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Use Cotton Swabs As Matches Using Ferro Rods

Ken — Sat, 29 Jun 2019 11:20:32 +0000

The nice thing about 100% cotton fiber is that it catches a ferro (ferrocerium) spark easily and is a good resource to have on hand to generate a flame. Sometimes when cotton is used as tinder it can be enhanced by adding petroleum jelly to extend it’s burn time. Cotton can come in different forms such as cotton balls, upholstery piping, cosmetology strands, cotton swabs, etc.. You probably have cotton swabs already in your home and their stem configuration can be used similarly to a match stick when combined with a striker and ferro rod to lite it.

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.

Flint Support for Striking

Ken — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:44:06 +0000

Earlier this year I was a vendor and exhibitor at the Blue Grass Festival, Merlefest. I gave different demonstrations, mostly geared toward the early American Frontier, which included flint and steel fire making. During one of the quite spells of the day, my son, who was helping to man the product booth, suggested that I hold some competitions to stir up activity and interest. So, I held a flint and steel fire making contest that several young lads participated in.

The kits that I provided contained pieces of Texas flint, but, some of the pieces were slightly less than medium sized, and rather awkward to hold. I noticed that one of the participants placed his piece of flint upright on top of the log seat that sat close by. This placement stabilized the flint and he began to get some very good sparks from his steel striker. I’m happy to say that his ingenuity allowed him to catch the first spark which resulted in his winning the competition. And now, gratefully, I know a technique on how to use undersized flint in order to get decent sparks for fire.

Fire by Fire Piston

Ken — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:40:40 +0000

FIRE PISTON….the most amazing survival fire starting device! With a single push, tinder placed in the end of the piston is ignited by the heat of compression, instantly becoming a glowing ember with no more effort than lighting a match. As a survival device, one of the most compelling aspects of fire pistons is their ability to ignite a variety of natural tinders that can be collected in the woods and fields without special preparation. Some of these tinders having practical value for fire making include true tinder fungus, mullein pith, milkweed pod ovum, milkweed down, cattail fluff, poplar cotton, and wood punk. In addition, cotton charcloth, familiar to flint and steel fire makers works very well in the fire piston and can be made at home.

Survivaltek offers Coco Bolo Fire Pistons for sale for only $60.00. Contact us at info@survivaltek.com for more details.

Alternate striking method for matchbook matches to create fire

Ken — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:31:04 +0000

I started exploring the idea that safety match-book matches might be lit if I treated them like fire-by-friction wood… that is, if I pre-heated the match by rubbing it slightly before I used a mild friction surface to strike on. It worked on the ceramic bottom of a cup, so I enthusiasticly showed my son who just plain struck it quickly and succeeded. I continued to explore this discovery and found other objects that worked, such as a medium surface sharpening stone, and a semi-glossy brick. Surprisingly, you can strike a match on a pane of glass too, but it can cause damage to the glass.