Ferro rods...

[Martyn]

This tip was originally posted on BcUK by Bear Stone and it's so effective I thought I would reproduce it here.

The traditional method, I belive, is to prepare your tinder, then using the spine of your knife, hold the knife (edge up, spine down) with a straight arm, 2" or so above the tinder. Keeping yout knife arm straight and still, sharply drag the ferro rod accross the spine of the knife towards yourself, throwing a well targetted and concentrated shower of sparks directly over the tinder. Remember, move the rod accross the knife, dont drag the knife accross the rod. This method seems to work well for most people in most circumstances.

But there is more than one way to skin a rabbit.

Sometimes, if the conditions are windy or damp, or your tinder isn't the best, or sometimes just because... the above method doesnt work too well.

Bear Stone posted this method which, ...well give it a go.

-------------------------------------------
Have you ever showered your dry tinder with sparks over and over but for some reason it won't catch?
Okay,
1. Hold the firestick in your fingers in such a way that you can place your thumb on the striking surface.

2. Place some tinder between your thumb and the firestick.

3. Place your knife across the tinder and the firestick and lift your thumb; so now your knife is holding the tinder against the firestick.

4. With a little more pressure than usual, strike, taking the tinder with the knife - it's so much more efficient.

This also works with thicker heavier tinder than usual. For example; dry leaves. Simply put a small dry leaf under the knife and it will catch.

How do we know if the leaf is dry enough?

1. If you can crumple the leaf in your hand it is wet.

2. If the leaf breaks up in your hand it is dry.
-------------------------------------------

This is suprisingly effective. The method differs from the earlier one, in that you move the knife over the rod, keeping the rod still. The tinder under the knife will burst into flame, so you'll have to be quick to move the burning tinder to your tinder ball or kindling. You dont have to shread the tinder, just use a solid piece, a leaf, a piece of birch bark, or piece of paper - it'll catch light. I tried this at home with a piece of 80 gram printer paper and it burst into flame.

Here's a pic to illustrate the method...

http://www.britishblades.com/pics/wow.jpg

Give it a go, you'll be amazed.

Also, if your tinder is really crappy, and the conditions are not too windy, you can try very gently "shaving" the ferro rod with the spine of your knife. The object is to get a little pile of ferro shavings, so DONT make the rod spark. Just very gently scrape the rod to get the shavings. When you have a little pile, transfer to your tinder and throw a spark onto it. It'll ignite with a fierce and fizzling flame, much the same as Mg shavings. CAUTION, there is a very real risk of prematurely igniting the shavings though. If you accidentally create a spark while you're collecting them, the whole lot'll go up. So be careful.

I continue to be really impressed with the versitility of these little ferro rods. Amazing.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=9199114816719434291&hl=en-GB

[MagiKelly]

Hi Martyn

In your picture the paper is between the knife and the rod. Would that not stop the rod from sparking at all?

Regards

John

[Martyn]

No John, what seems to happen, is that the pressure you place on the paper with the knife spine, "cuts" a small nick in it as you strike. It then seems that the ferro particles shoot between the paper & knife through this small slit. All the sparks seem to collect in one small place and set the paper alight. It's *very* effective. Use this method for "hard to light" tinders, as very easily lit tinders can be lit in the normal way, and if you're not carefull you could end up with a ball of flames in your hand.

[Martyn]

In the pic below, you can see a piece of paper that failed to light on the first strike. You can see the cut made in the paper, by the pressure of the spine of the knife against the ferro rod, allowing the knife "through" to scrape the rod. You can also see the hot spot where the majority of the ferro sparks landed, which is where the paper would have caught alight had the strike been a good one.

http://www.britishblades.com/pics/wow1.jpg

Give it a go, but use heavy paper or something as it wont burn "that" easily, giving you chance to get the hang of it. If you try it with cotton wool, you'll have a ball of fire in your hands on the first attempt. Basically, this is an alternate method, for thicker or harder to light tinders, or tinders that have had less preparation than normal. For stuff that goes up easily, the usual method is better. As Bear Stone suggests, it's good, quick method, for use with dry leaves, pieces of paper or unshredded birch bark or something.

[Martyn]

Oh, and in case anyone still thinks you need carbon steel to get sparks from a ferro rod, this thread (http://www.bushcraftuk.co.uk/community/viewtopic.php?t=1024) on BcUK revealed the following....


Any knife with a sharp ground spine. (excellent)
Brass screws. (mediocre)
Real flint. (excellent)
Broken Glass (good)
House Bricks (excellent)
Broken glazed pottery. (good)
Sandpaper. (variable, depending on grit)
Anodized, knurled maglite body. (very poor)
Cobalt reamer. (excellent +++)
Tungsten carbide burnisher. (excellent +++)
Titanium alloy ring. (excellent)
Slate. (good)
Granite. (good)
Iron pyrite. (good)


I'm sure there are more things that would work, but it effectively dispels the myth about carbon steel, and hopefully makes people "think out of the box" with regards to strikers - material type is irrelevant, the only criteria is hard & sharp.

[Adi007]

If you put the tinder between the rod and a hacksaw blade, the serrations bite through the tinder and light it faster. The teeth probably shred the tinder more so it catches the spark easier.

[Bear Stone]

Hi fellas,
It's good to see my tip with the ferro rod getting around. The tip from Adi007 about using a hacksaw blade is great too - having tried it, I found the saw more forgiving than the blade - nice one Adi007 :biggthump
A short time ago I did some research on people who have paid the ultimate price in wilderness/survival situations. I was shocked to say the least. In one park in the US nearly 1000 people died in less than a five year period. Some of these may not have died if they had the means to make fire.
I wanted to do something. I got to thinking about a tool that could be used in conjunction with a ferro rod - sparks in one end flame out the other.
When I've thought it out and made it, it will need testing. Can I ask some of you guys to help with this?
I have no interest in marketing what I make - some one else can have the hassle of that if they want. I just want to do something to help.
So, if I make several of whatever I come up with, can I send some out to you guys for testing?

Bear Stone

[Adi007]

I'd be happy to try it out!

[MagiKelly]

I have found out what my problem was. I have just recently recieved a Allan Blade Bushcrafter (which is just the dogs :censored: ). It is a terrific knife and I expect it to be my only knife but I expect you all said that at some point. Anyway it seems its one failing is that it is not very good at casting sparks. I was struggling away with the new method when I decided to try using my Mora Clipper (yes I know more than one knife already). Bingo! Success. The Mora throws great sparks. I did file the back slightly on the Mora when I first got it to make sure it would perform well with the rod.

So my question is, how do I get the Bushcrafter to throw better sparks? I have so far tried removing the coating from the back and the side that is in contact with the rod. I have also filed the back slightly but it did not make a huge difference. It does have a square back but the Mora has a slight lip that really digs into the rod.

Regards

John

[Martyn]

You've answered your own question John.

The factors are hardness and shapness or bite. You AB knife should easily be hard enough to cast a lovely shower of sparks, but if it has a coating, or even a very slight rounding of the spine, it's effectively blunt. Even though it may look square to the eye, it's like the difference between a sharp knife and a dull one. As you've correctly identified, an object that will *bite* will work better, just make your AB knife bite. It's up to you whether you do it or not, but if you want the AB knife to cast good sparks, you need to give it an aggressively square spine - that'll mean filing it square.

[Tantalus]

great idea bear :You_Rock_

some kind of passaround maybe?

Tant

[MattW]

That is a great technique :biggthump
I almost set fire to myself last night using tissue paper (the stuff used to wrap china etc) between the rod and the knife (does that stuff burn fast).
It's also the only reliable way to get my smaller than normal ferro rod to work (why did I buy that :( ) - I wish I'd found out about this years ago!
best
Matt

[MagiKelly]

Okay. Stipped the coating of the blade of my Bushcrafter. Not much improvement in the ferro striking. Filed a section of the back of the blade and got some improvement. Actually there is a section of the back about 1 inch from the tip that is great for striking. This is fine for the normal technique but not the new one as I would have to grip the blade and unless no one knows it is ruddy sharp. So rather than go mad filing the back of my blade I tried using a small section of old hack saw blade. Suffice to say this works a treat. In fact it seems that the hacksaw blade shaves some of the ferro into the tinder before igniting it. The tinder goes up with a kind of fizz and sparking.

So I now have a great way of lighting tinder in even the worst conditions and all I have to take is a small section of hacksaw blade. So how come I feel like a failure because I can't strike it on the back of my knife? Comments please. And remember I only got the bushcrafter a few weeks ago so I am still a little reluctant to go mad filing lots of the back or putting grooves on it. Plus I only have an old rusty file and a couple of waterstones (1000 & 4000)

aTdHvAaNnKcSe

John

[Martyn]

The only answer then John, is to go use your knife, make it work for it's keep. In a few months, you'll be past the stage where you dont want to mark it, and then get stuck in with the files. Borrow some off someone if your own are not up to the job. Alternatively, carry the hacksaw blade, it seems as though it's a good alternative, for the "bearstone method" at least. Though it does strike me (no pun intended) as something else to carry - though not much.

[boaty]

Really John, it's OK not to use your knife to strike your firesteel!

If I'm carrying my knife with a laminated blade :approve: then the rod is harder than the outer laminates and it won't spark - yet all is not lost!

I have a very handy (not to mention tiny and light!) tungsten carbide burnisher that is a useful field-sharpening tool and strikes enormous wodges of sparks; I don't have a knife that compares

So I tuck the firesteel and the burnisher in the shoulder pocket of my parka, safe in the knowledge that it ain't going to be a lack of sparks that'll stop me lighting a fire :biggthump

(BTW thanks to the Boss for initiating the thread on interesting things to scrape agin your firesteel - I would otherwise have gone through life with measly sparks :D )

[missing link]

Great post! I'll have to try it out. If any of you are looking for a good tinder try:

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/penrith_survival/pages/moreinfoa.asp?pe=HBJAAAQ_+Maya+Sticks&cid=55

Penrith Survival are selling Maya Sticks, high resin wood that burns fast. £2.50 per bag!

Loaded with resins that ignite instantly, Fatwood is nature's best kindling. Cut from pine stumps burns with an intense heat. Gets fires going quickly, even when your firewood is damp.

[MagiKelly]

More questions (obviousley I know the answers and am just asking to keep the thead going :wink: )

First what is a tungsten carbide burnisher, where do you get them and how much do they cost. After I post this I will have a look on the Axminster site so I may have the answer by then. Also is it that much better than a hacksaw blade? If it is I imagine you could do away with tinder and just light wood direclly from it.

Now my logic tells me to just carry the hacksaw blade. It is light as a feather and takes up almost no space but I really would like to use the back of my blade. I have no issues with filing the back of the blade, I am just concerned that if I am not preparing it correctly I could be filing away metal for no appreciable gain. So what is the best way to file the back and with what? Obviousley it has to be square. Should I be using a rough file to get a slightly serated edge or even using a hacksaw (we all know I have a blade for it) to cut ridges in it.

I have seen a few people mentioning grinding the back of their blade to use a firesteel, is this the same thing as filing and if not what is the difference?

Over to you

John

[Martyn]

Quick question, is your blade differentially tempered? I dont think it'll make much difference really, but it might.

boaty is right, tungsten carbide, or cobalt machine bits are amazing. They're very sharp and very hard. I have only tried them on thier own, but should work fine with the "bear stone" method.

[MagiKelly]

Hi Martyn

I think it is differentially tempered but am not 100% sure.

When I was thinking about carbide bits I suddenly remembered that when we were stripping the paint from the woodwork in our hall I had a scraper with a tungsten carbide blade. As it happens I have a spare blade I never used. It is about 50mm long, 8mm wide and 4mm thick. A cutting edge on both sides. It cost a couple of quid and sparks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good grief. Of course I think I will probably only get about 50 strikes out of my firesteel instead of 10000 but I have no concerns about lighting a fire. The only problem was finding a way to carry it. I cannot drill a hole in it so eventually taped (with electrical tape) a length of thin leather cord to it.


John

[boaty]

When I was thinking about carbide bits I suddenly remembered that when we were stripping the paint from the woodwork in our hall I had a scraper with a tungsten carbide blade. As it happens I have a spare blade I never used. It is about 50mm long, 8mm wide and 4mm thick. A cutting edge on both sides. It cost a couple of quid and sparks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good grief. Of course I think I will probably only get about 50 strikes out of my firesteel instead of 10000 but I have no concerns about lighting a fire. The only problem was finding a way to carry it. I cannot drill a hole in it so eventually taped (with electrical tape) a length of thin leather cord to it.


Yes, it's an eye opener allright, when suddenly you get a shower when before you got a dribble :D

Your scraper blade sounds very like the tool I use, except mine has an aluminium handle. If I were you I'd carve a nice hardwood handle with a groove into which you can stick (with shellack of course :rolleyes: :D ) the blade

[SgtMike88Ret]

Gents,

Using the toothed side of a hacksaw blade is needlessly destructive to a ferro rod. Using the squared spine of a high speed tool steel hacksaw, jigsaw, or other similar saw blade produces showers of sparks. Want a multi-purpose striker? Try the blade spine on the simple, underrated and overlooked Opinel - the Opinel will throw showers of sparks ...

Mike

[cdf]

You Bushcraft Tpes are extremey Ferro rod literate . I always crry one when afield . I,m a fly fisherman as well as a knife addict , in some parts of Ontario compasses are for adult entrtainment only . Getting bushed is a real possability and a nite out in the bush ( unplanned ) is always possable .I,m gratefull for the input . In these circumstances I usually go with a SAK , a high end folder & a Garfors Burks hatchet . In a pinch you could build a mid sized condo with that lot . Generally the ministry of natural resourses and the provincial police would prefer to search for a well prepared survivor . With this in mind we have a number of community colledges that teach courses in bushcraft. Are any of you folks flyfishers ? I,m comming to the U.K. may or june and may try to wet a line . (I,m guessing it,s pretty pricey . )

[Tantalus]

Great post! I'll have to try it out. If any of you are looking for a good tinder try:

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/penrith_survival/pages/moreinfoa.asp?pe=HBJAAAQ_+Maya+Sticks&cid=55

Penrith Survival are selling Maya Sticks, high resin wood that burns fast. £2.50 per bag!

Loaded with resins that ignite instantly, Fatwood is nature's best kindling. Cut from pine stumps burns with an intense heat. Gets fires going quickly, even when your firewood is damp.

gotta argue on this one
birch bark peeled from the tree in thin layers and crumpled into a small pile will light easily and burn even after its been dunked in water
just find a birch tree and help yourself
the ideal tinder imho
Tant

[narsil]

mind you don't kill the tree though

[Tantalus]

mind you don't kill the tree though

nah just peel the papery stuff off, it doesnt harm the tree honest
the thinner the better
and it lights even when soaking wet
Tant

[boaty]

I've just discovered a use for the SpyderHole - insert firesteel and away you go, you don't even need to open the knife!

The VG10 steel in the passaround Scorpius I've got at the moment throws great sparks

[hootchi]

I like the method of creating a hollow in your tinder, then slowly scraping powder off the firesteel into the hollow, without sparking it yet! arrange some tinder over the shavings and strike sparks onto the shavings. Stand Back! the tinder will light

[naughty boy]

let me just agree with the opinel knife reply.these knives are super and i use my no 12 to produce a rediculous amount of sparks. :)

[Kellam]

I have found out what my problem was. I have just recently recieved a Allan Blade Bushcrafter (which is just the dogs :censored: ). It is a terrific knife and I expect it to be my only knife but I expect you all said that at some point. Anyway it seems its one failing is that it is not very good at casting sparks. I was struggling away with the new method when I decided to try using my Mora Clipper (yes I know more than one knife already). Bingo! Success. The Mora throws great sparks. I did file the back slightly on the Mora when I first got it to make sure it would perform well with the rod.

So my question is, how do I get the Bushcrafter to throw better sparks? I have so far tried removing the coating from the back and the side that is in contact with the rod. I have also filed the back slightly but it did not make a huge difference. It does have a square back but the Mora has a slight lip that really digs into the rod.

Regards

John

if it is diff tempered the spine may be too soft to cast sparks well RW 50 will cast sparks but v poorly

[MagiKelly]

Actually I think I have found the problem. There was a problem with the tempering of my blade. With use I found the edge was rolling slightly in places, by a very small amount but still noticable. When I asked Allan about this he immediately said it should not be happening and that he would make a replacement as he only wanted people to have his best work. When he recieved my original knife back he confirmed that there had been a problem with the tempering. I have been in contact with him recently and my new Bushcrafter should be winging its way to me as we speak.

