Truthfully, the majority of the time here in So Cal, I never light a fire. It isn't even legal to smoke in most of the places I end up bushwhacking around. However, occasionally I will take my Trangia alcohol stove along on a hike to heat up some soup, coffee or whatever. I don't use any kind of flame producing device to light the alcohol. The best device for that I've found is this:



It's a Coleman lantern spark igniter, and it throws a big fat spark within a gnat's eyelash of exactly where you want it with a short quick twist of that knurled knob on the left end. It even stores spare flints inside that knob. It's cheap, effective, and I have several of them. There's little or no risk of knocking over my stove like there might be with a metal flint stick and striker, and like I say, there's no stray spraying of sparks all over the place, just one nice big reliable fat spark right at the end opposite the knurled knob. Ideal for lighting the Trangia burner, or throwing a spark precisely into fibers in a frizzed up cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly, or other prepared tinder. I've even used it to set pieces of jute cord on fire to light a campfire with. And, it's nearly indestructible.

Oh, and just for grins, with every spark it also creates the world's most perfect smoke ring.

That's about $4 on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-829C705-Lant-Spark-Igniter/dp/B001CEMK1K

I guess that makes the Survival Spark overpriced at $19.
http://www.tripleaughtdesign.com/Equipment/Tools/Survival-Spark

sotto..i of course fold the striker in half with the rough bit to the inside so a bad move taking a match out will not strike a light.other methods have been to glue a bit of striker to the inside of the jar lid but that was sort of a short area to strike the match so i went back to the folded strip.a candle stub fits into the jars i use and keeps the matches from moving around and damaging the heads which are always kept down so if you pluck the match out with wet fingers your not taking it by the head.i took a pack of paper matches on a couple canoe trips just to see how long they lasted just carried around in a shirt pocket.by the second evening they were almost useless,the striker strip seemed to fail first.old,really old matches might really be the best.Dillon Wallace in his second book,the first being The Lure Of the Labrador Wild,tells of a canoe upset in the rapids of the George River.in that second book The Long Labrador Trail he tells of how he got a fire going that saved his life and that of his canoe mate by using a old phosphorus match--his last--when the new ones,this is 1910 or so,"buttered" on a rock when he struck them.

Canoedogs:

Those are the coolest books.

And, you said the magic word: candles. Love 'em. Should be in everyone's PSK. I like the trick birthday candles you can't blow out. Hint: spit puts 'em out.

"Screw matches- I gotta get me some of that Thermite!"

Have a word with Blast -- he probably buys it in bulk!


Sotto: just lick your thumb and forefinger and pinch them out.

Sue

Thermite.

I used to use Cadweld to make field connections on in-ground copper ground arrays. Cadweld is essentially thermite and powdered copper that produces a flow of molten copper when ignited. You place the copper cables, large copper cables, you want to connect into a carbon mold, load the Cadweld and ignite. When it works it produces a solid cast copper connection that is mechanically and electrically strong, and largely immune to corrosion. A thing of beauty.

If it goes wrong, the most common fault being the presence of moisture that flashes to steam when the molten copper hits it, it explodes with liquid copper and bits of carbon block as shrapnel. Explosions vary from a petulant 'pop', to people potentially getting seriously hurt 50' away. Cadwelding connections in the rain can be quite a thrilling game. If the Cadwelding doesn't bite you there are fair odds that the torches you use to dry the cables and molds are out to get you.

Good times.

I guess you could carry a couple of Cadweld charges for fire starting but even the small ones are about two ounces and you have to ignite the charges. We used spark ignitors, same spark guns used by welders to ignite their torch, or electrical ignitors, essentially the same system used by model racketeers. Total weight for two or three tries would weigh considerably more than a couple of Bics, a full match safe, and a ferro rod or three ... combined.

Military issue thermite or white phosphorus grenades would work, and have been used, but the National Parks Service generally frowns on their use. That, and they exclusively single-use items that weigh close to two pounds each. A butane lighter gives you many more fires per pound, but with far less fun.

Some folks get to have ALL the fun.

Thermite put onto Green wood & Moist soil/Stones underneath,Could very well,End your attempts to Survive!White phosphorous Grenades,Explode,Period!It would be safer to pull a bullet from the casing,& dump the powder on the tinder,then fire the primer onto it,& That isn't Recommended or safe Either!Strike Anywhere Matches can be safely lit,On a Closed Zipper,You can also use a Knife blade,By Skinning the blade,Atop the Match,Fingernails/Teeth Also work,Just Remember that the Match,More often than Not,Emit Hot magma!All you really have to do is Disturb the white-tip a bit,Even a wet rock will suffice,As long as It's not Dripping wet!When Pulling matches from the box,Look for the Matches with the Most white on the tip,Simple!

You guys are sucking all the fun out of thermite!

I believe I would like to have a thermite matchstick. A whole box of thermite matchsticks.

Entrepreneurs, are you listening?

Remember, you read it here first.

Copyright, sotto, 10-30-10. ;-)