When I was using magnesium blocks I delt with the breeze with cotton rounds soaked in Vaseline. The magnesium stuck to the Vaseline to accumulate and catch the spark, the Vaseline and cotton prolonged the flame.
Got mine back in the 80's while in boy Scouts. It was the only way we were aloud to start fires at camp. Our scout masters actually taught us real techniques out in the field. I feel lucky for it. Its not the same anymore
The issue is that almost none of the magnesium fire starting bars (they're not rods) being sold these days are made of pure magnesium, as it's not cheap stuff. And the thing is, even if you do come across a higher-quality magnesium bar made of nothing other than real magnesium, you're better off prepping it at home by scraping off an absolute shitload of magnesium shavings into a bowl and loading them up into a little ziplok bag for future use in the field...
@shaynejenkins446 got one in the scouts back in the early 80's also. We weren't allowed to leave until we got a successful fire rolling. Then we carved a tripod to boil water in a stainless container. I wonder if the scouts are the same now as back then?
Agree as well. I don't think today's products on the market are as premium in their composition. Plus, I find the method here interesting. I've not seen anyone create a separate, large pile of shavings like this. Will have to try it out. In my training and experience, we just gather tinder of pocket lint (dryer lint if you've brought some), paper, whatever. Work in a bit of vaseline or oil if you have some, leaving some native material exposed and unincorporated. Then just strike a few times very close, in order to generate the heat to disperse the shreds directly over top. And that heat via flint and steel or particularly the magnesium bar- which nice and light, convenient to carry around, clips anywhere, original Doan is my preference, and that heat, carried via the shavings, is what will ignite the tinder. Which then if you immediately blow on it, it will grow hotter, since exhaled air is still higher in 02 concentration than ambient air. Just don’t blow away the embers. Because you should also have your pile of dried pine needles and dried leaves (conifer preferred since oil resin helps ignite quickly and pine configuration is aerating because of their structure, will catch faster than leaves), gathered in a formation like a nest underneath and surrounding your now ignited tinder, so it can be the next to catch as you work your way up to larger pieces of wood. With all steps conducted on your primary working space. Adding dried pine cones and kindling as it grows and gets hotter, without smothering it. Then add the larger pieces of dried wood, pending abundance and choice in your environment, to favor finding longer burning woods once the initial fire is sustained.
As others have suggested, if you have to scrape a magnesium block or rod, maybe scrape it onto a jumbo cotton ball - whether or not you've added Vaseline - that you spread open and weighed down so it doesn't blow away - most shavings will become ensnared, making for a more potent fire starter despite a breeze.
👍 .. I bought mine back in the 80's if not earlier (I think?). I don't recall the Brand but it seems to be of pretty decent quality. While it sits in one of my Fire Kits, I don't use it much now .. there being other fire lighting / tinder options at my disposal. I have replaced the original 'Scraper' with a piece of Hacksaw Blade which is able to shave off Magnesium Scrapings at a good rate. I mix the scrapings in with other Tinder and light the Mix with a Ferro Rod. This gives quite a robust flame .. the super-hot Magnesium flame persuading sometimes otherwise reluctant, but longer burning Tinder to 'get on with it' 🔥. Thanks for the 'Blast from the Past 😊.
I took a sawsall blade and scraped as many shavings of magnesium as I could off of one of those blocks by hand [ over 90% of the block ] and pre-packed them in a small tin , it took several sessions and a few hours , but now I can just take out a pinch or two and ignite it with any ferro rod , or I could ignite the whole tin and have a fireball .
@@DL_2025_A Those shavings burn at over 5600 degrees F. Doesn't take long for just about anything to catch on fire at that temp. Magnesium will also burn when absolutely soaked. So it's great for setting your kindling alight. But you do you, there are dozens of great ways to start a fire.
@@Valorius if your next material isn't bone dry, that 5 seconds is not nearly enough in my experience. kapok the same. even matches. maybe it's different in hot countries, but in the uk all these novel flash tinders that also blow away in the wind are quite useless compared to something that lasts 5 minutes and the options for that are endless these days. i bet you don't regularly use magnesium shavings really do you.
I don't remember having one growing and recently got one and didn't know it was a magnesium block because it had a coating on it. I have learned something new, thank you. Pair this with my wax coated cotton pads and I'll be in good shape.
@bushcraftchip I'm sure the younger viewers have no idea what a film canister is. It was the perfect storage vessel for anything you wanted to stay dry. And you could put your weed in it.🍻
Everything has a place. Those fire starters are not the best at starting fires, but they are light, small, waterproof, and resistant to damage. An excellent thing to throw into a kit that you have no intention of using but want to have just in case.
3 things I learned using these growing up. Scrape your shavings on to a piece of dished out foil to keep them from blowing away. When you think you have enough shavings... double it. Instead of scraping the block with your knife, place the tip of your knife on your base holding the knife at an angle just above the foil and scrape the block against the blade. This lets the shavings fall straight down into a pile. Then scrape the faro rod along the blade and as with the shavings, the sparks drop straight down.
Got mine in 1972 from an Army Surplus Store. The ferro rod has a concave divet, and the magnesium likewise. I used it in winter, or after a three day deluge, when woods were damp. I still have it, but I progressed to a 5/16" diameter x 3" ferro rod which is now about 3/16" on the bottom half. They last a very, very long time, especially if used in difficult situations only, or when matches or lighter expire. The ferro rod is about 30 years old, it's in my pocket every day.
I have mine still. I got it from a U.S. PX in Bremen Germany in 1982 when I served in the British Army. It’s massively worn where it’s been shaved through, but still has all of its markings on it. It does throw a spark, but not brilliant as you say. I keep mine - probably as a nostalgia item, but it still has its use. Edit: mine also came with a dog tag shaped serrated striker which gets a lot of shavings off!