They say that you can only tell how good someone is to deal with when there is a problem. If this is the case then I can confirm that in my experiance Allan Blade is someone who is good to deal with :biggthump

Of course now I can't wait to give the new knife a real hard testing.

[Tao_Shan]

I've just discovered a use for the SpyderHole - insert firesteel and away you go, you don't even need to open the knife!

SOG field knife has a similar sized lanyard hole. I have considerd doing the same...

[hootchi]

I was wondering how hard it is to temper a piece of high carbon steel to be able to strike it with a flint and creat sparks.

[PS_Bond]

Very, very easy. Get it to non-magnetic and hold it for a while; you're looking a for a lot of grain growth (unlike knives); then quench it in water. Grind off the decarbed surface and you have an excellent striker. No tempering required.

Of course, you can strike sparks off a knife too - but if I had the option of not doing so, I'd take it.

[hootchi]

What do you mean by grain growth is that something that shows the steel is high carbon or does it appear after heating when ready to quench? :thanks:

[PS_Bond]

Effectively, if you keep it at heat for a while, you can end up with large grains in the crystal structure of the steel. We don't want that in knife blades, as it makes for a weaker structure overall. But you get much fatter sparks off it...

Springs & files are the classics for strikers.

[Dave Budd]

I've just made two strikers fro a friend out of 3mm thick O1. I figured that the harder the better, but being a knife maker I was reluctant to leave the steeels untempered. So I tempered them to about 60RC.

I found that the best preparation for the striking edge was to run it along a coarse bench grinder. the agressive edge rips bits of flint (and sparks) off the piece like nobodies bizniz!

They were great! But... I found the quality of the flint made one heck of a difference. Best knapping quality black flint from Beer (somerset) versus shoreline grey flint from surrey, the beer dlint came out tops.

[kiwi197]

Anyone got a picture and statistics of the Allan Blade Bushcrafter they can post?

[hootchi]

There is a picture in the gallery. If you search under bushcrafter you should find it and his website is
http://www.bladecutlery.com/bladecutlery_004.htm
which shows the same knife and others under different sections.
hope this helps

hootchi

[MagiKelly]

Some specs and info here

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1902&highlight=bushcrafter

[AGREATSCOT]

Hello,
I am a new member and this is my first post. I have been a lurker here but this thread was so interesting I had to join!
Alan Blade does differential heat treating. The blade side is RC 59-60 and the spine of the blade RC 54-55, if I am remembering correctly from a email from Allan.
I use the Swedish fire steels that have the attached striker.
Thanks for the details on different strikers, I will be trying some.

Peter

[Chux]

Welcome to the forum Peter.

[Carcajou]

Saygo!, I am new to this forum, and to the British way of posting. A method I use to ensure the ignition of the tinder is to use "dryer lint" that I carry in a 35mm film container in my fire pouch. i shred the lint to allow as much air to get to it and shower it with sparks from the flint and steel or a ferro rod. Here we use catail fuzz (bull rushes?) a lot, as it is in abundance and will ignit explosively. Puting the knife blade closer to the tinder pile and pulling the ferro rod away will allow better control of the direction of the jet of sparks, avoiding the upset of the tinder and kindling.
just a thought

[jakunen]

Here we use catail fuzz (bull rushes?) a lot, as it is in abundance and will ignit explosively.
Cat-tail rush is actually reedmace.
Why everyone calls it bulrush I have no idea (but it really annoys me being a keen plant-lore person)
Reedmace/Cat-tail rushhttp://www.yoxio.com/img/53886.jpg
Bulrsuhhttp://www.yoxio.com/img/53885.jpg

[Gary]

it picked up the name Bulrush after a very famous painting called Moses in the Bulrushes showed the said Moses being found in the cattails!

:twak:

[Wayne D]

hi all,
on the subject of hacksaw blades and firestrikers!

When I was in the R.A.F , in our survival packs issued to our pilots there was a firestriker on a short cord with a piece of hacksaw blade attached to the other end of the cord, the saw had its back spine sharpened so it could be used as a small knife and the teeth of the hacksaw was what was taught to use for striking sparks on all the E & E courses.

