I was unable to acquire the large ball bearings needed to accomplish this feat and so resigned it to my bucket list. However recently I viewed a video that showed the use of a hammer, aluminum foil, a very rusty disc, and a treated cloth used as tinder to recieve the sparks.

In pursing this method I tried striking foil on top of various rusty items without success. I finally contacted my mechanic friend and asked him if he had any scrap brake rotors that were rusty and fortunately was able to acquired some.

At first I tried to strike the rusty flat disc surface with a ball peen hammer using the flat end but had almost no sparks. Then I used the ball peen end and had better results. Then it dawned on me that the teacher demos used 2 ball bearings for a reason that the curved surfaces provided a single point of contact for effective kinetic energy transfer so I chose to strike the “hat” portion of the rotor that had a curved surface and “presto”! Great sparks were achieved.

To capture the sparks I applied a spirit accelerant to a cloth and layed it next to the metal surface that I was striking. When attempting this it is important to exercise caution as the accelerant can be quite volatile so a pair of tongs can be useful to remove the ignited tinder to a safe place and enabling a way to smother it out for additional safety.

So now you know a another method to create a fire that would make MacGyver proud and might be needed in an emergency situation.

There are several items that can be used as a striker, the one supplied by the manufacturer of course but other items such as a P38 can opener, the back side of a hacksaw blade, and the 90 degree spine of a knife. The cutting edge of the knife also works very well but is harmful to the cutting edge. I recommend taking a file or grindstone for removing the coating or smooth surface on the top spine of the striker whether a hacksaw blade or knife to sharpen it’s striking edge, then use the striker to scrape the ferro rod until sparks appear consistantly.

It’s a good idea to sharpen the edge of every striking implement. The sharpness of the striker is paramount to the performance of the ferro rod. The creation of a fire can be a critical need so it is prudent to tune up your striker to guarantee the best possible spark for ignition.

Many ferro rods come with a companion striker, often shaped like a hacksaw blade. You can hold a cotton swab parallel to the striker with the swab portion in front of the striking edge so as the striker travels down the ferro rod the sparks that are generated are cast upon the cotton head and a flame is immediately created. Alternatively, many folks use knife blades as a striker that have a 90 degree spine and the swab can be positioned parallel to the blade with the cotton head next to the portion that does the striking. The head of the swab should be “fluffed out” enabling it to catch the sparks more effectively. The striking process works best if the tip of the ferro rod rests on the ground or log surface, so when the striker travels down the rod, the sparks are confined to the fluffed cotton area, ensuring it’s ignition.

By virtue of the cotton swab’s stick design it can now be used like a regular match stick to light a campfire, candle, or whatever, allowing you to have the convenience of a “match” by using a ferro rod to generate the initial flame. It would of course make sense to keep the cotton swabs in a water proof container for storage so that they will be dry and readily available to catch the sparks when employed.

Ferrocerium is an alloy that is softer than the carbon steel used in the traditional flint & steel fire method. What most people don’t know is that you do not need to use a metal striker to create sparks from a ferro rod. Flint rocks and similar types of glassy stones are hard enough to shred micro shards off of the softer ferrocerium metal that create the spark. The trick is to create a sharp edge for striking (or scraping). This can be accomplished by breaking one stone with another.

Click To See It In Action

When you get a chance, try some of these materials out for yourself. I would love to receive comments on other materials that you may have used as a striker to successfully start a fire with a ferro rod.

Despite the advantage that ferro rods provide, not everyone is successful or gets immediate results. Some obstacles to ignition are dampness or fineness of materials. When in the field it is wise to collect assorted tinder found along your path to help insure your “fire success” at the end of the day.

I have had the opportunity to provide demonstrations of bushcraft to various groups over the years. On one occasion during a class outing at a youth camp I had a request to demonstrate how to build a campfire using available materials. It had been raining and I only a little time to find suitable materials. It was a fail. For the next class I was determined to succeed in building a successful campfire so I brought some cattail fluff along with some flaky textured river birch bark. The birch bark provided the fine tinder to catch the flames that were produced by the ignited cattail fluff. Birch bark has the additional advantage that the oils in the bark, once lighted, will burn despite a wet and damp environment and will last long enough to get kindling on it’s way to a successful fire.

I selected a curly piece of bark that was flaky and placed a pinch of cattail fluff inside the curl. This helped to contain the cattail in place as any wind would try to break it apart. When I use a ferro rod, I hold the striker (in this case the square-edged back of my knife) next to the tinder and place the ferro rod underneath it. I pull the ferro rod up against the striker and out, thus keeping the sparks in place without disturbing the tinder. Striking down the ferro rod with a striker could potentially travel forward and strike your tinder setup as well and scatter it apart.

An alternative to river birch bark for tinder is dry leaves, whether deciduous or pine. Be sure to place some material above the cattail because it will have a very short duration flame that must be caught. Have small dry sticks handy to build upon the flames. For more pointers on building campfires, see me article “How I Build A Campfire“.

We’ve all heard about the prowess of a “one match fire”. Now you know the elements and method of a “one strike fire”. Take time to experiment with different materials so that you can achieve this goal for yourself, then teach it to others.

Typically, most chemical exothermic reactions involve some kind of liquid to initiate the reaction process. Although there are many chemical combinations to create a KMnO 4 fire, to my amazement, there is a fire method that does not require a liquid element in the equation. When mixed with sugar in a 1:1 ratio (a pile of each element about a quarter size in diameter) and mixed, you can lay a knife blade on it’s side or use a flat rock on top of the pile and press down firmly and begin rapid short strokes forward and backward. You will begin to hear small “pops” at some point the combination of heat by friction combined with the mixed chemicals will ignite. This typically produces sparks and embers that can be pushed together and coaxed into a flame using fine dry tinder layed next to the grinding site in ready position. Or sometimes, when technique and conditions are right, it may just erupt into a flame on it’s own as shown in the photo.

Since “9/11″ pyro-related chemicals have become restricted and more difficult to obtain. Potassium permanganate is a chemical oxidizing agent that is used for medicinal purposes and water purification and may be found at pharmacies and veterinarian supplies. It is also used to remove iron from water sources and can be found at chemical supply houses. It would be a good item to carry in portable first aid kits.

Should you decide to pursue this fire method, take care to stay upwind from the fumes. When using liquids for a reaction, it may take a little time to react, so don’t walk away from your experiment or abandon the set-up until you see a reaction and be sure to disassemble it altogether when finished. Potassium permanganate will stain deep magenta when moistened, so be thorough when cleaning up.