Fire Starter Info.

[glocker36]

Actually, you are using the sun's energy, sorry, I wasn't clear on that. You take your flashlight and take off the lens and remove the bulb, then take your char cloth and insert it into the back of the reflector to about where the bulb filament was.

Then you just tip the lens to help focus the sunlight on the char cloth. It works best with one of those lantern style flashlights with the bigger reflector, but I have gotten it to work with the smaller 2 D style flashlights too. Now I keep a piece of char cloth inside the tail of all of my larger flashlights just for this purpose.

The only tinder that I have gotten to light is the char cloth, but you can get a coal in just a few seconds once you get good at it. Add that to your tinder bundle, blow and poof, you have fire.

[WildGoth]

i have used a torn t-shirt and dosed it in bug spary it went up in flames the moment i lit it with my lighter

[carcajou garou]

I use wooden matches a lot but do carry several layers of firestarters:
wooden matches
ferro rod
butane lighter
piece of flint
a top socket of antler for a fire drill/leather lace (as a pendant)
They are dispersed among my belt pouch, day pack, pockets, neck.

[carcajou garou]

The photo is of a swedish firesteel.. actualy a ferrocium rod (man made product)
It produces a hotter spark than a true flint.

[carcajou garou]

Use the dried out catail fuzz.. keep it expanded and it will start up like a flare, I keep some in a waterproof container with me all the time.
I use the strike force as mentioned above, great tool.

[WildGoth]

a have been looking for a flint stricker for ages like a flint bar i never have seen a good one if anyone has any website with flint strikers plz help

[smokelessfire]

just look at any of the numerous sponsors on the bottom of the page lol. tons of survival kits, and flit and steel kits.

[ATough]

abay. they have some good ones, and you get a flint.

[HOP]

Owl girl I like the video I saw a similar on from sweden that has the char cloth on top of the flint as well.
I have taken an idea from a forum where you modify a spark type lighter that ataches to a gas latern and it realy works well.
I saw some thing interesting in wilderness way charred catail fluff made the same as charred cloth but using cattails.

[survivalhike]

Though carrying tinder might be cheating if you are using a couple of rocks rather than a store bought flint striker, I do know of a very efficient tinder that can be carried. If you take a piece of aluminum foil about 6"X6" and place a cotton ball that is soaked in vaseline on the corner, you can fold the foil into a small flat square with the cotton ball and petrolium jelly locked in the center so it won't leak on your gear. When you want to use it, cut an X shaped hole through the foil exposing the cotton ball, bend back the foil corners (made by cutting the X shape) until they are vertical, pull up a few fibers of the cotton ball, and hit it with your flint striker. These will burn like a candle for anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes depending on how far open you pull back the cuts. A great fire starter.

[survivalhike]

Just go to www.froogle.com and type in "magnesium flint" and you will see tons of good ones pop up. I have a keychain model that has a sepearte striker all in a nylon case with a key ring. It's started more conversations than fires so far, but that will soon change.

[Samaritan]

Dryer lint is great, so is char-cloth. For emergencies I carry a small vial of powdered magnesium...just in case. This stuff will burn just about anything ! Steel and flint are old reliables that take practice but will produce dependable results. Good Luck.

[WildGoth]

ok i will try that

[eddiec]

I carry a magnesium fire stick(they work great) and I carry a flint pistol. It's just like the strikers that you can get at a welding supply store, but the pistol actually shoots the sparks out acurately. If you can find one, I'd definitely get one. They are well worth it...

[smokelessfire]

i have tried powerful magnifying glasses with zero luck. can anyone tell me how to make a fire with a magnifying glass? maybe dried fine grass is not the right tinder? help a newb!

[owl_girl]

i have tried powerful magnifying glasses with zero luck. can anyone tell me how to make a fire with a magnifying glass? maybe dried fine grass is not the right tinder? help a newb!

The magnifying glass doesn’t have to be that strong. Try some dried tinder fungus, you should get a good coal with that really fast and easy.

[U.S.Marine2111]

Now i'm new to this, but it seems to me that perhaps a magnifying glass is not the best option as you're rather reliant on the sun? No sun, no fire, right?

[owl_girl]

Now i'm new to this, but it seems to me that perhaps a magnifying glass is not the best option as you're rather reliant on the sun? No sun, no fire, right?

True…I wouldn’t recommend it in the rainforest.

[Sarge47]

Now i'm new to this, but it seems to me that perhaps a magnifying glass is not the best option as you're rather reliant on the sun? No sun, no fire, right?

No matches? No Butane Lighter? Then it's flint and steel for me, dog. I've had no luck with a mag. glass, unless it was using it to find my lighter.

[owl_girl]

No matches? No Butane Lighter? Then it's flint and steel for me, dog. I've had no luck with a mag. glass, unless it was using it to find my lighter.

Really? I thought they were easier then flint and steel, I can get a coal in a couple seconds with a magnifying glass but it takes longer for me with flint and steel.