Lynn tests the 'Micro Fire Starting Kit' lighter hack

[Lynn LeFey]

So, there's a video of a guy taking a Mini Bic, and pulling most of it apart, leaving just the striker intact, and a small chamber in which to cram tinder. Neat for Altoids tin survival kits and such. So, I made one... out of a 33 cent cheapo lighter, and was absolutely unimpressed. I couldn't get tinder to light. At all. So I built another one from a Mini Bic. And still... I mean, unless it's PERFECT tinder, I mean a super fluffed up cotton ball, and using 10 strikes... It just didn't want to work for me.

One of those dumb things i hear repeatedly from Survivalist types is how ferro rods are SO superior to a lighter, but the dirty little secret is... that spark isn't coming from flint. People CALL it flint, but it's just a little ferro rod. So lighters are just using little ferro rods to spark, and doing it with ONE hand. Knowing this, i figured they'd be just as good at lighting tinder, because they are WAY more accurate. But, no. At least, not for me. I have yet to try putting petrolium jelly on the cotton ball, but I don't think that actually changes ignition, just burn duration.

I have a little altoids tin survival kit i put together. It has a little Ferro rod (a refill rod for a little exotac). It ALSO has a Mini Bic. 100 out of 100 times, I'd go for the open flame produced by a lighter. I know folks have talked about lighters failing, but that has never, I mean EVER happened to me, and I've spent a LOT of time out in the woods, making fires.

So... this is a neat idea, and might have some use, but mostly, I'd rather have the lighter intact with fuel in it. I'd love to report some awesome thing I discovered every time, but this was a project that ended up being... meh. Oh, but I DID learn how to catapult lighter flints across my dining room, into carpet, never to be seen again. So... there's that... I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ33MxR86D8

[Fortytwo]

So, there's a video of a guy taking a Mini Bic, and pulling most of it apart, leaving just the striker intact, and a small chamber in which to cram tinder. Neat for Altoids tin survival kits and such. So, I made one... out of a 33 cent cheapo lighter, and was absolutely unimpressed. I couldn't get tinder to light. At all. So I built another one from a Mini Bic. And still... I mean, unless it's PERFECT tinder, I mean a super fluffed up cotton ball, and using 10 strikes... It just didn't want to work for me.

One of those dumb things i hear repeatedly from Survivalist types is how ferro rods are SO superior to a lighter, but the dirty little secret is... that spark isn't coming from flint. People CALL it flint, but it's just a little ferro rod. So lighters are just using little ferro rods to spark, and doing it with ONE hand. Knowing this, i figured they'd be just as good at lighting tinder, because they are WAY more accurate. But, no. At least, not for me. I have yet to try putting petrolium jelly on the cotton ball, but I don't think that actually changes ignition, just burn duration.

I have a little altoids tin survival kit i put together. It has a little Ferro rod (a refill rod for a little exotac). It ALSO has a Mini Bic. 100 out of 100 times, I'd go for the open flame produced by a lighter. I know folks have talked about lighters failing, but that has never, I mean EVER happened to me, and I've spent a LOT of time out in the woods, making fires.

So... this is a neat idea, and might have some use, but mostly, I'd rather have the lighter intact with fuel in it. I'd love to report some awesome thing I discovered every time, but this was a project that ended up being... meh. Oh, but I DID learn how to catapult lighter flints across my dining room, into carpet, never to be seen again. So... there's that... I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ33MxR86D8

I generally agree with you, I have not really had a lighter fail (or if they did it was because they were out of gas) and I would probably go for an extra lighter over the alternatives (although spreading your choices is generally a good idea). That said I would imagine that one of the reasons this solution fails for you is that it produces a much smaller spark than a full sized ferro-rod where you'll shave of a lot more material with each try than the minuscule amount the lighter needs to light.

[WWW]

 Lighters are indeed really underestimated. Junglecrafty has a great video on the topic, if you live in tropical areas, or any place where humidity and rain are a constant a lighter is a much better piece of kit than a ferro rod. BTW good to hear from you Lynn, I haven't heard from you in a while (but that's mainly because I haven't been really active here, but...).

[Mechanickal]

Oh, but I DID learn how to catapult lighter flints across my dining room, into carpet, never to be seen again. So... there's that... I guess.

You did make sure that your test subject still had a flint inside, right?

I wouldn't be able to spark a cotton ball without it either

[Lynn LeFey]

Oh, but I DID learn how to catapult lighter flints across my dining room, into carpet, never to be seen again. So... there's that... I guess.

You did make sure that your test subject still had a flint inside, right?

I wouldn't be able to spark a cotton ball without it either

Oh, HA-HA... VERY funny. (Lynn checks to make sure there WAS a flint in her contraption)

Yes, they all had flints. I tried to make 3. I succeeded in making 2, and had to scrap one due to lost flint.

Fortytwo... the size of the spark shower is ABSOLUTELY the issue at play between a lighter and a ferro rod. Like i said, I did finally manage to get tinder lit, but it had to be perfect.

WWW... hey, good to be back. Disc Golf season is over, so this is a my fall-back obsession.

[Aloha]

The size of the spark shower certainly is the question mark for me too.  I have a 6inch by 1/2 ferro rod that throws stupid showers of molten metal.  Am I confident this will light tinder when needed?  Dunno know I'd go that far and say CONFIDENT.  I am one who does believe options are nice within reason.  A lighter is a lighter and as such works as advertised.  I have Bic lighters and have not had issues with them.  I use a small zip tie to "lock" the lighter so no unintended activation releases the gas.  I now carry one ( mini ) at all times. 

[Lynn LeFey]

Update after some more testing.

Okay. on two consecutive occasions, I got this thing to ignite cottonballs on either the first or second strike. Weird. It seems very picky about the exact distance from the tinder it should be when sparked.

I also added a mod on mine not seen in the video. First, mine is a good bit longer than the one in the video, giving more of a hollow chamber to stuff crap into, but I knew I'd never get it out, so I put a paperclip with bent end that reached to full length of the hollow. Then hooked it on the lip of the opening, So anything i cram in there would be pulled out by the bend at the end of the paperclip. It's enough space to put about half a cottonball, with a fair amount of parafin wax (from a tea candle) melted into one end. You light the fluffed up, non-waxed side, and once it gets going, the parafin will burn for 7 minutes.

[styx]

Lynn just don't set yourself on fire.

Have you tried something like this?


That might have been the idea

[Don Pablo]

The size of the spark shower certainly is the question mark for me too.  I have a 6inch by 1/2 ferro rod that throws stupid showers of molten metal.  Am I confident this will light tinder when needed?  Dunno know I'd go that far and say CONFIDENT.  I am one who does believe options are nice within reason.  A lighter is a lighter and as such works as advertised.  I have Bic lighters and have not had issues with them.  I use a small zip tie to "lock" the lighter so no unintended activation releases the gas.  I now carry one ( mini ) at all times.

6" by 1/2"? 
Just how many Sparks exactly?

[TazzieRob]

Something like that coupled with char cloth would be far more compact and lightweight than a flint and steel

[WWW]

The "extractor" for the tinder is an absolute must. You can cram a bunch of stuff in there, but if you're not able to remove it to use it...

I haven't done it with a bic, but using the sparky thingy from a clipper (which folks outside US are able to appreciate) I was able to light some jute type twine and some printer paper scrapings. The paper is really difficult to light but possible, I wonder if rite in rain, due to its waxy coating, would be easier to light.

My biggest gripe with his mod is the fact that I don't think I would be able to manipulate such small device in cold climate conditions, I would probably freeze and die.

[Lynn LeFey]

Styx, yeah, this is a poor man's version of the survival kit you pictured. With a little searching, I can find the 'Spark-Lite Fire Starter', what you have pictured, for about $12.

If you make this from new, this one costs $1.50 or so.

[ironraven]

Welcome back Lynn, been a while!

The flints for a lighter are similiar to a ferro rod, but there are two different things that get called "ferro"- one is ferrocerium and the other is misch metal. I can never remember which one is which, but one has magnesium in it so you get hotter sparks but it's softer and less resistant to corrosion. The one without magnesium is the one used in lighters as a result. That it isn't as hot a spark isn't a problem since lbutane fumes are much more combustible than fibrous tinder. The harder "flint" is used i some of the older style rods, like the Boy Scouts' Hot Spark (that's why I prefer it for my key ring), while the newer style with the magnesium built in what you get from Firesteel.com and it just spits gobs of fire. And you have a variety of mixes in  between.

While I like my flints, well, I carry a lighter every day.

[Aloha]

The size of the spark shower certainly is the question mark for me too.  I have a 6inch by 1/2 ferro rod that throws stupid showers of molten metal.  Am I confident this will light tinder when needed?  Dunno know I'd go that far and say CONFIDENT.  I am one who does believe options are nice within reason.  A lighter is a lighter and as such works as advertised.  I have Bic lighters and have not had issues with them.  I use a small zip tie to "lock" the lighter so no unintended activation releases the gas.  I now carry one ( mini ) at all times.

