All About Fire

I have found that if I save the lint from the screen on my dryer it works great as tinder. I only try to save the lint from the “whites” as I assume that it would be free of dyes and other chemicals. Also, it packs down great, so you can save a good bit in a small container. I’ve tried it twice and both times were very successful. By the way, good luck with your book SemperParatus.

reply to post by skychief

By the way, good luck with your book SemperParatus.

Thanks Skychief. In all honesty that project was probably fueled more by vanity than anything else in the beginning. That and some hopes that it might become a little "old age" income if successful. However it is working out to be an humbling experience. Even if completed it will not make me a writer.

True writers create characters and give them unique personalities. Then they weave intricate scenarios through a central plot in the hopes of keeping you spellbound in their imaginary world until they decide to turn you loose. I don't believe that I have that talent.

A survival book (probably any how-to book) is nothing more than a systematic compilation of knowledge. After starting the project I'd reccommend to anyone here that if you want to really get things in perspective and open your eyes to realize just how much you don't know about the subject, start writing a book.

It begins with just getting your notes in order and soon escalates into a mind boggling experience as you try to categorize each bit of information. Since the subject is survival it has the potential to save lives. It also has the potential to cost lives if it gives false or misleading information. No matter how many legal disclaimers you write into it some will misunderstand something vital. That's a huge responsibility which in my opinion is not being taken seriously enough in many of the publications that are currently available. We even have that responsibility to each other in the forums we participate in.

That is the reason for this thread. Fire is the most elemental need to any civilization. With it you belong to the family of "man". Without it you are just another animal. Possibly a dead animal.

Thanks to all for your great contributions and please keep 'em coming. Remember, this thread is also about campfire uses, methods and cooking techniques.

Ed

Speaking of cooking techniques... cooking is one of my favorite pastimes. How much experience have you had with dutch oven cooking? I want a couple of dutch ovens so bad I can barely stand it.
I have a link to a dutch oven cooking site but I am trying to find out how to post the link or is it legal to just post the site name?

Most dutch ovens nowadays just sits directly on the fire and has a convex shaped lid. Ideally that's not what you want. You may have to go to antique shops or flea markets to find it but a good dutch oven should have legs and a recessed top. the legs are to allow room for hot coals underneath without smothering them and the recessed top will hold coals on the top. You probably will want a set of tongs to go with it to handle the coals.

As for the url question just copy and paste into the message body works for me.

I've only seen the types with the recessed lids and short little legs; not the other kind. At the local feed store the sell all sorts of nice dutch oven goodies and plenty of cast iron too.
Here is the link for a great dutch oven site: if I am posting it wrong hopefully a friendly neighborhood Mod person can fix it. papadutch.home.comcast.net...
I love this website!

www.iwantoneofthose.com...

I got one of these to go with various survival/camping gear.
Beware. This site is extremely addictive and could lead you to spending loads of cash you haven't earned yet

This firesteel version is awesome.I found the fastest way to light it up is to wrap a dry paper tissue around the knife before striking.this catches the super hot sparks and will light up almost every time.

I got myself a basic trangia stove kit too.You can replace the methylated spirit liquid with a flammable gel that is also fantastic for sparking up a fire in no time.
www.adventureshop.co.uk...

Eco friendly too

You can see my homemade stove here
It works extremely well and I use sticks and twigs and pine cones for fuel. It brings water to a rolling boil in about 5 minutes in the pot shown. That's with the pot almost comepletely full.
MODERATORS: Please delete this one post only. I can't get the link working. Back to the drawing board. Thanks
[edit on 10-10-2007 by SemperParatus]

[edit on 10-10-2007 by SemperParatus]

reply to post by SemperParatus


I apologize to all for my inability to get that link working before ability to edit timed out. Maybe this one will do better.
simplesurvival.us...

On the plus side,,,,,I've learned I should use the "Preview Post" feature. Sorry guys/gals.

I carry a lighter.

I wait for the day when i am out camping with friends, they will all be giving me a hard time about being a smoker, then somebodies got to light the fire

I understand being prepared and multiple methods, but why not put one of the mini Bic lighters in your little fire starting kit?

Great thread. On one episode of that survival show he started a fire by mixing together what he said were two common first aid materials. It was an instant fire and it seems that you could carry a very decent supply in a small container. I cannot remember the names of these two things. Can anyone help other readers and myself out?

well i stopped by wallymart today and bought one of the magnisuim firestarter blocks with flint on side i said lets see if you are worth5 bucks .
so i followed the directions i shaved the side till i had enough shavings to cover a quarter i pet that on top of my cotton ball and started stricking the flint with the knife .guess what no flame after 5 minutes of trying. so i got a little lantern oil on top and first strike succewss burning cotton'

reply to post by disgustedbyhumanity

On one episode of that survival show he started a fire by mixing together what he said were two common first aid materials.

