Pinelands woodland survival seminar on June 18

[Boyd]

The easiest fire starter I have ever used is some steel wool and a little 9 volt battery

The easiest fire starter I have ever used was a BIC lighter...

 

[woodjin]

Yeah, if you are going to carry around a 9 volt battery and steel wool you might as well just carry a lighter. What is nice about a bow and drill is the idea that you can make it without any modern, man-made instruments. Of course, a knife and some leather makes it much easier.

I had success with a bow and drill years ago. It is alot of work naturally. I found that a birds nest (if you can find it) lights up pretty easy. I am unfamilar with this fire piston business.

Jeff

 

[46er]

There is no challenge to flickin' a BIC.

 

[kayakmac]

A little "scout juice" doesn't hurt for a quick flare-up! If you've lost your gear or are otherwise in need, having practiced alternate methods is a good idea. Don't wait for the emergency to occur to think "hey, I seen this on Discovery channel once". Otherwise, a redundant system (two bics) is a good Idea.

 

[PINEY MIKE]

We do a good amount of backcountry backpacking and those ziplocks with the the lighter and matches are never 100% safe. Sometimes they can open or get punctured. Who the hell wants to be in the middle of nowhere for a few nights with no fire to cook on. Even my stove needs a light. Hey Woodjin, if you look up fire piston on google images you'll see some. To me, theres really nothing primitive about them.

 

[46er]

I found that a birds nest (if you can find it) lights up pretty easy. I am unfamilar with this fire piston business.

Jeff

Thats the nice thing about steel wool, works as well wet or dry, with match, BIC or battery. Packs easily in a zip-lock and can clean your teeth in a pinch

The link is to info on the fire-piston. This guy is one of the few good builders of them.

http://www.firepiston.com/

 

[manumuskin]

Those pistons do look interesting. They say its a primitive tool, but I really dont see how so. I've been successful with hand and bow drills, but both are a real pain. That birch fungus is awesome and you can take it to another destination since it stays lit so long. In the pines, I've found ground-up cedar bark and pine needles make the best tinder option. These things are really fun to fool around with while camping.

I've been going to UP michigan the last few years and have grabbed a chunk of the birch fungus every year.It's supposed to be the prime piston tinder but I still can't get the thing to even get it warm.
I had trouble with the bow drill for years till I learned the Chatburn notch.the notch and using a thinner spindle then TBJ taught and squaring the spindle for a better grab by the string all have made bow drill fire making relatively easy for me.Got my first fire with a cottonwood spindle and a white cedar fireboard.cedar of course is easy to find around here but cottonwood is very rarethe only place i know it grows is in millville city park along the river.I walked along and found some dead limbs laying on the ground that were'nt raked up yet.Their are no dead ones since the trees were planted when i was a teenager.Their large now but nowhere near dying yet.You have to settle for limbs.
Al

 

[46er]

It's supposed to be the prime piston tinder but I still can't get the thing to even get it warm.Al

Proably not enough compression. Slowly press the piston in, if it doesn't pop right back out, you probably have an air leak. Could try doing that underwater and look for bubbles.