6" by 1/2"? 
Just how many Sparks exactly?

Lots and lots.     I'm going up to the mountains next week so I'll snap a few pics.

[lister]

Lighters rule! If you are worried about them failing carry six. End of discussion. 


Ok, there is one use for ferro  rod. If you want something you can pick up in 100 years and it still works then ferro rod is the answer for you. If it does not corrode that is. And the lighters can work just fine after 10 years in my experience. 

[styx]

Styx, yeah, this is a poor man's version of the survival kit you pictured. With a little searching, I can find the 'Spark-Lite Fire Starter', what you have pictured, for about $12.

If you make this from new, this one costs $1.50 or so.

well damn that is expensive for what it is. Then again even the Spark-Lite comes with something similar to a cotton ball from what I understand so perfect tinder

[Aloha]

There was a discussion about towels in a compressed pill form recently.  Maybe adding one of those towels could be an option with other uses?  I like tinder quick or in my case a knock off brand.  I have not tested it with anything other than a spark from a ferro rod.  Tinder quick or a knock off might also be a good option for easy to light tinder. 

[styx]

Compressed towels and a tub of vaseline. Might get you some odd looks but you'd be set

[G_D]

What I have learned when experimenting with spark thrower made from BIC lighter is that you have to practice, you have to make sure cotton ball or pad is actually 100% cotton an not some cotton-synthetic mix and that some vaseline does help, but the fibers still have to be very fine an fluffy.

My mini survival kit includes mini ferro rod and mini Clipper lighter that is semi transparent, can be refilled and has a removable sparking-packing tool. Firesteel is nice to have but I would carry at least two quality lighters.

[ducttapetech]

Cool Lynn! Never tried something like that.
I tend to view lighters and ferro rods as equals. Both have there pros and cons. But I have had lighters fail on me, and some of them where Bics. But going through the amount of lighters I use in a years time, the probability of one failing is low.
 Something I have noticed is that people are way over thinking this. Some people say that lighters are better than ferro rods and ferro rods are better than.....bluh bluh bluh. Use what you like. Most of the work in fire making is prep. I lost count watching people try to light a fire with a lighter and get nowhere. Some goes with a ferro rod. Practice is key. I tend to use flint and steel for most of my fires. It works, it is fun and I like it. But that is just me.

[Lynn LeFey]

I have an ever-evolving little Altoids survival tin I build, pull apart, and rebuild. It always has a mini bic and a little ferro rod. I haven't ever had a lighter fail on me (When I think they're getting low, I just get a new one, and give the old one to some smoker), but I grant that it COULD fail, and a small ferro rod takes up little space for the benefit of a backup method.

On prep... absolutely. This, and the quality (read dryness) of available tinder is super important. I've only failed to get fires going a couple times, and it's always been due to not having dry tinder.

[WWW]

I have an ever-evolving little Altoids survival tin I build, pull apart, and rebuild. It always has a mini bic and a little ferro rod. I haven't ever had a lighter fail on me (When I think they're getting low, I just get a new one, and give the old one to some smoker), but I grant that it COULD fail, and a small ferro rod takes up little space for the benefit of a backup method.

On prep... absolutely. This, and the quality (read dryness) of available tinder is super important. I've only failed to get fires going a couple times, and it's always been due to not having dry tinder.

The dryness factor is one of the reasons I like lighters, even if the tinder is not completely dry you can still light it. Not so much with a firesteel, and with the little fire lighter shown sometimes I need to spark a lot in order to char the tinder and only than I'm able to light it. 

Cool Lynn! Never tried something like that.
I tend to view lighters and ferro rods as equals. Both have there pros and cons. But I have had lighters fail on me, and some of them where Bics. But going through the amount of lighters I use in a years time, the probability of one failing is low.
 Something I have noticed is that people are way over thinking this. Some people say that lighters are better than ferro rods and ferro rods are better than.....bluh bluh bluh. Use what you like. Most of the work in fire making is prep. I lost count watching people try to light a fire with a lighter and get nowhere. Some goes with a ferro rod. Practice is key. I tend to use flint and steel for most of my fires. It works, it is fun and I like it. But that is just me.

Very true and yet very easy (at least for me) to forget. Good point mate.