Fire starters? 🔥 🔥

I've used my knife to start a fire....and my hawk.
I carry a small file that has a safe edge, I can use the file to sharpen a knife or hawk and use it to make sparks.

A knife or hawk is really all you need....They can do it all....I'm not talking Fancy expensive ones either....My favorite knifes are cheap (old Hickory) style butcher knives.

Yeah, they know;
[youtube]12PaQaq6hRE[/youtube]

Ahhhh......Good memories.... :thumbsup:

Thanks for the replies!

A couple of responses to what you all have said:

Yes, I realize any old magnifying glass would "work" as a burning lense, but figured there would be some favorites out there specific for the purpose. Spence mentioned one by Ted Cash. Are there other good options you'd recommend or is this an item best purchased at a rendezvous or similar event?

Necchi, I have to laugh a little at your response about not being able to compare fire starting methods among those different scenarios. Immediately after saying that, you gave a really nice summary of the methods you use in all of them. So, thanks! :haha: :hatsoff:

Clyde, I get what you're saying about falling back on your primitive skills when it really counts. Problem is I have zero skills with a flintlock and steel, charring wood/cloth, etc. Heck, me with a flint and steel wound be about as effective as praying for lightning in just the right spot. I said what I did about carrying a lighter and my egg carton starters because that's what I'm must comfortable with when things go south.

Major props to all you guys and your primitive fire skills. :bow: I'm just looking to get started and have a skill to develop.

Finally, yes I did burn a few ants with a magnifying glass when I was a kid.
🔎🔥🐜🔥

dsayer said:

Clyde, I get what you're saying about falling back on your primitive skills when it really counts. Problem is I have zero skills with a flintlock and steel, charring wood/cloth, etc. Heck, me with a flint and steel wound be about as effective as praying for lightning in just the right spot.

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Don't sell yourself short....It is not that hard and you are way smarter than the first person that ever started a fire with flint and steel....

There are a lot of videos on Youtube....Watch and learn...
I'll give you a tip......You want a sharp edge on your flint, and be careful not to hit your knuckles.

dsayer said:

Problem is I have zero skills with a flintlock and steel, charring wood/cloth, etc. Heck, me with a flint and steel wound be about as effective as praying for lightning in just the right spot.

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No time like the present to learn...

Black Hand said:

No time like the present to learn...

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:thumbsup: .....Learning and discovering is fun.....
I also love the look in someone's eyes when I start a fire without using the typical means....It's like performing magic.

Thanks for the encouragement and the tips Clyde and Black Hand. Let's say I wanted to learn flint and steel, any recommendations on where to get a good set? I would guess there are members on this site that make them, right?

If you are talking about the classic C style striker, I get all mine from a rendezvous....I like to handle it and check it for spark quality.

If you need to order one, any of the major suppliers should have one...Track of the wolf, Log cabin shop, Townsends, etc....

Here is a video from Townsends....

https://youtu.be/Zg65rB-z66Q

Keith Burgess also has good videos...

https://youtu.be/5f9CjH7plps

Colorado Clyde said:

If you are talking about the classic C style striker, I get all mine from a rendezvous....I like to handle it and check it for spark quality.

If you need to order one, any of the major suppliers should have one...Track of the wolf, Log cabin shop, Townsends, etc....

Here is a video from Townsends....

https://youtu.be/Zg65rB-z66Q

Keith Burgess also has good videos...

https://youtu.be/5f9CjH7plps

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Thanks!

don't get one of these popular "made in india" strikers that TOTW is selling now.......poor grade steel and improperly heat treated at best.
either visit "flintnsteel.com"
or Zombietinder for a really high grade online striker

Redstick Lee said:

don't get one of these popular "made in india" strikers that TOTW is selling now.......poor grade steel and improperly heat treated at best.
either visit "flintnsteel.com"
or Zombietinder for a really high grade online striker

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Considering that this is a traditional muzzleloading forum and not a 21st century bushcrafting forum, I would stick with the classic C style strikers offered TOTW and others, Or you could go to a rendezvous and have a blacksmith make you one...
High tech steel and laser cut designs aren't traditional and will make you stand out and look like a novice.
Paying $50.00 for a flint and steel kit is :youcrazy:
As a side note, I'm surprised there is anything still called "zombie" I thought that childish craze died out long ago.... :td:

Starting a fire with flint and steel is not rocket science...It doesn't need to be complicated, fancy or expensive.

I've been starting fires with a flint and steel for a half century. It is interesting to see how strikers have changed over the years in size, style, manufacture etc... :hmm:

Thanks for the additional recommendations. I'll check out a bunch of options before buying. Although, I do seem to make an order to TOTW about once a month, so it's pretty tempting to just add a kit from them onto my next order... :hmm:

As said above kids of eight are stating fires at events. As far as difficulty striking a light can be learned in a short time. Yet it stands out as one of our skills that amazes tourists the most. A hand made knife or fancy iron work gets a nod, hand sewn clothing gets a smile and a yawn, lighting a pipe or a candle gathers a crowd.

tenngun said:

As said above kids of eight are stating fires at events. As far as difficulty striking a light can be learned in a short time. Yet it stands out as one of our skills that amazes tourists the most. A hand made knife or fancy iron work gets a nod, hand sewn clothing gets a smile and a yawn, lighting a pipe or a candle gathers a crowd.

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Haha, well I guess you can count me among the tourists amazed by fire. :haha:

According to the Historical Accuracy thread, I've spent my time squarely in level 1 and, especially since joining this site, am just starting to venture into level 2 muzzleloading.

You can char all sorts of stuff to catch a spark. I went from cloth to charred punk, and charred cedar and birch bark even charred tow and charred hemp, now I’m back to mostly char cloth. Eighteenth century dictionaries define tinder as charred cloth. We know all sorts of other stuff was used to catch a spark, but I’m a thinking cloth was never out of style.

dsayer said:

I do seem to make an order to TOTW about once a month, so it's pretty tempting to just add a kit from them onto my next order... :hmm:

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Don't buy a "kit"....Just buy a striker, and flint if you cant find flint/chert rocks locally.

"kits" are a waste of money...You'll burn though the contents in a half hour or less anyway, and have to replenish it. Best to make your own kit from the get-go.

A lot of people use an Altoids tin. I look for X-mas tins and the like at thrift stores...Just burn the paint off and there's your tin....For contents, you can make Char cloth, charred punkwood, Fatwood splints, inner bark or tow...And a candle stub.
I like to customize....Extra material can be carried in a bag....Once you get the basic down you can experiment with materials like tinder fungus and pine pitch...Birch bark is also fantastic.....If I put a striker in my pocket, and take a walk through the woods, every rock and plant becomes a potential fire maker...Trying new materials is half the fun....

Don't give up, if you can't get a good spark with what you have been using, get a different flint and steel until you do get a good spark. Work on getting a spark in the shade or half light, where you can see what you're doing and how many sparks you are throwing. It's sometimes hard to see what you are doing in full sun. Once you get sparks, the rest of it is just a matter of following a simple procedure.

dsayer said:

According to the Historical Accuracy thread, I've spent my time squarely in level 1 and, especially since joining this site, am just starting to venture into level 2 muzzleloading.

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Stop messing around and dive in. It's the best way to learn...

matches were available even before percussion caps were, and they weren't the flimsy ones like the strike on box sort to be had nowadays.
obviously Boone didn't have them during his voyaging but I'll say that Crockett had access to them. likely a bit costly back then though. I have a screw-lid container to carry strike anywhere that I've dipped in melted wax I take - or took I should add since I no longer trek - a bic may fail but these won't.