Fire Piston

[WildGoth]

my friend told me about a guy got lost in the wildness and made a fire piston i don't know what it was made of but is it possible

[ARussell]

Are you sure he made one?
Les Stroud had one on Survivorman a few episodes ago, by the way it looked, doesnt look like you could make one.

[bit102]

my friend told me about a guy got lost in the wildness and made a fire piston i don't know what it was made of but is it possible

Could you explain me what exactly is a fire piston?

[spiritman]

Oversimplified it's a tube and a tight fitting rod and a small piece of tinder. Place the tinder on the end of the rod and slam it down the tube. take out the now smoldering piece of tinder and enjoy. It uses the same principals as a diesel engine. That is, the more pressure in an environment with O2 and fuel the lower the temp for combustion. And in as small of an area as a fire piston uses it's relatively easy to create that environment. As for making one I doubt it's worth the time unless your amazing at making a couple of other things. like a drill. and a lathe.

[Beo]

I got one that I don't and have never used, making one would be a time consuming job in the wilderness as you have to drill out the wood you'll be using as the tube, making one at home would not be hard but a flint striker works just as well to me.
Here's a pick of one, ya still need char cloth
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[trax]

I thought that a fire piston was a fire that is no longer burning and is just emitting some rather smelly steam.

"Did you guys put out the fire before you left?"

"Yep, piston it"

[Rick]

Groan...(forehead slap!)

[trax]

Groan...(forehead slap!)

thank you, thank you very much... We're here the rest of the week folks be sure and catch our matinee show too

[Beo]

Better to be pissed off than piston See I still got ya back Trax

[WildGoth]

yeah i have no clue about the details or anything but thinking about it if you made one at home and made it out of low burn point wood you have fir kit with some charred cloth anyone know where to get one i wanted to try it

[Rick]

I've looked at these in the past and no one I know or have read about that uses one seems to have a whole lot of good to say about them. Especially if you are in a wet environment. Like a fire bow, it can take some work. The tinder doesn't light first time. You have to have some really good tinder, like charcloth. Otherwise, it may never light.

Here's a nice article with some pictures:

http://www.onagocag.com/piston.html

The tolerances between rod and chamber have to be very close. As Spiritman said, think of a diesel engine. Most have some kind of seal between the rod and the chamber. Think of it as piston rings. Same principle. Some of the "newer" ones I've seen use a rubber "o" ring which seems to me to be a real fail point in the wild. If it gets damaged, no fire. More traditional ones use something like beeswax or parrafin or, if tolerances are close enough, some oil.

I would echo what others have said. I don't know how he could have made one in the wild because of the amount of work and tools required to build it. That part of the story doesn't ring true to me.

[Borelli]

You can buy them on primitivefire.com for a range of prices

[Gray Wolf]

my friend told me about a guy got lost in the wildness and made a fire piston i don't know what it was made of but is it possible

It would be a lot easier to make a fire bow or a fire drill, That Will Work, instead of trying to make a fire piston, that if your lucky or shall I say VERY Lucky, will work. Especially if your lost in the wilderness!

[flandersander]

I agree entirely

[canid]

yeah. if you're in an area with a lot of bamboo, might as well try it, by the comfort of a fire started with a saw. maybe this is my bias, as i'm much more comfortable with a fire-saw than a pump?

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

several tribes used to make them in the bush I have purchased a new age one from a reputable dealer it is possible of course though not easy as mine uses new age material and a rubber gasket but as it wears it becomes increasingly harder to get a coal . I also disagree with using char cloth as it dirties up the piston and causes friction tinder fungus is the best for use with a piston in my opinion wish I'd have kept my old coco bolo wood string wrapped piston as it was more reliable and u dont usually find rubber gaskets in the bush

[Sam]

Can't you make a gasket from 'Ranger bands'? (cut pieces of bike inner-tube)

[ws3445]

To make a firepiston you don't drill it out you make a depreson and put a coal to burn it out:.

[Rick]

I don't think that would work. You need a smooth bore with a constant diameter. But I do like the happy faces.

[CTracker]

Since a 'fire piston' works by the same principal as a diesel engine (combustion by compression) personally I think you'd be much better off using that time pursuing shelter, food, water etc. (not in order of importance). If your survival is dependent on being able to construct an 'air tight compression chamber' you may have already lost. As mentioned, there are much quicker methods to 'make fire'. Lets run out to the back yard. I can be drinking purified water long before you can even think of an ember. And this would definitely not be the first item I grabbed in a 'SHTF' situation. Most are obscenely large and cumbersome and I'd rather grab and run with something of more value, or at least my impression of what I considered to be more valuable.