Dispelling Several Ferro Rod Myths
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Lonnie discusses several ferro rod "myths" as well as some differences in Ferrocerium (ferro) rod types and how that can effect how Ferrocerium rods are used.
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Hello my name is Lonnie and My wife is Connie.
Here at Far North Bushcraft And Survival you will learn about many long forgotten tricks and tips of the old time woodsmen. Not only will you learn about bushcraft / woodcraft but you will learn many things that will help you to survive in less than ideal "survival" situations as well. Come along and sit with me by the campfire as I delve into these subjects in a way that you can easily learn to then do yourself.
I will show you how to make shelters, gather food, use wild medicines as well as start fires with or without matches, lighters, ferro rods, etc
![ว้าว!ลุงบีมแบกทองมารับขวัญหลานกันยกบ้าน [cc] แดนแพทตี้ SS2 | EP.49 |](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Osihq1OAs-4/mqdefault.jpg)
I like how you talk to us like a friend and you really care. You always seem so calm and relaxed.
Yeah, he should have been a politician
Indeed. I also like how he doesn't bombard us with buy my stuff like Canadian Prepper, Dave Canterbury and others.
The Bob Ross of Bushcraft
@@66windar a female hero ? 🙄😂😂😂
@Robert Stack Lonnie wouldn't make a good politician because Lonnie is honest and hard working.
Always honest, always reliable, always back up your claims with real world demonstrations. Much respect. 🏴
Indeed
Agreed, a good man.
How to identify the real deal among TH-cam ferro rod users- his ferro rod has been used until it is pointed.
Thanks as always, and my best to you and Connie.
I see a lot of guys trying to show off ferro rod use and their ferro rod is still covered in black! Lonnie is the real deal my friends.
@jake The depth of knowledge here should remove any conceptions that these two are anything but genuine.
@jake Okay. Be well
huh?!!? everything he's got is brand new almost. Look at his stupid walmart jumper thing
@jake bench grinder will put some quick age on it.
I'm a novelist myself, and I've listened to many other survival guide experts. And none of them have really gave me the information that I need. You on the other hand have helpful information as well as demonstrations and you'll explain it that it's understandable and easy to understand. I also like your calm and friendly disposition... Thanks
Thank you for the kind words. Glad you enjoy the videos.
Man, I learned more from 8 or so minutes of myth debunking from this awesome person than I have from watching a dozen videos on ferro rods. I'm subscribing.
As a long time member of a SAR organization, I can tell you, you are very competent and credible.
Best I’ve seen anywhere on the internet.
Good job, Lonnie.
I work in a outdoor equipment store, and I really appreciate these kind of videos. I have a lot of knowledge and experience, but I dont know all and I cant test it all, so these to the point videos made by experienced honest people really helps me advise my customers. So thank you! :)
I was excited to see you pop up on my phone. I could listen to you describe how paint drys as it is happening. You have a very trust worthy way about you. A uncommon trait today. I think the beard of knowledge helps. 🧙♂️
You would so blessed to have an ancestral skill mentor like Lonnie versus innumerable pretenders who have now appeared. He has remarkable teaching skills and is an excellent communicator. Wise too.
Really has a Bob Ross type feel to him i love it!!
That seems to be what Alaska does to you my man
Happy little sparks?
A lot of the "Flint" issue comes from the cigarette lighter industry calling the small fero rod on the striker a flint. Thanks Lonnie for the great information.
I’ve never been so much as camping but I love channels like this, Primitive Technology, and various science channels just to watch people who are experts explain how things work.
Get out into the woods and try it for yourself. It's a great experience.
I remember the first video I ever watched of yours was, "Is A Ferro Rod Worth Having?" Talk about coming full circle.Thanks for sharing, Mr. Bushcraft Wizard.
I knew that you always follow the best TH-camrs.
Great to see you again Lonnie. First practical application I've ever seen for a magnesium bar!
Some myths die hard. You have a done a good job of dispelling a number of them while adding extra value to the discussion. Thanks Lonnie
No hype, just honest education from a man that cares. Always amazing content!
Great tutorial. Anybody who knows anything about survival in the bush knows you're the real McCoy. These people who think they know better probably haven't spent any real time in the wilderness. Best to you and Connie. 🙏
Hello from Europe to both of you,
nice to see that you are fine.
I was a bit worried to see and hear nothing for a howl Month.
Nice Video, as always.
The way you share your knowledge is calming and interesting at the same time!
I'm experimenting also with different types of ferro rods and realised just last week, that one of them is that soft, that it will be used up very quickly.
I trained some kids to start fire, and after that day, it was half gone.
Greetings to both of you!
Thank you Lonnie!
You are a great teacher!
Blessings on Ya'll!
Thanks Lonnie, I love your videos. I love your "laid back" presentation style. Hello to Connie on camera too. Keep the videos coming.
Great video! Another myth is that anyone can use a ferro rod or magnesium block. You must try out and become accustomed to all of your tools before you need them. I was one who had brand new gear in my pack. When I tried to use it, I didn't know how. Like you said with the different compositions of the rods, add to that the moisture content of your tinder, your own personal striking style, and your striker. Having the wrong striker make a huge difference for me. (I was using a blade that didn't have a 90° spine, it worked 12% of the time and I was tearing up my ferro rod.)
Good to see you again! Thanks
Always learn something new when I watch Lonnie on his videos. Thanks! Mike.
Well done, sir. I thought carbon steel was necessary, but now realize the SS blade I tried it with, was not 90° on the back. You save suffering, and lives with your lessons.
good to know Lonnie good to see you on here again love the video take care up there.. stay safe god bless you and the wife to you both .
Thanks for the Demo Lonnie, good info for someone who wants to go out in the wild and not rely solely on matches.
Great video man. Have an amazing Sunday, Andreas from Off Grid Sweden 🇸🇪
Great video, as usual. I think you're right about the carbon steel confusion. It makes perfect sense.
All great points, I’ve met a few people who were shocked when I’d use stainless steel on my ferry rod. I’ve never even considered glass, that’s a new one for me.
Keep the vids coming!
I'm actually stunned at these supposed myths. Anyone believing any of them is simply wholly ignorant about the topic. Easy to learn fortunately.
I have used stainless steel also to produce sparks, but not as productive as carbon steel.
The quartz in my area has not worked well with a steel and seems to crack and crumble a great deal, I guess it’s composition is a bit different here maybe in the southern coastal of SC.
Now the glass on a ferro rod, that’s genius! Loved it!
Love your work Lonnie! Learned something new today, thanks!
I also heard that ceramic e.g. broken mug with sharp edge works well but haven’t tried it.
You are right that quartz does not work as well as flint when striking the quartz with steel. The edges of quartz just does not hold up as well as flint. However it is fairly easily found almost anywhere where there are plenty of rocks especially in mountainous regions. Fresh edges can easily be produced through breaking off old ones. Fresh edges spark well as long as the edge holds up.
Surprised me too! Great to know the actual versatility of the rod..
God bless You!
Greatings from Austria/Europe.
Gruss Gott!!
Learned something new...didn't know you can strike a ferro rod with a piece of glass! Now i'm gonna try all different materials to see what works...thank you for the info!
Thanks Lonnie for ANOTHER excellent video!!! You answered a number of questions regarding strikers I've been researching , plus the use of magnisium (?) to start fires more easily! May you ans your wonderful wife stay SAFE and HEALTHY my friend!!!
Lonnie and Connie, thanks for sharing, always excellent content. Great to hear from you again ! God bless !
Great video, Lonnie, and love that pointed ferro rod! I actually have a pair of original "Swedish Firesteel" rods from over 20 years ago when they first came out - the maker produced them in a small workshop (I should have got them autographed). You're right about the composition, as the old rods I have don't shave easily but still throw great sparks.
As always a great video with simple, straightforward, honest facts. I like.
Lonnie, thank you kindly for this. Your integrity always speaks volumes! Thank you again!~
yes this is indeed very true,many people are confused in this kind of fire making,
i always love to hear their discussions and then try to reason with them
great info as always
atb
Steve
Straight to the point.No fluff.I'm new to all this but I learned a lot just in this one video.😎👍
Thank you for explaining that! There are definitely two types hard and soft and both have different ways you go about striking the rod.
Although I live a lifestyle in which I don't have a need for starting fires, this was very informative. You've made quite the enjoyable video to watch, thank you.
Thank you. This did actually clear up some confusion for me. I wonder what would happen if you tossed the whole magnesium block in the fire?
Magnesium is somewhat difficult to light initially in it's whole form but once lit it burns hot and is difficult to put out.
Go to an auto salvage / junk yard and buy an old magnesium wheel . Toss it on a good hot fire and be prepared to stay away .
Yeah I wondered about mag wheels. Figured they probably have alloys that might make them not so desirable as a fire lighting resource. They may not allow for scraping shavings very easily.
Excellent tutorial Lonnie.Most people have no idea how the different methods work.Thanks
Great Video on those. I used a piece of an old broken ceramic ashtray when trying different things and got mine to spark. Thanks for making this and showing us more ways and myths. Take Care and Stay Safe.
You have a good radio voice, you're simple, not flashy, and I could gather all you talked about easily while also working on another project and only having my eyes on half the time.
You'll be good to learn from.
Love your videos! Love your calm, mellow demeanour and honesty. Thank you for giving me someone like me and even likely close to my age to join while I'm soaking up anything I've forgotten or missed from growing up in the Michigan woodlands. Best wishes. ;)
Good one Phresh, I've noticed some confusion about these concepts over the years.
Great knowledge I also believed that only carbon steel worked..!! Now I know different.. thank you from Texas
Wonderful demonstration on the ferro rod, and how it will deliver a spark with darn near a dry noodle by the looks of thing! I am one of those that was under the impression that you needed carbon steel blades to strike a spark. No I know better thanks to you. Much appreciated. Cheers from Winnipeg.
