Any thoughts on the Magenesium/Flint rod fire starter

[azcoyhunter]

I own one and I love it,

I am thinking about making some ready made tinder to keep with it in a fire pouch,  so I can make a fire in a hurry.

Any ideas?

Clint

[dla]

I own one and I love it,

I am thinking about making some ready made tinder to keep with it in a fire pouch,  so I can make a fire in a hurry.

Any ideas?

Clint

Triox bars, availabe at most Army Surplus stores, are probably the best fire starters I've found. They'll light with a spark, burn pretty blue, and they're packed waterproof/securely until you need them.

[IntrepidWizard]

magnesium/striker and some steel wool will start a fire in a blizzard or rain storm,can/t be beat,small and last forever.

[HuntenNut]

Another vote for triox bars. I ordered a couple cases from www.sportsmansguide.com a few years ago and they've lit pretty much every fire for me since then.

[gino]

Cotton balls with a little vaseline worked into them. Keep in a 35mm film can or sections of plastic soda straw with heat sealed ends. Simple, effective & cheap.
gino
 :-)

[azcoyhunter]

Thanks to all

I have heard about alachaol (spelling)  wipes also.

again thanks

Clint

[Bob Hurley]

Pick up a few hand-sized pieces of cedar bark from the woodpile, it stores in a small space and isn't bad to draw dampness. If you need it, beat it soft with the back of an axe or stick or rock and shred it until it's like coarse hair. That's all I use with flint, steel and char ... if I have it.

[savageT]

I gave this suggestion some time back, but it still works......
collect Lint from the clothesdryer...........always a supply and just package in ziplock baggies.

Jim

[jackfish]

Only if it says DOAN, MagFlint or WSI.  The strikers can fall out of the Coghlan.

Strips of birch bark also work well, even when wet, and are easily carried.

[Neanderthal]

If you do use a Coghlan MFS, tap the ferrocerium rod out with a hammer and nail punch.  Clean the rod and the magnesium bar, then recement with superglue.  It's wise to coat the rod with fingernail polish as they will corrode / disintegrate over time, especially in a moist environment.

[Joel]

Something I just learned is to check and make sure your knife, if that's what your using to spark with, will work.  I just bought my first striker at Walmart, and it was a Coghlan(so I  followed Neanderthal's advice) and tried to spark the shavings with an old Norwegian laminated blade knife that sits on my workbench. Nothing.  Tried my Spyderco Native(S-30V stainless) and it worked fine.  The laminated blade on the Norwegian uses a hard steel core sandwiched between two softer steel layers.  The soft layers were too soft to spark with.  Pays to make sure, I suspect, especially if you carry an older carbon steel or Puuko or Saami blade.  By the way, cotton balls rubbed with vaseline work great.  Used them a couple of times while out hiking to build my lunch fire.

[IntrepidWizard]

[IntrepidWizard]

I have several and have saved my lif and others.When planed event occurs I take Steel wool along as a starter and in the heavest of snow or rain can make a fire,nothing beats them.

[Daveinthebush]

We got a little off topic with other firestarters so here goes.

Duct tape, wrapped around an item in your gear has many uses. One is as a fire starter.

Another if you have a table saw is kerodust.  Just soak the sawdust in kerosene and store in double plastic bags.