With a metal match a short length of hacksaw blade is perfect. They come ready drilled for a lanyard , are sufficiently hard and cheap. Your knife has been honed to a razor sharp edge for shaving fuzz sticks for tinder and defending yourself from the pair of big eyes just beyond the soon to be lit fire ( which usually turn out to be kangaroo rat <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.) Now why would you want to dull it shaving magnesium or striking a metal match? You could use the spine, provided it has a squared edge. Remember that many knifes are either zone or uniformly tempered. It needs to be relatively hard and free from the epoxy type finishes . The cotton acts as a wick, so either natural or poly will work. I like to soak mine in melted vaseline and then roll most of the jelly out, leaving a slighty greasyball that can be pulled apart and fluffed.

Eeek - after mentally checking things off, seems like I'm in with my fellow paranoids.

In my mind, at least, I consider a match safe of strike-anywhere matches my primary and a BSA HotSpark as my secondary. But here's what I actually carry:

All the time: BIC (orange color) and BSA Hot Spark clipped to a tiny lock back (in separate pockets)

Add to pockets when out: Match safe with strike-anywhere matches; situationally a Zippo (cold weather and/or extended trip - refill with my stove fuel)

Ready pack (contents bag-in-bag transfer to larger pack when warranted and items distributed for various reasons):

Second (orange) Bic
Second match safe
Box of Coughlin's wind and water proof matches in a vacuum sealed packet
second box of Coughlin's wind and water proof matches in baggie for demonstrations
second ferrocerium rod (varies with trip purpose; I don't like mag-bars, but usually it's a Doan because so many boys have them)
Sparklite kit full up
Box of *small* strike-anywhere's in a Zip Loc (loaner matches)
small Altoids tin stuffed full of vasoline-soaked cottonballs with three purpose-sized Ranger bands (edge seal and two to keep lid locked down; also have fire-starting application)
Char tin (RWS pellet tin) full of char cloth
ZipLoc bag of seasonally gathered native items such as milkweed down, dried upland grass, nettle stalks, bracket fungus, etc.
ZipLoc with 3-4 5" hanks of natural fiber rope (I untwist and tease a hank out into a bird's nest and call it "dried grass" - carried for teaching/illustrative uses)
spent Bic converted to a poor-man's Sparklite stuffed with vasoline-soaked cotton balls
1-2 damp-resistent book matches integral to MRE Accessory Packs (carried in the unopened acc. packs)
"permanent match" with the batting soaked in lighter fluid
Esbit stove
Trioxane bars
PSK; standard contents

other dual-use items (e.g ranger bands, TP, etc)

BUT - the reasons I carry all that stuff is because I am usually with Scouts these days and I demonstrate/teach many things by design or when there is an appropriate "lull". Rarely I will add an old-timey steel and flint (native chert, actually). Keep meaning to get around to a fire drill, but...

On my own or on family trips I do NOT carry all those items, but a usually:
BIC, HotSpark, match safe, tiny tin of vasoline-soaked cotton balls, and an MRE acc'y pack. Various items not listed have multiple potential uses. Oh, I guess the Sparklite kit has found a permanent home in one of my bags as well. BTW, I've taken to using the HotSpark to light my stove - an aquired quirk that conserves lighter/matches.

And I agree with Hikerdon; I use a liquid fuel stove. The younger Scouts (traditional BSA) will use fires/charcoal in approved locations - mostly for DO cooking and wash-water heating, with 2-burner propane stoves adjunct, although they have done a couple of trips with pop-can stoves. The older Scouts (Venture guys n gals 14 - 20; most are 16-18 at the moment) mostly use liquid fuel stoves (one uses a compressed gas stove) and pop-can stoves; fires are rarely used for cooking.

Scouter Tom

Hey, paranoia pays! - at least when it comes to firebuilding capability. When you look at the total weight of all these widgets, there is probably nothing else in your gear which is as effective for the weight carried..

My first experience in SAR was a prolonged search for three Boy Scouts missing after a brutal, unseasonably early snowstorm near Tucson in 1958. Weeks later, when their bodies were finally located, it was apparent that they had tried to light a fire, using tissue paper, unsuccessfully. I think that started me carrying lots of fire stuff.

A fire is absolutely key in survival. Only exception might be a water source in desert conditions. Shelter ranks high, because you may not get a fire going unless you have a windbreak of some sort, as a minimum.

I found an 'Achilles heel' in my firemaking gear. We carry redundant firemaking tools, but pretty slim tinder sources. Sparklite tabs, dryer lint and vaseline soaked cotton balls are great starters. It's that second stage between ignition and major fuel where I've failed. I now carry a bundle of Fatwood ( aka Mayawood overseas.)

on EDC carry i got
1 ferrsoium bar on mine keychain ( and one in mine PSK )
1 bic lighter
some couglans waterproof and lifeboat matches in mine shelter kit and in mine PSK.
tinder in mine PSK

in the wilderness i got that plus firesteel and a piece of fat wood attached to mine knife sheet, withs doubles as a hacksaw holder. Attached to mine knife sheet is also a small tin with hurrican matches, "waterproof" matches and tinder.. sometimes i throw in a MFS 2...

Tom, it's convenient to have scouting as a cover for your latent arsonist tendencies. heheh Lou

Magnesium works great if there is no wind at all, but most of the time there is wind. It is some times hard to shave off mag. into a pile big enough to light. What method do yall use.

P.S.- Is cotton balls w/ vas. better than lint? <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

you can collect shavings on something like a bandana, leave, etc. ofcorse try to do it out of the wind. I haven't used lint, but pertolium jelly infused cottonwol works amazingly well, it burns hot, long, is easy to light and is cheap !

the problem with lint is composition. With the majority of clothing now synthetic, you are collecting material that melts instead of burning.

I prefer steel wool to magnesium shavings. It doesn´t burn as hot as magnesium but it burns longer and is easier to handle.
Sometimes I use cotton with vaseline. Cotton isn´t too expensive. I stopped using dryer lint because it´s not reliable. Its quality depends too much on the stuff you had in the dryer. Sometimes it has residue from the soap powder in it. That´ll cause it to attract moisture.