How To Start A Fire With Fire Steel
Have you ever experienced the disappointment of your matchbox and lighter? Have you ever imagined what can happen if your backpack gets soaked in the bush and your matchbox gets ruined?
How about your lighter running out of gas or becoming stiff and unresponsive? Do you wish to use a fire steel only to have no guide?
In this article, basic instructions on how to use a fire steel and why a firesteel is a better survival kit than any other fire starter will be discussed. Read through and enjoy!
GOODBYE LIGHTER AND MATCHBOX, HELLO FIRESTEEL!
Starting a fire in the woods is a very essential activity for keeping cold away, cooking, for scaring wild animals away and so on and for any campfire, you need a fire starter.
Firesteel, like any survival kit, is very essential to outdoor or camping activity. Although many still argue that the good old matchbox or lighter is more convenient, anyone that has had an experience with fire steel will agree this is far from being true.
Going to the bush with a fire starter that is likely to become faulty or useless is risky considering the fact that your life may depend on it. Doing away with all irregular materials, a firesteel comes to mind. You just can’t get it wrong with a material that works whether it is wet or dry. It uses no gas neither can it get too stiff-necked to work. The only glitch is having appropriate knowledge about how to use this super fire starter and you are good to go.
STARTING A FIRE WITH FIRESTEEL
Having tested the firesteel, gone through the skeptical period, the trial period and finally getting to the trusting period, I can say these are the basic steps to follow:
1. Buy a good firesteel – I have to emphasize on the ‘buying a good firesteel’ part because you will be robbed of a wonderful experience of a good firesteel if you buy an inferior product. The best way to recognize one is to go for a firesteel with more reasonable strikes.
Many companies will advertise that their firesteel have up to 80,000 strikes when the reasonable range is between 3000 to 12000 depending on the type you buy. They may be exaggerating or this may mean the firesteel is thick and the material comes off in little quantity.
That is not right because with a firesteel, the softer the material, the better. Another thing to look for in a firesteel is the handle. It will be better if you buy a firesteel with a longer handle. This is to help you get a good grip on it while you strike. You might just look for one that fits your thumb size.
2. Set up the fir – just because you are using an amazing fire starter does not mean you will have an automatic fire; you still need to appropriately set a good campfire. Below are what you need to do.
3. Get dry fire starting materials – you can’t just light up a piece of wood no matter how dry it is, you will need fire starting materials like dry tinder, dry wood shavings, dry weed, and a cotton ball dabbed in petroleum jelly. Arrange all these at the base of the wood.
4. Shave off the coating – the second step is essential if you are using a new firesteel. Firesteels come in black color and most people think this is the way it will be used. The truth is, the black coating is used to protect the steel from getting rusty so you will have to shave this coating off with the striker attached to your firesteel.
5. Set the position and strike – this is the most important part of using a firesteel because you can either enjoy the ease that comes with using a firesteel or get frustrated if the fire is taking too long to ignite. The best position I have discovered is to grip the handle of the firesteel really tight, aim the edge down at dry tinder and then move the striker firmly but slowly over the firesteel and watch as the sparks go on the dry tinder. After a few strikes, your tinder will catch fire.
CONCLUSION
I assure you, using a firesteel is easier, better and more reliable but there is this saying about seeing and believing. Why don’t you get your firesteel today and try it? You can come to thank me later.