Field Expedient Fire Starting Methods

[The Stig]

Mitunnelrat's mention of using a condom to start a fire (FOUND HERE (http://www.fieldandstream.com/videos/fieldandstream/hunting/2009/08/start-fire-condom-and-water)) got me to thinking.....

How many different field expedient ways do you know to start a fire for cooking/survival?

Matches and lighters are obvious. A flint or magnesium fire starter are too.

Others?

[gunslinger80]

I know a piece of steel wool (sos pad) and a "D" battery will start a fire.

[bacpacker]

I saw a episode of Dual Survival last year where they used the reflector behind a car head light to focus the suns rays onto a pile of dry grasses. It fired up after letting the energy focus in one place for a period. of time.
Haven't had the chance to try it out myself.

[RedJohn]

In my backpack, I have a magnifying glass with a light. It will be used for that too. I also have a lighter, just in case. When I'llbe back on this side of the pond, I'll get something better and reliable despite the weather or light.

[LUNCHBOX]

I watched Survivorman start one by firing a bulletless brass into a pile of tinder. (of course he blew it everywhere the first couple of tries but it wirked)

[Chubbs]

http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h446/Chubbs83/bowdrilldemo.gif

[Chubbs]

Tried this as a kid but could never get it to work!



BOW DRILL

The bow drill is probably the most effective friction based method to use because it’s easier to maintain the speed and pressure you need to create enough friction to start a fire. In addition to the spindle and fireboard, you’ll also need a socket and a bow.

Get a socket The socket is used to put pressure on the other end of the spindle as you’re rotating it with the bow. The socket can be a stone or another piece of wood. If you use another piece of wood, try to find a harder piece than what you’re using for the spindle. Wood with sap and oil are good as it creates a lubricant between the spindle and the socket.

Make your bow. The bow should be about as long as your arm. Use a flexible piece of wood that has a slight curve. The string of the bow can be anything. A shoelace, rope, or strip of rawhide works great. Just find something that won’t break. String up your bow and you’re ready to go.

Prepare the fireboard. Cut a v-shaped notch and create a depression adjacent to it in the fireboard. Underneath the notch, place your tinder.

String up the spindle. Catch the spindle in a loop of the bow string. Place one end of the spindle in the fireboard and apply pressure on the other end with your socket.

Start sawing. Using your bow, start sawing back and forth. You’ve basically created a rudimentary mechanical drill. The spindle should be rotating quickly. Keep sawing until you create an ember.

Make you fire. Drop the ember into the tinder nest and blow on it gently. You got yourself a fire.

[RedJohn]

For the life of me, I have never been able to start a fire this way. I got burn traces, I got smoke but that is it. I know guys who start one using this method in seconds.

[mitunnelrat]

the bow drill method intimidates me. I think because I failed so much with it as a kid, lol... I'm gonna have to get past that this summer and see if I can't get it to work.

[Chubbs]

Yeah no luck here either. Tried it as a kid a bunch but I didn't have the patience I guess. I did get the magnifying glass to work though!

[TEOTWAWKI13]

I know a piece of steel wool (sos pad) and a "D" battery will start a fire.

I've never tried, or seen a D battery work this way, a 9V battery will because the postive and negative are so close together.

[Twitchy]

If your lucky, you may be able to find a flint rock and use a knife or similar to create sparks to ignite tinder...

[bacpacker]

When using the bow & drill method, make sure the drill is made from a hardwood, oak, maple, cherry. Then the base board, where the drill contacts to generate the heat, needs to be a softwood, pjne, poplar, hemlock. The hardwood drill will build heat quickly and wear the v-notch down and form a hot pile of residue. This all needs to be worked out onto a very fine pile of tinder like a cotton ball with petroleum jelly, or dryer lint. As soon as the enbers hits, start blowing gently to bring this up to a flame.

When making the v notch, don't cut to deep, you only want enough space for the bot material being generated by the drill to trickle out onto the tinder. One other thing to remember,this is one of the most labot intensive methods there are if your not super good at it and can make it happen quickly.

[RedJohn]

Good tips. I'll try again one day.

[bacpacker]

For me it's an ongoing thing. One time it works ok, next time not at all.

[Sniper-T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9tBXIbME5o&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]pencil on fire - YouTube

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and another...

[Sniper-T]

shit! I have a 1/2 dozen others... but it won't let me...

grrr

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIX0NEdij0&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]How to make a fire with 2 AA battery and gum paper - YouTube

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another...

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another...

[Sniper-T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp2kqvCN34I&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Free-World Fun In the Hooskow episode 1 - YouTube

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I don't know why, but when I reply to post (even advanced) it thinks I am editing my previous, and error-ing me out, saying I am posting 2 videos in the same post
???

wtf?

[Sniper-T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMOyydXUrYc&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]How to START A FIRE with a WATER BOTTLE - YouTube

[Sniper-T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAxCFZw_A3I&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Backpacker Survival Skills: Start a Fire with Your Cell Phone - YouTube

[Sniper-T]

This has been discussed before but worth a bump...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXDlSjZ5fgQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Dakota Hole Fire - YouTube

[Sniper-T]

Everyone should know this one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L60pzs7DiUE&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]How to make sparks, flame, fire without matches or lighter... Battery = Fire - YouTube

[Sniper-T]

Inspired by the pencil trick:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp5x3dzDR9U&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]light from pencil lead - YouTube

[Sniper-T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vAJUJPagEs&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]How To Make A Pencil Light - YouTube

[Evolver]

Good stuff and I like the water bottle the best.

