Fire Kit

[Mike Suri]

Hello all.
As I was refreshing my fire kit, I wondered what others in the forum carry in there kit.
I keep mine in a split leather bag which includes:
Large flint and steel, a Ted Cash steel tinder box full of char cloth, a handful of inner cottonwood bark in a birds nest, two beeswax candle stubs, a few pieces of pitch pine, extra linen to make more char cloth as well as a burning glass in a small linen pouch.
What do other members carry?

 

[George]

Mine is very similar:

small leather bag with flint and steel
small leather bag with shredded cedar bark tinder
Ted Cash steel tinder box with charcloth
Ted Cash brass tobacco box with burning glass, charwood
candle stub
All of that in a larger leather bag well treated with Mink Oil and tied so as to be waterproof. Small bags also treated.

Spence

 

[Claude Mathis]

Small leather bag containing flint, steel and char cloth.

 

[Ranger1759]

I carry much the same only I also carry a burning lense in a small leather cover....it can be much faster if the sun is right then flint and steel to get the char lit....you can also light fine tow with out the use of char...

 

[pargent]

Steel ,flint,hemp rope &char cloth in either a small tinder box or leather bag , some times a beeswax candle stub .

 

[Mike Suri]

Thanks. I will have to try that !

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I just recreated a small deerskin market wallet described by Mark A. Baker in a 2007 ML magazine. In it I carry a small flint pouch with a few musket flints and a striker, a TOW tinder box with charcloth, a beeswax candle, some fatwood held toghether with a fluffy cotton 1/4" thick whick, a piece of matchlock rope with a holowed out bone at on end, a friction folder knife, a small honing stone...

 

[tenngun]

tinder in a tobbaco box with magnifing glass and tinder tube. in the pouch steel,flint piece and iron pyrites piece.I have a wad of dry fluff,bag of tabacco,pipe no use having a fire without a smoke :grin:

 

[crockett]

I also like the burning lense. If the sun if out I can get an ember glowing in 3-4 seconds. I say this because a lot of folks that have never used one have no idea how fast it is. If you haven't tried a burning lense, you move it in or out until the "dot" is a small pin point concentrated right on a charred surface. Once you get that "dot" start counting, should be a glow in 3-4 seconds. I often use this with a tinder tube that has a charred end, really fast and easy.
Flint and steel on cloudy days- watch your knuckles :grin: .

 

[George]

I also like the burning lense.

I'm with you. I particularly like to use it on charred wood, it catches very quickly and lasts a lot longer than charcloth. I always use the burning lens if the sun is available. If not, I most usually use the lock of a gun. I simply fold some charcloth in the pan, close the frizzen and fire the lock. Catches on the first try most of the time. I do this with whichever flintlock I'm carrying, but it is especially handy if I have my pistol along. I do this with the gun loaded, simply carefully brush the pan and make certain the folded cloth is covering the vent, and have never had the gun fire.

Spence

 

[crockett]

The safety police wil probably have a nervous breakdown with that approach but from most of the historical records I've read, that was a very common method although instead of charcloth I've read about a moisten patch rubbed with black powder. I can recall one or two incidents where the blocking of the vent wasn't done correctly and the gun accidentally fired. IAE- this idea the mountain men used flintlocks because they could always pick a piece of flint up that was lying around. I'm not so sure about that and haven't read anything about that in period sources- I am guessing that the flintlock doubled as a fire starter.

 

[George]

The safety police will probably have a nervous breakdown with that approach...

Yeah, I know. I don't recommend it for everyone, it should be reserved for the competent. :haha:

I'm sure flint locks were used in that way many times in the day.

Taking shelter in a rockhouse during a rain, Daniel Trabue, in 1779-1780, did just that, but in a way I've only seen described by him.

"There was Dry leaves and sticks under our shelter. I stoped the tuch hole of my gun with tallow and then did ketch fire and we made up a fire and Dryed our selves."

The civilians also used flint locks to start fires at home, of course, with a lock mounted on a tinder box, because it works so well.

"The Pennsylvania Gazette
1748.... Scissars, files, pistol tinder boxes,
1765.... beef steak tongs, pistol tinder boxes,

Spence

 

[tenngun]

Meek told a story about him and two others going in to a grizzly den and hitting thebears on the nose with wiping sicks,running out of the den and the bear was shot by the other two.They also shot buffs while ridding in the herd.Bridger took a bull boat through rapids to the great salt lake.I dont think safty was on there list.The flintlock to start fires must have been used a lot,I've tried myself,but I dont think I will do it again lest its an emergancy.Since I've been known to camp alone,even in very cold weather,I know about aceptable risk,its part of our sport.Learn your skill and use it as you feel comfotable with your welcome in my camp any day.Just point you gun in the otherway when your staring a fire :haha:

 

[Preacher Jeremy]

I carry my flint and steel in a tinder box along with some charred cloth. I also carry a length of old bailing twin, and a couple of fire starters I make using saw dust and beeswax stuffed in an old toilet paper roll, and dipped in beeswax to waterproof, and conceal the toilet paper roll. The starters burn for a good five to ten minutes. :wink:

 

[Mike Suri]

So does anyone carry tinder as in inner cottonwood bark, cedar bark or tow in a separate, waterproof bag, say in your blanket roll or perhaps a haversack, knapsack, snapsack, etc. ?

 

[Black Hand]

So does anyone carry tinder as in inner cottonwood bark, cedar bark or tow in a separate, waterproof bag, say in your blanket roll or perhaps a haversack, knapsack, snapsack, etc. ?

Yes.
I have a large bag of cottonwood inner bark, candle stubs, pitchwood slivers and a container of char in my pack. It gets used when naturally-available dry tinder is not available. The bag is waxed, but to be honest, I believe the waxing does little to keep things dry and is more of a psychological advantage. A linen bag would probably work just as well.

I have a smaller greased leather bag (can be tied to my belt) that contains a burning glass, some tinder and a container of char. My flint and steel are carried in my rifle bag.

 

[simeon england]

Howdy!

I carry a small fire kit in my shooting pouch, as the pouch and horn rarely are removed from me when in the woods. In the kit is two small tins made by Hot Dip Tin. Inside one is my oval striker and flint, along with a burning lens in a small brain tanned pouch. In the other tin is charred punk wood, some jute fibers, and some other dry natural materials.

I carry another larger set in my haversack which contains one larger tin (George Washington fishing kit tin, made by Hot Dip Tin) with my striker and flint, with a stub of candle and some hemp. In another tin is my tinder which is largely charred punk wood, but also tinder fungus and hemp or jute rope.

It works for me.

 

[S.Kenton]

I carry a steel striker, extra flint, jutte rope and an abundance of char cloth. I carry my steel striker and flint and a small amount of frayed jutte in a small peened and burnt up altoids tin.I keep the tin in a small pouch along with the rest of my fire starting supplies I mentioned earlier. I need to find a magnifying lense to add to my kit.

 

[capt_turk]

I know it is not historically correct, but, the easiest and fastest way I've found to start a fire is my fire steel, knife blade back, and cotton balls smeared with petroleum jelly. It starts easier than anything I've found. One strike and it's blazing. There is no ember to have to guard and blow. It really blazes up, and lasts for several minutes with a flame that will even dry out your tender, to a point. Even falling into the water and getting everything soaked doesn't keep it from working.
I've tried many of the other(traditional methods) and none of them even approach the ease of the cotton ball method.
I carry my kit for actual survival in emergency conditions or while hunting. Not to be PC/HC.

 

[Preacher Jeremy]

Lucifers are always acceptable. (that's what they called wood matches) After all, they had been invented, however, they wouldn't be very practical on the frontier since if they got wet or you simply ran out, you will find it difficult to make fire with out a back up plan. :idunno: