Fire!!
 

How many ways can you make fire in the field?

What sort of firestarters do you carry and why?

TR

Interesting question. I will compare today vs my re-enacting hobby

Modern Day:

Thermite grenade
Claymore
Smoke Grenade
Tracers
Zippo
Bic in Survival kit
Matches in MRE's
Never tried, but I might be able to use BCG's to start a fire
Always have the knowledge to start a fire by friction

I can think of only one time I ever started a fire on purpose the whole time I was on AD, and that was during a Land Nav exercise in January; Failed to negoiate a beaver dam in the NTA trying to save time and ended up totally soaked and had to dry out my clothing prior to completing the course.

18th Century Kit, Brit Ranger circa 1779:
Musket lock
Fire starting kit #1 in Waistcoat pocket:
Brass waterproofed box with:
Flint and steel
Burning lens
Shreaded cedar bark
Charred Linen

Fire Starting kit #2 in Bullet pouch is smaller and hold all in kit#1 minus the burning lens.

I also carry a tin full of birchbark, lighter knots ect in my backpack.

I am a big fan of my little Brunton Multifueler stove... :D

I have two BIC lighters - I stopped carrying my LCF Zippo "do the village" lighter in 1988 - unfortunately in this case practically had to outrule the Look Cool Factor.

- a waterproof match case
and in my little surivival kit a magnesium bar and tinder (I think that is tinder right? -->cotton fluff).

I noticed the AntiBacteria hand stuff works well too - a little line of it placed on something then light it with a lighter - poof instant fire (only problem it acts a little like Napalm as it sticks to anything once buring and can cause some issues to the unwary)

I carried one of these for almost 15 years and used it once. It was a real pain in the ass and I still didn't get a fire started. I'll stick with the Bic mini lighter.

Team Sergeant

Starter knot and a bic lighter. That shit would probably burn in the pouring rain.

An overlooked source, that you may not have heard of, Drier Lint from the screen in your clothes drier !! It will capture the slightest spark and give you a viable propagator for your larger medium.

Fire
 

Way back when!!! The C-ration cases had a thin layer of tar under the first layer of cardboard. That and a pine knot you could burn anything.

BMT
Sr. FOG

Team Sgt,

I put it in my kit in 1987... :D

Of course now that you mention it it is still there with stupid small nicks in it...

I can only imagine if I take it out - eveythign else will go to shit and I will regret pulling it.

That petroleum jelly-impregnated tinder from Coughlan's works well, as does the homemade version using cottonballs and Vasoline.

As for techniques, I generally like to build a small teepee-style lay with my kindling, with a small nest of tinder in the middle and one side partially open so I can spark another small bit of tinder, then transfer the embers into the tinder nest and add O2. Once the kindling gets going, I can either continue with the teepee lay (fast and hot burning fire), or build a log cabin lay around the burning kindling (slower burning, longer lasting fire; good for making charcoal beds).

i tryed to make a fire by friction, but it didn`t really work. does anyone have any tips. i did it like i say it a year ago on tv . with a C shaped piece of wood and a rope ( ? ).

I think I have used about all the expedients and have gotten the old bow and drill to work, fllint/steel with charred cloth to capture the spark, magnesium match works but takes about as much time as a bow and drill. Prefer a lighter or matches and always carry both. The key to most of the expediants is the availability of tinder that will catch the first spark. Up here in the great northern forest we have a variety of tinder. Cattails, yellow and white birch bark, a variety of critter nests, and lint from between the toes of all those birkenstock wearing peacenicks that seem to congregate in this state. Of course when we used to have LTs as XO on a team, a good way to get a blaze going was to have him run afoal of the Team Sergeant.

Jack Moroney

Eeeeew


LOL :o

The dry, dead boughs from hemlock and fir trees work well up your way, too, COL M. We used to call it 'indian kerosene'.

If you don't believe that, watch how fast a Christmas tree (like a Fraser Fir) goes up some time.

Outside, of course, people, away from the house and other flammables! :D

TR

I've had the chance to take some survival classes with Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School.

Learned a lot about friction fire.

Easiest method - is a bow drill

If you're out w/ boots - you will have the cordage ready. If not - you will have to make it

But here is a website showing some good pics and information about the Bow Drill.

For all interested - click here

http://www.primitiveways.com/pt-bowfire.html


:lifter