So today I decided to try to start a fire using a fire steel, since I've never actually done it. It's a lot harder than it looks.

I had some nice dry grass for my tinder bundle and about wore myself out trying to get it lit. I had some shavings from one of the silver magnesium blocks that would pop when a spark hit them but didn't ignite. Then I tried dryer lint with petroleum jelly on it - no dice. Then I tried individual jute twine threads torn up into little pieces - nope. Then I tried small shavings from a dried corn stalk. Finally a small coal from a previous fire lit, and some of the other stuff began to smoke, but I couldn't blow it into a flame. Today is pretty windy, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I'm sure some of the people here have successfully started fires this way. What advice/ tips do you have?

Thanks, Vogeler

Remember you are not trying to shower the tinder with spark, scrape harder and let the burning steel actually drop onto tinder works a lot better.

Make sure your firesteel is very close (touching probably) your tinder bundle. Then I think it is easier to hold the striker stationary and firmly against the steel, then pull the firesteel back against it. That makes aiming the sparks at your tinder much easier. The blade from an old hacksw makes a great striker. Lots of sparks, but it really eats up your firesteel quickly. Not a problem in a true survival situation unless you plan to need your firesteel for a very extended length of time. Take a small chunk of hacksaw blade. Use the non-toothed side for "normal" things, but use the toothed side for true emergencies where you really need to get that fire going pronto for survival.

Also, when firesteels are new there is a coating on them. You have to wear off that coating before you get down to the meat of the firesteel where the big sparks develope.

The guys above me share sage advice. Slow and steady wins the race. Mag shavings should go one you get the technique down.

I'll add that your tinder bundle needs to be super dry and with fine/thin pieces. Think about a bird's nest. The fibres are pretty close together, but not so close as to smoother each other. Imagine a pulled apart cotton ball as an example. You want to expose rhe fibres so they can catch the spark, but if you pull them tol far apart they'll get blown out.

One more piece of advice - keep on practicing. It's not guaranteed every time but it'll be so much easier once you get the hang of it.

Apply hard pressure and a slow, steady stroke. I use cotton balls with petroleum jelly squished into them and they light first strike.

I use the Light My Fire brand of firesteel, they work very well. I have found that not all firesteels work equally, some are definately better than others.

I got a little carbide striker from firesteel.com for under $2 that makes the firesteel work much better than the included strikers.

PJ cotton balls are the best tinder going, me thinks!

There's no need to repeat what's been said above. I'll say that my primary fire starter is a mini Bic. I use a ferro rod as a reliable backup. Although I have several rods from Firesteel.com, I prefer Light My Fire. Light My Fire is not only easier to use. Firesteel.com lost my trust when they started selling that huge rod for almost $200, and the review that goes with it on their website is comical.

I've successfully lit fires using Tinder Quik and a Light My Fire firesteel. Each time was in just about optimum conditions, with lots of tinder and kindling, a good wind break, with me calm, rested and knowing that I had many other ways to get the fire started. It wasn't terribly easy.

Thanks for the info everyone. I tried again scraping hard and slow and it made a big difference. I was able to get a piece of Wetfire going in no time. Turns out my "dry" tinder was pretty damp. I had a hard time lighting it with a match later.

I also think I need to invest in some good firesteels. The one I have is almost worn down completely. I always carry a lighter and some matches but it's good to know that you have a backup too.

For those of you who use cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, does there seem to be a shelf life? I had some that I made about 6 months ago and put in an Altoids tin and they were pretty dried out and wouldn't catch a spark.

Get an old used boot polish or boot dubbing tin (air tight metal ones). Clean it out. Store cotton balls soaked in White Gas in them. Use these as tinder. You shouldn't have a problem getting a fire started with these with a Ferrocerium rod and striker.

If your lighter is struggling to get a fire lit, then a rummage around in your FAK or toiletries bag, you might find a small pressurized can of deodorant or betadine. The pressurized butane propellant when ignited should help get a fire started especially with some hexamine tabs as your tinder.

I keep pj soaked cotton balls in a mini Altoids tin sealed with electrical tape and it hasn't dried out in over a year. Try sealing the tin.

I have had a lot of success with pj soaked cotton balls.
After reading numerous how to's here and some trial and error I've found it key to really tear and fluff the fibers. The fibers are the wick and the pj the candle so to speak.

Picture the tinder bundle with the fluffed cotton ball in the center in front of you with your back shielding the bundle from the wind.
I hold the edge of the firesteel to the cotton ball and while pressing firmly with a firesteel.com striker I pull the firesteel towards me, away from the bundle. The strikers is stationary and angled so that the sparks aim at the cotton ball.
Using this technique the cotton ball has not failed to light.

I'm no expert so it takes a couple of tries when the weather is not ideal but being patient and sometimes uttering words I would not type has worked for me.

