Tinder Tube?

[pab1]

Has anyone used these? I make them using oil lamp wicks and a short section cut from an aluminum arrow. I tried cotton clothes line rope with the nylon core removed, but could not get it to hold a spark. The wicks work like a charm. One small scrape along my fire-steel is usually all it takes to catch a spark (extending the life of the fire-steel too). They work just like char cloth, without having to make char cloth.

[pab1]

Nobody using these? Here are a couple You-Tube videos I found on them. They are great fire starters.

[yt=425,350]dQYRywWvi3g&NR=1[/yt]

[yt=425,350]hC8yco40FA8[/yt]

[kyelkhunter3006]

Neat but it looks like a pain in the butt to me.  Got to keep the string dry or it's not going to work.  Plus metal gets hot so I know for a fact that I'd burn my fingers on the tube, LOL.  You'd also kind of have to wait for the tube to cool down before storing it away, perhaps. 

I'd just as soon carry cotton balls with petroleum on the them or commercial tinder cubes.  I have the cubes now, and they burn HOT and for several minutes.  They'll also burn while floating on water.  No moisture issues with them.

[pab1]

The aluminum tube cools down within a few seconds when you pull the ember into it. The ember is not in contact with the tube when you are starting a fire. The biggest benefit to these is that like char cloth, one spark is all it takes to get a fire going. I use cotton balls and vasoline too but I'm always looking for another way to start a fire. You never know what you will have on hand when the "shtf".

[Game_Stalker]

I use a self contained fire piston kit. It's made of aluminum & clear plastic & contains char string, tinder, etc in a waterproof tube.

Convenient & easy to use.