QUICK START A CAMPFIRE WITHOUT CHEMICALS, LIGHTER FLUID OR MATCHES

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

After you lay in a supply of grass, moss, punk or sawdust make a teepee
of sticks and limbs with an open door. Next take an old shredded SOS
pad and touch it across both posts of a rectangular 9 volt battery. Put the
flaming steel under your teepee and toss in the easily flammable stuff and away you go. siegfried schlagrule

 

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[SC_hunter]

How may times have I told you Nickyyyyyyyyyy...don't play with batteries and sos pads...

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

used to do that trick with the kids when we were camping in S. NJ.
would use some fine steel wool, and attach some phone wire to it about an inch apart.
then cover it with some light wood shavings, then bigger sticks and build it up all the
way to the full logs. You couldn't have a fire in the fire ring until after 5:00 pm in those days
so at 5:00 pm, we would get out a 9 volt and attach it to the ends of the phone wire coming
out of the pile of wood, a little bit later, you would see the first wafts of smoke coming up out
of the pile. No matches, no lighter fluid, it seemed like magic

 

[Likely Guy]

I'd rather pack a lighter than a 9v battery (but I guess every MD'er has one of those). The three best (non-wood) kindling sources: a wad of dryer lint, a tampon or a bag of 'cheezies'.

 

[godisnum1]

Durritos & Fritos are both highly flammable as well!!!
It's the cooking oil they're cooked in.
I always freak my friends out around a dying fire by throwing a few in, then asking them why we're eating these things?

Bran <><

 

[Bridge End Farm]

After you lay in a supply of grass, moss, punk or sawdust make a teepee
of sticks and limbs with an open door. Next take an old shredded SOS
pad and touch it across both posts of a rectangular 9 volt battery. Put the
flaming steel under your teepee and toss in the easily flammable stuff and away you go. siegfried schlagrule

I carry 0000 steel wool in my survival kit this does work well

 

[Functional]

Most any untreated steel wool will work, (except maybe stainless), even with just a couple of "C" or "D" cell batteries. Pine needles are great for getting a fire going too. I always carry a lighter, but they do run out at the worst times. I also carry one of those cheap plastic magnifying glasses that folds into a vinyl case, (they scratch easy, but still work).

There is a good page on other fire starting methods here:
http://www.campfiredude.com/fire-starters.shtml
I like the Vaseline and cotton balls idea.


F.

 

[Old Dog]

I use a magnesium metal match,
scrape a pile off of the magnesium into a small pile and set a cotton ball or some fluff off of a cattail top onto the pile so that it is half covered, then use the striker on the other side with the blade of your pocket knife to throw a spark into the pile.
poof, nice hot start.
don't have to worry if the thing gets wet either.
Have carried one for 30 years.
They cost about $8 at wally world.

 

[Goodyguy]

Here is another cool way to start a fire.
http://www.onagocag.com/piston.html

Make one yourself. or google: "fire piston"

GG~

 

[EDDE]

this can be done with a cell phone battery also

 

[Shortstack]

Aircrew survival instructors taught us to use small chunks of candles. You can put a 1/2 inch diameter by 5 inch candle into your pocket survival kit. Cut a 1 inch piece off of the candle and set it under your kindling pile and light it with a cigarette lighter or match. The piece of candle will burn long enough to get the kindling started so you can slowly add larger materials to build up the fire. This method helps you to conserve your matches and / or lighter fluid.

This reminds me of one of the things Indians used to laugh about concerning how the Eurowhites would build campfires in the wintertime. They would say, "Indian build small fire; sit close; stay warm. Whiteman build big fire; stand away from it and freeze." Think about it. They were absolutely correct. We build big campfires, use up our materials faster, and can't get close because of the heat. The Indians build small fires; sit close to it; and stay warm without using up their fire materials.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI short stack: Apol for the delay. I simply use a very small fire at my feet, and one at each shoulder. This keeps you nicely warm, you will wake up every so often, so just stick another small branch into each fire and go back to sleep. I also built a small fence of vertical twigs up hill from my sleeping spot. This would deflect the cold, descending, down slope, cold air around me and my small fires..

The Yaquis that I was living with, would burn up a tree each night, and not sleep as comfortable as I did.. hehehheh.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Shortstack]

HI short stack: Apol for the delay. I simply use a very small fire at my feet, and one at each shoulder. This keeps you nicely warm, you will wake up every so often, so just stick another small branch into each fire and go back to sleep. I also built a small fence of vertical twigs up hill from my sleeping spot. This would deflect the cold, descending, down slope, cold air around me and my small fires..

The Yaquis that I was living with, would burn up a tree each night, and not sleep as comfortable as I did.. hehehheh.Don Jose de La Mancha

Sounds like those Yaquis could have learned something from the Apaches and the Plains Indians of the US.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Nah shortstack, they let the women take all responsibility for this. The older men still hold on to the routine of sitting around making themslevs purty wnile updating their weapons and getting ready to defend their pueblo. - or just getting drunk.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Shortstack]

 

[MRBeyer]

I carry alcohol hand wipes with me and a small tube of vaseline. I apply a small dab of vaseline to the pad, pinch the pad (at the vaseline) together into a v, set the wide end down, and and light it. The alcohol lights easy and the vaseline keeps it lit like a candle does, drying out anything wet in the kindling.

I did learn something from these posts. Love the brillo pad idea and the placing of the small fires makes alot of sense.

 

[LJHanley06]

hair works great...save those wooly boogers from the Barber shop floor.

 

[sniffer]

I carry a small pocket torch, butane fuel, it's good for about 30 minutes of burn time

 

[rennie]

I understand that in a pinch you can use your underwear and a match. It works because there be methane in your shorts??

 

[godisnum1]

I prefer to use dryer lint balls dabbed in vaseline and stored in a film can.

I think I saw Les Stroud do that too!
He's such a survival stud... seriously. Almost all of his stuff is practical, and not theatrics (like other tv "survivalists" )
I'm in the middle of reading Les' survival book that my girlfriend bought me for Christmas, and I'm really enjoying it alot!!!

Bran <><