Good luck!

I bought some small plastic vials about matchcase size and put my PJ cotton balls in them. I pack them in there tight and put on the lid. It is water and air proof when closed. I have tried the cotton balls after a year packed like that and they worked perfectly. Since they are packed in there, I use a small stick to pluck them out when needed.

I learned to carry at least 3 fire making methods with me. I carry the Light My Fire ferro rod, some strike anywhere matches in a very old Boy Scout matchsafe and I carry a Zippo lighter, freshly filled before leaving home. I usually have a mini Bic and perhaps an aluminum Sparklite also on me somewhere. I yake the PJ cotton balls and the TinderQuik with the Sparklite. So, fire is not a problem.

I store my vasoline/cotton balls inside plastic soda straws. Hold one end closed with pliers and melt it with a match. Fill with cotton balls (cram them down in there by rolling them, pushing with toothpicks, etc.) Then pinch the second end closed with the pliers and melt that too. I have several I made like this years ago and they are still sealed. However, I have not cut one open to see how the cotton balls inside have faired. I should do that. I had assumed since the straws are still solidly sealed that things inside would be A-OK. But now you made me think, "An assumption is the first step towards a screw-up", and I need to VERIFY that things are good inside my soda straws. At one time I made a point of grabbing and extra straw or two at fast food places - especially if they had those large over-sized diameter straws.

Are you using enough magnesium shavings, IIRC you need a pile about the size of a quarter and collected on a thin solid pan, a dry leaf, pc. of paper, in a cotton ball nest, etc.

weird

Something I don't think anyone mentioned yet. Make sure your tender is very fine. You can just pull out long blades of dead grass, weeds and start a fire, but I make my tender balls with that material pretty shredded up AND able to be transferred to actual fire area.

I can't stand Magnesium shavings. Its like a 1 outta 10 deal for me unless I have it on some paper first. Sparks never land on it.

Again hold the striker, pull the firesteel back towards you, with a lot of friction applied.

Never had PJ soaked cotton balls dry out. Like many others here, I carry at least 3 different methods for starting a fire, and multiple tinders as well. You may want to consider a Blastmatch, it works very well for me. A little larger than most ferrocerium rods with strikers, but worth it to me. The Blastmatch can ignite dry grass and leaves, it produces such large and hot sparks. In addition to PJ cotton balls, I like the Esbit cubes and Sure-2-burn. Crumbling an Esbit cube will allow it to ignite from sparks. Open the Sure-2-burn and the contents will take a spark. Tinder quick is also excellent and available in most outdoor stores.

And with all that said, practice, practice, practice. All the best tools and materials in the world won't help if you don't know how to use them, in any environment.

try a cotton ball size amount of compressed OOOO steel wool...works well with primitive flint(chert) and steel striking also...

The OP doesn't give his location, but he should move to Southern California. A glance at either the skyline or the headlines will affirm that it is quite easy to start fires around here right now.

More seriously, I have always found matches to be quite reliable, especially if you upgrade to the stormproof variety. I agree, redundancy is a good thing when it comes to fires.

hold your striker steady and pull the fire steel away from whatever you are trying to light. it is easier to aim the sparks that way IMO.

i have never had any trouble lighting cotton or lint. usually on the first try.

sometimes a slower scrape works better as it seems to generate more sparks and is somewhat easier to control.

I have not tried to light dry grass or other tinder with a firesteel. I have tried to light charcoal lighter with it unsuccessfully.

Point of clarification: Hold the knife steady, close to the tinder, and move the fire steel away from the tinder against the knife, keeping the knife still.

Everyone forgot to mention charcloth. Pretty much take some cotton (ie, old t-shirt), wrap tightly in tin foil, throw on some coals for a few minutes (BBQ, campfire, whatever). When it starts smoking it's done. Let it cool. The cotton should be singed - should take a spark easily.

Also, birch is great. Youtube it, but you take the bark, flip it over (so the outer surface is on the ground) and use your knife to scrape it and make a pile of powder. Those shavings go up in a heartbeat. It then catches the rest of the bark on fire, which you move to your already-set-up fire.

Pretty much like everyone else, has to be dry, has to be fine. I can't get cattails or grasses, and only a few types of bark to go up. Using any vaseline is cheating, but works.

Personal opinion, but ditch the magnesium block. It's a POS, and I've NEVER gotten mag shavings to be helpful. Using a file to get shavings is better than chewing up your blade, but still ... the return is so low it's almost laughable.

I carry several PJ cottonballs in a small metal (o-ring sealed) containers. I made up several a number (5+) years ago. They still work fine. The containers are very small, estimated 3/8 diam by about 1.5". I stuff them in tight and screw on the lid. Then put them is the corners of my gear where they ride well for years.

