Flint and Steel

There's no doubt that the ability to make and control fire was one of the greatest technological advancements of mankind after tool making. It was there for warmth, protection, cooking, hunting and even primitive agricultural techniques. The knowledge of how to make fire utilizing primitive methods directly connects us to the people who used these techniques. When you are coaxing fire from some tinder using a coal that you created, and you see the glow get brighter, and you smell that curl of smoke, and the tinder suddenly bursts into flame, you are experiencing exactly what the ancient ones did so very long ago. Sparks From Flint It is the old one. Long ago the ability to create and make use of hot sparks to make fire was discovered. Top: A fire works kit consisting of a striker and a piece of good black flint is shown in its waterproof tinder box. Before the introduction of steel, sparks were obtained using a piece of iron pyrite for the striker. How To Catch A Spark

9 Ways to Make Fire Without Matches What Should I Do? Videos that teach us other methods of creating fire by Jason Wiskerchen Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 8:38 PM As we look at preparing for uncertain times, we seek to have the resources on hand to weather the storm and be more resilient in our daily lives. Knowledge and skills acquisition is a topic that resonates greatly with the Peak Prosperity community. Yes, yes – matches and lighters are bountiful and cheap. So here I present the nine great video tutorials on how to start a fire without the use of matches or lighters. Friction-Based Fire Making Bow Drill The bow drill is probably the easiest of the friction-based methods, but it also requires the most components. Hand Drill It's a bit more work than the bow-drill method, but the hand drill is an effective way to start a fire going if you don't have access to cordage or the other components of the bow-drill system. Fire Plough Flint and Steel Generic Flint and Steel Striker with Char Cloth To make char cloth: Lens-Based Methods

Orange Wet Fire Wood… How To Start A Fire October 23, 2015, by Ken Jorgustin Depending on the weather and season, you might not always have nice dry wood lying around to start a fire with. Here are some tips and instructions how to start a fire in an environment of wet wood: You will need to procure (or have) some dry tinder. The tinder should be the lightest, driest, and most combustible materials in your fire bundle, and its purpose is to catch the flame and burn long enough to ignite larger pieces of kindling. The simplest way to get dry tinder is to already have some of it tucked away in your pack. Cotton Balls & Petroleum Jelly Mix some cotton balls with some Vaseline and store them in a container. Paper All sorts of paper including newspaper, paper bags, etc., except glossy papers from magazines which do not burn well. Fine Steel Wool Yes it works… the fine steel wool which you might be using to scour your pots and pans is flammable. Char Cloth Make this ahead of time. Kindling is the next size up from tinder.