[Sniper-T]

yeah, it is something that most people have, or at least have access to. Although a forked stick would free up your hands (and forehead) to work on your tinder.

[Gunfixr]

I actually have two Fresnel lenses. Supposedly they are great for fire starting, but I have yet to try one.
I originally got them for other purposes.

[Sniper-T]

^
Had to google that one! NEAT!!

sounds like an interesting story all around. what was the original plan? where'd you get them? ...

[realist]

Whatever happened to gasoline and a match?????????

The Fresnel lens work great. Also just a magnifying glass. Your glass will work also, so long as they aren't sunglasses.......

[Gunfixr]

Some guy I used to work with had a box of them. I got him to give me two.
Should've tried to get more.

As bind as I am, my glasses would probably start a fire in mere seconds.

[Sniper-T]

^
If that is truly the case then I hope you have spare sets of glasses kicking around!

[Gunfixr]

I always have spares.

I actually have a pair of recreational goggles, like sports players use, in my prescription.

[Sniper-T]

I am blessed with excellent vision... my wife, not so much. The biggest problem SHTF for her, is going to be how her prescription changes year to year. she could get by for a couple years on her 'old' glasses, but there will come a time that they will not be suffice anymore. other than happening to meet someone with an old set that is closer to what she needs than has, does anyone have any ideas?

[Gunfixr]

How bad are they? Can she "get by" with store bought reading glasses, or are they too strong/weak for her?

If they are too strong, just get some in different magnifications and put them away. If they are too weak, I don't really have any ideas, unless you know somebody with a stronger prescription who will give you their old glasses.

I'm kinda screwed. As I tell my friends, if SHTF, and my glasses get lost/broken, just put me behind something belt-fed, and point me in the right direction.

[Echo2]

You can get the Fresnel lenses at CVS or Walgreens....$3 to $4.

[bacpacker]

I hadn't noticed anyone mentioning a Flint and Steel. I just picked up one over the weekend and will try and get some use in the fall and winter to get profiecent with it.

[Gunfixr]

I have two of the Gerber Strike Force starters, and 2 or 3 gallon sized bags of dryer lint saved, so far. I only save from the towels, clothes have too many mixed fibers, not enough cotton.
Of course, tinder can be acquired in the field.
I also have a pretty good stock of US heat tablets.

[bacpacker]

All our bag's, vehicles, and several of our totes have blast match, or some type of striker type fire starter. I also have esbit fuel tabs, hexamine,and vasaline coated cotton balls spread around. Good idea on the dryer lint. Gotta start working on that.

[greg48]

i'll agree, the bow method failed me as well as a kid, maybe i was using the wrong wood?

alot of times working for uncle sam i used the liquid bug repellent to get the fire going, with a match or a magnesium fire starter, don't know if any commercial bug repellents will work to fuel a fire?

[Xzaniel]

I've had the good fortune to befriend a 'smith' down at a local campgrounds (70 miles out) he's a 'mountain man' almost his whole adult life (also army trained) he's shown me flint and steel and how to make char cloth how to gather tinder and use punky wood. And more.

The biggest problem I've seen with people and fires is that they try too fast to make them.

Slow meticulous shaving of the tinder getting a good 'birds nest' to hatch your spark on char, and having the wood stack already in place is essential...

The spark is easy. Nurturing that into a fire seems to be the problem for most.

That said I have several spark methods (maybe too many) but flint and steel is my first go to for a fire.

As far as dryer lint I've not had much success as a spark holder it'll burn but I like shaved wood for my birds nest.

Cheers X

[izzyscout21]

I like the old Boy Scout quick method.........

Firewater!

Yep........Coleman fuel and road flares were always prevalent on out troop campouts.

I remember somebody saying something about fire safety. I dunno, I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy burning off my eyebrows.:o

[DarkLight]

The scoutmaster used to complain about that being cheating and I always countered with "is it available? Then it isn't cheating!"

In fairness, I did have one of my graduating boys (Cub to Boy Scouts) start a fire with a Swedish fire steel, a best of dried grass and the cotton from a q-tip about 3 weeks ago. I was very proud.

[Xzaniel]

I alway use the most readily available source for my fire start... Then work my way down to the expendable items last. I'll try the flint & steel with char then work down to magnesium shavings then when all else fails I'll resort to trioxane tablet... So whatever work! But when it's gone it's gone.

[bacpacker]

In fairness, I did have one of my graduating boys (Cub to Boy Scouts) start a fire with a Swedish fire steel, a best of dried grass and the cotton from a q-tip about 3 weeks ago. I was very proud.

That is great stuff there DL.

[Grumpy Old Man]

I have a small container of FFFFg black powder for when all else fails.

[vukic]

You can use the bottom.of a coke can, shine it up, and use.it.to pinpoint.the Sun's rays to a point...

[ladyhk13]

Or a magnifying glass or regular piece of clear glass?

[AAONMS]

June 2013 edition of Backpacker magazine has an article beginning on page 60 on fire starting.