When I was using magnesium blocks I delt with the breeze with cotton rounds soaked in Vaseline. The magnesium stuck to the Vaseline to accumulate and catch the spark, the Vaseline and cotton prolonged the flame.
@@DL_2025_A Those shavings burn at over 5600 degrees F. Doesn't take long for just about anything to catch on fire at that temp. Magnesium will also burn when absolutely soaked. So it's great for setting your kindling alight. But you do you, there are dozens of great ways to start a fire.
@@DL_2025_Aa lot of materials that burn longer don’t light quite as easily. It’s all give and take and having multiple options as well as the knowledge to use them is always valuable. You can always pair these “5 second flash tinders” with a tinder that lasts longer but isn’t as easily lit.
Got mine back in the 80's while in boy Scouts. It was the only way we were aloud to start fires at camp. Our scout masters actually taught us real techniques out in the field. I feel lucky for it. Its not the same anymore
The issue is that almost none of the magnesium fire starting bars (they're not rods) being sold these days are made of pure magnesium, as it's not cheap stuff. And the thing is, even if you do come across a higher-quality magnesium bar made of nothing other than real magnesium, you're better off prepping it at home by scraping off an absolute shitload of magnesium shavings into a bowl and loading them up into a little ziplok bag for future use in the field...
@shaynejenkins446 got one in the scouts back in the early 80's also. We weren't allowed to leave until we got a successful fire rolling. Then we carved a tripod to boil water in a stainless container. I wonder if the scouts are the same now as back then?
@@Funkteon I think it might not be good to scrape it in advance. Magnesium reacts with air, and creates oxidizing layer after a while. So I suspect that if the shavings have had time to create that layer, they wont light up so easily.
Dan , I don't usually comment on your excellent posts but feel well qualified to comment on this subject. As you said the magnesium blocks are old, a product of their time. All those years ago these bars were just that, "survival" items, usually for downed aircrew to utilise in dire circumstances. Most people around in those far off days of the 1960s and 70s used a Zippo type petrol lighter or matches to light their cigarettes, as almost everyone smoked in those far off times. Most folk would have scraped their bar to put magnesium filings into suboptimal tinder, wet or damp leaves,grass,twigs etc. Then, they would have ignited the now improved tinder with their Zippo or matches, saving the thin ferrocerium rod attached to the magnesium bar as a last resort (totally out of matches) ignition source. Times change, how many people smoke nowadays, for example. In those distant times the ferro rods on the mag bars were the only ones Joe Public could obtain. Things improve and now a fantastic variety of ferrocerium rods are available to everyone. These blocks still serve a useful purpose and I have a couple knocking around, scavenged from USMC Aviator Survival Kits. These fire lighting blocks have stood still in a time warp and haven't altered since they first came out. They could be radically improved by slightly increasing the size of the attached rod, attaching it to the magnesium block with a better quality super glue and drilling a small lanyard hole in the rod, horizontally as it sits on the mag bar,so it could be securely tied to something if it did separate from the magnesium. Was it you (or maybe Blackie Thomas , wishing him a speedy recovery from his recent stroke) who put out a post where you scraped magnesium into a duct tape "pocket" to prevent the scrapings blowing away ? Happy Trails, I always enjoy your presentations, but seldom make a comment.
@clivedunning4317, I agree . Some 45 or so years ago I received a fire starting kit for camping from a relative of mine. It contained some wood shavings and a ferro rod in a small plastic pouch with a metal snap for a seal. The ferro rod was no bigger than those that are imbedded into the "survival" magnesium bar presented in the video. As you also stated, ferrocerium rods were not very common back then, let alone the sizes that are available today. Magnesium is an excellent material for fire starting, and is a great combination with the ferrocerium rods available today.
I think he says it without realising he says it... Survival kit..."but the down fall is it does not last as long as" I'm sorry I don't think it's designed for long term use. I might have that wrong but. It would seem to me that it's the most amount of spark and fule in the smallest package.... Not whats the longest lasting item...
As others have suggested, if you have to scrape a magnesium block or rod, maybe scrape it onto a jumbo cotton ball - whether or not you've added Vaseline - that you spread open and weighed down so it doesn't blow away - most shavings will become ensnared, making for a more potent fire starter despite a breeze.
I took a sawsall blade and scraped as many shavings of magnesium as I could off of one of those blocks by hand [ over 90% of the block ] and pre-packed them in a small tin , it took several sessions and a few hours , but now I can just take out a pinch or two and ignite it with any ferro rod , or I could ignite the whole tin and have a fireball .
I used a die grinder bit for aluminum in a drill press. Ground it all up. Put it in a pill bottle with the ferro rod and some fine steel wool and ground up lighter knot. It goes up extremly fast! 😂🎉🎉🎉
When I enlisted in the Army 1971 , we were issued the Doans survival fire starter. Some guys liked them and some guys thought they were a waste of space. I kept mine and the piece of hacksaw blade that came with it , attached to my pack . That said , we had Zippo lighters , a small bottle of fuel + matches. Nifty video and thanks .
@bushcraftchip I'm sure the younger viewers have no idea what a film canister is. It was the perfect storage vessel for anything you wanted to stay dry. And you could put your weed in it.🍻
Everything has a place. Those fire starters are not the best at starting fires, but they are light, small, waterproof, and resistant to damage. An excellent thing to throw into a kit that you have no intention of using but want to have just in case.
@markkirker6642 a lot of bics have small leaks or get the button pressed on accident. It really sucks when you dig up that bic you finally need after all these years and it turns out to be empty...
@@vidard9863but it doesn’t hurt to add it as a backup alongside other things. The important thing is to never rely on one or two things for survival, and always check it before you leave for a trip. And have one that cannot ‘accidentally’ become useless like a lighter losing fluid, and have something like shown in the video. Use the Bic for ease and should you need it and it’s empty, you have reliable back ups.
Agree as well. I don't think today's products on the market are as premium in their composition. Plus, I find the method here interesting. I've not seen anyone create a separate, large pile of shavings like this. Will have to try it out. In my training and experience, we just gather tinder of pocket lint (dryer lint if you've brought some), paper, whatever. Work in a bit of vaseline or oil if you have some, leaving some native material exposed and unincorporated. Then just strike a few times very close, in order to generate the heat to disperse the shreds directly over top. And that heat via flint and steel or particularly the magnesium bar- which nice and light, convenient to carry around, clips anywhere, original Doan is my preference, and that heat, carried via the shavings, is what will ignite the tinder. Which then if you immediately blow on it, it will grow hotter, since exhaled air is still higher in 02 concentration than ambient air. Just don’t blow away the embers. Because you should also have your pile of dried pine needles and dried leaves (conifer preferred since oil resin helps ignite quickly and pine configuration is aerating because of their structure, will catch faster than leaves), gathered in a formation like a nest underneath and surrounding your now ignited tinder, so it can be the next to catch as you work your way up to larger pieces of wood. With all steps conducted on your primary working space. Adding dried pine cones and kindling as it grows and gets hotter, without smothering it. Then add the larger pieces of dried wood, pending abundance and choice in your environment, to favor finding longer burning woods once the initial fire is sustained.
One significant advantage DOAN's have is that they are easy to grip under adverse conditions. They are also much easier to use if injuries mean your one handed. Something I suspect was carefully considered when they were developed.
I keep duck tape around the chain. You can scrape the magnesium onto it. It keeps the shavings in place and doesn't take much to get it lit. It takes up little space, plus duck tape is always good to have around.
I don't remember having one growing and recently got one and didn't know it was a magnesium block because it had a coating on it. I have learned something new, thank you. Pair this with my wax coated cotton pads and I'll be in good shape.
👍 .. I bought mine back in the 80's if not earlier (I think?). I don't recall the Brand but it seems to be of pretty decent quality. While it sits in one of my Fire Kits, I don't use it much now .. there being other fire lighting / tinder options at my disposal. I have replaced the original 'Scraper' with a piece of Hacksaw Blade which is able to shave off Magnesium Scrapings at a good rate. I mix the scrapings in with other Tinder and light the Mix with a Ferro Rod. This gives quite a robust flame .. the super-hot Magnesium flame persuading sometimes otherwise reluctant, but longer burning Tinder to 'get on with it' 🔥. Thanks for the 'Blast from the Past 😊.
That Magnesium will ignite with a low temp flint and steel spark and it burns at about 5000°F, so it works well with dodgy tinder. They take a bit of practice, but they work.
@@lukecrue1 I mean that it will help with tinder that doesn't want to take a spark from a fero rod, or weather that isn't really as dry as you would like. If there is fatwood at hand, then by all means, scrape up a pile of shavings, put 'em in a tinder bundle, dust it with magnesium and it's cheating.
@@lukecrue1 they both work fine, fatwood stinks your boxes and pockets if u dont use a plastic bag its mild toxin shouldn't be using it like lotion everyday
I have so many fire starters now a days but I still have two brand new of these in the junk drawer I'll never get rid of. The magnesium is worth it by itself.
I have a Doans one and it’s quality for what it is. I also have 3/4” thick rods of magnesium on the same piece of cord on each of my 6x1/2” ferro rods. “Doans Super” 😂 If you know how to scrape the magnesium (powder and thin shavings) it can aid in making a fire under very bad conditions. A lot of magnesium scrapings and one spark is all it takes to light some tinder where a ferro won’t do it. Edit: that said, the magnesium is a backup to aid the ferro….which is also a backup method in itself.
The real and most useful benefit of magnesium is it's ability to burn wet. In my early days as a firefighter I was trying to put out a shed fire that kept getting more intense the more water I sprayed on it. Turns out it was a pile of old lawnmower engines. Without a doubt the large new ferro rods are essential.
Great video! I'm 68 and that magnesium was my first ore starter and still I use one. So many ties I have seen people complain about how hard they are but none made a pile of mag like you are supposed to! You were right. Spark to mag ratio is about 20 to 1. Think of the mag as the first tinder. The finer the shavings the better it works. And it works every time! Not as bulky as the larger rods of today. Thanks, it is nice to see the old ones finally used correctly.
3 things I learned using these growing up. Scrape your shavings on to a piece of dished out foil to keep them from blowing away. When you think you have enough shavings... double it. Instead of scraping the block with your knife, place the tip of your knife on your base holding the knife at an angle just above the foil and scrape the block against the blade. This lets the shavings fall straight down into a pile. Then scrape the faro rod along the blade and as with the shavings, the sparks drop straight down.
This is really good info. I have a magnesium block in my kit in my truck, and I’ve always hated it😂 But now I learned that I never scraped enough magnesium for it to work properly.
I have one of those as my key ring. The first time I used it, I decided to set myself a "Survival" situation. I packed a nice big bowl of California's finest, and set it aside. I imagined that the mag-block was the only source of fire on my deserted island full of the good stuff. I, living at Lake Tahoe at the time, gathered pine needles, and cones, and anything else that looked likely from the yard, sat on the porch with my snow shovel for a fire pan, and set out to make fire; it being such a nearly 'life and death' situation. It took an hour the first time, but I 'survived'. Just takes a minute now. BTW: These are great stocking stuffers. Though, do warn your idiot cousin not to try it out on the cover of his fishing magazine, on the coffee table, in his living room.
I still have mine from the 1980's and it has a ton of holes drilled in it. I think I drilled it and bagged up the swarf for later use. The striker was a piece of hacksaw blade and completely useless. Yours looks sharper and more useful
This is awesome, literally have this in my list of video ideas. Took a class with Cody Lundin at Rabbit Stick last year where he demo’d like 6-7 Mag/Ferro bars and I was shocked how certain brands and models performed so much better than others. So I got the idea let’s compare them! Still collecting a few for it but this video is a good kick in the butt to film it!
My dad told me years ago that he tried to use one without having instructions. He almost tore out several fingernails trying to get the ferro rod out of the magnesium block. 😂
Hi Dan... While I agree very much with you regarding "better options", I carry 6 to 8 of those "Mag Bars" and vaseline cotton balls in those tiny "ziplock" baggies in my Jeep to pass out to "volunteers" that show up for SAR Missions without any way to start a fire. I give them out with NO INTENTION of getting them back. I just hope the people get some use out of them (or remember to bring them along if they go to another SAR event). I also have "business card size" lists of "suggested" items that would make life easier for them (and US) in the future. (I know... if they are apathetic (or clueless) enough not to bring proper Gear they probably won't know how to start a fire anyway) but an active SAR Mission is NOT the time nor place to start giving instructions... their part of a "Crew" so they (we) can work it out IF the need arises.
I actually carry a small sheet of waxed paper folded up in my kit. I scrape the magnesium onto that and it flows down the center fold easily. I also do my feather sticks over it, so if I screw up and lose a few shavings, I still have them, for what little good the random lost shavings do.
Remove small fero. rod,process shavings at home while you have access to a bench vice,add a couple dry cotton balls wrapped in duct tape, small striker,& carry in an old pill bottle. Try it.
Ive actually never had one belive it or not 😂 as much as i love gear and trying knew things out. When I was younger I just used matches or a lighter, then came the ferro rod. I once scraped magnesium off magnesium snow shoes to start a fire and used my ferrocium rod. So yes it still has a purpose. Cant wait to see what new products are coming out. I enjoy every email from Coalcracker Bushcraft so you can always send me more lol. Another awesome video as always brother 👍 💪
Thanks for addressing this, Dan: a couple of years ago, a friend of mine, and I discovered how hard it is to shop for these old-fashioned magnesium blocks these days, despite how some reputable experts recommend them. It was something that even the staff at places like REI couldn’t explain. However, your information here about the nuances of the products use a long way towards explaining why they seem to have been superseded. P.S. I still have one.
If you are lucky enough to have a Doans version, those work the best. It takes very little magnesiun to light tinder. The best is a 90% fatwood with 10% or so by volume of magnesium shavings. Instant fire 😮
Unfortunately a lot of people don’t know what “fatwood” is. Most don’t know that pine sap also burns great (it’s what makes fatwood “fat”). Or that turpentine is made from pine trees (sap). I attended the US Air Force Survival School and afterwards taught land, water, desert, arctic and jungle survival techniques to aircrew members. It was a friggin fun job! Cheers USAF Retiree…..
I tell you what those magnesium bars are good for? Bore holes in it, with a medium speed drill, make curly shavings, put them in a container, throw a handful on your fire lay ( before lighting it ). The better way to use up those things.
I can distinctly remember starting a fire using damp tinder while at Boy Scout camp in 1988. We scraped a pile of magnesium and the damp tinder didn’t matter with the heat that was generated from that fire starter.
They work. Actually better than just a steel. Most people just dont use the Magnesium or understand (wet environment or poor tinder) definitely relevant.
I grew up with mag blocks in Alaska during the 60's - 70's and will happily put my trust in these and over ferry rods alone.. The mag block will never rust and you don't need that much to get it going, plus it works well with powder from a 22, where the ferry rod does not do as well, last the ferro rods are incredibly expensive compared to the mag blocks. I would suggest keeping a few decent ferro rods and a case of mag blocks... the magnesium also makes for a big hot fire when aluminum shavings and saw dust are added (which are the primary components for a certain powerful pyrotechnic device that cannot be named here!).
Got mine in 1972 from an Army Surplus Store. The ferro rod has a concave divet, and the magnesium likewise. I used it in winter, or after a three day deluge, when woods were damp. I still have it, but I progressed to a 5/16" diameter x 3" ferro rod which is now about 3/16" on the bottom half. They last a very, very long time, especially if used in difficult situations only, or when matches or lighter expire. The ferro rod is about 30 years old, it's in my pocket every day.
I love my magnesium fire starters. My first one still works great, is over 35 years old and it's made a lot of fires. The newer ones seem harder, but with the included hacksaw blade they are fine. I don't really shave mine however, I grind it a bit and it works well. I do dress them up with a rasp after heavy use, and I save the powder/shavings in a bit of tin foil for another fire. I wrap mine in a bit of para cord with some extra tinder, old waxed jean material works great to both catch the powder and have something to light initially. The wrap protects the flint and holds my tinder and blade tight to the block. I practice with it a few times a year and usually in 5 minutes I can have fire.
I have mine still. I got it from a U.S. PX in Bremen Germany in 1982 when I served in the British Army. It’s massively worn where it’s been shaved through, but still has all of its markings on it. It does throw a spark, but not brilliant as you say. I keep mine - probably as a nostalgia item, but it still has its use. Edit: mine also came with a dog tag shaped serrated striker which gets a lot of shavings off!
The best scraper is a 3'' section of hacksaw blade. Scrape down going in one direction. You get little grains of magnesium. You want a Quarter's size of shavings. Have your tinder ready, and your pyramid of kindling set up.
I still keep a couple in packs/saddle bags. Light, all in one, compact, water proof. They take a few outings to get good with, and yes i also pack a bic lighter lmao... but they work pretty well once you know to go heavy on the shavings, and have your nest built for the fire to stay.
OR - make a whole bunch of magnesium scrapings at home at your leisure to put into a small container in your fire kit. Magnesium is a flash tinder that will burn even when wet once ignited. It needs a pretty hot ignition source, though, like ferrocerium.
Hacksaw blade is best for scraping the magnesium as well as the rod. Also taking a drill bit to the blocks ahead of time and keeping the flakes longterm works great
I use both ferro and magnesium. You can buy an RV water heater tank mag anode rod for $7. I cut it in half carefully with a hack saw and keep them in my fire kits.
I use those most often for fire starting vs my bigger ferro rods - saving those for the no joke situations as it were. Compared to bow drilling, hand drilling, solar ignition etc, the blocks have their rightful position in the pecking order of fire making. For sure, practice (training?) before you need it is the ticket.
6 inch ferro rods. There's one i got thay has a big scraper attached to it and a meter long piece of waxed jute cord with a metal tube on it. Youre meant to throw sparks onto the cord, which then turns it into a bit of a torch. Use that to light your stuff, then snuff it out to save the rest of the waxed jute. For me, it's hard to beat that. As far as having tinder with your ferro rod, it's hard to beat. It is much bigger in terms of space that it takes up though. But you don't have to worry about the shaving blowing away because it's a big jute cord.
They do work, but definitely not near the top of my go-to choices. Lighter, ferro-rod, vaseline or bees-vax impregnated cotton swabs, would rather, if having the option, go with a ferro-rod and birch-bark or fatwood, before pulling something like this out. Storm matches before this, as well..
I've always scraped magnesium onto a strip of duck tape or vaseline soaked cotton balls, whichever I had the most of. As long as you're patient and build a good size pile, it works great.
i got a few of those. you will have more luck putting the magnesium scarping in a ball of cotton or some little tinder bundle. that keeps the flakes from flying away and i find it burns well.
I still have around 30 of these from the good ones to the cheap ones from harbor freight . They all work . Some of mine are ones I have used since I was around 9 , I am 56 now . Are they they best thing out there ? No . I also have around 40 ferro rods . But , I would use either one before I would rely on friction fire .
I've got a couple of the issue Doans, 40 years ago. They worked okay but were backup to strike anywhere matches in a match safe. The $2 one from Harbor Freight didn't work as well. They came with a hacksaw blade to scrape the magnesium. Good Luck, Rick
I got mine as a last ditch element in my kit. It´s a compact piece of equipment combining tinder and ignition source. It works. For other purposes I have different equipment. IMHO the magnesium fire starters are not obsolete, their niche just got smaler in last years. Some of the ferro rod do not allow for scraping without a spark. My ligh my fire rod seems to belong in this category. It might be wise to test the rod you actually carry.
I lately came across something similar, but even smaller - an 80x10mm magnesium rod with a 4 mm ferrorod glued into a round notch. I carry it as a backup for my mini-BIC lighter and I don't mind their small size, as I'm not a bushcraft/bushcamping guy, I'm a SURVIVALIST and my gear needs to be lightweight and able to provide at most one week survivability, so we're talking about 14 fires max. - no problem.
I really like them, I start alot of fires with them, the only problem is the rod doesn't last as long as the bigger rods but as far as that I really like them.
I have one of these stuffed somewhere, in some random box, i think in my closet? For a backup to a backup to a backup. If anything, it could be a barter item in a shtf thing.
I like the blinding white light that magnesium makes. Still have them in every vehicle, bag, pouch. They work and are easy to pack away. OLD SCOOL, YA!
I still carry mine in my Fanny pack. I also bought some Chinese clones from Harbor Freight but the mag block has darkened in color, probably not pure magnesium or it has no protective coating to prevent oxidation. As for the ferro rods I would recommend coating it with either wax or paint when finished with your excursion or emergency use. They are the exact same thing as your Zippo lighter flints. I had the mispleasure of having to very carefully drill out a flint from an old antique Zippo. The rods WILL oxidize over the years and swell making a mess of things and the oxide material that is left in lighters is almost as hard as concrete.
