Ok.. I know most of you are going to get a chuckle out of this post, but i have to tell it anyways. I never tried to start a fire without using matches or a lighter and a quart of gas. (just kidding about the gas) . I decided i needed to learn a new skill. SOOO.. i got myself a magfire. waited a week to try the new thing out. today was the day!!! 4 " of snow on the ground ,20 to 25mph wind about 30 degrees . I walk down the end of my property, kick the snow away, grab a handful of tall grass and a few sticks make a bundle place one dry cotton ball slighly fluffed ontop and strike the magefire ..once ..twice..three times...FIRE!!!!! holy cr_p ..I just made fire.. I quickly covered it over and moved a few feet away to do it again.just in case it was a fluke. For the next half hour i made fire after fire. i'm sure your all old hands at this . but i have to tell you ,it sure did felt good to know i could do it in a pinch.

Laughing with you, man, not at you.

Allright. It is funny how you look at those firesteels and think there has to be some sort of magic to make fire, but a good tinder piece and some kindling and away you go.

Fun too.

Try adding some vaseline to that cotton ball for a great tinder....a bit more burn time.

I carry a small candy tin of vaseline/cotton along with my firesteel at all times...great stuff. I also have a Bison capsule stuffed with vaseline/cotton on my key ring along with a HotSpark.

Try doing it with a bow drill... you'lll pee all over yourself <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

Most people tie a piece of ribbon to branchs so they can find their way back or others can find them. I guess you will be easy to track now <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and there wont be any doubt that its you <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Well done

Or a fire piston.

Great post! I think this is one of the first ETS posts I've actually read out loud to my wife. She laughed and kind of rolled her eyes obviously thinking that this is EXACTLY like something I'd do.

Welcome to the world of those who light fires and quickly put them out so they can build another one, those who sharpen a knife so that they can shave the hair off their forearm, and those who carry all sorts of gear in the hopes that they never have to use it - unless its for fun.

As Martin knows, I just bought a bunch of Magfires to give as graduation gifts to my Cub Scouts who are moving up to Boy Scouts in the spring. Last October each of them got to use a fire steel to light small fires with vaseline/cotton. We also lit a cotton ball and a vaseline/cotton ball at the same time to compare the burn time - BIG difference. They were all VERY impressed. I just hope that excitement doesn't lead to major house fires. I fear the'll under-estimate the fire-starting ability of the sparks.

Or the bottom of a Mt. Dew can.

Question: Is the Magfire basically the same thing as the Hot Spark that is sold at Boy Scout stores?

Yea, pretty much. The BSA one is a bit smaller so it wont make as big a shower of sparks, but it works just the same.

If you saw my happy dance after my first fire , you'd laugh at me!

I'll try a bow next time. the peeing my self should be taken care of with my depends. EDC ....tinder if i keep them dry.. emergency water supply if i don't <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> :gr

All joking aside, it is quite a thrill, the first time you start a fire with a bow drill that you've put together while on a stroll through the woods with nothing but a knife to start with(and maybe a shoestring or piece of 550 cord).

Troy

This reminded me of a story I read once... don't remember the name or author..

Far enough in the future that people have arbitrarily long lives (essentially immortal), one "sport" was to be dropped on an undeveloped planets with no tools. First one to recreate enough tech to get off the planet (reach orbit, I'm assuming) wins.

Talk about a sense of satisfaction...

Great...even in the far future, we still can't get away from these darn "reality" shows! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Is the Magfire "basically the same" as the Boyscout Hot Spark?

Well, in the same way that a Cooper Mini is "basically the same" as a Kenworth Semi (they have motors, they have wheels, they go on the highway) a Magfire is the same as a Boyscout Hot Spark.

The Magfire metal is a totally different alloy, is MUCH more durable (The Magfire Standard is about 1/4" in diameter and the Magfire PRO is 3/8" in diameter) and is issued to soldiers in Nordic Countries.

You can (and I have) snap a BSA Hotspark in half just trying to generate a good sized spark, and the tiny handle is not good for my fat adult fingers. Sure, a hotspark is fun and all, and fits on a key chain, but it's not the sort of think I pack in a real PSK when help isn't two tents over. When I'm out in the woods, and being too cold means dying, I carry not only "classic" fire starting items (matches and a lighter) I make sure I have the most reliable backup fire starter I can carry - a Magfire Pro.

If it's metal and it burns, I've tried it, and that's why I've put my money where my mouth is, dropping serious cash importing a good supply of Magfire products and taking time away from my real job to sell them at retail and wholesale. I've never been a big product fan before, but this Magfire thing is something of an obsession for me, I guess.

I'm glad it worked for you, and I too carry a Magfire around and light things when I can. Practice, practice practice and soon you'll learn the fastest ways to get fire. I routinely get 1-strike fires on natual tinders now that I've gotten the sparking technique really down. Stuff that I used to struggle with lights up.

So, thanks for the product endorsement and keep sparking away - so you wear out your Magfire and buy another one!

Is there much point in carrying that striking thing? It just seems like clutter. Can you use a pocket knife instead? Would it mess up the knife edge? How does this Countycomm thing compare?

http://countycomm.com/FIRESTARTER.htm

Paul,

The CountyComm metal match is a much softer and more porous alloy than the MagFire. The MagFire is well built with attention paid to detail, not on being the lowest bidder for a military contract.

Your best bet on a striker is to carry a jigsaw blade or a piece of hacksaw blade - using the SPINE as the striker. Any ferrocerium rod is a metal alloy, and, if you use your knife edge as a scraper, you're looking for trouble. Many knives out there right now have adequately sharp spines which will strike a great spark - the Al Mar SERE 2000, the Fallkniven Model P and Model U2, Benchmade Griptilian, Spyderco Native are some examples. Other knives, like the Victorinox Swiss Army Knives or Leatherman Tools have implements which make great strikers - ie. awls and saw spines or files.

Experiment and you'll find an adequate striker. Typically, if the blade spine will shave away material from your thumb nail, it will scrape a spark from a ferro rod...

M

I almost forgot - I have two CoComm metal matches sitting broken on my workbench right now. One snapped in two on about the 10th or 12th strike, the other popped it's handle and needs to be refitted to a new handle...

M

Thanks for the info Mike.

How does a Magfire compare to a Swedish Firesteel. ("Army" model)

The MagFire Pro and the Swedish LightMyFire Army Model are similarly sized and very similar in appearance. The MagFire seems harder and less porous - probably due to a different alloy mix...

M