Hi Naseem,

Lucifer’s can provide one of the most reliable methods of lighting a fire and the NATO Waterproof and Windproof Lucifer's are the best out there - don't throw them away just because the striker has gone soft.

What you need is a combination of Strike Anywhere Lucifer’s and NATO W&W Lucifer’s. When used together in the following way they are highly reliable.

Firstly coat both the heads of the Strike Anywhere and NATO W&W Lucifer’s with a coating of candle way and dip into some powdered Hexamine.

Secondly cut a section of corrugated cardboard to size to take 20 Lucifer's and stuff alternately a Strike Anywhere and NATO W&W Lucifer into the cardboard corrugations. You can also put some powdered Hexamine into the same cardboard corrugations if you leave some room at the base of the cardboard (you may have to seal the base of the cardboard with wax) before inserting the prepared matches. Dip the assembly into melted candle wax to seal. Remove any unwanted surface candle wax.

With 20 Lucifer’s in the wax sealed cardboard, each a Strike Anywhere and NATO W&W will give about 10 fire lighting operations without the use of a tinder because the tinder is incorporated around the Lucifer's.

In operation, cut 2 Lucifers away from the assembly, carefully expose the head of the Strike Anywhere Lucifer and then strike on some rough surface. If you can't get a fire going with one of these then no lighter or ferrocerium rod is going to get you a fire either.