Roughly two years ago I put three pieces of tinder quick in my wallet. One of them has disappeared (I think I tried to light a cigar with it?). They're really flat. I just cut one in half, I'm going to try and light it w/a spark lite shortly. I'll post the results...it looks pretty fluffy!

So what is tinder quick? I keep reading about it but didn't feel like to spend that much to try it. Some sort of wax impregnated cotton?

I think it is a wax impregnated cotton. I have it mostly because I bought three military fire starting kits, for the spark lites, and ended up with a fair bit of tinder quik as well.

Yesterday was a total failure. The tinder quik would not take a spark.

I keep a spark lite on my keys. I fluffed the tinder quik (A LOT, despite it being super flat from two years in my wallet), thought it would easily take a spark, but nothing happened.

I'm sort of under the impression the spark lite isn't producing enough spark. I wonder if, from being stored on my keys, the spinny part has spun so much it has reduced its throw. This seems unlikely.

Tonight I'll try lighting the old piece of tinder quik with a new spark lite, a new piece of tinder quik with my old spark lite, and new with new, hopefully this goes better. I may also try an old piece of tinder quik with a larger piece of man made flint.

For the record, I have previously lite tinder quik with a spark lite and it worked very well.

If you can't get the old piece to light even from a new sparker, see if it will light from a lighter? Just to confirm that it will still burn at all? (I can't imagine why it wouldn't, but reality doesn't always match expectations.)

I know approximately nothing about tinder quik. So, I have some questions.

Is a wallet a bad place to store tinder quik?

Would the tinder quick have dried out if you stored it in a container like an Altoids can or something?

I have yet to try other ways of lighting it, but on keeping it in a wallet, I'm sure it is a terrible place, but I always have my wallet with me. I won't always carry an Altoids tin with me.

What does the wrapping look like after lurking in your wallet? If there are any pinholes, it may be that the good little volatile elements have all escaped and gone bye-bye.

I just looked at my Wet-Fire bundles, and I don't think they would stand up to wallet carry very well.

Not everyone realises that with Spark Lite it makes a difference which way you spin the wheel. There's an arrow printed on the orange stick to show the correct way. The wrong way doesn't produce many sparks.

I don't think it has volatiles. It doesn't come in special packaging, and I have some that's been left out for years that still takes a spark. It should be very reliable.

There is no packaging. And my spark lite produces NO SPARKS (at least none visible in daylight) when spun the wrong way.

R

Finally got back to this. Used a regular flint, maybe the scout from light my fire? Anyways, the original piece lit right up.

Hmmm....I guess just not enough spark from the spark lite for the beat piece of tinder quik.

My first and probably last Spark Lite didn't produce big enough sparks to light a TinderQuick either. The SL and TQ were both brand new. I kind of don't trust these tiny sparkers with wheel too much since then.

With some regret I think I'll have to join your ranks of not trusting the SL raptor. Too bad, because with a whole drilled in the base the SL went on a key chain very nicely.

haven't actually tried the tinder-quick yet, but I did get a spark-lite in a kit. Tried it, tossed it in the garbage. It might work if you had nothing else, but there are lots of better options available.

Interesting. I've tried lighting a Tinder Quik with a Spark-Lite, and it worked perfectly. For me, at least, it produces sparks at least as well as a Bic.

I read somewhere that there was a protective coating on the flint, and you have to strike it a couple of times to clear that. Mine sparked the first time, so I don't know about that.

I also read that the flint will disintegrate over time without that coating, so I bought another one to carry for emergency use. I don't know if it's true, but two is almost always better than one.

The one I tested came in the AMK/Doug Ritter survival pack. Does anyone know if those are tested before putting them in the packs?

In summation: this tenderfoot survivalist had no trouble at all with his Spark-Lite.

I picked up a spark-lite recently, and was able to get tinder quik burning with it. It took a lot of fluffing, and a lot of tries. I'd hate to try it if the tinder quik started out wet - I doubt I could get the fire going at all in with a spark-lite in that case.

I may just go with a ferrocerium rod instead, it gives me much better sparks. I can't start a fire one-handed with it, but I usually can't with the spark-lite either!

I am only 16 but I have been working on a new rendition of the blast match, its 7/16"x7/16"x2 1/4" and i havent finished the prototype but hopefully it makes it to market. If anyone knows how to market stuff, i can show you how it works. If it wasnt for spiders and guests, i would post pictures, but i dont trust too many people. What should the name be? Mini-Match?

As I think I noted this above, but in case I missed it, I've actually lint tinder quik w/the spark lite in question, but it hadn't been compressed for two years in my wallet and and the spark lite was newer. This could just be user error on my part though. Regardless, I've decided to upgrade my keychain to a "sparky" Ordered 3 today.

R

Also of note - I just compared a new spark-like to the one that has been on my keys, for whatever reason, it throws a lot more spark. I've decided to go DR style Sparky for my keys anyways. (http://equipped.org/pp/pic690.htm) Though not one handed, I think it will be more reliable.

MY guess would be on the flint being bad, not the spark lite. Flint deteriorates, or something, after a while-I have a small metal one I bought from someone suggesting it on here, and the flint is replaceable. I think it retailed for $10-$15 or so. There is even a little slot on the side that you could put a small needle in & wrap with line. I bought this & got rid of all my other spark lites. Nifty little device-just forgot who makes it, or where I bought it from.

The flint on all spark lites is replacable. I replaced mine with a Bic flint when it got down too low. I am still thinking on a name, Mini-Match sounds good but its too basic sounding. Cmon guys, i need help... I will see if this idea passes with UST and possibly do a test review for some of you. Please, i need a good, catchy name.

Yeah, actually my brand new SL worked great at first - just after unboxing. It set a small strip of birch bark on fire without a problem. Then I tested it more and it began to lose "power". I couldn't light even the fluffed up brand new TinderQuick with it. (And yes, I was turning the wheel according to the arrow.)
So it was kind of tricky. If I had put it into my PSP or on keychain after first successfull tests, I might have been quite surprised later.
Which leads me to the advice that many here has been saying too - test your important gear often and always have a backup (same function, but different kind of the item).

I don't want to bad-mouth the company, it's just my experience. Actually I was disappointed that I would not be able to carry it because I liked the idea of a very small ferrocerium firestarter. But I had learned that this concept (tiny sparkers with wheel) is too much of a compromise. Now I carry the smallest orange Light My Fire firesteel and don't mind the extra weight at all.

Lighting a tinder with one hand using a simple ferrocerium rod and striker can be done. It's not super "user friendly" but it can be done. There is a thread here ( http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.ph...true#Post158258 ) with some ideas on how to do it. I posted a video there but the links don't work now. If anyone wants I will reupload it.

Anyway the Sparky from UST looks a lot more reliable because you have accsess to the ferr. rod and therefore option to strike it with striker/knife if it fails. I might purchase it in the future to try it out.

Ok, I'm confused, I need something new, or the flint in my current spark lite is replaceable? I'd thought of replacing it, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. I wonder if the flint isn't bad, but it just got so short there isn't enough pressure to produce as large a spark.

l33t match
uber-match

Thats what was wrong with mine, i used it alot!! Speaking of which, My Blast Match broke a couple days ago, i tried to call UST and get a machine every time! The flint got so low te tab began to sit lower, it became hard to replace the "cap" and it finally broke off. but I like "uber match" its kinda like Uber bubble gum... mmm I want some now!! Thanks Raptor!!

There is a small clear Allen screw in the bottom which is easily tightened if you want to try that.

"Match-Less"

Match-Less is nice, Because you will only need it if youre "Match-Less" Thanks Compugeek!

I expect a royalty, of course!

Just kidding! I release any and all interests, rights and/or claims to the name, should you happen to actually use it.

Have at it! All I need now are 2 broken BlastMatch Strikers, I lost mine again! and a 1/4" diameter flint of atleast 2" in length, I need some help because i dont knw where to get enough money to waste 2 BMs and I need a CNC machine to finish the engraving and texturing.

Not to be a killjoy, but you may want to check with someone who has some knowledge of patent law, before you invest too much time (and money) into enhancing a BM. The modification(s) you are pursuing may not be significant enough from the original design to warrant awarding a new patent and may in fact be either an infringement of their design and/or trademark.

Pete

I dont see much that i would be infringing on so i should be good there and if not i will see if UST can market it since they are holders of the patents.

Well, maybe you could market it as a modification service instead of selling the modified items. I have seen that some guys modify knives and various gear and of course charge for that. I don't know whether they had to ask the manufacturer for the permission first though.

Sybert - Go to law school so you can sort all these guys out.

On that subject matter, going to law school, if you're someplace near a law school search the name of that law school and "Intellectual Property Clinic" if the law school has an "IP" clinic (there are about six in the US) then they'll likely meet with you free of charge to at least discuss your idea preliminarily.

Even if you're not near an IP clinic, go to the yellow pages, or talk to your folks, if there's a local attorney who does IP work (ideally patent work, so (s)he's a patent agent) it would not hurt to call that person and see if you might be able to have a free half hour or hour to learn a bit about patents and your situation specifically. They may be kind enough to donate an hour of their time in hopes of you having a novel enough idea to patent an improvement or innovation and the future revenue they'd earn taking you through that process.

Good luck.

Thanks guys! I doni think they can call dibs on this because I will do a Poor Man's CopyRight, I do not know how good those work but, If I have problems like mentioned above, i would petition UST's products, although great and made in USA. I need my grandpa to finish the other parts but hopefully soon I can get everything worked out. Thanks for all the help, If i get a couple copies of the finished product, its going to you guys first!!

Copyright only applies to created works (stories, scripts, music, video, pictures, graphics, etc.), not to manufactured items. (And applies from the moment of creation. Formal registration of it is not required.)

A Patent is what restricts others from duplicating a physical object. And often covers modifications to and derivations of that item.

If this shows any sign of becoming more than a hobby, you'd be well advised to talk to people that know the laws before anyone comes knocking.

CTB ("Covereth Thy Backside").

This is the entirely wrong place to come for legal matters. There has already been a good bit of misinformation. I'd suggest anyone with any concern or concern that they should be concerned talk to an attorney. For example, a copyright applies immediately, and no registration is required, but generally your suit against someone over an unregistered copyright won't get you where you'd like to be.

If any of this seems like it could maybe pertain to you, talk to an attorney.

OK, lots of information! I will arrange to talk to a lawyer monday and hopefully find out what is/isn't lagal and change it. Or manufacture it at home, all for myself *wink wink! I dont think I should have many problems, I actually need this hands on experience to become an Industrial Designer, not to be mistaken with Interior Designer! Thank you everybody!