time you try it is in the dry season (Jan-Mar), using sun-dried bamboo stems.

The bamboo parts you need to prepare before you start are:

• Crosspiece – an internodal section split lengthwise into half. Shave the edges to remove the sharpness. Cut a notch in the outside at the middle running across the grain, and drill a hole using the tip of the bolo from the inside, meeting the notch on the outside.
• Tinder holder – this is a thin (1/16”) strip of bamboo about a inch wide and 6-8 inches long cut from the rest of the section used to make the cross piece. Bend it in the middle.
• Ember poker – from the same piece of bamboo as the tinder holder, cut a thin chopstick-shaped piece and shave a needle like tip in one end.
• Tinder – take a stem of bamboo about 4 feet long, and prepare fuzz by scraping the middle of the bolo up and down a section of stem, keeping the blade 90° to the bamboo. Scrape the hard outer layer off first. You should end up with two tufts at the top ad bottom that are combined and rolled between the palms to form a cigar-shape.
• Fire catcher – This is a fuzz stick carved from bamboo under the part that you shaved the tinder from. Flip the blade over and pull up towards you, cutting long thin curls of bamboo. Then cut deep and cut out a stem to hold it by.
• Fire saw – a stem of bamboo about 4 feet long, with a long scoop cut out of one section. This is usually starts as the hole that was created when you cut your tinder an fire catcher. Shave one edge a little thinner.
• Split bamboo – for kindling. Use any shavings and scrap, any tinder remaining after previous failed attempts, ad stamp on some more dry bamboo too.

Making Tinder

The process itself is simple in principal, but it takes skill in practice.

Put the tinder roll over the hole in the cross piece and hold it on with the tinder holder held gently under the palms over the tinder.

Locate the notch over the edge of the saw and rub it in long, vigorous strokes up and down the saw. When after a few seconds, you see smoke, really go for it, then flip the cross piece over, poke the glowing ember into the tinder, blow hard on the ember until the tinder is glowing. Then apply the fire catcher, and with a few light breaths, it should catch light. Be careful that you don’t blow out your flame when it catches.

Next quickly build a small fire with kindling and you are ready to brew a well earned tea.

If all else fails, bring out a lighter when nobody's looking.

 

[Bernie Garland]

Interesting read ZDP, never seen this method before.

Bernie

 

[Bimble]

I like matches!...... In fact I love 'em.

I like swan vesta, not cause there particularly good matches, a bit weedy in fact, but oh there such pretty little things. I was one of those kids that public information films were meant for. Ahhh the smell of them......

Pyromania aside, a match is useful because you can strike it an shove it into your kindling which can be effective if its a bit damp. You also get to carry around a cool waterproof match case.

I do also carry a Ferro rod. I practice with it so I can light most things with it as a backup. To be fair I do use it to light my spirit burner in my hobo stove as you can do it easily from above. But I just love them matches.

Flint and steel, fire bow, etc. are interesting and I have made fire like this as an exercise in recreation, but you just can’t beat a match in my humble opinion.

 

[Toddy]

Depends, depends........If I have time and it's a peaceful quiet day and I'm happy to footer around then a bowdrill and tinder nest and feathersticks is the one I really like.
If it's pouring down, everything is sodden and I want a quick brew up then it's cotton wool and a flint sparker.
If I'm demo-ing for kids then flint and steel, for Iron Age it's the bow again.
In the garden it's usually a match or a lighter.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[steven andrews]

I carry some chunks of Sunny Jim firelighter in a tobacco tin. Two Bic lighters are secured to the tin with an old charity wrist band thingy.

This gives fire quickly in all weathers.

 

[Nonimouse]

Home made windproof matches
Bic Lighter
Ferro
I always have a film cannister with cottonwool/vaseline
I collect old pitch pine knots when can or old gorse butts
Tried most things including flint and steel with dried camel dung!
To me the faster the fire is going the faster I get a hot drink the faster I get comfortable

 

[spamel]

And don't overlook simple additions to a firelighting kit. A simple rubber/eraser (depending where you are from!) can be easily stowed in your firelighting kit and small slivers carved off to help a fire going in really wet conditions. It is compact and doesn't take up much space. Ranger bands are just as effective and a great way of recycling old inner tubes from cars, trucks or bicycles. Larger Ranger bands can also be used to secure kit such as hobo stoves or billy cans and could be used in tarp construction to give a bit of leeway in windy conditions. Definitely worth trying out if you haven't before.

 

[firecrest]

Tried most methods at some time or other.

For enjoyment or in my work I use flint and steel, but most often I have a box of WP matches or a match case in my pocket.

That sorts ignition and I find birch bark and dry pine cones good for secondary kindling but much more important is fire management, something that I find many people simply do not understand.

Far too many people seem to think a fire will run itself. It's something that I find a little frustrating about communal fires. I'm always looking to the next task the fire is needed for, so for example while I'm cooking I'll make sure another part of the fire is burning well to produce embers for the next person that needs it. At the end of the evening I'll be changing the fire lay so it curfews itself and leaves some glowing dogs for the morning, but you can always guarantee someone else will come along and shift it all around so the whole thing is burnt out in a quick bright fire as they walk away and go to bed. :bluThinki

*ahem!*