[Pict]

I have had very good results with the can opener of my SAK and the backside of the serrated blade on my Leatherman Wave. The Leatherman blade makes the ferro rod spark like the 4th of July...

I've toyed with the idea of filing a small, sharp edged half-moon notch in the spine of a knife near the handle. I think this would give maximum contact with the round rod and also concentrate the shower of sparks.

Many knives have a small set of grooves at the base of the blade to provide grip for the thumb. As long as they have sharp edges many of these will produce a shower of sparks as well. They will do "hacksaw" type damage to the rod. Mac

[Mr_Yarrow]

Where do I get a Ferro rod from? I saw one on Bear Claws site but wasnt sure if that was the same thing you were talking about in this thread.

What are they made of that makes them ignite in themselves, (the scrapings), as well as sparking when struck by a sharp edge?

Also, given there combustible nature, howe would you advise sawing through one if I wanted to make it small enough to fit a certain container etc?

Ta

[Gary]

Where do I get a Ferro rod from? I saw one on Bear Claws site but wasnt sure if that was the same thing you were talking about in this thread.

What are they made of that makes them ignite in themselves, (the scrapings), as well as sparking when struck by a sharp edge?

Also, given there combustible nature, howe would you advise sawing through one if I wanted to make it small enough to fit a certain container etc?

Ta


Mr Yarrow, the rods arent combustilble by themselves they wont burst into flame.

They are an amalgamation of various metals which when struck create a very hot spark.

You could saw on ein half and you will get loads of sparks as you saw but it wont ignite the rod.

[fastbreak]

Also, given there combustible nature, howe would you advise sawing through one if I wanted to make it small enough to fit a certain container etc?


Their "combustable nature" requires considerable friction to create ultra fine shavings and heat. The rod can not burst in to flame, even if you put it on the fire, but rather like magnesium filings, very small particals will burn very brightly and with intense heat.

I wouldn't advise sawing a ferro rod in half. The sparks you produce will drive you mad.

The trick is to put the length of rod that you want to use in a leather lined bench vice. Tighten the vice, grip the bit of rod sticking out with a pair of pliers and snap it off.

It works a treat.

Have fun

Mike

[Mr_Yarrow]

cool, ta for the advice?

so where do i buy one? are the swedish fire steels you see sold everywhere nowadays the same thing?

[Damage1978]

It official these things are now gadgets. See HERE (http://www.gadgetstuff.com/product.asp?id=11004&random=573208035)

[Gary]

cool, ta for the advice?

so where do i buy one? are the swedish fire steels you see sold everywhere nowadays the same thing?


To the best of my knowledge they are start att he same source (manufacturer) so all rods are the same only the packaging and prices differ!

[Burless]

Erm....stupid question....what, exactly, does a tungsten carbide burnisher look like?!!?

Burless

Ps Smile, it makes people wonder what you've been up to! :D

[shannon]

also anyone try using a spider web when one can be found to keep tinder together in one spot it works

[Biddlesby]

Great idea!

I've been trying this technique, only just managed to get a bit of loo roll to light after about 10 strokes. Am getting plenty of sparks - but my rod was being worn down with no fire when i tried newspaper and printer paper. I must be doing something wrong but I wish i knew what!

[narsil]

you will struggle to light newsprint or printer paper with a ferro rod, those papers are very smooth so there are no little fibres to catch the sparks. A useful trick with any difficult tinder is to roll or ball it up and then scrape it with a knife to get a fine powder which should light very easily, bit of an effort but worthwhile if thats all you've got.

[Biddlesby]

I was not trying to light the paper merely by showering sparks on to it, I was putting it inbetween the knife and the firesteel, as in Martyn's first post, in which he says it is possible and implies it is easy :(.

http://www.britishblades.com/pics/wow.jpg

[alces alces]

OT

i think i may have found the best tinder of all

socks

i manged to light it with one strike
slight problem was it was still on my foot:sad52:
strangely i just felt a warm sensation on my foot
and than i saw the flame and waved my foot frantickly in the end it went out

and i still have the sock in question:rolleyes:

[MotorbikeMan]

