While I don’t keep a firesteel
- A firesteel doesn’t go empty while it’s sitting in your pocket.
- They create a lot of very hot sparks.
- Firesteels are compact.
A firesteel does have some limitations though. First, they’re only as good as the tinder you’ve prepared. In wet conditions they will produce hot sparks, but if you don’t have dry, generally fairly fine tinder you won’t get fire. Unlike a lighter you can’t really light the end of a stick. So to go along with your firesteel pack some reliable tinder.
Popular Man Made Tinder:
- Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline (petroleum jelly)
- Alcohol based hand sanitizer
- Dryer lint
- Steel wool
- Paper Towel
Natural Tinder Sources
- Sap – particularly pine
- Dried leaves
- Fiberous bark
- Dry Pine needles
- Cat-tail fluff
- Dry grass
- Coconut husk
- Bamboo or dry wood shavings
Firesteel Technique
Along with quality tinder, technique does come into play. When using the scraper take note of which side should be up. The under side of the scraper has a sharper edge. Hold the scraper at a 45 degree angle to the steel. Scraping hard and fast produces the most sparks. To get more leverage place the steel thumb on top of the scraper thumb. You can also use a knife as well.
Although most people don’t need to make a camp fire on a daily basis, I’ve lit quite a few charcoal grills with a paper towel and my Firesteel Scout
with your knife or at least in your travel gear.
is one of my favorites. It’s hard to get more use out of $10. It comes with sharp scissors, a blade, nail-file, a toothpick, and a pair tweezers, all stainless except the toothpick. The great thing about a key chain knife is that it’s always with you. You won’t forget it, and it’s a little harder to lose than a pocket knife. Although the small blade isn’t quite so useful for shelter building, you’ll use it daily, and unlike most of my other favorites, no one looks at you like a serial killer when you do.