Firestarting with flint and steel

Hi efreysson - Without doing any checking, I think to the extent possible, people back then tried to keep coals/embers going so they'd be available to ignite the next fire (or fire in another room, etc.) I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of "warming pans" (or a name similar to that) in which the coals were transported (and may have been kept).

Flint and steel - the whole purpose of this was to create a spark which would ignite the dry tinder material. But from everything I've seen and read on this, the fire maker would be bent down close to the tinder so he could blow on the spark and help it ignite the tinder - it didn't always work every time.

So ... if you want the fire started quickly, I think you'd be better off investigating how the coals/embers were held over or maintained in something so they'd be available.

I know that's not a lot of help, but best I can do without hitting Google. Puma

Here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinderbox

FYI: dried grass and kindling will flame up pretty quickly if you know what you're doing. They will also burn out very quickly. You need something more substantial to really make fire.

The basics are that you would have tinder among the smaller logs you are trying to start, with the logs arranged so that the smaller logs are on the outside with the bigger logs inside. You then try to strike the flint and steel so that the sparks fall on the tinder. Once the tinder has a few sparks, blowing on it gently gives it enough oxygen to start in earnest.

It should take a few minutes of trying in order to get sufficient tinder blazing. A pro could do it within a few strikes, but it usually took a minute or so.

As for keeping the embers going, that's actually simple: Just keep poking them. It takes a while for them to actually burn out (just ask a lot of forest rangers).

FR

I have started a fire using flint and steel with some dried yarn in less then 30 seconds

Be prepared

Back in the day, several Boy Scout tests for rating, badges, etc. required fire-starting. I remember one required an eight-inch flame using three matches or less. A half-hour preparation period was allowed, and therein lies the success of all wilderness fires . . . preparation.

All of this should be ready beforehand:

1. Build up a square or triangular structure of dry logs (like a Lincoln Logs without the interlocking notches). Small diameter sticks on the bottom, larger logs at the top. This is preparation for the flames to climb and protects the kindling from the elements.

2. Inside the structure, place a nest of paper (money makes good "legal tinder" . . . sorry), small broken twigs, sticks with curls of shavings still attached, etc. You need lots of this secondary fuel to build up flames.

3. Inside or under all of the above should be a nest of thin wood shavings (as a tenderfoot, I whittled half a bushel of curls in preparation), wool yarn (as Casey mentioned), splinters, fine steel wool is a modern fire-starting tinder, etc.

4. Then and only then do you strike steel against flint into the center of your carefully prepared fire. Again, as Casey said, in thirty seconds or less, your blaze is building.

I was a Boy Scout myself, and not only did I compete in fire making at camporees, I taught it to younger scouts, and judged competitions as an adult. I've seen a multitude of 11 to 17 yr olds make fire in under 30 seconds.

I'm in complete agreement with Chase's post, but will add that steel wool, used for dish washing will go up the second a spark lands on it. I've lit fires using the specific method he's posted, but I've also done it with just a pile of dry kindling, and then added to it, to build the fire up.

I remember fondly a competition where there were two strings tied to sticks on either side of our fire pit. You were allowed to build your set up, to the first, lower string. If you burned them both, you got a perfect score.

ha! i remember that competition i am an eagle scout myself - worked hard to light that darn fire in 30 seconds to edge out the competition... had to throw wet leaves on one of the kids next to mine as they almost beat me...