Greetings,

I am putting together a more robust fire starting kit and at the point of purchasing a firesteel.

The current model peaking my interest is the Light My Fire Army model, though it is more difficult to locate online and isn't offered through my normal purchasing channels (actually Brigade QM has it but it's out of stock).

I did find what seems to be the nice 1/2" blank style from Going Gear, but I have never ordered from them before. This plain larger size is what I am looking for.

Does anyone use a plain larger size rod and know a good location to purchase from? I searched the past year of posts and mainly found entries on the LMF scout models.

Thanks!

I have a larger rod that isn't part of my carry gear. It's 4 inches long and 5/8 inches diameter. No handle or anything, just the rod and a TSA-friendly scraper. Picked it up from Learn to Return Training Systems for $14 a few years back.

http://www.survivaltraining.com/

Even though they don't have any gear listed on the website, they do offer a handful of select items. Inquire about the "large metal match." Take a look at the courses too, they're a top-notch group.

Standard disclaimer applies.

REI has this really beefy one from LightMyFire: http://www.rei.com/product/762947. Nice thing about REI is that they will ship for free if you pick it up at one of their stores. Of course, that's not very helpful if there's no REI around, but it is nice if you live relatively close to one. And besides what a good excuse to visit an outdoors store.

This place Base Gear has them. I have purchased from them once and they were very efficient. Their prices were good and I believe they offer free shipping for orders over $50. The Army version is $15.95.

Other than ordering from them once, I have no affiliation.

Nice call on the 4" inquiry rod, that sounds like the size I am looking for. I will send them an email.

Jim that LMF BBQ models looks just like the Army rod, just with a larger handle for backyard ease of use. I could probably saw that down or maybe even hollow out the handle and put a kit inside it! I do have an REI about 30 mins from me and I am a member.

Thanks for the base gear link also, $16 seems fair.

I emailed the author of a book where I saw a nice 4" X 1/2" plain rod and we'll see if he gets back to me on a supplier. I'll report back with my findings.

You could try these guys

http://www.ferrocerium.com/main.sc;jsessionid=1DBCB8AF0C16DD3C905213465EFE3D07.qscstrfrnt04

HERE They also have one without a hole, and many other sizes.

My REI is about 15 miles away. Not terribly far. But when I think about it, 15 miles x 2 = roundtrip, divided by 18mpg in my truck, times $3.25 per gallon for gas (gas has come down lately), =~ $6. About the cost of shipping most items directly to my house. :-(

But if I'm going to the REI store anyway to pick up other items that they carry locally, I have them ship the online-only items to the store ahead of time so I can get everything a cheaply as possible in one trip. It's always fun to go down to the REI Flagship Store in Denver anyways, just to wander around and look at everything.

The animated GIF image on their website makes me want to run for the bandaids! I've always used the "put the knife to the rod, keep the knife in place, and pull back on the rod" method. Those wild strikes with the knife just make me say "ouch"!

The large rods are rather expensive, and if you're sure you need those, well then they'll be good. I wanted some big ones awhile back, but cringed at the price and chickened out!

What I've found is, if I use palm, finger, and (opposite hand) thumb pressure, I really don;t need a long rod. THis is opposed to using arm muscles which, for me, usually ends up with the knife scattering or otherwise messing up the tinder pile.

I use the 4" x 1/4" rods from BensBackwoods.com. I think you can get 10 for about $15, bit it's been awhile so don;t hold me to that. Then I glue them into wood, bone, and antler...



Usually if I re-handle a knife or put a handle on a blank blade, I'll make the firesteel holders out of that wood.

Stretch,
Nice looking work.

Do you epoxy the rods into the handle?

Thanks David. Yes, Bob, I epoxy them with 60 minute (slow set) after cleaning the rod with denatured alcohol. I switched from 5 minute epoxy when a rod or two came loose, but I haven;t had a problem with slow set...yet.

Thanks for the additional tips everyone. The ferrocium.com operation seems to be located in my home state. It looks like they are a mom and pop that imported a few cases of rods. I sent them an email to check restock status.

The Camping Survival link is basically exactly what I am looking for, though $25 is sort of top end, not sure what their shipping cost is. This appears to be another Chinese import.

That's a nice DIY technique Stretch. It looks like the scout sized blanks are $30 per 10 at Ben's. I wonder where he gets them because he specifically mentions them not being Chinese "knock-offs". Can anyone confirm that the Light My Fire steels are made in the US or Sweden and not with metal rods that are Chinese in origin?

I am unfamiliar with the standard metal composition of established ferrocium rods but the ones I have seen coming from Chinese metal companies are high mischmetal, iron and magnesium just like they should be. I have seen blatant Hong Kong LMF knockoffs on Ebay but it's the handle and striker that look cheap, not the rod itself.

HERE are more.

Blanks... I'm liking the looks of these.

I wish I'd known about them sooner.

Thanks!

I got a 3/8" by 4" from BassPro, It had a plastic staghorn handole so total of 8", I cut down to a 1" handle, It cost $14.00, even came with a file like striker. Other wise do a search on e-bay and your find 1/4" rod for about $1.50 each.
Cheers

As in all things EBAY, got them for about $1.50 each, 4 x 0.25.

cheers

An original source is FireSteel.com

Hi guys,

I'm the owner of Going Gear and also the guy selling a bunch of firesteel blanks on ebay. I was poking through my referral logs, and saw this thread. I thought I'd say hi and answer any questions that you might have about my or anyone else's firesteels. I have owned and used most of the ones out there, so hopefully I'll be able to share some knowledge I've gained.

Storl,

Hey, that's great of you to stop in!

-Blast

welcome newguy!!!

Stick around, I'd actually assumed you were here already and just were being quiet.

Yeah, I actually have been around for a while. I already spend too much time posting on forums, so I was trying to limit myself. My weak will lost again.

FIRST POST!

usaknifemaker has the cheapest prices, I looked and looked, even thought about exporting them, and their prices are almost the same as i could find direct from the manufacturer. $4 for a 3/8
x4" rod and $1.75 for a 1/4" x 3" rod and their shipping is fair. mark on the order exodus125 recommended him, maybe they will give me a discount the next time I order, lol.

I have some of the big ones from ferrocerium.com, and am having problems with them once I get past the surface and start scraping the interior. I'll do more testing, and post it when I have some quantifiable results.

In the meantime, the Swedish Army large ones have been good, as have the ones they use in Strike Force's and Blast Matches. If you don't like all that plastic, you can always remove the rod and re-handle them.