Hi people,
I'd like to share a thing or two about the Doan mag bar many of us have stashed somewhere in a drawer in the attic. Admit it. We nearly all have one and it's been collecting dust for a long time...
First off, I, like many others didn't use or carry it because the shaving part was tedious. Also there were wind issues blowing your tinder all over the place. And then after all the hard shaving work when it does light it goes FAST. Often too fast to get the kindling going.
Well, apparently we've not been doing things right and have not thought things thru.
After someone showed me an alternative method, i'm a believer again.
Instead of trying to shave by cutting into the magbar without getting much tinder and often mutulating blade and magbar in the process, try this...
Shaving should be done with a sharp knife held down stationary, cutting edge up! Slowly, whith light to moderate pressure drag the magbar at a near 90 degree angle over your knife edge. Without much effort you'll get pretty curls of mag fast! Did I mention it works FAST this way, with almost no effort ?! The difference doing it this way is HUGE, both effortwise and yieldwise.
When you think you have enough mag keep your knife where it is (i.e. do NOT move it) and turn the magbar over and drag the sparking insert over the knife edge, igniting the mag-shavings (AND your flame extender, read on..).
This way the tinder is more protected against windy conditions.
Now, to keep the whole affair a truly waterproof system a waterproof tinder or two should be added as a flame extender! Do that in this fashion: your magbar can and should be kept in a piece of bicycle inner tube about as long as the bar itself is, maybe a little longer. Make holes in the innertube so the ball chain fits thru and is secured in this way. This rubber is excellent tinder in extremely wet conditions and takes flame from magnesium very well! Cut small strips off, it doesn't take much and burns long and hot.
Also, drill a hole in a piece of fatwood, also about as long as your magbar or a little longer and hang that on the ball chain as well. Shave some fatwood the same way you did the magbar, again, it doesn't take a whole lot. (You could add a small keychain folding knife to the whole affair so you won't have to use your main blade and also to have a compact complete system)). Now you have a failproof lightweight firelighting system specially suited for very wet conditions.
Give it a go, you will thank me later!

Regards,
Pharaoh.