See "Magic Campfires" http://www.codyak.net/codyak/campfire/magicfire1.htm

After reading the whole document I did some small experiments:) I soaked some cotton with glycerin and wrapped it into strech film. Then after about one and a half day I unwrapped it and added 250 mlg (1 tablette) of potassium permanganate (crushed) on it. 2-3 seconds later it began burning. I now keep another piece of cotton soaked and wrapped. I will try to see how long I can keep it before becomes useless. <br><br>Then I dipped one esbit tablette into glycerin and then poured PP on it. This also worked. <br><br>I then crushed an esbit tablette and mixed it with glycerin and than poured PP on the mixture. This did not work.<br><br>All done indoors at room temprature.<br><br>

The glycerine probably soaked into the esbit tablet after you broke it. Try more glycerine, would be my next step.<br><br>Did you try crushing the esbit, mixing in PP, and then adding glycerine?

Many thanks. Yes excatly that should be what happened, I will take your advice and work on it.<br><br>Indeed my aim is to try a firestarter which works by adding PP on it. Normally I belive none of us do carry glycerin as a part of the kit. I hope to do something which would fit in a PSK. Normally I use esbit for tinder (small size 4 gr) and it is very effective. <br><br>Even if I find one I belive it will take a long time for field testing it before I put it into the PSK.

Well. I'm getting better at the flint and steel thing. This past weekend my wife and I walked around the woods near where we live and collected some tinder. This included a brown, hairlike moss from a tree, some sycamore bark, and some punk wood from a dead tree trunk.<br>Last night, after adding just a few scrapes of magnesium I was able to light the moss which in turn lit the bark and then the punk wood. Overall, this was a very gratifying experience.<br>BTW: All these materials were collected the day after a soaking drizzle which made my success more amazing.<br><br>Chris