I have a Doans one and it’s quality for what it is. I also have 3/4” thick rods of magnesium on the same piece of cord on each of my 6x1/2” ferro rods. “Doans Super” 😂 If you know how to scrape the magnesium (powder and thin shavings) it can aid in making a fire under very bad conditions. A lot of magnesium scrapings and one spark is all it takes to light some tinder where a ferro won’t do it. Edit: that said, the magnesium is a backup to aid the ferro….which is also a backup method in itself.
Dan , I don't usually comment on your excellent posts but feel well qualified to comment on this subject. As you said the magnesium blocks are old, a product of their time. All those years ago these bars were just that, "survival" items, usually for downed aircrew to utilise in dire circumstances. Most people around in those far off days of the 1960s and 70s used a Zippo type petrol lighter or matches to light their cigarettes, as almost everyone smoked in those far off times. Most folk would have scraped their bar to put magnesium filings into suboptimal tinder, wet or damp leaves,grass,twigs etc. Then, they would have ignited the now improved tinder with their Zippo or matches, saving the thin ferrocerium rod attached to the magnesium bar as a last resort (totally out of matches) ignition source. Times change, how many people smoke nowadays, for example. In those distant times the ferro rods on the mag bars were the only ones Joe Public could obtain. Things improve and now a fantastic variety of ferrocerium rods are available to everyone. These blocks still serve a useful purpose and I have a couple knocking around, scavenged from USMC Aviator Survival Kits. These fire lighting blocks have stood still in a time warp and haven't altered since they first came out. They could be radically improved by slightly increasing the size of the attached rod, attaching it to the magnesium block with a better quality super glue and drilling a small lanyard hole in the rod, horizontally as it sits on the mag bar,so it could be securely tied to something if it did separate from the magnesium. Was it you (or maybe Blackie Thomas , wishing him a speedy recovery from his recent stroke) who put out a post where you scraped magnesium into a duct tape "pocket" to prevent the scrapings blowing away ? Happy Trails, I always enjoy your presentations, but seldom make a comment.
I have so many fire starters now a days but I still have two brand new of these in the junk drawer I'll never get rid of. The magnesium is worth it by itself.
This is awesome, literally have this in my list of video ideas. Took a class with Cody Lundin at Rabbit Stick last year where he demo’d like 6-7 Mag/Ferro bars and I was shocked how certain brands and models performed so much better than others. So I got the idea let’s compare them! Still collecting a few for it but this video is a good kick in the butt to film it!
They work. Actually better than just a steel. Most people just dont use the Magnesium or understand (wet environment or poor tinder) definitely relevant.
I have one of those as my key ring. The first time I used it, I decided to set myself a "Survival" situation. I packed a nice big bowl of California's finest, and set it aside. I imagined that the mag-block was the only source of fire on my deserted island full of the good stuff. I, living at Lake Tahoe at the time, gathered pine needles, and cones, and anything else that looked likely from the yard, sat on the porch with my snow shovel for a fire pan, and set out to make fire; it being such a nearly 'life and death' situation. It took an hour the first time, but I 'survived'. Just takes a minute now. BTW: These are great stocking stuffers. Though, do warn your idiot cousin not to try it out on the cover of his fishing magazine, on the coffee table, in his living room.
I remember it like it was yesterday but it was many years ago, I was way up in the river Delta on the first day of deer season sitting there in my tree stand till nearly sunset when suddenly a mighty cold front hit with strong winds instantly blasting me with stinging sleet and rain! At the time I wasn't big on keeping up with weather forecast as is the hubris of most youth, so I was caught off guard and found myself in a bit of a panic climbing down to hurry to my small boat to discover my only means of escape from that desolate isolated place and back to civilization was long gone somehow being pulled loose in the raging winds and rising tide! With a sinking heart and failing courage I shivered from the cold and plenty of fear too and began to plunder through the sparse items in the small canvas sack I had brought along with a few snacks and field dressing supplies taking a quick inventory of what I thought might be most useful to survive the hellish freezing night that was relentlessly falling. A sharp knife, good. Two bags of chips and a candy bar, nice. Hmm I slung some raggedy old cordage and my surplus military poncho out of the way and thought that's it? I anxiously felt around through a small pile of rotted leaves twigs and candy wrappers in the bottom of the smelly old sack and I felt something there. My heart jumped a little bit! Under the trash in the bottom was a half oxidized white looking old made in China magnesium fire starter block I had got years ago at the same time I bought my poncho at the Army-Navy surplus store! Then I had to hope and pray it would still work, I didn't know if it would strike right up or just crumble into a pile of useless dust? Well a short story long I found a good tight spot amongst the bushes where I'd be mostly blocked from the howling winds and with the thick trees above shedding away most of the rain I set-up my poncho shelter close to my fire spot and wrapped the ends around enclosing it as tight as possible. Then after what seemed like an eternity gathering wood and tender for my fire I shredded up one of the plastic ziplock bags under the pile of tender and began scraping the rotten old magnesium block onto it making a pretty good pile of scrapings. This is it, the moment of truth! Will I survive the night all nice and warm by the roaring fire or will I perish in the wet frozen wild all alone of hypothermia never to be seen again? My wet shivering hands held the knife and striker tight and yeah I used the sharp side of the blade because I didn't feel like fooling around with this or taking any unnecessary chances I wanted the sparks to fly thick and heavy and light up this life saving fire as quickly as possible! I scraped it once and hardly nothing. I scraped it again and got a few wimpy sparks. A third time I almost knocked the whole pile flying I was so anxious! Finally on the fourth try, a bright and beautiful shower of thick sparks flew out and set off the magnesium burning bright white! Yes oh yes that's so wonderful looking it's hard to imagine something so simple as a little fire meaning so much in this modern day and age but in a situation like that it was the most beautiful thing I believe I ever saw in front of me and the feeling of accomplishment was undescribable! And I lived happily ever after... Ounce per ounce you can hardly carry a fire maker as efficient and dependable as one of these little cheap blocks. Just make sure the little fero rod is glued on good and tight so it doesn't fall off and get lots!
I can distinctly remember starting a fire using damp tinder while at Boy Scout camp in 1988. We scraped a pile of magnesium and the damp tinder didn’t matter with the heat that was generated from that fire starter.
I tell you what those magnesium bars are good for? Bore holes in it, with a medium speed drill, make curly shavings, put them in a container, throw a handful on your fire lay ( before lighting it ). The better way to use up those things.
OR - make a whole bunch of magnesium scrapings at home at your leisure to put into a small container in your fire kit. Magnesium is a flash tinder that will burn even when wet once ignited. It needs a pretty hot ignition source, though, like ferrocerium.
That Magnesium will ignite with a low temp flint and steel spark and it burns at about 5000°F, so it works well with dodgy tinder. They take a bit of practice, but they work.
@@lukecrue1 I mean that it will help with tinder that doesn't want to take a spark from a fero rod, or weather that isn't really as dry as you would like. If there is fatwood at hand, then by all means, scrape up a pile of shavings, put 'em in a tinder bundle, dust it with magnesium and it's cheating.
Ive actually never had one belive it or not 😂 as much as i love gear and trying knew things out. When I was younger I just used matches or a lighter, then came the ferro rod. I once scraped magnesium off magnesium snow shoes to start a fire and used my ferrocium rod. So yes it still has a purpose. Cant wait to see what new products are coming out. I enjoy every email from Coalcracker Bushcraft so you can always send me more lol. Another awesome video as always brother 👍 💪
I have a few of these that ended up in my Christmas stockings over the years. Never tried them till last year. It takes some previous know how of screwing around with them to get them to light a fire that’s for sure. You need to have some really good tinder laying around like dog or cat hair with a bunch of crumpled up leaves to get it to start a fire.
I've got a couple of the issue Doans, 40 years ago. They worked okay but were backup to strike anywhere matches in a match safe. The $2 one from Harbor Freight didn't work as well. They came with a hacksaw blade to scrape the magnesium. Good Luck, Rick
I first used these at SERE training in the Air Force and really liked them. The are compact, very light as they are made from magnesium, and reliable in a wide range of conditions. They do take a small amount of practice to get used to. However, if you are into bush craft as a hobby they don't quite fit the style, falling more into the post-WW2 "modern" survival category. Flint and steel and bow drills are more the thing! Of course, Grizzly Adams didn't have a ferrocerium rod either, but it's at least a descendant of flint and steel, I suppose.
The forgotten survival tool. Cheap, effective.. in my opinion worth the weight 💪. Wet fire starting with that and fatwood.. win win.. almost 99% of times in my opinion!
Hi Dan... While I agree very much with you regarding "better options", I carry 6 to 8 of those "Mag Bars" and vaseline cotton balls in those tiny "ziplock" baggies in my Jeep to pass out to "volunteers" that show up for SAR Missions without any way to start a fire. I give them out with NO INTENTION of getting them back. I just hope the people get some use out of them (or remember to bring them along if they go to another SAR event). I also have "business card size" lists of "suggested" items that would make life easier for them (and US) in the future. (I know... if they are apathetic (or clueless) enough not to bring proper Gear they probably won't know how to start a fire anyway) but an active SAR Mission is NOT the time nor place to start giving instructions... their part of a "Crew" so they (we) can work it out IF the need arises.
I have seven of the old American made versions of these things...stopped using them 25-30 year ago. Think perhaps I'll add one to each hunting, camping, fishing pouch.
Thank you. I probably have a dozen of these. Years ago, a friend gave me a Christmas present of an old Volkswagen wheel. I said thank you but what? He said it is made of Magnesium.
I still have around 30 of these from the good ones to the cheap ones from harbor freight . They all work . Some of mine are ones I have used since I was around 9 , I am 56 now . Are they they best thing out there ? No . I also have around 40 ferro rods . But , I would use either one before I would rely on friction fire .
The problem I’ve run into with ferro rod/magnesium combos is how they are glued together. Drop it and it hits a rock once and the ferro rod pops off and is lost forever. There is just some black costing stuck to the magnesium which has the chain on it.
Yep! Pretty easy to keep 2 or 3 handy, wrapped in jute for tinder. And if you injure a hand or arm a ferro rod is hard to use. I guess if you were lost in the jungle so long you wore out 2 or 3 lighters a ferro rod would be pretty nice. Folks just won't admit, ferro rods are kinda fun.
My dad told me years ago that he tried to use one without having instructions. He almost tore out several fingernails trying to get the ferro rod out of the magnesium block. 😂
I have nothing against a magnesium block in a fire kit. It's another option. Multiple options multiply your chances for a successful fire, especially in wet conditions. Why discount an outdated source ? It still works and I would encourage having one as an option.
The issue is that almost none of the magnesium fire starting bars (they're not rods) being sold these days are made of pure magnesium, as it's not cheap stuff. And the thing is, even if you do come across a higher-quality magnesium bar made of nothing other than real magnesium, you're better off prepping it at home by scraping off an absolute shitload of magnesium shavings into a bowl and loading them up into a little ziplok bag for future use in the field...
So, it sounds like if you know what you are doing, and maybe practice a bit before hand, a magnesium block is one more tool for the fire kit, maybe just don't make it your only tool.
Also not all magnesium fire starters are made equal, I have one sold by Walmart back when they were made in the USA that works great but these days they're made in China and are a lot harder to get flakes from and light. Can't prove it but I think they add something else to save money.
6 inch ferro rods. There's one i got thay has a big scraper attached to it and a meter long piece of waxed jute cord with a metal tube on it. Youre meant to throw sparks onto the cord, which then turns it into a bit of a torch. Use that to light your stuff, then snuff it out to save the rest of the waxed jute. For me, it's hard to beat that. As far as having tinder with your ferro rod, it's hard to beat. It is much bigger in terms of space that it takes up though. But you don't have to worry about the shaving blowing away because it's a big jute cord.
A few people laughed at me for using one of these, then cooked in the dark because they couldn't lite their own fire with a ferro rod and weren't brave enough to ask for help.
@@darrinrebagliati5365 haha, cracks me up when people have brand new expensive gear but no experience. Or when I see someone stack logs and try to just start a fire with a lighter.
Wise up, Dan! That block of magnesium will be around after the ferro rod has oxidized to dust! Stop chasing trends and get back to basics, brother. See you in the woods!
Moral to the story: The bigger your rod, the more sparks will fly. Pretty much true in every aspect. Thanks CC. And if you use an aggressive metal file, ive found that it is the best way to get magnesium to ignite and provide useful heat under field conditions.
They suck, magnesium may burn hot but it burns too fast. Fatwood scrapes easier and burns way longer. Ditch a mag block for a chunk of fatwood any day.
@lukecrue1 some people live to make negative comments. This guy is the type that thinks he's the best at everything. Just ignore the trolls it irritates them more than responding to them. And yes I have a piece of fatwood on my keychain along with a small Ferro rod, so you're not alone.👍🔥
@Bman-xy2vh I've always wondered why nobody makes a firestarter exactly like these mag ones but with fatwood instead. I've seen ones with fatwood handles but not like a mag bar one. I made one of my own. Light My Fire makes that tinder on a rope you can cut and make a groove to glue a ferro rod on.
WRONG USCG AS Kodiak. We were one of the inits issued the first DOANS to field test. Previous issue was the EXCELLENT NATO lifeboat matches nobody asks how to strike properly. Before that? zippos NEVER make a pure pile that blows and burns away while you bitch. Mix dry lichen Dung, grass etc to extend and secure your Flame long enough to build on. The maligned, and also misunderstood issue survival knife has an excellent spine to create shavings. It is NOT a saw. Never was, never will be. Flip it over and that curved swept point is excellent for sparking. I’ve made multiple fired from arctic survival school to gifting indigenous peoples who LOVE receiving them. In its fetish to reduce weight ( in aircraft carrying tons of ordnance) the USAF went to Sparklites- efficient, assuming you aren’t shsking from the cold trying to operate one. Doans sadly went out of business. I hoard my few remaining.’ C Kavanaugh USCG C
Baloney. Even the Harbor Freight magnesium fire starters are outstanding. The only thing you can do is lose them. Once you scrape a little pile of magnesium and hit it with a little spark, you have one intensely hot fire. I find your arguments without merit. If you ever wear out a two dollar magnesium fire starter you're living wrong.
When I was using magnesium blocks I delt with the breeze with cotton rounds soaked in Vaseline. The magnesium stuck to the Vaseline to accumulate and catch the spark, the Vaseline and cotton prolonged the flame.
@@johnpotter7652 great tip
Very clever idea.
Got mine back in the 80's while in boy Scouts. It was the only way we were aloud to start fires at camp. Our scout masters actually taught us real techniques out in the field. I feel lucky for it. Its not the same anymore
The issue is that almost none of the magnesium fire starting bars (they're not rods) being sold these days are made of pure magnesium, as it's not cheap stuff. And the thing is, even if you do come across a higher-quality magnesium bar made of nothing other than real magnesium, you're better off prepping it at home by scraping off an absolute shitload of magnesium shavings into a bowl and loading them up into a little ziplok bag for future use in the field...
@shaynejenkins446 got one in the scouts back in the early 80's also. We weren't allowed to leave until we got a successful fire rolling. Then we carved a tripod to boil water in a stainless container. I wonder if the scouts are the same now as back then?
There are still troops where actual outdoor skills are taught, even if it's not true across the board.
The military Doans was decent. All the other copies suck. Thank you for another great video 😊
I agree
Totally agree 👍
100% correct, the cheap chinese magnesium is hard to scrape and is super hard to light. you get what you pay for!
Agree as well. I don't think today's products on the market are as premium in their composition.
Plus, I find the method here interesting. I've not seen anyone create a separate, large pile of shavings like this. Will have to try it out.
In my training and experience, we just gather tinder of pocket lint (dryer lint if you've brought some), paper, whatever. Work in a bit of vaseline or oil if you have some, leaving some native material exposed and unincorporated. Then just strike a few times very close, in order to generate the heat to disperse the shreds directly over top. And that heat via flint and steel or particularly the magnesium bar- which nice and light, convenient to carry around, clips anywhere, original Doan is my preference, and that heat, carried via the shavings, is what will ignite the tinder.
Which then if you immediately blow on it, it will grow hotter, since exhaled air is still higher in 02 concentration than ambient air. Just don’t blow away the embers.
Because you should also have your pile of dried pine needles and dried leaves (conifer preferred since oil resin helps ignite quickly and pine configuration is aerating because of their structure, will catch faster than leaves), gathered in a formation like a nest underneath and surrounding your now ignited tinder, so it can be the next to catch as you work your way up to larger pieces of wood. With all steps conducted on your primary working space.
Adding dried pine cones and kindling as it grows and gets hotter, without smothering it.
Then add the larger pieces of dried wood, pending abundance and choice in your environment, to favor finding longer burning woods once the initial fire is sustained.
@gerardmartyn7596 yup, the doans branded ones work really well, basically all the others suck.
As others have suggested, if you have to scrape a magnesium block or rod, maybe scrape it onto a jumbo cotton ball - whether or not you've added Vaseline - that you spread open and weighed down so it doesn't blow away - most shavings will become ensnared, making for a more potent fire starter despite a breeze.
👍 .. I bought mine back in the 80's if not earlier (I think?). I don't recall the Brand but it seems to be of pretty decent quality.
While it sits in one of my Fire Kits, I don't use it much now .. there being other fire lighting / tinder options at my disposal.
I have replaced the original 'Scraper' with a piece of Hacksaw Blade which is able to shave off Magnesium Scrapings at a good rate. I mix the scrapings in with other Tinder and light the Mix with a Ferro Rod. This gives quite a robust flame .. the super-hot Magnesium flame persuading sometimes otherwise reluctant, but longer burning Tinder to 'get on with it' 🔥.
Thanks for the 'Blast from the Past 😊.
Still have my first from 30 years ago and one I bought 5 years ago. They are in my kit as backup
I took a sawsall blade and scraped as many shavings of magnesium as I could off of one of those blocks by hand [ over 90% of the block ] and pre-packed them in a small tin , it took several sessions and a few hours , but now I can just take out a pinch or two and ignite it with any ferro rod , or I could ignite the whole tin and have a fireball .
Flammable materials do not go obsolete.
all them shavings were burnt out in 5 seconds. it's obsolete when you have any choice whatsoever. it's only worth using when you have nothing else
The carburetor on my push mower would disagree😂😅😢
@@mikew8214 That's a carburetor problem. ;)
@@DL_2025_A Those shavings burn at over 5600 degrees F.
Doesn't take long for just about anything to catch on fire at that temp. Magnesium will also burn when absolutely soaked.
So it's great for setting your kindling alight.
But you do you, there are dozens of great ways to start a fire.
@@Valorius if your next material isn't bone dry, that 5 seconds is not nearly enough in my experience. kapok the same. even matches. maybe it's different in hot countries, but in the uk all these novel flash tinders that also blow away in the wind are quite useless compared to something that lasts 5 minutes and the options for that are endless these days. i bet you don't regularly use magnesium shavings really do you.
I don't remember having one growing and recently got one and didn't know it was a magnesium block because it had a coating on it. I have learned something new, thank you.
Pair this with my wax coated cotton pads and I'll be in good shape.
Hello Dano, I use a micro planer to make lots of mag fluff then store in old film canister. Just gave my age away..lol Great Vid Broheim!!!
@bushcraftchip I'm sure the younger viewers have no idea what a film canister is. It was the perfect storage vessel for anything you wanted to stay dry. And you could put your weed in it.🍻
Everything has a place. Those fire starters are not the best at starting fires, but they are light, small, waterproof, and resistant to damage. An excellent thing to throw into a kit that you have no intention of using but want to have just in case.
3 things I learned using these growing up.
Scrape your shavings on to a piece of dished out foil to keep them from blowing away.
When you think you have enough shavings... double it.
Instead of scraping the block with your knife, place the tip of your knife on your base holding the knife at an angle just above the foil and scrape the block against the blade. This lets the shavings fall straight down into a pile. Then scrape the faro rod along the blade and as with the shavings, the sparks drop straight down.
Thanks for sharing this story.👍
Thanks Dan. Take care 😊
Got mine in 1972 from an Army Surplus Store. The ferro rod has a concave divet, and the magnesium likewise. I used it in winter, or after a three day deluge, when woods were damp. I still have it, but I progressed to a 5/16" diameter x 3" ferro rod which is now about 3/16" on the bottom half. They last a very, very long time, especially if used in difficult situations only, or when matches or lighter expire. The ferro rod is about 30 years old, it's in my pocket every day.
I have mine still. I got it from a U.S. PX in Bremen Germany in 1982 when I served in the British Army. It’s massively worn where it’s been shaved through, but still has all of its markings on it. It does throw a spark, but not brilliant as you say. I keep mine - probably as a nostalgia item, but it still has its use. Edit: mine also came with a dog tag shaped serrated striker which gets a lot of shavings off!
Thanks for sharing.
I have a Doans one and it’s quality for what it is. I also have 3/4” thick rods of magnesium on the same piece of cord on each of my 6x1/2” ferro rods. “Doans Super” 😂
If you know how to scrape the magnesium (powder and thin shavings) it can aid in making a fire under very bad conditions. A lot of magnesium scrapings and one spark is all it takes to light some tinder where a ferro won’t do it.
Edit: that said, the magnesium is a backup to aid the ferro….which is also a backup method in itself.
Dan , I don't usually comment on your excellent posts but feel well qualified to comment on this subject. As you said the magnesium blocks are old, a product of their time. All those years ago these bars were just that, "survival" items, usually for downed aircrew to utilise in dire circumstances. Most people around in those far off days of the 1960s and 70s used a Zippo type petrol lighter or matches to light their cigarettes, as almost everyone smoked in those far off times. Most folk would have scraped their bar to put magnesium filings into suboptimal tinder, wet or damp leaves,grass,twigs etc. Then, they would have ignited the now improved tinder with their Zippo or matches, saving the thin ferrocerium rod attached to the magnesium bar as a last resort (totally out of matches) ignition source. Times change, how many people smoke nowadays, for example. In those distant times the ferro rods on the mag bars were the only ones Joe Public could obtain.
