Magnesium Fire starters - thought this was interesting

[Traffer]

I bought one of those things and have to admit it took a while to learn how to do it. I agree with whoever said, "if you can't do it at home you won't do it in the wild in bad conditions". So I would agree with the practice before you need it idea. I bought mine for a curiosity and possibly to add magnesium to primer mix as I reload 22 rim fire. I use ground aluminum which really helps the primer mix. I have burned both aluminum and magnesium shavings from machining waste in a wood stove. I have saved a teaspoon or so of magnesium powder for adding to primer but looked up the idea on the internet and found that mixing magnesium with red phosphorus is not a good idea. So it is still sitting. Living in Wisconsin, when we were kids we used to "go down to the river" in the winter. At our "disposal plant" (where the treated septic sewerage was dumped into the river) the water never froze and fish used to come there where we would shoot them with a bow. We had a camp set up there and had coffee pot etc. Would start a fire and put on a pot of coffee before starting. A few times it was colder than 25 below zero and windy. (They didn't use the term wind chill back then) But we noticed that it became very hard to start a fire at that temp. Newspaper wouldn't burn unless the fire was going already. We didn't know about good tinders etc. Solution? And my recommendation for carrying a fire starter? Matches and a pint jar of gasoline. Before you go nuts, it seems to me that at that temp the gas burned more like kero burns at normal temperature. Not quite but certainly not the big enveloping whoosh of a gasoline ignition like you get in the summer. (Many know what I mean there) Anyway, getting serious again. Just a reminder, lighting a fire in bad conditions, under duress is A LOT harder than doing it in your back yard in the summer.

[Hickory]

I And my recommendation for carrying a fire starter? Matches and a pint jar of gasoline. Before you go nuts, it seems to me that at that temp the gas burned more like kero burns at normal temperature.

I can testify to this statement.
Back in the early 1990's I and another guy was shooting prairie dogs in South Dakota when a Northerner moved in we were a1/4 mile from the road and 3 miles from the nearest house.

I told Jim that we'd have to put everything in the truck we didn't need and put in the tent everything we would need that night and the next day. The tempature dropped from 74° to -14° before morning, with weather conditions starting from high winds to rain, to freezing rain, to 37" of snow by morning.

After breakfast and breaking the ice off the tent from the inside and getting around.
When I tried to get into the cap on the back of the truck the handle would not turn, I thought it was frozen, but Jim said he locked it, "What'd you do that for, there's no one around for miles?" I couldn't get a key in the lock because it was frozen. The only solution was to wrap paper towels around the handle and pour Coleman fuel on it and light it to thaw out the lock.
Even through we shielded it with our bodies against 40 mph winds it difficult to light and would barely produce a flame. Gas don't burn very well when it's cold.

[Bazoo]

Biggest problem with most of them is the Ferro rod is small.
Biggest problem with people who don't try them is they have
stainless blades on their knives which won't spark -
(I had to work over my carbon steel Mora to get it to spark.)
And they have no idea that they need something good to spark into.
Magnesium is flamable but better have other stuff ready to keep the flame alive.

I havent tried a lot of different stainless steels, but I have used my leatherman original on a magnesium bar/ ferro rod with good results. The tiny flat blade had pretty sharp edges so I found it worked well to both shave some magnesium off, and scrape the ferro rod without dulling the knife blade. I dont know what variety of stainless they used in the original leathermans.

[Mackay Sagebrush]

I have used a number of magnesium firestarters over the years in the field. In the end I came to the conclusion that while they were fun to play with, they weighed a fair bit, and a waterproof container with a BIC lighter or storm proof type matches weighed less and were substantially easier to get a fire going with

I think the Mag fire starters are fun to play with, but in my packs I don't bother with them.

One trick that really works well is "Trick" candles. The type you put on a birthday cake and the re-light themselves. Start one with a BIC, and stick it into the tinder. Works like a charm.

In fact this last December, I was elk hunting and the daughter and I were quartering up her elk. She was quite cold, and we were in a draw, where the sunlight was not reaching, with the temps probably right at Zero. She is 14, and I told her that this was a good teaching moment on how to get a fire going with numb hands. I would not help her (yet). She was having a tough time until I reminded her of the trick candles I gave her in her pack.





Within minutes she had a fire going and was morale (and safety) was improved.

Another thing I do is keep thin strips of inner tube around my BIC lighter. The rubber will burn even when wet.

[308Jeff]

Learning something new every day on here. Love this place.

[Minerat]

Bic lighter may work but the problem is that they can be accidentally drained in a pack. The fancy Cabela's wind proof coil lighters (or other off brand coil lighters) will not fire above about 8000 ft no matter how many time you strike it. I keep water proof matches, strike anywhere matches in water proof container, a magnesium starter with packets of Ultimate Survival Technologies WetFire™ Tinder in my hunting pack. I learned to look for dry tinder on tree branches, not to build a fire in a tree well with snow overhead and have a cheap survival blanket too. I have never needed them but I don't intend to be with out fire in bad weather conditions if I have to spend a night away from camp. Yes I still carry a bic and the coil lighter, and mountain money in a zip lock bag total weight 6 oz or less for all.

[fivefang]

Yeah, fire starting is a skill!!50 yrs. ago I wanted a running engine stand, for VW engines, the bellhousing of a busted transmission which I dressed down with a B&D side-grinder set the concrete car port floor on fire, we had a lot of sand in Fl. that took care of it, Fivefang

[Mackay Sagebrush]

Bic lighter may work but the problem is that they can be accidentally drained in a pack. The fancy Cabela's wind proof coil lighters (or other off brand coil lighters) will not fire above about 8000 ft no matter how many time you strike it. I keep water proof matches, strike anywhere matches in water proof container, a magnesium starter with packets of Ultimate Survival Technologies WetFire™ Tinder in my hunting pack. I learned to look for dry tinder on tree branches, not to build a fire in a tree well with snow overhead and have a cheap survival blanket too. I have never needed them but I don't intend to be with out fire in bad weather conditions if I have to spend a night away from camp. Yes I still carry a bic and the coil lighter, and mountain money in a zip lock bag total weight 6 oz or less for all.

I agree about the BICs possibly running out in a pack. While it has not happened to me in the last 30+ years of big game hunting, about the time I say "it can't happen" it will!

That said, I have always been redundant when it comes to fire starting stuff. In other words, matches AND a lighter. Also while I always keep fire starting stuff in my pack, I make darn sure that I have some on my person, in case I get separated from my pack. I taught my daughter the same thing.

In fact a few years back we had a wet nasty windy weekend, and she said she was "bored" so I figured it was a great "teachable moment".

We went to the hills and I explained to her that The worse the weather, the harder it is to build a fire, and the worse the weather, the more important a fire is.

I had her start with gathering tinder, setting up a wind break, using a magnesium starter, etc. It was also a great opportunity for her to learn how to use a knife properly.







The end result, after some educational struggle was a nice little fire.

The reward was hot cocoa!

[TCLouis]

Mackay Sagebrush.

Congratulations and a hearty thanks are due to you.
The makings of a great family moment and the yet another lesson in the life of a fine independent young Lady

[Teddy (punchie)]

Best is anything that makes a hot spark. Against dry, did I say dry.


Best trick : Candle wax and paper shredded in a paper egg carton. Shred paper and place in the egg carton pour hot wax over this. Old timer that we met at a local fair said it will lite anywhere and give you enough time to get the fire going. Only need a spark and or open flame.

Flint and steel , car cloth work very well.

Mag rod and knife works well.


Lens and or glass, is a hard one.


Battery and steel wool. Good one.


Bow and string , still not any good at.


Just hands and wood rod , can't get the bow and string not going to even try this one.

Any match or open flame is easy.

Best places to find dry is where two or more logs are crossing in the forest floor. Sometimes there enough to start 10 fires, sometime your out of luck every time. Our area old down locust, about 6" to 12" off the ground look under the old rotten logs looking for the dry powdery wood. Find the sticks that are size of match sticks. You need enough of them at least the size of the center of a toilet paper roll. Then need twice to three times as much as that the size of pencils. Few nice pieces of dry bark one to place as a base for the fire couple for the side to protect the infant fire. Now a larger handle size to make a leaning to lean all of the dry starter with the match size sticks about three to five thick about say 12 or so in the little pile. Under the match size sticks is where you need the very dry powdery wood. Aim sparks to the base area they will not stay they go everywhere. But use a nice hard push and control the force. After a couple tries you'll have or need to rebuild your little base a lean. Once you get a hot spot just a little air blown into the area, let it just glow red hot, after 5 to 10 seconds let it have more blown in air. It should at this point flash to open flame.


Practice make perfect. We every couple of years have a meetup and practice this. Always one person that is just all thumps and has trouble. Last time we did it had everything work we tried but the lens and sun. That day I recall we found 12 different ways to start fires, some different some used a different fuel or starter. Have to say fastest and hottest was cotton and Vaseline & battery and steel wool.

[GhostHawk]

Charred cottonwood will take a spark just like char cloth will. As will charred punk wood.

[w5pv]

I use to make a little fire starter out of lint and wax that was a dandy fire starter also splinters that are fat pine or rich pine kept in a medicine bottle is good and be sure to keep your matches that are dipped in airplane glue(to water proof them)in a bottle.All of this is better than rubbing two sticks together trying to start a fire.

[John Allen]

small pill bottle with cotton balls with vaseline rubbed in and a ferro rod my wife starts a fire with the first strike ... spark poof flame now Magnesium .....not needed

This is what I use in the woods. I have an altoid tin with a batch of vaseline soaked cotton balls. All you have to do is pull the cotton apart and strike it works great and is cheap.

[GhostHawk]

I have a small firesteel hanging on my knife I carry everyday.

Cotton balls and vasoline make an easily lightable tinder that will burn long enough to dry out fuel till it catch's. McDonalds straws are my favorite way to store it. But any small bottle or prescription vial will also work. I would rather have 3 or 4 small ones squirreled away than take a chance on a single large one getting lost, broken, etc.

Handdrill/bowdrill for me is more work than it is worth. But I do carry a small flat Fresnel lens in my wallet. In full sun it will fire something up right quick. Multiple methods and being familiar with them all is always best IMO.

I think my next one to work on is going to be flint and steel. I have both here, just need to find something that works and make some char cloth.

[Milsurp Junkie]

I like ferro-rods and cotton balls/petroleum jelly. Those along with Bic Lighters are pretty much the best bang for your buck. Ferro-rods do corrode in the presence of salt water. Most people do not realize that.
I would actually prefer bowdrill to true flint and steel. With true flint and steel, if you don't have char cloth or charred material (or happen to have the one or two fungus that can actually take a spark, like amadou) you are S.O.L. I would just prefer to know one way that may take a bit longer but doesn't require too many prerequisites for being successful.
Besides, out on the Hill Country here in Texas, one of the best spindle/hearthboard combinations is made from a century plant stalk (Sotol works as well). Easily identifiable, usually dry as hell, and easy to work into the required shapes.

[3leggedturtle]

I always have birch bark with me, Along with cotton plain or with Vaseline. That inner tube around lighters or on a carabiner clip is a pretty helpful to.

[Petrol & Powder]

Attachment 193470The K&M match safe is a nice piece of gear. Brass, two O-rings, well made. It might be a bit heavier than it needs to be but it works.

[GhostHawk]

Saw a video yesterday about hemp twine braided into a cord, then waxed, then they ran one end into a piece of brass tubing.

Found my roll of hemp today, cut 3 6' lengths, doubled them, braided 6 strands together, found half a candle, melted it in pop can, soaked hemp.

Grabbed a 7.62x39 brass case, knocked out the primer, drilled out the base end. Finessed the waxed cord into it.

Water proof, fuzz up the end, hold the end facing the ferro rod on what your using to strike so the sparks all hit the fuzz. Zap, on fire, light what you need to light, pull cord into the brass to control flame or put it out.

Simple, cost me nothing I did not have and gave me an enjoyable half hour project.
Finished product went into a sandwich sized zip lock and got tucked into my What the heck was THAT bag. (At 64 I don't plan on bugging out, if I do relocate it will be by water)

[Artful]

GhostHawk good idea and a nice video to boot.

[tomme boy]

Make sure you lite the end of the wick and let it burn for just a little bit. It helps the next time you try to lite it if the end is already charred.