the striking rod of my metal match give quite alot of spark, so you might be able to use that to start a fire wenn you run out of fuel

We have fixed the image links in Tom's post.

aluminimum and/or magnesium flakes are used in for the flecks used in some car finishes. An auto supply shop would have it tubes. Carry a little vial, and you have enough for three, four fires ready to go, or just one really big flash.

If you carry a multitool with a file try using that instead of the knife blade to make Magnesium scrapings. It is a bit easier to control the dispersion of the shavings as it is much easier to slowly file off the metal rather than slicing it off.<br><br>I also file a pile of shavings onto a piece of paper or large leaf or piece of bark to allow me to collect then in a dense pile before trying to ignite them with a spark.

A common solution is to get a coarse hacksaw blade and break it to be the same length as the MFS. Use the hole in the end of the saw blade to add it to the bead chain on the MFS.<br><br>You can use the saw blade to scrape the MFS. It makes consistent shavings it a relatively small area. I too collect my shavings on a leaf. Once the pile is large enough, I use the other side of hacksaw blade as a scraper on the striker. <br><br>Protects my knife. It also makes the MFS a complete package. Some people have been know to cut the MFS in half length wise to make it smaller and easier to pack.<br><br>One person took the half without the striker, cut a groove along its length, and superglued some zippo flints along the groove. Now he had 2 MFS. <br><br>Don't forget to coat the MFS with nail polish, laquer, or other covering to keep oxygen away from the magneisum. Otherwise it will oxidize and you will have a white sandy - powdery coating on your MFS. It does not effect the ability of the MFS to work, it just make a mess in your kit.

Luister Boertjie the real easy way to shave a magnesium block is to hold your blade or scraping tool at 90 degrees to the block and scrape away. Try shaving it in a bowl or container this will stop it from blowing all over the place.<br>Regards<br>DieselDave

Agreed. Don't try to cut if off like you are whittling a stick, just use the edge of the blade (I use a piece of hacksaw) at a right angle to the block...

>>>A common solution is to get a coarse hacksaw blade and break it to be the same length as the MFS. Use the hole in the end of the saw blade to add it to the bead chain on the MFS.<<<<br><br>I added a strip of duct tape along the blade edge to prevent the teeth from tearing my fanny pack/bum bag.

Actually, I am impressed by Ranger Ricks necklace. I made an aborted attempt at marketing a PSK some time ago. It isn't easy putting anything even decent, let alone state of the art on the market. His booklets are well known and appreciated.