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Comment by Gary Nelson on July 20, 2014 at 6:36

Steve, neat web site.  I saved it going back to read some more.

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on June 4, 2014 at 13:55

That's what I've always said, Miss Jan. If it's comfortable people will carry a knife. A high ride sheath helps keep the knife out of trouble.

Comment by Jan Carter on June 4, 2014 at 12:41

Convenience of carry will determine whether or not you do carry it

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on June 1, 2014 at 19:37

Yep, your knife will shave little slivers of the bar just fine and won't hurt it.

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on June 1, 2014 at 19:19

Good point, Robert.  That magnesium bar you can shave pieces off to use with a firesteel, will give you one high intensity burn for damp conditions.

Steve,

Here is a video comparing the Doan magnesium fire starter bar with a Chinese magnesium fire starter bar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frDMAOlIGaY

You'll notice the guy in the video using a blade edge on the ferrocerium (firesteel) bar, which will give you shivers.  However, it is recommended that you use a knife blade edge to shave the pieces of magnesium from the bar, which is a lot softer than the firesteel that is provided in the channel of the magnesium bar.  Use your Rough Rider pocket knife for this, hahahaha.

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on June 1, 2014 at 15:25

If you don't have a scraper with your fire steel and don't want to use your knife. A small piece of a hack saw blade works great. Just cut off a piece 3" to 4" long and use that instead. It even has a hole in the end of it, so you can tie it to your equipment.

  Thanks Howard for the detailed info.

  Around here there is a lot of Palmettos. The dead ones make excellent fire tender. I just crush them up and make a small pile of them. My fire steel and block and I'm ready to go. I got use to the fire block because sometimes in south Louisiana, things in the swamp can be damp. The block gives you the edge.

  If you carry water proof matches and your fire steel, always use the fire steel first and the matches as a last resort.

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on June 1, 2014 at 11:57

Exactly right, Steve.  If somehow you are caught out in the open without civilization nearby, a firesteel and knife [which all here at iKC have on them or in their pockets] would be a lifesaver.  You are not likely to have all the fire "aids" with you since a survival situation means that you didn't plan it.  Some of the firesteels come with a scraper on the rod lanyard, so a knife is not essential - for starting a fire.  But, a knife is essential for other stuff like making deadfall traps or hacking bigger wood into the next stage of fire building from kindling, or spear making, etc.

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on June 1, 2014 at 10:59

Magnesium bar, Robert. 

Modern firesteel is made of ferrocerium, a combination of metals designed to give off sparks when "scratched" by a piece of steel, such as the sharp edge on the spine of a knife.  I think that those sparkers for lighting acetylene cutting torches have ferrocerium in them - same as a Zippo.  The chemical compound might differ since a Zippo "flint" and the torch sparkers wear down fairly quickly while the firesteel rods seem to last a lot longer - maybe cause you ain't using it every day.

I keep a bunch around, hunting bag, field pack, truck, and test them out for spark, but haven't needed them for the campfire since matches and lighters are always available.

The idea is to get some "tinder" (dry bark that you can loosen up to make stringy, or birch bark, or thin strips of wood shavings), or you can cheat with commercial fire starting tinder or cotton balls soaked in melted paraffin or kerosene (prepared ahead of time, of course).  Scrape the sharp edge of the spine of your knife along the firesteel rod pointed in the direction of your little tinder pile.  These sparks are HOT - couple thousand degrees so your tinder will light after only a scrape or two (usually).  Maybe some brands of firesteel spark better, and I have heard that some knife steels work better than others.  And maybe those "coated" blades don't work as well as a scraper; don't know for sure.

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on June 1, 2014 at 10:33

I use one with a block of some kind of metal. You cut some chips off the block and when the sparks from the steel hit them, they burn very hot. This helps get the fire going quickly. I am not use to using the steel by itself. The name of the metal block, escapes me right now.

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on May 27, 2014 at 19:56

My cousins house next door, was built in 1898 by our Great Grand Father. The house has been remodeled several times. I heard that at one time, there was a water well pump in the kitchen area. Here in south Louisiana, you don't have to drill deep to hit water for a well.  

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