# Difficulty with ferro rod.



## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Normally I am without issue on this, but I do practice under "controlled" circumstances. 

Shoots and I went camping Thursday night.
We set up a campfire. I harvested a dead standing mesquite tree and oak log. We made a tinder bundle out of mesquite bark, rolled into fibers and powder. It wouldn't light, even with some magnesium shavings. So, we got out one of our tinder creations (toilet paper tube lined with petroleum jelly, stuffed with dryer lint, and wrapped in duct tape. At home we can light these fairly quickly, especially with magnesium shavings. No joy.
half a ferro rod later, we had tried a striker, knife, and finally scissors, before Shoots finally caught a small flame which I fanned I to a decent cooking fire.

We don't know what we did wrong. Sparks just wouldn't catch. There was a steady breeze, and the fire pit had a gap under the ring to let air in. It was humid, but probably about 40% or so. It has been raining, lady at the campground said the lake was still 19 feet above flood level, but the wood was dry, and the bark was very dry.
Shoots "winning" spark was produced by a pair of fiskars scissors at a very shallow angle.
Any ideas?


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I would guess the culprit would be the breeze. Otherwise your homemade tinder should have caught. Perhaps similar to trying to light a cigar in a breeze.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

That was my thought. The sparks were cooling too fast due to the breeze.


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## sparkyprep (Jul 5, 2013)

I've always found that a simple BIC lighter was far more reliable and efficient than ferro rods.


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## SARGE7402 (Nov 18, 2012)

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:piston fire starter

My understanding from the Backwoodsman Magazine is that these produce a glowing coal not a spark and make starting a fire much more assured


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

With many attempts to use flint and steel and magnesium to start fires, I have had 
little success. My plan is matches, Bic lighters etc. In a pinch, I'd sooner try powder 
from a shell.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Many problems that arise have to do with either technique or the rod itself. The best technique is to hold the steel stationary just above the tinder and briskly pull the rod up and away which concentrates the shower of sparks onto the tinder. 

The type of rod has a lot to do with it as well. I prefer the mish metal rods, they seem to throw a better spark that last a bit longer. In breezy conditions I'd make a birds nest or find/create a pocket of calm air before attempting to strike the spark.

My preferred method is a bic lighter, however in my quest to learn the ways of self reliance I have taken it upon myself to learn other methods of starting fire. Hopefully these tips help. I think perhaps the best use of a ferro rod is to light alcohol stoves.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Oh, I forgot the Fresnel lens. I got one that's the size of a business card. Down here 
in AZ, it only takes a few seconds for something flammable to light up. For real 
emergency, I have a couple of 30 Cal cans full of trioxane. Up north, I loved using dry
pine cones.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

BICs don't work too well in cold temperatures. IE below freezing.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Will2 said:


> BICs don't work too well in cold temperatures. IE below freezing.


Its June Will2. Jak and Shoots are in Texas. Its freakin HOT in Texas in June. Bics work in Texas every month.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

Humidity is a strange thing to fire lighting.... It makes it harder... Only because of the moisture....

Also your ferro rod might have been a little damp from body sweat, that sounds like a issue since you weren't getting much of a spark... My thoughts on it anyways... (it might also be a dodgy rod)


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## shoot2live (Feb 6, 2015)

Pictures from our camping trip.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Your dog? Everything looks so small. Especially the trees and the deer, Bambi baby deer? I need a ferro rod I only have magnesium.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

get a blast match it has never failed me even in the sub artic during a blizzard.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Medic33 said:


> get a blast match it has never failed me even in the sub artic during a blizzard.


Any good links?

Also yes, it's one of our dogs, and the deer were all young and super skinny, ribs were clearly visible


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

sportsman's guide, cabalas, bass pro shop, cheaper than dirt, 100's of others I was introduced to it in the military used to be an issue item in the SRU-21/P and alse vests
it can be used with one hand
here is a link I just googled for blast match don't know much about the store it was the first that came up.
http://www.basegear.com/blastmatch.html


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

Jakthesoldier said:


> Normally I am without issue on this, but I do practice under "controlled" circumstances.
> 
> Shoots and I went camping Thursday night.
> We set up a campfire. I harvested a dead standing mesquite tree and oak log. We made a tinder bundle out of mesquite bark, rolled into fibers and powder. It wouldn't light, even with some magnesium shavings. So, we got out one of our tinder creations (toilet paper tube lined with petroleum jelly, stuffed with dryer lint, and wrapped in duct tape. At home we can light these fairly quickly, especially with magnesium shavings. No joy.
> ...


Try adding a wick about three inches long inserted into the tube mix.
Form it into a circle with most attache to the face of the end with enough protruding to lght.
Make it out of paracord and wax it, burns real good.
Sounds like the thing was acting like a heat sink.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Medic33 said:


> sportsman's guide, cabalas, bass pro shop, cheaper than dirt, 100's of others I was introduced to it in the military used to be an issue item in the SRU-21/P and alse vests
> it can be used with one hand
> here is a link I just googled for blast match don't know much about the store it was the first that came up.
> Ultimate Survival Blast Match - On Sale


Ah, we have one. It didn't work.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

This thing.
Academy - Ultimate Survival Tech Sparkie™ Firestarter


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