A small square of toilet paper (or other paper) folded into a funnel shape to catch the shavings helps. I use pine pitch
to keep the flame after the paper ignites. There is lots on the
trees here due to the bark beatles.

I have also lit a wax candle by putting the shavings on a pre-
chard candle wick.

My mag block is a mini one I carry on my key chain. First I cut
it in half with a hacksaw, then cut half the mag off the long
way. Very compact and you then have two blocks.

A small square of toilet paper (or other paper) folded into a funnel shape to catch the shavings helps. I use pine pitch
to keep the flame after the paper ignites. There is lots on the
trees here due to the bark beatles.

I have also lit a wax candle by putting the shavings on a pre-
chard candle wick.

My mag block is a mini one I carry on my key chain. First I cut
it in half with a hacksaw, then cut half the mag off the long
way. Very compact and you then have two blocks.

The magnesium is just a little extra bonus to help make the transition from ferro rod spark to flaming tinder.

Ferinstance, if you have nice tinder like a cotton ball or some well prepared cedar bark you don't need the magnesium. However, if your bark is a bit damp and doesn't quite catch the spark, a few flakes of magnesium can help.

Forget about making a pile of shavings - its a lot of work and a frustrating waste of time. Just make your usual tinder "nest" with a thumb sized hollow. Scrape some Mg into the hole and hit it with a spark.

How do you hit 'a few flakes' of magnesium with a spark? Sounds like a really lucky strike to me. I know I've never been able to light less than a sizable pile of shavings without help.

Perhaps, "a few flakes" was an understatement. But you don't need a big pile.

Put the base of the rod against the opening of the hollow and scrape the spark right in.

I think one of the things that aren't being discussed here is how to get "good" sparks. Many use their knives (something that I would NEVER do unless it was absolutely necessary). Others have spoken about a hacksaw blade... which I would consider a step up from the knife.

I have tried many methods of striking the ferro bar for the maximum spark output. This is critical in what you are trying to light. My "Strike Force" will actually throw enough (and hot enough) sparks to light a newspaper with no other tinder. A standard Ferro bar isn't quite as productive however. Why is that? Well the "Strike Force" has a built in striker.. a 1/4" X 2" Iron bar. I am convinced the striker is the key.

So I did some testing many years back with hacksaws, old knives, etc... My final "resting place" in regards to the matter was an old file that I also use when I do flint and steel. I cut a 2" piece off of an old iron file that I got for $.05 at a flea market.I hold it vertically in my hand.. and strike with the cut edge down the length of the ferro bar. Wanna talk about sparks? I can get a fire EVERY time with one strike on the standard ferro bar (not the "Strike Force") with cattail, or other similar fluff. 2 strikes will light dried grass.

Perhaps it's more the striker than the other things. At least that's my experience. Try an old file.. see how it works for you. By the way, if you deem it better to not carry the extra little weight of the file, and want to use your knife or hacksaw... then carry a bit of charcloth wrapped in some old denim (That way you can make more when you need it). This will take any spark and immediately blow into flame in most tinders.

Hope this Helps...

- Soarn

Good point about the striker. I tried a 1/4" square x 2.5" long HSS tool steel blank once and BOY did it work well. It had very sharp 90 degree edges. It sort of ploughed a big blob of burning metal down the rod.

I always carry a bar of trioxane. I can start a dozen fires with one bar.

Yep.

First, don't scrape with the edge of your knife blade. Bad hiker. *wags finger* Use the spine of your blade if you don't have something like the piece of hacksaw blade that was mentioned. Personally, I like a file.

Don't strike with the edge of your knife blade. The spine of a bi-metal hacksaw blade, or an unknurled (I think that is the word I want) part of the edge of edge of the file.

Have the filings go into another, beefier tinder as others have mentioned. Think of the magnesium not so much as tinder as a solid accelerant. I find the biggest edge it gives you is that if you tinder is less than perfectly dry, the heat of the magnesium is still enough to get it going, while the spark alone requires tinder that is pretty much bone dry or has something like petroleum jelly in it.

Put the forward edge of the mag block down level with the tinder, on the firelay, with the ferro rod pointing just "below" the magnesium. With a solid, brisk stroke, scrape down on the ferro rod, holding the scraper at about a 90 degree angle. Have tinder and small kindling at hand.

Test your striker before you put it in your kit. It needs to have a good edge on the corner you'll be striking with, not something rounded over. I've always had better luck with carbon rather than stainless steel, as well.

And practice.

And another tip. The search function here is a little quirky, but it will find most of threads we've discussed this on in the past.

Somebody in another forum mentioned not to scrape the Magnesium from the long side of the bar....but to use the corners of the short end. Supposedly this will give longer, heavier chunks and curls that won;t blow away so easily. I haven't tried this yet but if you're out there doing it, try it.