Love that tinder box and striker!
The only thing I carry that most people don't is a chunk of aluminum foil. No, not for the myth of the cup, or for fish, but to put under my initial firebuild. Damp ground can be a problem, and while you can build a platform of wet wood, that's still wet, right under your fire. A square of foil helps keep everything that much drier. And you can fold it up and prop it on one side if you don't have much to use for a windbreak.
I use an Andy Kirkham "Canadian" style steel striker from Woodlore, a bit of old garden flint knapped to give a clean edge. The tin is a "British" pattern c1790 replica in copper.The burnable stuff is jute string (jute window sash cord from the local DIY merchants at a fiver for ten metres) and charcloth, some of which is home made.Check out the pics on the links:-http://www.sharkdesigns.co.uk/pictures/fire/tinderboxes/500_1790_copper_contents.jpghttp://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/716-Steel-Striker-Traditional-Canadian-Design/It all works well enough for me I do also have a fire bow, which I will occasionally attempt if I wish to raise my blood pressure, swear loads and generally become unreasonable to all and sundry without so much as getting an ember
Quote from: greenbear on August 13, 2014, 09:34:41 PMI use an Andy Kirkham "Canadian" style steel striker from Woodlore, a bit of old garden flint knapped to give a clean edge. The tin is a "British" pattern c1790 replica in copper.The burnable stuff is jute string (jute window sash cord from the local DIY merchants at a fiver for ten metres) and charcloth, some of which is home made.Check out the pics on the links:-http://www.sharkdesigns.co.uk/pictures/fire/tinderboxes/500_1790_copper_contents.jpghttp://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/716-Steel-Striker-Traditional-Canadian-Design/It all works well enough for me I do also have a fire bow, which I will occasionally attempt if I wish to raise my blood pressure, swear loads and generally become unreasonable to all and sundry without so much as getting an ember I didn't know Andy Kirkham was making stuff for Ray Mears. I knew Andy a little many years ago and he's a heck of a nice guy, in fact he made the longbow I have. (Image removed from quote.)
Styx, you have just reminded me of a trick someone once suggested to me but I never quite got around to trying.Take a magnisium pencil sharpener with you; then you could take scrapings from the body of the sharpener, but (more importantly) create mounds of wood shavings by just finding a suitable sized stick.
I wonder if you could scrape some off and light it with a ferro rod? Gonna have to try that. Looks like it would.Thanks for the heads up.Nate
A lot of us, including me skip lighters because we already have them on us. Also, a lot of us can start a fire pretty quick with a ferro rod. It does take some practice. But once you get it, you got it. Also while a Bic gets a few hundred or even a thousand. A ferro rod gets thousands of lights, works when wet. Less moving parts. I have had Bics, Zippos and other lightersw fail in just day to day use. Ferro does not seems to care. Now saying this, if I am in a bad way, and my lighter works, I gonna use it. Let us also keep in mind, some firekits, like mine, doesn't really on tinder brought from home. Or a Bic. It relies on materials from your surroundings. It requires you to know your smurf and be able to do it.I and others have said it before, practice, practice and practice some more. Best kit in the world won't do jack if you don't know how to use it. Nate
Quote from: ducttapetech on October 30, 2014, 10:19:23 PMA lot of us, including me skip lighters because we already have them on us. Also, a lot of us can start a fire pretty quick with a ferro rod. It does take some practice. But once you get it, you got it. Also while a Bic gets a few hundred or even a thousand. A ferro rod gets thousands of lights, works when wet. Less moving parts. I have had Bics, Zippos and other lightersw fail in just day to day use. Ferro does not seems to care. Now saying this, if I am in a bad way, and my lighter works, I gonna use it. Let us also keep in mind, some firekits, like mine, doesn't really on tinder brought from home. Or a Bic. It relies on materials from your surroundings. It requires you to know your smurf and be able to do it.I and others have said it before, practice, practice and practice some more. Best kit in the world won't do jack if you don't know how to use it. NateI use lighters and items like the Duraflame firestarter because I suck at starting fire. I believe the above is terrific way to look at things. I'm going to continue to practice bit in the mean time I'll keep my tried and true kit close at hand. I also dont see myself being to far from the connivence of fire making materials so making fire is more a WANTED skill.