Preventing ferro rod corosion
I know a lot of folks coat their ferro rods with fingernail polish to prevent corosion during storage, but I found something that works just as good, is cheap, can be carried and applied in the field, and it can be used for other purposes. Its nothing more that a black Sharpie permanent marker. Other colors may work if you want to get fancy, but black is what I tried because thats all I had. The good thing about it is that it easier to scrape off when needed and then reapplied until needed next time. The marker can also be used to write notes, mark traps and trails, and maybe even coat other items to prevent rust and corosion so it lends itself well to the multi purpose gear that folks like to put in their kits. I always keep one in my kit but recently decided to try it on my ferro rods because its also recommended to use when etching copper clad circuit boards to mask the places on the copper that you don't want the etchant to remove. I figured if it was tough enough to resist the etchant, then it would be more than tough enough to resist a little moisture.:thumbup:
