An All-inclusive Guide on Fire Starter
Posted by SwordsSwords on Nov 29th 2018
The spark is the heart of fire starter. Nature’s lightning has provided the access to a prehistoric man with the mystical powers of the flame. Their best ability was to store the heart of the fire in a glowing ember and hope it wouldn’t go out. The evolutionary tree of fire starting spread across quickly. The major trunk would be the flint and steel spark producing technique which was used for thousands of years. While the other branches are lighters, matches (fire bows etc.), solar (magnifying glass) and nature (lightning).
The benefits and drawbacks to each are basic and conditional. Regardless of how powerful the match is; it will still need a strike up to the light. In other words, no strip means no flame. Rubbing two sticks together is a matter of skill and patience. Solar is visibly sun dependent while lightning is pretty much up to chance leaving flint and steel behind. Natural flint and steel and striker rock produce sparks but not essentially big or powerful. Skill and precision are important for them to work. Though this is a very basic concept of striking a spark-producing material with another one to direct sparks onto an ignitable surface which has advanced in the 21st century.
Today, the flint is typically a segment of magnesium that produces a large quantity of high-temperature sparks which can be generated by several steel strikers including everything from knife blades to glass. The flint/steel has rapidly evolved leading to some starters with their mini cake of polymer plastic create a spark off the unit and produce flame as quickly as striking a match.
You will find a number of similar but different fire starter units on the market today. Though the recent and advanced designs are small and one-hand operational. On the other hand, flints are chemical composites of metals and combinations that can produce more and enhanced sparks in comparison to just flint or magnesium alone.
Benefits of Keeping a Fire Starter
You will find it much cheaper and less of a hassle using small matches or sticks found at the campsite. A fire starter offers many benefits, particularly for survival and camping.Lightweight Body
Many fire starters are compact enough to perfectly fit into small survival packs which makes it less annoyance to carry it around.Starts Fire Quickly
A fire starter instantly starts up the flames without any trouble or multiple failed tries. Owning a fire starter won’t let you use force when using lighters and matches.Long-Lasting
Definitely, it’s a worth it investment especially when we think of the fact they can last for multiple camping trips, typically having dozens of strikes available till it wears out.Multipurpose
Additionally, many manufacturers have incorporated more features into it thus making it a tool which is more practical such as blade, compass, and other essential tools required for survival.How to Use a Fire Starter?
You might be wondering how to use a fire starter for a quick campfire, here are the steps you need to follow.- Look for a suitable area to start a campfire which is less vulnerable to wind and rain. Make sure to clean it and remove any dry grass.
- Now it’s time to prepare tinder, gathering pine cones, twigs, wooden shreds, and leaves. You can also use paper in case you can’t find any of these. Be sure to use the tinder which is dry and build it in a way that it looks similar to a teepee.
- Craft a bundle around the teepee which makes it convenient to ignite the fire and guard it against other elements leaving a hollow space for you to put the fire starter.
- For using fire starter, put it near the bundle at a 45-degree angle. Then start splintering it with the rear end of a knife or the block that comes along with the fire starter.
- After you have struck a major amount of spark and created a fire, moderately blow into it and let the fire spread.