Reply With QuoteYes I have tried them - work well, but prone to wear/breakage. I like a flint and steel myself.
I am going to give it a try they seem pretty cool.
Yes I have tried them - work well, but prone to wear/breakage. I like a flint and steel myself.
1 word BIC
A good wife and a steady job has ruined many a great hunter.
450+ views and no one asked the question "why do you never see disposable lighters in emergency packs?" Why do survivalists always recomend dry matches or a flint and never a Bic?
Sorry to bring up this old post. ::) Noob. It just bothered me to let this slide in a "wilderness survival forum". :)
Probably because Bic style lighters are so unreliable. They will not work when cold. You have to keep them warm against your body to have enough gas pressure to work. The gas orifice can plug up because there's no lid to protect it. Having no lid, the gas valve is easily depressed in pocket or pack, emptying all the butane out of it. They're not wind proof. Your better off with an old style Zippo, or a butane lighter that acts like a blowtorch, as they will light in the wind. I carry a good Bic (not an el cheapo) for convenience in a front pocket to keep it warm, but I always carry a waterproof container of matches and magnesium block with flint.Originally Posted by oilslick
I know you go to the websites that make it look easy well it's not as easy as it looks. I have a friend that is good at that stuff and we both tried making one from scratch. Well long story short there are easier ways to make fire even a lighting rod in your fire pit would probably be easier and faster. The only one we every got to work was with a brass tube and fiberglass rod and I would not trust my life to it no way no how.
Then there are those that have spent 30 years in the cold wet climates of Alaska and know that starting a fire under our conditions with match (seldom) with flint and steel almost never.
We carry firestarter and a mini-torch. I have one of these in every survival kit and vehicle I own. I have tested them for years and its one of two that our wilderness survival store her in Kodiak Alaska caryy's.
Lights first time every time and I do not leave home without one.
http://www.amazon.com/Primus-Power-I.../dp/B001AS6SCU
Neal
Personally, I keep an old Zippo and a few flints and a small bottle of fluid for emergencies. Wind, rain, cold-its never let me down. As mentioned when its cold, wet and windy a BIC is a PITA to make work. Better than nothing but....
Hmmm, I just carry a little bit of steel wool. Works like a champ.
When in the Boy Scouts we made fire starters from an empty cat food can with paraffin wax and rolled up cardboard, also safety matches dipped in the same wax making it water proof
My brother made a piston, he can make it work every time. I however cannot.
Old tread but what the hell. Doritos they burn like gasoline! I also carry trioxene tabs US surplus. They lite easliy with just about anything and burn hot for a long time. You can start wet sticks with them.
Best regards,
Grit
Since this topic may very well save a life I feel compelled to share what we have been doing for years.
http://www.bestglide.com/Windmill_Info.html I recommend the Trekker so one can get closer to the material for lighting!
Both my wife and I carry one (above) of these in our pants pocket and a ditti bag in each of our packs. We also carry a road flare and pieces of firestarting material purchased from Walmart or Safeway type stores (prestolog type material). We have also carried waterproof matches with the above in a waterproof container and to date we have never used the matches.
We live in a very wet climate and sometimes it takes an hour to get a fire warm enough to generate enough heat to dry out the natural materials that we are trying to burn. This past winter starting a fire was a huge task. All beach wood was covered with either frost or ice. With winds gusting to 50, blowing steady at 35 we made a torch chamber out of rock using the natural wind to blow on the materials and I almost ran out of fire starter from both our packs before we had enough coals to dry the wood. We always find time to add or subtract from our survival practices in controled environments because in an emergency it is nice to be practiced and know what to expect and how long before one can expect survival heat. There have been times like this past record setting winter that my wife was just to cold to start a fire. Warming her up via liners,ponchos or sleeping bags while I started the fire is the way I keep my best friend out in the wilds with me.
Neal
I build the firepistons for friends using the wood lathe and then insert a brass piston set that was turned on a metal lathe, then use a rubber gasket to seal it. They do work however I would not depend on it only. I personally like and use the metal match with beeswax cotton balls. fire even when wet.
This x2. I keep bics in glove boxes, backpacks, tackleboxes, everywhere. Waterproof, idiotproof, durable, long lasting, fast, reliable.
A Bic is always an option, but definitely shouldn't be relied on as your only fire starting option - especially when out in the boonies where anything can happen and you may just need a fire to survive and/or be found. Carrying one won't hurt anything and it is the easiest way to start a fire - if it works when you need it to. It's always been my recommendation to carry at least three means to start a fire when going into the back country. For you Bic fans (and what's always in my pack) that could be a Bic lighter, waterproof matches and a flint/steel.
As Neal pointed out, your fire starting materials are just as (if not more) important than your fire starting tools. If you don't have some type of material to help you get a fire going you may just find yourself SOL when you try to make a fire because all natural kindling is sopping wet and useless. There are various readily made fuels (G.I. Trioxane), homemade fuels (cotton balls/dryer lint and vasoline), pre-made kindling (fatwood), or if you carry a proper survival knife (i.e. the Buck Hoodlum or Esee Junglas) you can quarter a 8-10" diameter log via batoning and shave off dry slivers from the center. I keep all three of the ready fuel options in my pack just as they don't take up much room or add much weight, and since I always have a large survival knife with me when hiking/backpacking I have the fourth option available to me as well.
When it comes to survival it's all about maximizing your available options, and when it's something like this where the different options offer no major weight/space penalties it's a no-brainer to pack multiple options.
"Life' is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid." ~ John Wayne
“Under certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.” —Mark Twain
Something else that burns well is hand sanitizer. It is jellied alcohol. Some of that on dryer lint and you've got some nice tinder for a flint and steel.
Dryer lint, that's a great idea! Talk about overlooking the obvious. I have a firepiston that I keep in my shtf bug out pack and used mostly char cloth. I gave the lint a go and it works great especially since it an be rolled up like a big booger and placed into the end without falling out. I'll be sharing with the cub scouts during the next camp out as well.
Regards
RSH
A tampon works great and is already in a sealed wrapping. It takes very little spark to get them to catch. They also make great scent wicks for hunting.
For survival fire starting I believe in redundancy. I carry BIC type lighter, waterproof matches and a magnesium fire-starter. Also have a small baggy with cotton balls rolled in petroleum jelly. Any temp, any altitude, wet or dry I can get a fire lit. This sort of thing is in my packs all the time...in the truck and camper I also carry fire-starter made of cardboard egg crate, sawdust and paraffin wax...these burn about 15 minutes each.
Worst case scenario, cold and wet, one little spark will easily get the cotton/petroleum jelly going and that will easily get the egg crate/paraffin going.
The egg crate stuff is a little bulky but works very well.
Many ways to skin this cat...as long as it works when you need it to it is a good idea....
Darrell
i build my own. you can go to home depot or lowes and they have 3/8 aluminum rod there and tube that just fits over it. what you do is slide the rod into the tube then measure out how long you want everything to be, i usually make mine 6", and cut both the rod and the tube together. remove the tube and measurea bout 1.25" from the end. this will be the so called grip on the piston itself. then cut off about 1/2" off the end of the rod, this will be the bottom plug of the cylinder. mix up some apoxy and glue in the 1/2" plug in the bottom of the cylinder and glue on the handle to the top of the piston. next you drill out the hole (1/4")for the tinder on the piston. not too big and not too deep (3/16" deep) then take either a hacksaw blade, dremmel, rat tail jewelers file and make the grove for the o ring at about 3/8" from the hole where the tinder will go. you can smooth up all the cutting as needed. they look good and their tough. also, if youre in any kind of altitude, fire pistons are hard to use with low oxygen levels...
also some black powder ball starters can be used with some modification to the end...
Www.pennstateind.com
you can buy a kit from them I think
turn on a lathe
I've used a 9 volt battery and steel wool in the past but I've been thinking of getting on ion flashlight fire starter to have on hand.
I use a Swedish fire steel, and keep a medicine bottle with petroleum cotton balls in it. I also use yucca wood for a fire spindle.
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