Now, that's a new one on me. I hope somebody is able to tell us what that was. I'm liable to be experimenting from now on.

There is a method using potassium permanganate which can also be used in varying strengths (mixed with water) as an antiseptic and to purify water. I wonder if that was it?

Edit to add: Here's a couple of interesting links I found
www.powerlabs.org...
www.chemistrystore.com...


[edit on 14-10-2007 by SemperParatus]

reply to post by proteus33

so i followed the directions i shaved the side till i had enough shavings to cover a quarter i pet that on top of my cotton ball and started stricking the flint with the knife .guess what no flame after 5 minutes of trying. so i got a little lantern oil on top and first strike succewss burning cotton

That's why practice is so necessary now, before you're depending on it. When it's really needed you're not likely to have lantern oil or anything else artificial to help you. I guess it worked better for me because I've had aiming practice with the flint and steel. The shaved magnesium needs to be pulled together into a compact pile. A big difference with the magnesium over flint and steel is that it's not necessary to do the long sweeping strike. You point the bottom end of the striker toward the pile of shavings, place the back edge of the knife at a 45 degree angle to the striker and push the knife down it in one hard deliberate push. Worked for me right off. Keep trying. It's worth the effort when you do it. The beauty is that it works dependably even wet. Good luck.

Edit to add: OK,,,just tried a little experiment. I shaved the corner of the block. It was faster but gave me coarse shavings. After the striker wouldn't light it I tried lighting it with a Bic. No go.
I canned those shavings and shaved some more off the edge this time. It wasn't much slower but it gave me shavings that were a lot more fine. Worked like a charm. Hope that helps.

[edit on 14-10-2007 by SemperParatus]

As Sean Kennedy so casually points out, "The earth hates you, and wants to ****ing kill you." Remember, when you rack out, have insulation between yourself and the ground, because the ground will suck the heat right out of you. If it's pine needles, or a groundsheet or an air mattress, it doesn't matter. Get at least a half-inch of anything between you and the ground.

On another note, have any of you used Hexamine or Triox bricks? They're meant for Canteen stoves, but make an excellent accelerant. Canteen stoves are absolutely brilliant, by the way. I carry zippo/ waterproof matches/ blastmatch into the field, never had any problems (except the time it was so cold the stove fuel froze on us. And it was pretty much the only time we got the luxury of the stove. )

DE

This is so stoopid and obvious..and because so it's often overlooked..

£5 field survival tins have a candle in them.
Light the candle FIRST if you have few matches.
It is an immediate source of light and heat and can save your remaining matches.
Use it for relighting your kindling if your first attempt is unsuccessful.

If you don't have £5.. ATS has a useful emoticon to take with you

>

Originally posted by Redge777
I carry a lighter.

This is possibly the most useful piece of advice I've seen so far on this thread. There is far more chance of having a lighter on your body than having a magnesium block or flint & steel. A pair of lighters will be far more efficient at starting a fire than any of these other methods. Any switched on squaddie will tell you that you should always keep at least 2 lighters in your kit. I don't smoke, but I keep a zippo in my pocket and 2 bic lighters taped up for protection in the top pouch of my daysack. The zippo will work with any flamable liquid and is really reliable.

The stuff on kindling etc is all very useful though. Keep it up.

reply to post by PaddyInf

This is possibly the most useful piece of advice I've seen so far on this thread. There is far more chance of having a lighter on your body than having a magnesium block or flint & steel.

My apologies for not starting out by stating the obvious. I always have 2 bic's on me. In a survival situation they won't last forever though. I made the erroneous assumption that a lighter was such a part of everyday life that it went without saying. That may be all that you'll ever need. Let's hope so. But what if it's not? Please don't disregard the alternatives. They can save your life.

reply to post by Redge777


Goes without saying.
I got a waterproof helios .

It has a white gold element across the tip that keeps the flame lit up to 80mph.

Hey I should be a marketer for these gadgets

reply to post by AGENT_T


Nice lighter. I like it.
How well does the gas pressure hold up in bitter cold?

reply to post by SemperParatus


Well the 'waterproofabilityness ' is fantastic after dropping it in a lake last week.

Cold resistance will be tested if I get the chance to take it up Ben Nevis in Jabruary

Will report back after. I hope.