OT

i think i may have found the best tinder of all

socks

i manged to light it with one strike
slight problem was it was still on my foot:sad52:
strangely i just felt a warm sensation on my foot
and than i saw the flame and waved my foot frantickly in the end it went out

and i still have the sock in question:rolleyes:
:lol: :lol:

[Bogflogger]

Superb!:O :C :lol: :lol:

[MotorbikeMan]

That should have gone into the Has anyone done anything stupid thread in the commons :D

[zombie]

I've found that a Anode rod from a Water heater has the same effect. This sounds strange but it works. In the US. "Dumping" illeagaly is still a big problem here & recycleing parts is a great way to help. The rod is made of a ferrous material to attract the hardwater deposits in our water. It makes a great sharpening tool as well as a great fire starter. Drag the rod down the blade, over the tender & whaa laa you have sparks & a base of embers to build a fire from. I don't know if the water heater tanks are the same over there, but I will be glad to send a anode rod over for you to experiment with.

[suwaqik]

I'm currently focused in on having a few options of starting fire. Some of the newer rods are better than the C steel and flint I bought several years ago and failed to get a good bunch of sparks recently when I brought it out from storage and lack of use-closeness. My solution was to purchase new flint and steel-no good either. So rods it was. They are great for my purpose.

[simca]

I've found that a Anode rod from a Water heater has the same effect. This sounds strange but it works. In the US. "Dumping" illeagaly is still a big problem here & recycleing parts is a great way to help. The rod is made of a ferrous material to attract the hardwater deposits in our water.

Yes, the boiler anode is made of magnesium, so it's as good as a mag. flint block.

[beachcaster]

I use my ferro rod with newspaper to light my fire woodburning stove most evenings.....by wrapping newspaper round the metal striker.........normally works in 4/5 strokes. If Im feeling lazy...I use my favourite tinder poked into the front of the prepared fire..........a pinch of BRASSO metal polish.......I guess its a cotton wool type material with a spirit polish in it . it catches first time with a ferro rod ...every time.....and burns for quite a while.
A tin of BRASSO .......dont leave home without it !!!!!!!

Barry

[Chris the Cat]

Vasaline,rubbed on any tinder (it is petroleum jelly after all!)
I carry one of those small round tins+cotton wool in my fire kit.

Regards.

C da C:)

[skippydm]

What do you guys use on the Firesteel/ ferro rods

it took ages to get a fire with the striker, My UKPK gets a better spark, the tenacious was rather shocking... usually i get a few sparks that go before they hit the floor, but these where still glowing on the floor, no dark patch on the blade like i got with the UKPK it literally launched the sparks...

What do you guys find the most effective. is it down to steel, spine edge, or technique?

[Prophecy]

What do you guys use on the Firesteel/ ferro rods

it took ages to get a fire with the striker, My UKPK gets a better spark, the tenacious was rather shocking... usually i get a few sparks that go before they hit the floor, but these where still glowing on the floor, no dark patch on the blade like i got with the UKPK it literally launched the sparks...

What do you guys find the most effective. is it down to steel, spine edge, or technique?

The Fallkniven F1 is excellent for the rods. I recall hearing that Carbon is the best - however my carbon Mora doesn't work at all. Maybe I'm wrong?

And technique - try using firm, slow movements with the striker when the rod is actually securely touching the tinder (ie, tinder on a rock and the rod resting in the middle of the bundle). I find that alot easier, and more accurate.

[yellowhammer]

The Fallkniven F1 is excellent for the rods. I recall hearing that Carbon is the best - however my carbon Mora doesn't work at all. Maybe I'm wrong?

And technique - try using firm, slow movements with the striker when the rod is actually securely touching the tinder (ie, tinder on a rock and the rod resting in the middle of the bundle). I find that alot easier, and more accurate.

Try filing the spine of your Mora so it has a flat top/sharp angle like the F1. Works a treat! :)

[Tony G]

Just a thought...Why not carry a lighter??

[Nick Steele]

Just a thought...Why not carry a lighter??


Cheatin'
:D

Am i correct in thinking that piece of flint or another hard mineral dragged over a piece of hardened carbon steel with big grains will produce sparks?

'Cos if it will, i've got plenty of O-1 scraps and minerals bits.

[khimbar1]

Just a thought...Why not carry a lighter??