I have a few of these that ended up in my Christmas stockings over the years. Never tried them till last year. It takes some previous know how of screwing around with them to get them to light a fire that’s for sure. You need to have some really good tinder laying around like dog or cat hair with a bunch of crumpled up leaves to get it to start a fire.
I wouldn't say obsolete but definitely rarely use. But can still work Excellent explanation that the scrapings is the equivalent to a spark and it isnt the fire.
putting down few shavings doesnt even catch a spark usually need a big pile, cotton/waxed cotton is still king takes no space and weight, i like the compactness of it.
Man, I went through several of those when you could buy them for a buck each at the surplus store as I was growing up. Started many a fire with them. Had the match vault. The tinder box with vaseline soaked cotton balls, you name it. Now I just have about a half dozen disposable lighters stashed everywere in the pack and pockets. Yes, I can start a fire with a bow drill. With a magnifying glass. With a battery. In 40 years of spending as much time out in the backcountry as I can and a life spent in SAR, often a long ways away from anything, getting a fire started has not been the make or break survival consideration and if it is, those lighters are fast and easy.
I buy "soft magnesium rods" for my kits. They shave really easily and burn well. I also buy low mesh powered magnesium. roll a cotton ball or round in it and you have a great fore starter. Or, take cotton rounds or balls, add some petroleum jelly, and then sprinkle it with magnesium powder. One spark and you're off to the races.
I remember it like it was yesterday but it was many years ago, I was way up in the river Delta on the first day of deer season sitting there in my tree stand till nearly sunset when suddenly a mighty cold front hit with strong winds instantly blasting me with stinging sleet and rain! At the time I wasn't big on keeping up with weather forecast as is the hubris of most youth, so I was caught off guard and found myself in a bit of a panic climbing down to hurry to my small boat to discover my only means of escape from that desolate isolated place and back to civilization was long gone somehow being pulled loose in the raging winds and rising tide! With a sinking heart and failing courage I shivered from the cold and plenty of fear too and began to plunder through the sparse items in the small canvas sack I had brought along with a few snacks and field dressing supplies taking a quick inventory of what I thought might be most useful to survive the hellish freezing night that was relentlessly falling. A sharp knife, good. Two bags of chips and a candy bar, nice. Hmm I slung some raggedy old cordage and my surplus military poncho out of the way and thought that's it? I anxiously felt around through a small pile of rotted leaves twigs and candy wrappers in the bottom of the smelly old sack and I felt something there. My heart jumped a little bit! Under the trash in the bottom was a half oxidized white looking old made in China magnesium fire starter block I had got years ago at the same time I bought my poncho at the Army-Navy surplus store! Then I had to hope and pray it would still work, I didn't know if it would strike right up or just crumble into a pile of useless dust? Well a short story long I found a good tight spot amongst the bushes where I'd be mostly blocked from the howling winds and with the thick trees above shedding away most of the rain I set-up my poncho shelter close to my fire spot and wrapped the ends around enclosing it as tight as possible. Then after what seemed like an eternity gathering wood and tender for my fire I shredded up one of the plastic ziplock bags under the pile of tender and began scraping the rotten old magnesium block onto it making a pretty good pile of scrapings. This is it, the moment of truth! Will I survive the night all nice and warm by the roaring fire or will I perish in the wet frozen wild all alone of hypothermia never to be seen again? My wet shivering hands held the knife and striker tight and yeah I used the sharp side of the blade because I didn't feel like fooling around with this or taking any unnecessary chances I wanted the sparks to fly thick and heavy and light up this life saving fire as quickly as possible! I scraped it once and hardly nothing. I scraped it again and got a few wimpy sparks. A third time I almost knocked the whole pile flying I was so anxious! Finally on the fourth try, a bright and beautiful shower of thick sparks flew out and set off the magnesium burning bright white! Yes oh yes that's so wonderful looking it's hard to imagine something so simple as a little fire meaning so much in this modern day and age but in a situation like that it was the most beautiful thing I believe I ever saw in front of me and the feeling of accomplishment was undescribable! And I lived happily ever after... Ounce per ounce you can hardly carry a fire maker as efficient and dependable as one of these little cheap blocks. Just make sure the little fero rod is glued on good and tight so it doesn't fall off and get lots!
You can make a fuel by heating fabric cloth to very high temps until it chars into black. Then store it with your sparker as a fire starting material. It will light up from catching a spark more easily. But if you can store that, you might as well store a lighter with cotton balls and whatnot.
My problem with the magnesium and ferro rod combo is that the ferro rod fell out. Thankfully It happened while it was in my hands so I was able to keep it till I could epoxy it back to the magnesium block
When I was using magnesium blocks I delt with the breeze with cotton rounds soaked in Vaseline. The magnesium stuck to the Vaseline to accumulate and catch the spark, the Vaseline and cotton prolonged the flame.
@@johnpotter7652 great tip
Very clever idea.
Two classic methods, united.
I use the same method when necessary.
Gorilla tape was the first thing I thought about putting the things on
Flammable materials do not go obsolete.
The carburetor on my push mower would disagree😂😅😢
@@mikew8214 That's a carburetor problem. ;)
@@DL_2025_A Those shavings burn at over 5600 degrees F.
Doesn't take long for just about anything to catch on fire at that temp. Magnesium will also burn when absolutely soaked.
So it's great for setting your kindling alight.
But you do you, there are dozens of great ways to start a fire.
@@DL_2025_A My experience differs greatly.
@@DL_2025_Aa lot of materials that burn longer don’t light quite as easily. It’s all give and take and having multiple options as well as the knowledge to use them is always valuable. You can always pair these “5 second flash tinders” with a tinder that lasts longer but isn’t as easily lit.
Got mine back in the 80's while in boy Scouts. It was the only way we were aloud to start fires at camp. Our scout masters actually taught us real techniques out in the field. I feel lucky for it. Its not the same anymore
The issue is that almost none of the magnesium fire starting bars (they're not rods) being sold these days are made of pure magnesium, as it's not cheap stuff. And the thing is, even if you do come across a higher-quality magnesium bar made of nothing other than real magnesium, you're better off prepping it at home by scraping off an absolute shitload of magnesium shavings into a bowl and loading them up into a little ziplok bag for future use in the field...
@shaynejenkins446 got one in the scouts back in the early 80's also. We weren't allowed to leave until we got a successful fire rolling. Then we carved a tripod to boil water in a stainless container. I wonder if the scouts are the same now as back then?
There are still troops where actual outdoor skills are taught, even if it's not true across the board.
*allowed
@@Funkteon I think it might not be good to scrape it in advance. Magnesium reacts with air, and creates oxidizing layer after a while. So I suspect that if the shavings have had time to create that layer, they wont light up so easily.
Dan , I don't usually comment on your excellent posts but feel well qualified to comment on this subject. As you said the magnesium blocks are old, a product of their time. All those years ago these bars were just that, "survival" items, usually for downed aircrew to utilise in dire circumstances. Most people around in those far off days of the 1960s and 70s used a Zippo type petrol lighter or matches to light their cigarettes, as almost everyone smoked in those far off times. Most folk would have scraped their bar to put magnesium filings into suboptimal tinder, wet or damp leaves,grass,twigs etc. Then, they would have ignited the now improved tinder with their Zippo or matches, saving the thin ferrocerium rod attached to the magnesium bar as a last resort (totally out of matches) ignition source. Times change, how many people smoke nowadays, for example. In those distant times the ferro rods on the mag bars were the only ones Joe Public could obtain.
Things improve and now a fantastic variety of ferrocerium rods are available to everyone. These blocks still serve a useful purpose and I have a couple knocking around, scavenged from USMC Aviator Survival Kits. These fire lighting blocks have stood still in a time warp and haven't altered since they first came out. They could be radically improved by slightly increasing the size of the attached rod, attaching it to the magnesium block with a better quality super glue and drilling a small lanyard hole in the rod, horizontally as it sits on the mag bar,so it could be securely tied to something if it did separate from the magnesium. Was it you (or maybe Blackie Thomas , wishing him a speedy recovery from his recent stroke) who put out a post where you scraped magnesium into a duct tape "pocket" to prevent the scrapings blowing away ?
Happy Trails, I always enjoy your presentations, but seldom make a comment.
@clivedunning4317, I agree .
Some 45 or so years ago I received a fire starting kit for camping from a relative of mine. It contained some wood shavings and a ferro rod in a small plastic pouch with a metal snap for a seal. The ferro rod was no bigger than those that are imbedded into the "survival" magnesium bar presented in the video.
As you also stated, ferrocerium rods were not very common back then, let alone the sizes that are available today.
Magnesium is an excellent material for fire starting, and is a great combination with the ferrocerium rods available today.
Part of the few items I still carry lolol 66 yrs old some things ya learned a few different types of fire starters
They work just as good today as they ever did. They don't go bad and they're cheap enough to keep several of them around.
I think he says it without realising he says it... Survival kit..."but the down fall is it does not last as long as"
I'm sorry I don't think it's designed for long term use. I might have that wrong but. It would seem to me that it's the most amount of spark and fule in the smallest package.... Not whats the longest lasting item...
As others have suggested, if you have to scrape a magnesium block or rod, maybe scrape it onto a jumbo cotton ball - whether or not you've added Vaseline - that you spread open and weighed down so it doesn't blow away - most shavings will become ensnared, making for a more potent fire starter despite a breeze.
I took a sawsall blade and scraped as many shavings of magnesium as I could off of one of those blocks by hand [ over 90% of the block ] and pre-packed them in a small tin , it took several sessions and a few hours , but now I can just take out a pinch or two and ignite it with any ferro rod , or I could ignite the whole tin and have a fireball .
Did the same, but put it in a used Skoal container
I use the file on my Leatherman and get very consistent shavings.
I'm lazy. I just bought a bag of magnesium from a seller on Amazon.
@Unicorn161 that works until the bag tears and spills everywhere. The best part about the block is it stays together until you need it.
I used a die grinder bit for aluminum in a drill press. Ground it all up. Put it in a pill bottle with the ferro rod and some fine steel wool and ground up lighter knot. It goes up extremly fast! 😂🎉🎉🎉
When I enlisted in the Army 1971 , we were issued the Doans survival fire starter. Some guys liked them and some guys thought they were a waste of space. I kept mine and the piece of hacksaw blade that came with it , attached to my pack . That said , we had Zippo lighters , a small bottle of fuel + matches. Nifty video and thanks .
Hello Dano, I use a micro planer to make lots of mag fluff then store in old film canister. Just gave my age away..lol Great Vid Broheim!!!
@bushcraftchip I'm sure the younger viewers have no idea what a film canister is. It was the perfect storage vessel for anything you wanted to stay dry. And you could put your weed in it.🍻
or ludes😊
@@bushcraftchip😂😂😂😂, they passed these out like candy at the Student Health Center when I was in college in the early 80s!
Everything has a place. Those fire starters are not the best at starting fires, but they are light, small, waterproof, and resistant to damage. An excellent thing to throw into a kit that you have no intention of using but want to have just in case.
Exactly, it's amazing that no survivalist packs a Bic in their go bags 🤣
@markkirker6642 a lot of bics have small leaks or get the button pressed on accident. It really sucks when you dig up that bic you finally need after all these years and it turns out to be empty...
@@vidard9863but it doesn’t hurt to add it as a backup alongside other things. The important thing is to never rely on one or two things for survival, and always check it before you leave for a trip. And have one that cannot ‘accidentally’ become useless like a lighter losing fluid, and have something like shown in the video. Use the Bic for ease and should you need it and it’s empty, you have reliable back ups.
The military Doans was decent. All the other copies suck. Thank you for another great video 😊
I agree
Totally agree 👍
100% correct, the cheap chinese magnesium is hard to scrape and is super hard to light. you get what you pay for!
Agree as well. I don't think today's products on the market are as premium in their composition.
Plus, I find the method here interesting. I've not seen anyone create a separate, large pile of shavings like this. Will have to try it out.
In my training and experience, we just gather tinder of pocket lint (dryer lint if you've brought some), paper, whatever. Work in a bit of vaseline or oil if you have some, leaving some native material exposed and unincorporated. Then just strike a few times very close, in order to generate the heat to disperse the shreds directly over top. And that heat via flint and steel or particularly the magnesium bar- which nice and light, convenient to carry around, clips anywhere, original Doan is my preference, and that heat, carried via the shavings, is what will ignite the tinder.
Which then if you immediately blow on it, it will grow hotter, since exhaled air is still higher in 02 concentration than ambient air. Just don’t blow away the embers.
Because you should also have your pile of dried pine needles and dried leaves (conifer preferred since oil resin helps ignite quickly and pine configuration is aerating because of their structure, will catch faster than leaves), gathered in a formation like a nest underneath and surrounding your now ignited tinder, so it can be the next to catch as you work your way up to larger pieces of wood. With all steps conducted on your primary working space.
Adding dried pine cones and kindling as it grows and gets hotter, without smothering it.
Then add the larger pieces of dried wood, pending abundance and choice in your environment, to favor finding longer burning woods once the initial fire is sustained.
@gerardmartyn7596 yup, the doans branded ones work really well, basically all the others suck.
One significant advantage DOAN's have is that they are easy to grip under adverse conditions. They are also much easier to use if injuries mean your one handed. Something I suspect was carefully considered when they were developed.
I keep duck tape around the chain. You can scrape the magnesium onto it. It keeps the shavings in place and doesn't take much to get it lit. It takes up little space, plus duck tape is always good to have around.
Nice comment & duct tape makes decent tinder in a pinch.
@QuantumMechanic_88 yes, it does.
I don't remember having one growing and recently got one and didn't know it was a magnesium block because it had a coating on it. I have learned something new, thank you.
Pair this with my wax coated cotton pads and I'll be in good shape.
Still have my first from 30 years ago and one I bought 5 years ago. They are in my kit as backup
1:33 people that throw away gifts in the woods , especially from aunts , are no friends of mine .
👍 .. I bought mine back in the 80's if not earlier (I think?). I don't recall the Brand but it seems to be of pretty decent quality.
While it sits in one of my Fire Kits, I don't use it much now .. there being other fire lighting / tinder options at my disposal.
I have replaced the original 'Scraper' with a piece of Hacksaw Blade which is able to shave off Magnesium Scrapings at a good rate. I mix the scrapings in with other Tinder and light the Mix with a Ferro Rod. This gives quite a robust flame .. the super-hot Magnesium flame persuading sometimes otherwise reluctant, but longer burning Tinder to 'get on with it' 🔥.
Thanks for the 'Blast from the Past 😊.
Doan was supposed to be the best brand.
They aren’t that bad and they are good for kids to get started . You can pick them up super cheap at Harbor Freight too.
That Magnesium will ignite with a low temp flint and steel spark and it burns at about 5000°F, so it works well with dodgy tinder. They take a bit of practice, but they work.
But it burns out too fast. I'd rather have fatwood that burns longer at a lower temp
@@lukecrue1 I mean that it will help with tinder that doesn't want to take a spark from a fero rod, or weather that isn't really as dry as you would like. If there is fatwood at hand, then by all means, scrape up a pile of shavings, put 'em in a tinder bundle, dust it with magnesium and it's cheating.
@@tahoemike5828 oh gotcha, agreed!
@@lukecrue1 they both work fine, fatwood stinks your boxes and pockets if u dont use a plastic bag its mild toxin shouldn't be using it like lotion everyday
I have so many fire starters now a days but I still have two brand new of these in the junk drawer I'll never get rid of. The magnesium is worth it by itself.
In pine tree country, the magnesium can be mixed into a blob of pine sap. Extends the window to get tinder happening.
I have a Doans one and it’s quality for what it is. I also have 3/4” thick rods of magnesium on the same piece of cord on each of my 6x1/2” ferro rods. “Doans Super” 😂
If you know how to scrape the magnesium (powder and thin shavings) it can aid in making a fire under very bad conditions. A lot of magnesium scrapings and one spark is all it takes to light some tinder where a ferro won’t do it.
Edit: that said, the magnesium is a backup to aid the ferro….which is also a backup method in itself.
The real and most useful benefit of magnesium is it's ability to burn wet. In my early days as a firefighter I was trying to put out a shed fire that kept getting more intense the more water I sprayed on it. Turns out it was a pile of old lawnmower engines. Without a doubt the large new ferro rods are essential.
Great video! I'm 68 and that magnesium was my first ore starter and still I use one. So many ties I have seen people complain about how hard they are but none made a pile of mag like you are supposed to! You were right. Spark to mag ratio is about 20 to 1. Think of the mag as the first tinder. The finer the shavings the better it works. And it works every time! Not as bulky as the larger rods of today. Thanks, it is nice to see the old ones finally used correctly.
I like the ferro rods as general purpose, but still consider the magnesium better for an emergency kit.
3 things I learned using these growing up.
Scrape your shavings on to a piece of dished out foil to keep them from blowing away.
When you think you have enough shavings... double it.
Instead of scraping the block with your knife, place the tip of your knife on your base holding the knife at an angle just above the foil and scrape the block against the blade. This lets the shavings fall straight down into a pile. Then scrape the faro rod along the blade and as with the shavings, the sparks drop straight down.
Thanks for sharing this story.👍
This is really good info. I have a magnesium block in my kit in my truck, and I’ve always hated it😂 But now I learned that I never scraped enough magnesium for it to work properly.
I have one of those as my key ring. The first time I used it, I decided to set myself a "Survival" situation. I packed a nice big bowl of California's finest, and set it aside. I imagined that the mag-block was the only source of fire on my deserted island full of the good stuff. I, living at Lake Tahoe at the time, gathered pine needles, and cones, and anything else that looked likely from the yard, sat on the porch with my snow shovel for a fire pan, and set out to make fire; it being such a nearly 'life and death' situation. It took an hour the first time, but I 'survived'. Just takes a minute now.
BTW: These are great stocking stuffers. Though, do warn your idiot cousin not to try it out on the cover of his fishing magazine, on the coffee table, in his living room.
😂
They make great campfire spectacle.
I still have mine from the 1980's and it has a ton of holes drilled in it. I think I drilled it and bagged up the swarf for later use. The striker was a piece of hacksaw blade and completely useless. Yours looks sharper and more useful
This is awesome, literally have this in my list of video ideas. Took a class with Cody Lundin at Rabbit Stick last year where he demo’d like 6-7 Mag/Ferro bars and I was shocked how certain brands and models performed so much better than others. So I got the idea let’s compare them! Still collecting a few for it but this video is a good kick in the butt to film it!
Paul Kirtley has a video showing the performance difference of about 7 rods ( if I recall the number correctly)
@@SmithandWesson22Aoh yes! I forgot all about that one! Will rewatch it
My dad told me years ago that he tried to use one without having instructions. He almost tore out several fingernails trying to get the ferro rod out of the magnesium block. 😂
Thanks Dan. Take care 😊
Hi Dan... While I agree very much with you regarding "better options", I carry 6 to 8 of those "Mag Bars" and vaseline cotton balls in those tiny "ziplock" baggies in my Jeep to pass out to "volunteers" that show up for SAR Missions without any way to start a fire. I give them out with NO INTENTION of getting them back. I just hope the people get some use out of them (or remember to bring them along if they go to another SAR event). I also have "business card size" lists of "suggested" items that would make life easier for them (and US) in the future. (I know... if they are apathetic (or clueless) enough not to bring proper Gear they probably won't know how to start a fire anyway) but an active SAR Mission is NOT the time nor place to start giving instructions... their part of a "Crew" so they (we) can work it out IF the need arises.
I actually carry a small sheet of waxed paper folded up in my kit. I scrape the magnesium onto that and it flows down the center fold easily. I also do my feather sticks over it, so if I screw up and lose a few shavings, I still have them, for what little good the random lost shavings do.
Great video. Thank you and God bless.
Shave the magnesium on a strip of duct tape. It will help keep it in one place in windy conditions as you strike it with the ferro rod.
Cool idea as it will also form a small part of the tinder.
Tools are everything. The more options, the better. The more innovation to either expedite or bolster the process (whatever it may be), the better.
Remove small fero. rod,process shavings at home while you have access to a bench vice,add a couple dry cotton balls wrapped in duct tape, small striker,& carry in an old pill bottle. Try it.
Not a bad idea I personally have small bags that I put them in with a small kit for bags to hand out.
Ive actually never had one belive it or not 😂 as much as i love gear and trying knew things out. When I was younger I just used matches or a lighter, then came the ferro rod. I once scraped magnesium off magnesium snow shoes to start a fire and used my ferrocium rod. So yes it still has a purpose. Cant wait to see what new products are coming out. I enjoy every email from Coalcracker Bushcraft so you can always send me more lol. Another awesome video as always brother 👍 💪
Thanks for addressing this, Dan: a couple of years ago, a friend of mine, and I discovered how hard it is to shop for these old-fashioned magnesium blocks these days, despite how some reputable experts recommend them. It was something that even the staff at places like REI couldn’t explain. However, your information here about the nuances of the products use a long way towards explaining why they seem to have been superseded.
P.S. I still have one.
If you are lucky enough to have a Doans version, those work the best. It takes very little magnesiun to light tinder. The best is a 90% fatwood with 10% or so by volume of magnesium shavings. Instant fire 😮
Unfortunately a lot of people don’t know what “fatwood” is. Most don’t know that pine sap also burns great (it’s what makes fatwood “fat”). Or that turpentine is made from pine trees (sap). I attended the US Air Force Survival School and afterwards taught land, water, desert, arctic and jungle survival techniques to aircrew members. It was a friggin fun job! Cheers USAF Retiree…..
Always learning. Thank you for your service
I tell you what those magnesium bars are good for? Bore holes in it, with a medium speed drill, make curly shavings, put them in a container, throw a handful on your fire lay ( before lighting it ). The better way to use up those things.
I can distinctly remember starting a fire using damp tinder while at Boy Scout camp in 1988. We scraped a pile of magnesium and the damp tinder didn’t matter with the heat that was generated from that fire starter.
They work. Actually better than just a steel. Most people just dont use the Magnesium or understand (wet environment or poor tinder) definitely relevant.
The bic is the best.
Good point with using more magnesium vs fero rods. That is most people’s frustration.
I grew up with mag blocks in Alaska during the 60's - 70's and will happily put my trust in these and over ferry rods alone..
The mag block will never rust and you don't need that much to get it going, plus it works well with powder from a 22, where the ferry rod does not do as well, last the ferro rods are incredibly expensive compared to the mag blocks.
I would suggest keeping a few decent ferro rods and a case of mag blocks... the magnesium also makes for a big hot fire when aluminum shavings and saw dust are added (which are the primary components for a certain powerful pyrotechnic device that cannot be named here!).
Thanks for sharing.
Got mine in 1972 from an Army Surplus Store. The ferro rod has a concave divet, and the magnesium likewise. I used it in winter, or after a three day deluge, when woods were damp. I still have it, but I progressed to a 5/16" diameter x 3" ferro rod which is now about 3/16" on the bottom half. They last a very, very long time, especially if used in difficult situations only, or when matches or lighter expire. The ferro rod is about 30 years old, it's in my pocket every day.
I love my magnesium fire starters. My first one still works great, is over 35 years old and it's made a lot of fires. The newer ones seem harder, but with the included hacksaw blade they are fine. I don't really shave mine however, I grind it a bit and it works well. I do dress them up with a rasp after heavy use, and I save the powder/shavings in a bit of tin foil for another fire. I wrap mine in a bit of para cord with some extra tinder, old waxed jean material works great to both catch the powder and have something to light initially. The wrap protects the flint and holds my tinder and blade tight to the block. I practice with it a few times a year and usually in 5 minutes I can have fire.
I have mine still. I got it from a U.S. PX in Bremen Germany in 1982 when I served in the British Army. It’s massively worn where it’s been shaved through, but still has all of its markings on it. It does throw a spark, but not brilliant as you say. I keep mine - probably as a nostalgia item, but it still has its use. Edit: mine also came with a dog tag shaped serrated striker which gets a lot of shavings off!
these worked just fine when I was a kid lol, started so many unauthorized fires
Can you scrape it beforehand and mix it with something and put it into a pouch for later?
Still love it and have it! Started out with it and cotton swabs soaked in vaseline
The best scraper is a 3'' section of hacksaw blade. Scrape down going in one direction. You get little grains of magnesium. You want a Quarter's size of shavings. Have your tinder ready, and your pyramid of kindling set up.
I still keep a couple in packs/saddle bags. Light, all in one, compact, water proof. They take a few outings to get good with, and yes i also pack a bic lighter lmao... but they work pretty well once you know to go heavy on the shavings, and have your nest built for the fire to stay.
OR - make a whole bunch of magnesium scrapings at home at your leisure to put into a small container in your fire kit. Magnesium is a flash tinder that will burn even when wet once ignited. It needs a pretty hot ignition source, though, like ferrocerium.
will this work when it’s wet? i see alot of survival channels doing their camping during wet season.
Hacksaw blade is best for scraping the magnesium as well as the rod. Also taking a drill bit to the blocks ahead of time and keeping the flakes longterm works great
Before setting out, shave some magnesium onto the sticky side of awatches of suck tape until no longer sticky. Now your shavings won't blow away.
Put words to so many of my thoughts with those bars.
I use both ferro and magnesium. You can buy an RV water heater tank mag anode rod for $7. I cut it in half carefully with a hack saw and keep them in my fire kits.
I use those most often for fire starting vs my bigger ferro rods - saving those for the no joke situations as it were. Compared to bow drilling, hand drilling, solar ignition etc, the blocks have their rightful position in the pecking order of fire making. For sure, practice (training?) before you need it is the ticket.
Which fire starters do you recommend not the small fire starters
Get a big ferro rod
6 inch ferro rods. There's one i got thay has a big scraper attached to it and a meter long piece of waxed jute cord with a metal tube on it. Youre meant to throw sparks onto the cord, which then turns it into a bit of a torch. Use that to light your stuff, then snuff it out to save the rest of the waxed jute. For me, it's hard to beat that. As far as having tinder with your ferro rod, it's hard to beat. It is much bigger in terms of space that it takes up though. But you don't have to worry about the shaving blowing away because it's a big jute cord.
I have a lightening strike fire starter with a 5/16 ferro rod. works really good as it directs the sparks to one spot.
I wonder if you can joule start it with a 9volt battery like steel wool?
They do work, but definitely not near the top of my go-to choices. Lighter, ferro-rod, vaseline or bees-vax impregnated cotton swabs, would rather, if having the option, go with a ferro-rod and birch-bark or fatwood, before pulling something like this out. Storm matches before this, as well..
I've always scraped magnesium onto a strip of duck tape or vaseline soaked cotton balls, whichever I had the most of. As long as you're patient and build a good size pile, it works great.
I have one of these with a separate fero. Works as a charm
Used my gerber coarse file to make my pile. Then held my knife edge still and pulled the ferro rod. Worked way better.
i got a few of those. you will have more luck putting the magnesium scarping in a ball of cotton or some little tinder bundle. that keeps the flakes from flying away and i find it burns well.
I still have around 30 of these from the good ones to the cheap ones from harbor freight . They all work .
Some of mine are ones I have used since I was around 9 , I am 56 now .
Are they they best thing out there ? No . I also have around 40 ferro rods .
But , I would use either one before I would rely on friction fire .
I've got a couple of the issue Doans, 40 years ago. They worked okay but were backup to strike anywhere matches in a match safe. The $2 one from Harbor Freight didn't work as well. They came with a hacksaw blade to scrape the magnesium. Good Luck, Rick
Candles & Bic lighter at night or magnifying glass with sun light.
I got mine as a last ditch element in my kit. It´s a compact piece of equipment combining tinder and ignition source. It works. For other purposes I have different equipment. IMHO the magnesium fire starters are not obsolete, their niche just got smaler in last years.
Some of the ferro rod do not allow for scraping without a spark. My ligh my fire rod seems to belong in this category. It might be wise to test the rod you actually carry.
I have like five of these have never actually used one. Always have an actual blowtorch when I go camping. Had a built in sparker
Camping with Steve style 😅
also lighter weight.. the ferro rods are heavy & when you're calculating weight of troops in aircraft it makes sense.
I lately came across something similar, but even smaller - an 80x10mm magnesium rod with a 4 mm ferrorod glued into a round notch. I carry it as a backup for my mini-BIC lighter and I don't mind their small size, as I'm not a bushcraft/bushcamping guy, I'm a SURVIVALIST and my gear needs to be lightweight and able to provide at most one week survivability, so we're talking about 14 fires max. - no problem.
"...a bigger rod makes more sparks..." LOL You GO Dan!!! 😂
I mixed some magnesium shavings with fatwood dust and store it in a tin.
I really like them, I start alot of fires with them, the only problem is the rod doesn't last as long as the bigger rods but as far as that I really like them.
I have one of these stuffed somewhere, in some random box, i think in my closet? For a backup to a backup to a backup. If anything, it could be a barter item in a shtf thing.
Great concise video sir. Thank you, now I know… 👍
I like the blinding white light that magnesium makes. Still have them in every vehicle, bag, pouch. They work and are easy to pack away. OLD SCOOL, YA!
I still carry mine in my Fanny pack. I also bought some Chinese clones from Harbor Freight but the mag block has darkened in color, probably not pure magnesium or it has no protective coating to prevent oxidation. As for the ferro rods I would recommend coating it with either wax or paint when finished with your excursion or emergency use. They are the exact same thing as your Zippo lighter flints. I had the mispleasure of having to very carefully drill out a flint from an old antique Zippo. The rods WILL oxidize over the years and swell making a mess of things and the oxide material that is left in lighters is almost as hard as concrete.
That was very interesting video. Thanks much.
Just flick the bic...
Im old 65
Its still the best.
Just get a few and dip them in wax paper and keep a few
i prefer oxygen flame thrower, whatever floats your goat they all work i use them all, its fun to have variety.
I have a few of these that ended up in my Christmas stockings over the years. Never tried them till last year. It takes some previous know how of screwing around with them to get them to light a fire that’s for sure. You need to have some really good tinder laying around like dog or cat hair with a bunch of crumpled up leaves to get it to start a fire.
I wouldn't say obsolete but definitely rarely use. But can still work
Excellent explanation that the scrapings is the equivalent to a spark and it isnt the fire.
putting down few shavings doesnt even catch a spark usually need a big pile, cotton/waxed cotton is still king takes no space and weight, i like the compactness of it.
Man, I went through several of those when you could buy them for a buck each at the surplus store as I was growing up. Started many a fire with them. Had the match vault. The tinder box with vaseline soaked cotton balls, you name it. Now I just have about a half dozen disposable lighters stashed everywere in the pack and pockets. Yes, I can start a fire with a bow drill. With a magnifying glass. With a battery. In 40 years of spending as much time out in the backcountry as I can and a life spent in SAR, often a long ways away from anything, getting a fire started has not been the make or break survival consideration and if it is, those lighters are fast and easy.
I buy "soft magnesium rods" for my kits. They shave really easily and burn well. I also buy low mesh powered magnesium. roll a cotton ball or round in it and you have a great fore starter. Or, take cotton rounds or balls, add some petroleum jelly, and then sprinkle it with magnesium powder. One spark and you're off to the races.
I have a magnesium fs for 35 years. Works just as good today as when I got it.
I remember it like it was yesterday but it was many years ago, I was way up in the river Delta on the first day of deer season sitting there in my tree stand till nearly sunset when suddenly a mighty cold front hit with strong winds instantly blasting me with stinging sleet and rain!
At the time I wasn't big on keeping up with weather forecast as is the hubris of most youth, so I was caught off guard and found myself in a bit of a panic climbing down to hurry to my small boat to discover my only means of escape from that desolate isolated place and back to civilization was long gone somehow being pulled loose in the raging winds and rising tide!
With a sinking heart and failing courage I shivered from the cold and plenty of fear too and began to plunder through the sparse items in the small canvas sack I had brought along with a few snacks and field dressing supplies taking a quick inventory of what I thought might be most useful to survive the hellish freezing night that was relentlessly falling.
A sharp knife, good. Two bags of chips and a candy bar, nice. Hmm I slung some raggedy old cordage and my surplus military poncho out of the way and thought that's it?
I anxiously felt around through a small pile of rotted leaves twigs and candy wrappers in the bottom of the smelly old sack and I felt something there.
My heart jumped a little bit!
Under the trash in the bottom was a half oxidized white looking old made in China magnesium fire starter block I had got years ago at the same time I bought my poncho at the Army-Navy surplus store!
Then I had to hope and pray it would still work, I didn't know if it would strike right up or just crumble into a pile of useless dust?
Well a short story long I found a good tight spot amongst the bushes where I'd be mostly blocked from the howling winds and with the thick trees above shedding away most of the rain I set-up my poncho shelter close to my fire spot and wrapped the ends around enclosing it as tight as possible.
Then after what seemed like an eternity gathering wood and tender for my fire I shredded up one of the plastic ziplock bags under the pile of tender and began scraping the rotten old magnesium block onto it making a pretty good pile of scrapings.
This is it, the moment of truth!
Will I survive the night all nice and warm by the roaring fire or will I perish in the wet frozen wild all alone of hypothermia never to be seen again?
My wet shivering hands held the knife and striker tight and yeah I used the sharp side of the blade because I didn't feel like fooling around with this or taking any unnecessary chances I wanted the sparks to fly thick and heavy and light up this life saving fire as quickly as possible!
I scraped it once and hardly nothing.
I scraped it again and got a few wimpy sparks.
A third time I almost knocked the whole pile flying I was so anxious!
Finally on the fourth try, a bright and beautiful shower of thick sparks flew out and set off the magnesium burning bright white!
Yes oh yes that's so wonderful looking it's hard to imagine something so simple as a little fire meaning so much in this modern day and age but in a situation like that it was the most beautiful thing I believe I ever saw in front of me and the feeling of accomplishment was undescribable!
And I lived happily ever after...
Ounce per ounce you can hardly carry a fire maker as efficient and dependable as one of these little cheap blocks. Just make sure the little fero rod is glued on good and tight so it doesn't fall off and get lots!
You can make a fuel by heating fabric cloth to very high temps until it chars into black. Then store it with your sparker as a fire starting material. It will light up from catching a spark more easily.
But if you can store that, you might as well store a lighter with cotton balls and whatnot.
My problem with the magnesium and ferro rod combo is that the ferro rod fell out. Thankfully It happened while it was in my hands so I was able to keep it till I could epoxy it back to the magnesium block
I've used a doan mag bar plenty and trust me it took him longer than "30 seconds" to get a pile that size.