Fire Pistons

[Tater John]

Has anyone ever heard of or made a fire piston. I read about this in a magazine and wondered how good they really work. Thinkin about building one myself but wanted to get some more info if possible. :thumbsup:

 

[Homesteader]

I have one. Didn't make it myself, though. It actually works surprisingly well. With the right material in the tip of the plunger you get a nice coal with one good "slap" or two of the handle. Gotta make sure the gasket / seal is good and well lubricated, and char-cloth is a little too delicate. Tinder fungus seems about best to me.

It's fun to play with, but anyone with experience using a good flint & steel set can get a coal as quickly, and building the fire from there is the same. And flint & steel is PC, so there's that.

If you decide to build one, have fun. If you'd like to buy one, let me know and I'll try to find the eMail of the guy I got mine from. He was really helpful and actually sent me a better piston and more supplies than I paid for.

 

[Tater John]

I have one. Didn't make it myself, though. It actually works surprisingly well. With the right material in the tip of the plunger you get a nice coal with one good "slap" or two of the handle. Gotta make sure the gasket / seal is good and well lubricated, and char-cloth is a little too delicate. Tinder fungus seems about best to me.

It's fun to play with, but anyone with experience using a good flint & steel set can get a coal as quickly, and building the fire from there is the same. And flint & steel is PC, so there's that.

If you decide to build one, have fun. If you'd like to buy one, let me know and I'll try to find the eMail of the guy I got mine from. He was really helpful and actually sent me a better piston and more supplies than I paid for.

I read about the tinder fungus but it didn't say were you can get it.If you know were you can get some would you let me know. If you could get the email of that guy that would be great because I would like to have one. Also if I want to make one it would be nice to have one that is already made that I can go off of. :thumbsup:

 

[tom hargrove]

a short video of my piston-

 

[Tater John]

Thats some neat stuff twobellys what did you use for tinder? The fungus?

 

[Powder Keg]

Looks like Magic :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Homesteader]

R.D., I got mine from EBPrimitives, who sells on eBay. Good price, gave me an upgrade to a better unit, and added all sorts of extras for no charge. Good guy to deal with.

Also, he'll throw in enough of whatever it is (instead of the fungus) to make thousands of fires.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Just google " fire piston"< and you will find the guy who makes and sells them. I bought one of his plastic models, as I wanted to be able to show students how it works. You can see through the side of mine, and see the glowing ember before I pull the piston back out of the barrel.

My objection to the one I bought is the barrel is too small in diameter, and the length os a bit short for my big hands. Its really easy to pinch yourself when you slam that piston onto something.

It does work, but I am still not so sure how primitive the item is. They existed in Europe in the early 1800s, and were rediscovered in the 1960s by a U.S. airman who landed his helicopter in the Phillipine jungles and met some primitive hunter/gatherer society peoples. Their chief had a fire piston made from buffalo horn, and the pilot traded for it and brought it back to the use. I read that it is now in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

There are other primitive forms of firestarting, and they break down into the following:

1. Percussion( flint and steel is an example)

2. Friction ( the bow and drill, hand drill, firesaw, etc. are exmaples. )

3. Refraction( using a lens to bend light to focus it and produce heat)

4. Reflection: ( using a curved surface to focus light on one spot to create heat.)

All of these primitive means of starting fire have been used by early man, with friction, and percussion being the best known, and most used two methods. They are far more useful skills to learn to do, than the fire piston, or Reflection or Refraction as a survival or primitive firemaking skill.

 

[Jumpshot]

http://www.firepistons.com/
[url] http://www.firepiston.com[/url]/

 

[tom hargrove]

you are dead on (emil) eb primitives makes the best fire piston around and will give you twice what you pay for that is where mine came from and the tinder is what came with the piston mine work almost always on the first strike, :v

 

[PitchyPine]

Neat vidio two-bellys, those are neat. :thumbsup:
Did anyone ever use their flint lock on their rifle or pistol to start fires in the old days.

 

[bnail]

Neat vidio two-bellys, those are neat. :thumbsup:
Did anyone ever use their flint lock on their rifle or pistol to start fires in the old days.

I don't have documentation, but I'd say it's a logical certainty that it was done. Just take a look at this image search: Tinder Lighters

 

[djnye]

i don't know about the old days but i did it a couple weeks ago as a demo. for some friends. just a little piece of skatagan(tinder fungus) in the pan and it catches almost every time.

take care, daniel

p.s. actually you can use a larger piece and a spindle and twirl up a coal directly on the skatagan also. no hearth and no dust pile, and if the piece is big enough you can just start piling on the twigs and sticks without even using a bird's nest of tinder.

 

[bnail]

i don't know about the old days but i did it a couple weeks ago as a demo. for some friends. just a little piece of skatagan(tinder fungus) in the pan and it catches almost every time.

take care, daniel

p.s. actually you can use a larger piece and a spindle and twirl up a coal directly on the skatagan also. no hearth and no dust pile, and if the piece is big enough you can just start piling on the twigs and sticks without even using a bird's nest of tinder.

I've often wondered about that actually, but have never tried it. I made a pump drill foir starting fires, but have'nt practiced with it yet. my goal is to be able to spin the spindle with my hands

 

[PitchyPine]

Wouldn`t it logical that powder would be used along with the tinder, seems that would make a fire real quick.

 

[djnye]

the molten steel is plenty hot and powder would just blow the tinder about. without powder it just lays in the pan and waits to be used. no need to overdo things.

take care, daniel

 

[PitchyPine]

I understand now and that makes sense, thanks.
Here`s my experiance with fire pistons thus far, i took one of those big plastic syringes and put a small piece of tissue in it. Without the needle on it i put the end against a wooden post and gave it a hard wrap with my hand. Well it sounded like a 22 going off, never did find the tissue or half the syringe. :shake: :rotf:
Been thinking about making one, what do they use for a seal on the piston, will a o-ring work.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Skagan: Buy or borrow a copy of" Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills ", by John & Geri McPherson. It will give you the best information on starting friction fires. Check out the information on Page 100 on hand drills. This is the way to make one that works!

 

[Homesteader]

Paul, I love those authors! I've got all their booklets from back when they'd put out a small $3 paperback on a specific topic. "Makin' Meat", "Containers", that sort of thing.

Great books with really good information.

 

[bnail]

Skagan: Buy or borrow a copy of" Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills ", by John & Geri McPherson. It will give you the best information on starting friction fires. Check out the information on Page 100 on hand drills. This is the way to make one that works!

Thanks Paul, will do :thumbsup: