anyone else use a magnesium flint to start a fire...is it normal to take so long to get the shavings into an adequate pile...any

[tygardner]

anyone else use a magnesium flint to start a fire...is it normal to take so long to get the shavings into an adequate pile...any tips on doing this

[Alex Williams]

I thought so too, so what i did was do as many as i could in a minut into one leaf and wrap the leaf up to bundle them clsoe and open the leaf so they will all be in a pile. That way they are close so they can feed off each otehrs heat.

[Christian Emter]

Not really One you use the shavings enough that side gets softer so it is easier to shave. I just get a nice little pile for about 10 seconds, get a spark to hit the pile and it will take off.

[...]

I use a Magnesium rod with steel striker. Just get a lump of tinder and aim the flow of sparks into it. Much easier.. for me anyways, never failed me.

[buckeye]

I have never had too much trouble, I read some where that a chunk of a hacksaw blade works good but I never tried this.

[kolbster]

it usually takes me about 2 minutes to get a good little fire going with magnesium, but i always carry a lighter too, so i have only used the magnesium about 4 times.

[Beekeeper]

My son used to play with one of these when he was in the scouts. He would mix dryer lint with his tender then send a good shower of sparks into the blend it always caught quickly.

[bonnier-admin_2]

Looking for something that really works and I mean really works even after being stored wet for a long long time! Well by’golly get’ya a small jar of good old fashion Vaseline from and a magnesium fire starter stick from your local Wal-Mart. So simple of an operation A caveman can do it. Take a 2x2 inch piece of cloth and saturate it with Vaseline and scrape a little magnesium on it and hit it with the flint side and now you have instant fire 6 to 10 minutes of flame, now compare that with any other lighter and remember you haven’t really used your fire starting resources at all. I still got the same Vaseline jar in my back pack some 10 years ago and still work as good as the day I put it in.

[s-kfry]

We were out with the kids last fall on a "survival skills" day and I tried the flint and steel with magnesium for the first time. I had a fit trying to get the magnesium to light but when I just used the flint and steel to shower sparks into the tinder (like hi_tail above) it caught right away. This was in Colorado which is typically dryer than other areas so maybe my luck was due to environmental conditions, not sure I would have succeeded if the tinder was damp.

[texasfirst]

It's all about your tinder, but it can be tricky. Practice covers a multitude of sins.

[idahooutdoors]

Practice with it, and keep one in your pack, but get a good torch lighter and only use the Mag and steel for backup. Use modern technology to your advantage. Also keep a small container of cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly with your fire kit for fire starter. Some other items that may be in your pack make good starter also, duct tape, potato chips, etc...experiment.

[bob leeper]

i carry a small warding file to file off shavings. its fast and the powder ignites quickly and it also serves as the steel for the flint, serving 2 purposes at once

[bob leeper]

i carry a small warding file to file off shavings. its fast and the powder ignites quickly and it also serves as the steel for the flint, serving 2 purposes at once

[VT Outdoorsman]

It is hard to shave the magnesium off of mine as well.

[Greenhead]

I carry a product called WetFire by Ultimate Survival Technolagies and use it in combination with thier BlastMatch. 10 seconds and you have a fire that won't go out and burns for several minutes. The slighest spark lights the WetFire, and while it doesn't burn terribly hot, it is plenty to get a real fire going. I once had a stove malfunction and used one "nugget" to melt a quart and a half of snow for drinking water, not boil, but melt.
http://www.ultimatesurvival.com/product_view.cfm?product_line_ID=157