How Many Primitive Fire Starting Techniques Can You Do?

[skeptic]

Firesteel, bic, zippo, matches. When I used to do a lot of hiking type camping I'd get some strike anywhere matches (really hard to find nowadays BTW), and coat the match head down about 1/3 the way with clear nail polish. Not completely waterproof, if you soak them the water can wick up the wood, but I've never had one fail due to rain and such. Used to be my fire starter of choice. Now that I just car camp, one of those long BBQ lighters is the easiest.

[MGF]

Firesteel, bic, zippo, matches. When I used to do a lot of hiking type camping I'd get some strike anywhere matches (really hard to find nowadays BTW), and coat the match head down about 1/3 the way with clear nail polish. Not completely waterproof, if you soak them the water can wick up the wood, but I've never had one fail due to rain and such. Used to be my fire starter of choice. Now that I just car camp, one of those long BBQ lighters is the easiest.

Back when I used to car camp I carried a propane/map gas torch. In the wetest of of times, just stack your fuel, hit it with the torch and you've got a sustainable fire in short order. The camp stove I used ran on the same gas so the only thing extra was the little torch head.

Maybe the story of why I will not car camp might make a thread?

[registror]

Rudiger fire-roll, big pump drill.flint and steel,

[RICHFL]

You can add the following:

9v battery with extra fine steel wool.
Eye glass with strong sunlight.
using a rock with scraping the back of a knife.

[Kevin L]

I can use a mouth drill, a bow drill, a two-person drill, and flint with iron pyrite and/or steel.

A fire piston is great because it lasts forever. I also use a Zippo, a Bic, magnifying glass, and a magnesium/ferroceramic combo block.

I have a wood-burning hiker's backpacking stove in my BOB.

[Armyjimbo]

Mine run from Butane lighter, Zippo, ferro rod with or without magnesium, book of matches, fire bow, glasses, quartzite and steel, as flint is hard to find here. My gasoline powered Whisperlight didn't want to flash up as it was -40c all butane burners were SOL. But I had my ferro rod, it started the fire!.

[Tugaloo]

Same as everyone, I have a few ways to start a fire.
I have a bag of old BIC lighters. I learned in time. they slowly leak pressure and don't work. The fix is simple. Remove the shield and rotate the "fire" control to emit more butane and they will light. Do it in small increments or the flame will be large.

[Michael aka Mac]

Anybody tired the fire piston? Do a google, So. American tribes use it often

A fire piston is great because it lasts forever. I also use a Zippo, a Bic, magnifying glass, and a magnesium/ferroceramic combo block. Kevin L said

Well, would have 1st introduced myself in Introductions, but there is no chat box, so... I come in peace, and could you plz pass the salt.


Only one I have yet to do is the 2-man drill but considering I have learned to use both a 2-man antique & 2-man vintage hand saws, which teaches you the rhythm, I have no doubt I could do that method as well.

sorry it isnt letting me do multiple quotes but answering a poster's question, I also have started fires with fire piston, ferro rod, magnesium, magnifying glass, solar parabolic disc, plastic transparent bag & water, chemical fire, rocks, steel wool & battery(s) (dont use ones with soap), and for the more techy fire starting, voltage regulator & capacitor & steel wool, faraday fire and steel wool/ liquid fuel.

I own several Zippos, but they are not much of a Bushcraft or survival means. Even if you use a wide rubber band to seal the sides, they still go through lighter fluid quickly, and not wind friendly, but they are great for cigars, and use them for tobacco pipes, (yes matches are better for the flavor, but no one gives free matches over here anymore)

My personal favorites to use are waterproof/windproof matches, ferro rods, flint & steel, w/ addition of magnesium fire starter, electric fires, Magnifying glass, & of course the ol reliable Bic lighter.

edited forgot to respond

Well those fire pistons do not last forever in the sense that they require maintenance, functional seals, and something to catch fire. Seals are the 1st thing to break down, and that prevents pressure.

fire pistons are based on the formula, PV=NRT so a loss of pressure means a loss of temperature, thus no sparky sparky no ember.

[Tugaloo]

As they lose pressure, BIC lighters do not last forever. I bought a house and in the shed was a bag of BIC lighters; however, they had plenty of fuel. I removed the shield to access the flame control. It's fairly easy to rotate it to increase the fuel flow and they worked.

Welcome to a very small group.