Metal Match and Steel
Magnesium Fire Starting Tool
The Bow and Drill
Using the Bow and Drill
Fire- The Measure of Civilisation
In Paul Theroux's The Mosquito Coast, Father would have us believe that "ice is civilisation." I say that fire is civilisation- in a survival or primitive situation, if you can create fire, you can control your destiny. With that said, this page will outline basic primitive fire-making techniques. When I say "fire-making", I do not mean piling rocks in a circle, throwing wood and paper inside, and tossing in a match. We discuss tinder, kindling and fuels, building a fire, as well as using fire rings and reflectors on our Primitive Skills page on Fire - be sure to take a look at those details before reading on. Our focus here is creating fire from sticks using friction- the Bow and Drill, and from a metal match or magnesium fire starter and steel. These are the easiest primitive fire-making techniques. There are other methods which we may discuss at a later date, such as the fire plow, the hand drill, the pump drill, the fire saw, and actual flint (a chunk of rock) and steel. For now we will stick with the basic two methods.
Metal Match and Steel
The "metal match", often referred to as "flint", is found in the form of rod from about one to two inches in length. It is composed of a metal alloy known as ferrocerium. The company Light My Fire makes a popular metal match by the name of Swedish FireSteel. It comes in three sizes: The Mini (giving 1,500 sparks), The Scout (giving 3,000 sparks), and The Army (giving 12,000 sparks). The Scout model is availbale at REI for 11 dollars. I keep one of these "flints" tied to the sheath of each of my survival knives. Each one comes with a piece of steel for striking. Since I keep mine tied to my knife, I usually discard this part of the kit. If you do use your knife blade for striking, use the back of the blade, and at an angle that allows for the least amount of contact from the blade along the striking rod.
This photo shows the difference in size between the Scout model FireSteel and the Boy Scout Hot Spark. The FireSteel is 1/4 inch in diameter and 1 3/4 inches in length. The Hot Spark is 3/16 inch in diameter and 1 inch in length. The respective striking steels are also shown. The difference in length is noticeable during use. The longer rod is easier to use.
The photo to the right illustrates the difference in the backs of the blades of two survival knives. On the top is the USAF Survival knife, on the bottom is the Frosts Mora Military Survival knife. The back of the USAF knife at the tip is perfect for running along the rod. It is very thin, essentially a sharpenable section of blade. The back of the Mora blade at the tip is the same thickness as the rest of the blade back. It is a bit harder to get the same amount of spark as with the USAF knife, but it still gives sufficient spark to start a fire. I tilt the mora blade so just the corner of the blade makes contact with the rod. The composition of the blades may also have something to do with the difference in spark, although I am not certain of this. The Mora knife is stainless steel while the steel blade of the USAF knife will rust.
Using the metal match and steel is a relatively easy method for fire starting- with practice. Do not expect to start a fire on your first try, or even your tenth. And do not underestimate the importance of preparing your tinder. The tinder bundle receives the spark from the rod and must be prepared with care. It is best if you have very dry tinder. Very fine, hairlike tinder that is loosely bundled is the goal here. The spark is directed from the rod as the steel, in my case the back of my knife blade, is steadily run down the flint rod towards the tinder bundle. Alternatively, the knife blade, or steel, can be held stationary while the flint rod is pulled away. The latter method tends to be a little more forgiving to your tinder bundle as there is less chance of disrupting the materials by hitting them with the knife blade. I use both methods, tending towards holding the flint stationary more often. You will need to experiment to find out which method works best for you.
Once the spark has ignited the tinder, blow the tinder bundle into flame and continue on with your preferred fire building technique.
Magnesium Fire Starting Tool
The photo to the left shows the magnesium fire starting tool, a military issue item. The striking rod is at the top of the block in this photo, near the saw blade, barely visible. It has been well used on this tool. The saw blade in this case is a sawzall blade snapped off to the length of the magnesium block and tied on with 550 cord.
The magnesium fire starting tool is essentially a metal match imbedded along one side of a block of magnesium. I keep a broken length of saw blade, the length of the magnesium block, tied to the block with a piece of 550 cord. I use the teeth of the blade to scrape magnesium shavings from the block. I slide the hacksaw blade down the corner of the magnesium block while pushing the blade across the corner. This seems to create shavings of a proper size for ignition. You can also use the broken end of the hacksaw blade to remove shavings from the block. This is the recommended method by many who use the tool, including Cody Lundin in
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive. The shavings should be directed into something to catch them, then carefully placed as a mass in the center of your tinder bundle. The tinder bundle in this case does not need to be as loosley bundled as with the metal match alone- the magnesium shavings will do their job either way. Next strike the metal match and ignite the mass of magnesium shavings and you have the beginning of your fire. Using magnesium shavings insures that your bundle of tinder will ignite. This method is especially useful if your tinder is damp. The Magnesium Fire Starting Tool is available at REI for about 5 dollars.
The Bow and Drill
The bow and drill method, while potentially frustrating in the beginning, is one of the simplest and quickest of primitive methods for making fire. It is also extremely rewarding once you finally figure out the mechanics of it and can make fire consistently using your own kit. Once you make fire with sticks, you will not look at fire in the same way again. With practice you can develop the skill to create a spark, the glowing ember on the edge of your fireboard, within about 10 or 15 seconds of working the bow and drill. Once the spark is created, if you do not have tinder under the fireboard, it is transferred into the tinder bundle and blown into flame. And you have created fire, making a giant leap forward in evolution!
As you build your fire kit, and practice with it, you will get a feel for the exact diameter, length and shape of each tool that feel best to you. Each piece of the kit becomes a personalised item. Start out with the recommendations which follow. As you work with your kit and become familiar with it, then begin to experiment and change it.
The Fire Kit- From top to bottom- the bow (I prefer a stick with a bend, some prefer a curved stick), the spindle (in this case a rounded piece of sandstone from a streambed with the perfect center hole for the drill end), the drill, a bundle of Juniper bark, and the fireboard.
The Bow-
The bow should be about 24 inches long and 3/4 to 1 inch or so in diameter. As noted above, you may prefer a bow with a crook, either in the center or closer to the "handle" end, or simply a curved branch. It can be made from nearly any piece of wood you find lying around that fits the size criteria. The bow is something that I do not carry with me. I usually find one when I need one, then leave it when I leave a camp.
So far, aside from making and using a piece of cordage from yucca leaves, I have used only 550 cord for my bowstring. Although it is a bit slick, and does slip on a very smooth and worn drill, 550 cord has worked well for me. It lasts a very long time, even through lots and lots of practice fires. I did work my way through a couple of pieces of 550 cord initially, but just through the sheath. At this point I am only putting stress on the cord for about 15 or 20 seconds at a time, and the cord is really holding up well. The yucca cordage also worked well, but as I had limited time and leaves to make the cordage from, I made it rather small in diameter. It worked for about 5 fires, then gave out at one of the splices in the material. Next time the splices will be further back and the cordage heavier.
The Spindle-
The best spindle, also called a socket, in my experience is the perfectly formed, natural piece of stone. Until you find the right stone, a piece of hardwood will do. It should be about an inch thick or so, and rounded with smooth corners, fitting comfortably in the palm of the hand. Make a hole in the center of one side. This hole should be large and deep enough so that the pointed end of the drill will seat in it as you apply pressure downward while moving the drill back and forth. When you find the perfect spindle, hold onto it.
The Drill-
The drill should be about 12 to 14 inches or so in length and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter. The length will be dependent upon the length of your lower leg, and how far you bend over to apply pressure on the end of the drill. I have found that it is best to rest the hand holding the spindle against the side of the shin. So my drills are long enough so that my hand rest up high on my shin, not down low- this can get a bit painful after awhile. The drill and the fireboard should be made from the same soft wood. This allows them to wear together quickly, creating the most surface area for friction.
The Fireboard-
The fireboard should be about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in width, about 1/2 inch thick, and 6 to 8 inches long. These are dimensions that seem to work well for me. I have seen fireboards that are as short as 4 inches and as long as 10 inches. The longer board makes it easier for foot placement- remember that you are kneeling over the board and one foot holds it securely in place. I have also made fire using a fireboard that is only about an inch wide, just wider than the drill I was using. You will get a feel for what you like with experience. Remember that the fireboard should be made from the same type of soft wood as the drill. I use cottonwood for both.
I recently made a fireboard from a piece of cottonwood bark. I had never read of anyone using bark for a fireboard, so decided to give it a try. I carved off enough of the rough, outer bark to obtain the proper thickness and allow the board to set flat on the ground. I have made five fires from it, but each had to be made in a different hole- the bark is very soft and wears down quickly. The softness of the bark does seem to help create a large ember rather quickly, which could be advantageous. I used a typical cottonwood drill for this experiment. I will continue using cottonwood bark for fires in the near future to see if I can come up with any reasons not to use it. So far I am finding it a good material.
Using the Bow and Drill
Details and photos will be added soon.
