Steel wool and a battery is probably the most popular way for making a fast lively fire in the annual Klondike Derby that the local BSA council runs. The boys bring it in their sled full of gear, and every couple years there's a sled that starts smoldering along the way... the boys sometimes don't isolate the battery from the steel wool, and as they are pulling the sled around the camp, bouncing things around... they learn quickly!