Drop in water and see...;)

[Grif]

when working in the pacific islands I had lots of hard wood off cut kwila "paia diwai"{fire wood}at the end of the day I found half a cup of petrol and a match to be an excellent fire starter

[lilzee]

anything hard and sharp'll do the trick. i think that flint+carbon steel will make a good spark, just firesteel is better.

back before my enlightenment, i used to use the actual blade of the knife for sparking. i harly noticed how dull it got because my knives were always dull back then. no i use the spine, and i don't let anyone try to spark with one of my knives, because, despite what i tell them in all my knifemaking wisodm, they always,always, always, ,use the edge. :mad: :rolleyes:

[chrispychris]

in answer to mr yarrows question earlier you can buy them in almost any outdoor shops like millets or blacks

[Drewster]

I got a scapel blade, like the type you can buy in craft stores and ground the sharp edge and all the pointed angles off with a bench grinder. There's already a hole in these blades for fixing into craft knife handles so i used that to thread the lanyard through. It works really well producing some good spark showers and its small and light enough not to make much of a difference.

:bushcraft:

I'm definately going to give the bearstone method a go too. Need something a bit bigger than the scalpel for this though :)

[USAhiker]

I apologize if someone has referenced this before, but the Doan tool? (http://www.1sks.com/store/doan-usgi-magnesium-firestarting-tool.html) it costs almost nothing and has a shave able magnesium block with it that pretty much takes care of the tinder problem, even it wet weather.

Now you still need a good knife.

Best,

Todd

[RobertRogers]

The only thing the scraper needs to do is to scrape off tiny pieces from the rod. That's it. The composition of the scraper does not matter at all - only its hardness and ability to remove metal.

[SIXFOOTER]

Anyone try to drill a hole in a ferro rod? Anything special to it?

[JJJ]

Has anybody bought firesticks from firesteel.co.uk?
I bought two and they are so hard to spark. I have used the back of almost every knife I own and the only thing that works well is a hacksaw blade or a file. Very frustrating!

jjj

[JJJ]

Firesteel.co.uk update:

after spending a bit more time with these firesteels and a slight adjustment to my technique, lo and behold I make fire.

I put my last post down to "user error". I will buy more steels to pimp.

jjj

[SIXFOOTER]

Anyone try to drill a hole in a ferro rod? Anything special to it?

Aparently you can drill them rather easily, just go slow and make sure the dripp press table is clean (no oil, shavings or the like)

[Ludwell01]

Can anyone point me in the direction of a very fat ferro rod?
The fattest I can find is 8mm but would like something larger for my next project.
15mm or more would be awesome.

Thanks :D

[FGYT]

shark tinder had some 19mm

link on my website

[Ludwell01]

Only just noticed your reply. Thanks Duncan.

[JonnyT]

Thats a really good tip, does anyone know of a good UK based website where I can buy replacement rods?

[Ren]

Thats a really good tip, does anyone know of a good UK based website where I can buy replacement rods?

http://www.sharkdesigns.co.uk/

[Firefly1]

I get mine from SharkTinder Box and the best I've foud are the PRO 4 "DURABLE" as this has I think more Magnesium and tends to throw molten balls of fire and is still quite easy to strike a spark the rod is 12.5mm dia x 100mm long they do a bigger one called the priest at 18mm x 130mm.
I'll load up a quick vid of me striking sparks with the PRO 4 and using a Mora Black as the striker.


http://www.sharkdesigns.co.uk/bushcraft/Products%20Folder/fire/Sparks/pyroflint_sas_and_pro4_durable.html
Firefly1

[Jumbo]

I get mine from SharkTinder Box and the best I've foud are the PRO 4 "DURABLE" as this has I think more Magnesium and tends to throw molten balls of fire and is still quite easy to strike a spark the rod is 12.5mm dia x 100mm long they do a bigger one called the priest at 18mm x 130mm.
I'll load up a quick vid of me striking sparks with the PRO 4 and using a Mora Black as the striker.


http://www.sharkdesigns.co.uk/bushcraft/Products%20Folder/fire/Sparks/pyroflint_sas_and_pro4_durable.html
Firefly1

This is the reason I love this forum! I'd never find things like anywhere else on-line.

I must have the "PRIEST"!!