Things improve and now a fantastic variety of ferrocerium rods are available to everyone. These blocks still serve a useful purpose and I have a couple knocking around, scavenged from USMC Aviator Survival Kits. These fire lighting blocks have stood still in a time warp and haven't altered since they first came out. They could be radically improved by slightly increasing the size of the attached rod, attaching it to the magnesium block with a better quality super glue and drilling a small lanyard hole in the rod, horizontally as it sits on the mag bar,so it could be securely tied to something if it did separate from the magnesium. Was it you (or maybe Blackie Thomas , wishing him a speedy recovery from his recent stroke) who put out a post where you scraped magnesium into a duct tape "pocket" to prevent the scrapings blowing away ?
Happy Trails, I always enjoy your presentations, but seldom make a comment.
I have so many fire starters now a days but I still have two brand new of these in the junk drawer I'll never get rid of. The magnesium is worth it by itself.
This is awesome, literally have this in my list of video ideas. Took a class with Cody Lundin at Rabbit Stick last year where he demo’d like 6-7 Mag/Ferro bars and I was shocked how certain brands and models performed so much better than others. So I got the idea let’s compare them! Still collecting a few for it but this video is a good kick in the butt to film it!
Always learning. Thank you for your service
Put words to so many of my thoughts with those bars.
They work. Actually better than just a steel. Most people just dont use the Magnesium or understand (wet environment or poor tinder) definitely relevant.
I have one of those as my key ring. The first time I used it, I decided to set myself a "Survival" situation. I packed a nice big bowl of California's finest, and set it aside. I imagined that the mag-block was the only source of fire on my deserted island full of the good stuff. I, living at Lake Tahoe at the time, gathered pine needles, and cones, and anything else that looked likely from the yard, sat on the porch with my snow shovel for a fire pan, and set out to make fire; it being such a nearly 'life and death' situation. It took an hour the first time, but I 'survived'. Just takes a minute now.
BTW: These are great stocking stuffers. Though, do warn your idiot cousin not to try it out on the cover of his fishing magazine, on the coffee table, in his living room.
😂
I remember it like it was yesterday but it was many years ago, I was way up in the river Delta on the first day of deer season sitting there in my tree stand till nearly sunset when suddenly a mighty cold front hit with strong winds instantly blasting me with stinging sleet and rain!
At the time I wasn't big on keeping up with weather forecast as is the hubris of most youth, so I was caught off guard and found myself in a bit of a panic climbing down to hurry to my small boat to discover my only means of escape from that desolate isolated place and back to civilization was long gone somehow being pulled loose in the raging winds and rising tide!
With a sinking heart and failing courage I shivered from the cold and plenty of fear too and began to plunder through the sparse items in the small canvas sack I had brought along with a few snacks and field dressing supplies taking a quick inventory of what I thought might be most useful to survive the hellish freezing night that was relentlessly falling.
A sharp knife, good. Two bags of chips and a candy bar, nice. Hmm I slung some raggedy old cordage and my surplus military poncho out of the way and thought that's it?
I anxiously felt around through a small pile of rotted leaves twigs and candy wrappers in the bottom of the smelly old sack and I felt something there.
My heart jumped a little bit!
Under the trash in the bottom was a half oxidized white looking old made in China magnesium fire starter block I had got years ago at the same time I bought my poncho at the Army-Navy surplus store!
Then I had to hope and pray it would still work, I didn't know if it would strike right up or just crumble into a pile of useless dust?
Well a short story long I found a good tight spot amongst the bushes where I'd be mostly blocked from the howling winds and with the thick trees above shedding away most of the rain I set-up my poncho shelter close to my fire spot and wrapped the ends around enclosing it as tight as possible.
Then after what seemed like an eternity gathering wood and tender for my fire I shredded up one of the plastic ziplock bags under the pile of tender and began scraping the rotten old magnesium block onto it making a pretty good pile of scrapings.
This is it, the moment of truth!
Will I survive the night all nice and warm by the roaring fire or will I perish in the wet frozen wild all alone of hypothermia never to be seen again?
My wet shivering hands held the knife and striker tight and yeah I used the sharp side of the blade because I didn't feel like fooling around with this or taking any unnecessary chances I wanted the sparks to fly thick and heavy and light up this life saving fire as quickly as possible!
I scraped it once and hardly nothing.
I scraped it again and got a few wimpy sparks.
A third time I almost knocked the whole pile flying I was so anxious!
Finally on the fourth try, a bright and beautiful shower of thick sparks flew out and set off the magnesium burning bright white!
Yes oh yes that's so wonderful looking it's hard to imagine something so simple as a little fire meaning so much in this modern day and age but in a situation like that it was the most beautiful thing I believe I ever saw in front of me and the feeling of accomplishment was undescribable!
And I lived happily ever after...
Ounce per ounce you can hardly carry a fire maker as efficient and dependable as one of these little cheap blocks. Just make sure the little fero rod is glued on good and tight so it doesn't fall off and get lots!
I bought a 6”x3/4 “ magnesium rod, for very little money, it works great in conjunction with my ferro rod..
I can distinctly remember starting a fire using damp tinder while at Boy Scout camp in 1988. We scraped a pile of magnesium and the damp tinder didn’t matter with the heat that was generated from that fire starter.
I tell you what those magnesium bars are good for? Bore holes in it, with a medium speed drill, make curly shavings, put them in a container, throw a handful on your fire lay ( before lighting it ). The better way to use up those things.
OR - make a whole bunch of magnesium scrapings at home at your leisure to put into a small container in your fire kit. Magnesium is a flash tinder that will burn even when wet once ignited. It needs a pretty hot ignition source, though, like ferrocerium.
That Magnesium will ignite with a low temp flint and steel spark and it burns at about 5000°F, so it works well with dodgy tinder. They take a bit of practice, but they work.
But it burns out too fast. I'd rather have fatwood that burns longer at a lower temp
@@lukecrue1 I mean that it will help with tinder that doesn't want to take a spark from a fero rod, or weather that isn't really as dry as you would like. If there is fatwood at hand, then by all means, scrape up a pile of shavings, put 'em in a tinder bundle, dust it with magnesium and it's cheating.
@@tahoemike5828 oh gotcha, agreed!
Ive actually never had one belive it or not 😂 as much as i love gear and trying knew things out. When I was younger I just used matches or a lighter, then came the ferro rod. I once scraped magnesium off magnesium snow shoes to start a fire and used my ferrocium rod. So yes it still has a purpose. Cant wait to see what new products are coming out. I enjoy every email from Coalcracker Bushcraft so you can always send me more lol. Another awesome video as always brother 👍 💪
Shave the magnesium on a strip of duct tape. It will help keep it in one place in windy conditions as you strike it with the ferro rod.
Cool idea as it will also form a small part of the tinder.
Both are in my fire kit and have been for a long time.
I have a few of these that ended up in my Christmas stockings over the years. Never tried them till last year. It takes some previous know how of screwing around with them to get them to light a fire that’s for sure. You need to have some really good tinder laying around like dog or cat hair with a bunch of crumpled up leaves to get it to start a fire.
I've got a couple of the issue Doans, 40 years ago. They worked okay but were backup to strike anywhere matches in a match safe. The $2 one from Harbor Freight didn't work as well. They came with a hacksaw blade to scrape the magnesium. Good Luck, Rick
I first used these at SERE training in the Air Force and really liked them. The are compact, very light as they are made from magnesium, and reliable in a wide range of conditions. They do take a small amount of practice to get used to. However, if you are into bush craft as a hobby they don't quite fit the style, falling more into the post-WW2 "modern" survival category. Flint and steel and bow drills are more the thing! Of course, Grizzly Adams didn't have a ferrocerium rod either, but it's at least a descendant of flint and steel, I suppose.
Thanks for the information
The forgotten survival tool. Cheap, effective.. in my opinion worth the weight 💪. Wet fire starting with that and fatwood.. win win.. almost 99% of times in my opinion!
In pine tree country, the magnesium can be mixed into a blob of pine sap. Extends the window to get tinder happening.
I have like five of these have never actually used one. Always have an actual blowtorch when I go camping. Had a built in sparker
Hi Dan... While I agree very much with you regarding "better options", I carry 6 to 8 of those "Mag Bars" and vaseline cotton balls in those tiny "ziplock" baggies in my Jeep to pass out to "volunteers" that show up for SAR Missions without any way to start a fire. I give them out with NO INTENTION of getting them back. I just hope the people get some use out of them (or remember to bring them along if they go to another SAR event). I also have "business card size" lists of "suggested" items that would make life easier for them (and US) in the future. (I know... if they are apathetic (or clueless) enough not to bring proper Gear they probably won't know how to start a fire anyway) but an active SAR Mission is NOT the time nor place to start giving instructions... their part of a "Crew" so they (we) can work it out IF the need arises.
I have seven of the old American made versions of these things...stopped using them 25-30 year ago. Think perhaps I'll add one to each hunting, camping, fishing pouch.
Cool stuff
I cary one of these along with 2 other fire sources at all times during the winter. Not the best fire starter, but Better than a kick in the junk.
Dang it. I knew I should have saved that mag mower deck...
Thank you. I probably have a dozen of these. Years ago, a friend gave me a Christmas present of an old Volkswagen wheel. I said thank you but what? He said it is made of Magnesium.
Good info. Thanks
👍👍
Yes. Don't forget there's more than 1 way to do things.
They aren’t that bad and they are good for kids to get started . You can pick them up super cheap at Harbor Freight too.
Good job on the video
Have a great day y'all
I still have around 30 of these from the good ones to the cheap ones from harbor freight . They all work .
Some of mine are ones I have used since I was around 9 , I am 56 now .
Are they they best thing out there ? No . I also have around 40 ferro rods .
But , I would use either one before I would rely on friction fire .
Thanks 👍👍👍🔥
The problem I’ve run into with ferro rod/magnesium combos is how they are glued together. Drop it and it hits a rock once and the ferro rod pops off and is lost forever. There is just some black costing stuck to the magnesium which has the chain on it.
Oh well, this is good to know.
So, the size of your rod does matter. Gotcha!
Bics are the best
Fifty dollars or so for 50 Bic lighters on Amazon. Lifetime supply of fire. I have several other sources, but Bic is still easiest and quickest.
@@kolsen6330 Your not in a survival situation if you have a Bic.
Yep! Pretty easy to keep 2 or 3 handy, wrapped in jute for tinder.
And if you injure a hand or arm a ferro rod is hard to use.
I guess if you were lost in the jungle so long you wore out 2 or 3 lighters a ferro rod would be pretty nice.
Folks just won't admit, ferro rods are kinda fun.
My dad told me years ago that he tried to use one without having instructions. He almost tore out several fingernails trying to get the ferro rod out of the magnesium block. 😂
THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi ya'll I still have my military mag block on a mora knife
I never had any problem with any of them.
also lighter weight.. the ferro rods are heavy & when you're calculating weight of troops in aircraft it makes sense.
I have nothing against a magnesium block in a fire kit. It's another option. Multiple options multiply your chances for a successful fire, especially in wet conditions. Why discount an outdated source ? It still works and I would encourage having one as an option.
Today many are alloyed with a non burning metal, zinc, aluminum, and such. Not too excitable.
The issue is that almost none of the magnesium fire starting bars (they're not rods) being sold these days are made of pure magnesium, as it's not cheap stuff. And the thing is, even if you do come across a higher-quality magnesium bar made of nothing other than real magnesium, you're better off prepping it at home by scraping off an absolute shitload of magnesium shavings into a bowl and loading them up into a little ziplok bag for future use in the field...
Or you could make sacrificial anodes for long term rust free tool storage or cache stashing😉 think outside the firebox
I think they are one of the easiest ways to start a fire.
Bigger rods are always better... she said
So, it sounds like if you know what you are doing, and maybe practice a bit before hand, a magnesium block is one more tool for the fire kit, maybe just don't make it your only tool.
just add a prank birthday candle to the center of the pile and you are good to go
Could I use the file on my multitool for scraping ?
Absolutely!
Can you scrape it beforehand and mix it with something and put it into a pouch for later?
Bigger rods are better than smaller rods. Got it. (That’s what she said. 😂)
It works
Magnesium on duck tape works well
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I thought I was the only one that still remembers U.S. Cav. 😅
I keep one in my pack but can say practice with it you can get it real cheep
Also not all magnesium fire starters are made equal, I have one sold by Walmart back when they were made in the USA that works great but these days they're made in China and are a lot harder to get flakes from and light. Can't prove it but I think they add something else to save money.
Yep. What we need is high purity magnesium.
These magnesium blocks are like cotton clothing.... Most people don't use either one correctly!!
Made a lot fires with one
Which fire starters do you recommend not the small fire starters
Get a big ferro rod
6 inch ferro rods. There's one i got thay has a big scraper attached to it and a meter long piece of waxed jute cord with a metal tube on it. Youre meant to throw sparks onto the cord, which then turns it into a bit of a torch. Use that to light your stuff, then snuff it out to save the rest of the waxed jute. For me, it's hard to beat that. As far as having tinder with your ferro rod, it's hard to beat. It is much bigger in terms of space that it takes up though. But you don't have to worry about the shaving blowing away because it's a big jute cord.
A few people laughed at me for using one of these, then cooked in the dark because they couldn't lite their own fire with a ferro rod and weren't brave enough to ask for help.
Did they not have any tinder? I mean what the....
@lukecrue1 they were wanna bes. Thought they were good because they bought all the "best" equipment. But never used anything but a lighter and gas.
@@darrinrebagliati5365 haha, cracks me up when people have brand new expensive gear but no experience. Or when I see someone stack logs and try to just start a fire with a lighter.
Magnesium shines ,if you got damp,wet tinder 3500° F will get the job done.
Size doesn't matter, bushcrafters are just over compensating these days with these giant ferro rods 😮😊😊
survival is 100 % common sense. Oh yeah common sense.. what a topic that is..
❤
I wonder if you can joule start it with a 9volt battery like steel wool?
I could say big rods are better but I wouldn’t say such a double entendre would I?
Of course not 😂 I just forgot to delete it 😂
Wise up, Dan! That block of magnesium will be around after the ferro rod has oxidized to dust! Stop chasing trends and get back to basics, brother. See you in the woods!
Moral to the story: The bigger your rod, the more sparks will fly. Pretty much true in every aspect. Thanks CC. And if you use an aggressive metal file, ive found that it is the best way to get magnesium to ignite and provide useful heat under field conditions.
They suck, magnesium may burn hot but it burns too fast. Fatwood scrapes easier and burns way longer. Ditch a mag block for a chunk of fatwood any day.
Your a newb if your packing around fatwood too.
@shaynejenkins446 are you serious? I'm comparing it to those dumb mag blocks. There are tons of different tinders to carry.
@lukecrue1 some people live to make negative comments. This guy is the type that thinks he's the best at everything. Just ignore the trolls it irritates them more than responding to them. And yes I have a piece of fatwood on my keychain along with a small Ferro rod, so you're not alone.👍🔥
@Bman-xy2vh you're right haha, I shouldn't have said anything. All the real guys like Dan and Canterbury etc carry a chunk of fatwood
@Bman-xy2vh I've always wondered why nobody makes a firestarter exactly like these mag ones but with fatwood instead. I've seen ones with fatwood handles but not like a mag bar one. I made one of my own. Light My Fire makes that tinder on a rope you can cut and make a groove to glue a ferro rod on.
or carry a bic lighter in a heavy ply ziplock bag..
I chucked mine it was crap
WRONG
USCG AS Kodiak. We were one of the inits issued the first DOANS to field test. Previous issue was the EXCELLENT NATO
lifeboat matches nobody asks how to strike properly. Before that? zippos
NEVER make a pure pile that blows and burns away while you bitch. Mix dry lichen
Dung, grass etc to extend and secure your
Flame long enough to build on.
The maligned, and also misunderstood issue survival knife has an excellent spine to create shavings. It is NOT a saw. Never was, never will be. Flip it over and that curved swept point is excellent for sparking. I’ve made multiple fired from arctic survival school to gifting indigenous peoples who LOVE receiving them. In its fetish to reduce weight
( in aircraft carrying tons of ordnance) the USAF went to Sparklites- efficient, assuming you aren’t shsking from the cold trying to operate one.
Doans sadly went out of business. I hoard my few remaining.’
C Kavanaugh USCG
C
Baloney. Even the Harbor Freight magnesium fire starters are outstanding. The only thing you can do is lose them. Once you scrape a little pile of magnesium and hit it with a little spark, you have one intensely hot fire. I find your arguments without merit. If you ever wear out a two dollar magnesium fire starter you're living wrong.
Anything but military issue Doan is crap! Avoid Chinese knock-offs.
As close as I've EVER come to thumbs-down one of your videos. Great click bait, I fell for it.