A very essential part of any survival kit is some method of starting a fire.

Ha
ving a fire can literally mean life-or-death in some circumstances, most notably
in the winter or far north.
Light and heat are probably the most useful aspects of fire but it can be used f
or protection from animal invaders ranging in size from bears to mosquitoes. Fi
re and it's side-kick, smoke, are also useful for preserving food and tanning hi
des, for hardening stakes and spears, for firing pottery, for blacksmithing and
cauterizing wounds.
So we have decided fire is good now we need to know how to make it.
I really doubt that there are any readers out there that don't know how to strik
e a match and light some tinder for a fire. Also I don't believe there is anybo
dy older than 2 that can't start a fire with a flick of their Bic.
All you need is tinder to get the initial flame going, then kindling which is sm
all, easy to ignite material like twigs and small branches, then your larger stu
ff like big branches, cordwood and logs.
Did you notice the one thing that is most important that I didn't explain? Okay
, so I didn't mention the possibility of a pop quiz, tough it out! Well, you go
t it right anyway, tinder. What is tinder? Why is tinder so important?
Tinder is the primary fuel source for your fire to get started with. Unless you
have a cup of "Boy Scout Water" (gasoline) or a highway flare you need somethi
ng that will take a spark and with a little work produce a flame big enough to g
et the kindling going.
the mouse nest
Image by joysaphine via Flickr
Ideally, you never let your original fire go out, thus saving the need for anoth
er match which may be a non-renewable resource depending on your circumstances.
Likewise, your lighter will eventually run out of fluid/gas.
If you need to get a fire going with just one match or one flick of your Bic you
need to have an unquestionably dependable tinder. Our Bic-less ancestors used
the fluff from milk weeds and dandelions for that first flame. Also mouse nests
, and rat nests, birds' nests, the fluff from cattails (reeds) and anything else
that would catch their initial spark and with a little blowing erupt into flame
.
I, personally, make my own tinder to get a fire going quickly with minimal amou
nt of work. Some folks swear by vaseline soaked cottonballs, others like candle
wax. Most old-timers would use a little black powder from their powder flask
My tinder is 100% guaranteed to start with one match even if it's wet(the tinder
, not the match).
I mix pine pitch and paraffin in a container over a fire, melting it together in
to a liquid. This liquid I pour over pine or cedar shavings and let cool. A pie
ce of this material, cooled, an inch square, will burn for 15 minutes or so. It
is very easy to light, the wax does that, and stays lit because of the pitch.
You can get fancy and put the shavings in an egg carton, making a dozen nice, m
olded hemispheres of fire starter. Gunpowder can be added to the liquid as can
be match heads, sulphur, or other combustible material. As long as they are not
contained they will not explode and certainly make the fire more colorful if no
thing else.
So now you have tinder, how do you light it? I've listed some of the more commo
n methods of starting a fire in survival-type circumstances
CGI view of M2A1-7 U.S. military flamethrower,...
Image via Wikipedia
(without paper, matches, torch or flame-thrower) below;
* Flint-and-steel is a method of creating a spark that will ignite a piece o
f tinder when placed right and blown on. Pretty basic and pretty easy, strike t
he flint with the steel and you get a shower of sparks.
* The magnesium striker is an improvement on this method by shaving a small
amount of the magnesium into your tinder then sparking it. The magnesium flashe
s very hotly for a sp
A flint, metal implement to strike with it, ch...
Image via Wikipedia
lit second and ignites the tinder. This works even if the tinder is not c
ompletely dry so is a very good addition to any survival kit.
* Highway safety flares are another good way to start a fire with wet tinder
. It's just like striking a match and once the flare is burning, and it burns v
ery hot and bright, you can place it in a pile of wet kindling and have an insta
nt fire. Just be careful to not look directly into the flare's flame as you can
be blinded, at least temporarily by the brightness.
* A magnifying glass will create an intense hot spot in
power of the sun
tinder and ignite it if you have patience and strong sunlight.
* The spark from a chainsaw's spark plug is hot enough to ignite dry tinder,
likewise an automobile's spark plug.
* Rubbing two sticks together, although it is a universally accepted method,
does not work unless you have the patience of a saint and the arm muscles of Mr
. Universe. It might take you literally hours to start a fire with this method
and should be attempted only if nothing else is available.
* A similar method using friction to start a fire is with a fire drill. Her
e a stick is placed perpendicularly in a small trough of wood with tinder. The s
tick is spun back and forth between your palms drill-wise into the wooden trough
. Eventually friction will produce a hot enough spot to ignite the tinder. Bel
ieve me, you don't want to have to do this more than once or at least until your
blisters heal.
* An alternate upgraded fire-drill process is with a bow instead of your pal
ms twirling the stick-drill in the tinder. Merely wrap the line of an improvise
d bow once around your drill and holding the drill down with a notched piece of
wood or stone, saw the bow back and forth. This spins the stick-drill rapidly i
n your tinder-filled trough and will result in a fire much quicker than by hand.
You can improvise a bow by tying the en
Bow drill used by the Sioux
Image via Wikipedia
ds of a green, flexible stick together with your shoelace. This works! I
've used it in an emergency situation and had a fire going in less than 10 minut
es. No blisters, no wasted energy!
Primitive fire-starting may sometime be the difference between a warm meal and n
one for the survivor after a disaster or in an emergency situation of any kind.
It might mean sleeping in relative warmth and security versus a miserable, cold
and maybe wet bed. A fire could mean safe drinking water, sterilized surgical in
struments, or just light to read by. No matter how you look at it, a method of
starting a fire is an absolute must for your survival kit.