Question:

Starting a Fire Without a Match

by Guest895 | 12 years, 9 month(s) ago

If you have a fireplace in your home, chances are you have a gas line that helps you get it going. If you don't, you probably have some nifty long matches, a lighter and a stack of newspaper on the hearth. But what if you got lost in the wintry woods without a match or lighter? What if you washed ashore on a deserted island, soaked to the bone? You may not think so, but it could happen to you. What would you do at a time like this? No matches. How would you start a fire?

Tags: fire, MATCH, starting

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Leonardo

Gather a variety of tinder - wood shavings, dried grass, lint, and even small twigs - before you start. No matter what method you choose for making a fire, you will always need to start with tinder. Ball the tinder up loosely to allow plenty of air flow, and shape it into a birds nest. Have plenty of bigger sticks to add once the fire starts.
Step2
Use a little magnesium and flint block: Scrape a pile of magnesium shavings on your tinder and strike a spark off the flint. The magnesium will ignite and hopefully start flame in your tinder. Once it begins to smoke, hold the tinder in your hands to allow oxygen in through the bottom and blow gently from underneath.
Step3
Use a magnifying glass on a sunny day: Angle the magnifying glass in the sun over the tinder so that the focal point is directly on the pile. Once it begins to smoke you can encourage the flame by blowing gently on the tinder from the bottom. Broken glass, bottles or eyeglasses can also work, if their focal point is bright enough.
Step4
Use a 6-volt battery and steel wool: Tear the wool into a loose mass and touch it to both charges on the battery. Doing so will connect the circuit and cause a spark, and cause the steel wool to glow. Once it's hot enough, you can place it on the tinder until it catches.
Step5
Use bullets: Remove a bullet from its cartridge and pour half the powder on your tinder. Put the half-empty cartridge back in the gun (without a bullet), and fire it at the tinder. Be certain that your tinder is at the base of a tree or in an enclosed area because the gunfire will likely blow the tinder away and might put out the same flame it creates.
Step6
Use Friction: Place the point of a straight stick into a groove in a piece of bark or flat wood. Ideally, both of these pieces contain no sap or moisture. Rub the stick vigorously between your hands, while the point creates friction against the other piece of wood. Eventually the wood will heat until it creates a small ember which you can drop in the tinder nest.
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