Never failed to work when needed.

Oh, forgot to add that you don't want too much PJ on the cotton balls. Try them till you get the mix right. Too much and they don't light well.

Nomad

If you're not cheating, you're not being smart! Anyway, petroleum jelly predates modern ferro rods. So, petroleum jelly is more primitive than a modern ferro rod, and a modern ferro rod is already squarely within the cheating zone.

Wannabe's rub two sticks together.
Professionals carry a lighter.

No, they will last for years

Personally, I have used "Boy Scout Firestarter" (white gas) when available. Don't sprinkle too much and cap the container

I prefer the Firesteel.com 'steels to the LMF, personally. FWIW I can't get my head around why anyone is bothered by the fact that they sell an enormous 'steel! So what if it's bigger than you'd use- it would still be very useful! I'd love to have that steel. The largest one I have is the "Bunker", and you'd probably find that too large, too. For the record, though, my favorite model is the GobSpark Armageddon.

I completely agree though that if you start a lot of fires and are technically proficient at firecraft you may as well use a lighter. It's hard to beat a BIC in conditions favorable towards its use. However I do think it's a great idea to use other methods frequently enough to retain the ability to do so. The time that your lighter fails will probably be the time that you need it most. In that instance it's good to have other options.

Few ways of making fire are more reliable than a firesteel. They work in any weather, at any elevation and at any temperature. They're completely unaffected by being doused with water. They do of course require tinder, same as every other method. PJ cotton is great. ESBIT is outstanding, too; it can serve dual roles as tinder and fuel.

Has anyone yet mentioned that not all cotton balls are "cotton", some are poly fluff and will not catch a spark worth a damn I 'm told.

Very true. Nes sure the cotton balls are actually cotton.

Someone said that ferro rods, or commonly called firesteels are waterproof. That is true but if around saltwater for very long they erode to nothing. Most will erode to dust in a week or so, if the protective coating has been scraped. Even in a pocket around saltwater, like in sea kayaking, they will erode.

I don't think anyone mentioned that the goal with petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls is to have the PJ on the outside of the cotton ball and to have the inside of the cotton ball DRY (without PJ). That way you can kind of tear the ball inside out and the dry fibers will easily catch a spark, and the PJ will then allow the flame to last longer - like a candle & wick.

I fear use of white gas or other more volatile stuff would simply burn too fast - not to mention that it would be more apt to evaporate in storage and might be explosive under certain conditions.

I've always just used small freezer bags to make & hold the cotton balls. I put a hand full of balls inside the bag, add a glob of PJ, massage until its spread around, open & squeeze out the air, and then seal. It keeps my hands cleaner and makes a great storage container.

One last thought - I do NOT use my knives with ferro rods. I don't want to damage or discolor them. I find the strikers that come with the ferro rods work OK - you can "sharpen" them at a 90 degree angle on a nearby rock, if needed.

I use a firesteel (LMF brand) as my primary firestarter and have found that, in conjunction with PJ cotton balls, is a very simple way to get a fire going.

I think all the key points that I've found helpful through trial & error have been mentioned here, but they are:

• Keep the striker stationary & then pull the firesteel towards yourself. Before moving to this method I was forever knocking my carefully arranged tinder and kindling all over the place.
• Using the PJ cotton balls, pull the fibres apart & fluff up the ball ... also ensure there isn't too much PJ which will cause them not to take a spark (something I found out when I tried dipping the cotton balls in melted petroleum jelly ... I ended up with thoroughly saturated balls that would burn longer, but couldn't be lit with a spark)
• Using natural tinder, make sure it is very dry!

On that last point, I haven't got much experience yet using natural tinder exclusively, but one experience really showed me the difference between dry & kinda-dry tinder.

On one trip I decided to try making a fire from 100% collected materials, so we gathered up some wood & I found some Old Man's Beard to use for tinder - this was in the late afternoon on a fairly warm day. Everything went great, the Old Man's Beard took the spark easily and the fire was a success. The next morning I get up and decide to try the same thing. This time however, I simply could not get the Old Man's Beard to stay caught. After a while I gave up, pulled out the PJ cotton balls and got the fire going with some effort. See, the difference was everything was ever-so-slightly damp in the morning which hampered my firestarting efforts.

My big take-away from this was that if I wanted to use natural tinder, I should be collecting it and keeping it in my pocket or something to keep it dry rather than trying to simply collect it when I needed it.

HMMMMM....

Hmmmm....

How about using paper straws and waterproofing and sealing them using a wax bath. Adds some more fuel as well.

Wow, thanks for all the info guys. When I made the PJ lint balls, I saturated them, so I guess that's why they wouldn't catch a spark. My natural tinder was also slightly damp. Now I know better.

Try some Jute twine as well. Just cut up a couple 6" legnths and pull the fibers apart, and ball it up. I've never had a problem getting fire started this way.

I Always carry 25' or so of Jute twine in my bag just for its multi purpose ultility. I also carry about 25'-50' of Para cord, and 50'-60' of #36 Tarred Bank Line. They all have there place.

You can saturate a cotton ball two differerent ways. You can rub PJ into a cotton ball or you can dunk cotton balls into melted PJ. Both ways are messy. I prefer dunking because it makes a more consistent saturation. Cotton does not need to be "dry" to light, but as others have said, the deeper you saturate, the more difficult to light. If you choose to submerge, you will need a way to pull the ball out of the hot liquid because melted PJ even with as low of a heat setting as you can get, the PJ will eventually be too warm to your touch. When you pull the ball out, it will be too saturated to light, so you have to squeeze a lot of the PJ out. I've used different methods. My latest, which worked quite well was to use a garlic press (or maybe it was a lime press - I'm no cook). Experiment with the pressure that you apply on the press. I think I bought my press for $3 - $5 at Wallyworld. Create batches with varying pressure. The goal is to saturate as deeply as possible while still maintaining the ability to light with some margin of error due to weather, skill, patience, etc. Make absolutely certain that the cotton balls are 100% cotton and use the largest you can find, which will be marked something like "jumbo plus" or "super jumbo". I saturate to the point so that I get a burn time of approx 4 to 4 1/2 minutes. You can saturate a ball to the point that it will burn 5 1/2 to 6 minutes but then it starts getting trickier to light. With a 4 to 4 1/2 burn time ball, you have a fire starter that lights very rapidly and yet still has good burn time. When you're done, TEST your product! To light, gently stretch the cotton ball in all directions so that it makes a birds nest about 2 to 2 1/2 inches across then apply a spark or WWII flamethrower or whatever. And unless you want to sleep in the doghouse, don't use the ladies best pot. Buy a small aluminum disposable pan - at any food store in the cooking aisle. Store in a small ziploc.

xavier.ruiz@cox.net

I collected dryer lint while my wife looked on in disbelief and scratched her head.
Added PJ and tried to get it to ignite. No luck.
Bought a big bag of cotton balls for a dollar.
Added PJ to several and tried to ignite. Better, but tricky.
Too much PJ, hard to light even with a Bic.
Frustrated, I sprayed WD-40 on a cotton ball.
Ignites easily and instantly.
Burns very hot and for a long time.
Stuffed a bunch of WD-40 soaked Cotten balls in a one dollar waterproof match case.
2 years later they still ignite and burn furiously.
Easy, no mess and no 'magic' mixture as with PJ.

I'm more interested in how tinder behaves under non-ideal conditions where the user is careless. A good test would be to carry both PJ cotton balls and WD-40 cotton balls in unsealed containers for a few months, and be careless with the containers. The mineral spirits in the WD-40 would evaporate, but the question is whether or not the remaining oil would be sufficient to keep the cotton flaming for over a minute. I already know the PJ cotton balls would pass the test.

that would highlight the single biggest negative to the WD-40: it smells.

Ireckon has a great point. If you are going to depend upon any concoction for something as fundamental as lighting a fire, be darn sure you are intimately familiar with its characteristics, including long term storage. Don't just read about on the internet.

That's one of the reasons I figured a nice September afternoon in my backyard was a better time to learn to use the firesteel than when I was lost in the woods.

For a while I was betting buddys at BBQ's I could start a fire without matches or lighter using what i had on me and could collect from outside the house. I'd go rip up some dead grass, some palm tree fibers and whip out my FireSteel. Presto, money in pocket. Word gets around, money's now dried up.

Update:

I was at some BSA (Boy Scouts of America) Scoutmaster training on Saturday, and one of the instructors mentioned that if you have small children don't try to use dryer lint for firestarting because their clothes are flame-retardant....

So maybe that's why I couldn't get the lint to take.

I never thought of that but it makes sense. It would be worth a try in an emergency and nothing else was available.

Yeah, using dryer lint is good for learning purposes. However, deliberately packing dryer lint, if you have cotton balls available in large quantities, borders on irresponsible.

Agreed when it comes to packing cotton balls. If you're going to pack tinder, pack cotton balls. Take different stuff too if you want, but cotton balls are just too efficient not to pack. I stuff a couple into the elasticated pocket in the back inside wall of my Leatherman sheath, using an old trick I learned here at ETS (I think I need to credit Bird, but baby brain is making my memory foggy) - stuff them into snipped and melted plastic drinking straws. You can cram them just about ahywhere and easily carry a few without much effort.

I like the soda straw idea, thanks!

Why is dryer lint only good for practice or a last resort? I thought it was a good tinder material, but apparently not?