Great demo Lonnie thank you! Ive used both softer cheaper rods and harder ones like that swedish one there. Over the years I simply noticed I had a little bit more success with the light my fire rods and first strike ignition. So I only use them now. The word is the softer ones makes a bit longer curly shavings that burn longer, hence why they should be more effective on damp material. But I dont know. Nothing I have noticed myself.
I too like the "Light My Fire" rods mostly due to they are much more easily controlled when placing sparks and they are also very long lasting. So a small rod will last me quite a few years of occasional use.
Thanks again for your videos brother! It’s all about experience!! Lots of people say.. do it this way, or do it that way..... we all have to ultimately respect each other and do it the way that works for us! Thank you you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us again sir! Very best wishes 👌🏽👍🏽👍🏽😎
Thank you, Lonnie for exposing the myths on ferro rods. I learned a lot! It’s quite surprising to know that one can use quarts or even broken glass. I always enjoy yout calm and peaceful
nature. You and Connie both. You are God’s children, for sure.
Thank you for the good info on your videos. Me and a friend will be doing some winter camping while practicing some survival tactics. We are using your videos as a tool to help us.
Hello again Lonnie , I had heard about Quartz being s good source for a spark, always a good learning experience watching your videos.
I exclusively use Flint and steel to make my fires, I spend a considerable time in the Backcountry solo and rely on making fire. But my flint is actually quartz and it is very reliable. And in the region of the Rocky mountains I live in quartz is very plentiful.. Have a wonderful day.
@@nelsonminingandabandonedplaces Hello Steven , you have a wonderful day as well.
Quartz is very hard and will strike sparks from carbon steel.
another stone that works as good as quartz or flint is chert. that is what I have in all of my steel fire kits. it is something I can usually find locally, and has never let me down.
@@OtherThanIntendedPurpose I've recently found a few nice pieces of Chert while looking for native artifacts, I'll give a few pieces a try . Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Hey Lonnie, I think most who enjoy your videos, trust your honesty. The idea that you'd have a phony rock is pretty funny to me.
Because of how people can be, you're trying to demonstrate it's just a quartz rock...Hilarious actually.
Thanks!
1/4 of planet is quartz
I’ve had bottomless Connie.There is no echo whatsoever!!!
....and the glass bottle was "fake" also...LOL!
Im glad he showed us that we could use a glass shard. That idea never crossed my mind. And you'll never know what you'll find out in the woods. Very helpful
@@BlackHoleForge Sadly, glass shards maybe easier to find than quartz or flint. Lol.
I spent a lot of time in the bush in western Canada and I find you very knowledgeable about bush craft. I have used many of the same techniques myself.
Wow man I just learnt a whole load of amazing fire techniques in 8 minutes. I love his voice it’s really soothing for me.
Thanks for the insights, sir! I have a 1" magnesium rod I bought awhile back ... I like to scrape shavings from that into a prescription bottle for use on the trail. I carry a large Ferro rod on my knife sheath to spark it (or White Birch bark!) to get a flame. Thanks for sharing ... God Bless
I have to say I've never finished one of your videos without feeling it was time well spent. I love magnesium because it will burn in damp or wet conditions. I keep a small plastic bag of shavings at the ready to save the time of shaving. (I'm too arthritic to be playing with bow drills) However, I wrap that in aluminum foil to avoid contact with heat or a spark. Keep that valuable knowledge coming. Us old folks are forgetful. :o)
Fred Thorne: there’s an Alternative set up instead of a traditional bow drill that you work away on like a slave until you’re exhausted to get a spark. I imagine that situation is even worse if you got arthritis. Somebody thought about it and figure it out that you could just put a groove in the top of your middle, and take a moderate length of twig or dowel, The ends to which a person attaches a piece of string about i’ll length and a half of the height of the drill. With the hearth board properly curved already, the Bushcrafter simply starts off by twisting the drill, to wrap the string around itself. After that, he has only to pull on the dowel in a downward motion, to set a spinning motion into place, which will resolve itself in the other direction spontaneously. A few downward pumps on the dowel, and without hurting arthritic limbs, you get your spark.
It’s a nice alternative if you really enjoyed setting fires using a bow drill before the arthritis set in❤️.
So wise and friendly... both thumbs up to you!,
You sir have an excellent voice for narrations or radio! Deep and calm
Takes real balls to tell a man who lives his life like you do that you're doing it wrong lol. Another quietly informative video. Thank you.
Contrary it means no balls high estrogen
Or a dearth of brains perhaps?
I wanted to have lanyard attached strikers for my ferro rods that would maintain a sharp edge.
Many of the carbon steel ones that you get can be easily dulled, with use, and not work as well (or not even work at all, when new, until you grind a good sharp square edge on them..). Ferro rods are tough, and really seem to be hard on strikers. A good striker can be a piece of tungsten carbide. It is HARD and holds up well. It is also hard enough to use as a knife edge sharpener.
I bought some tungsten carbides made for lathe machine cutting tool bits. Square ones with square edges and a hole for mounting. I put them on my lanyards along with the carbon steel strikers.
I use them for "sharpening" the strikers, which always work much better with fresh sharp edges. Also quite handy for touching up knife blade edges, too, but you have to hold the carbides carefully so as not to cut your fingers with your knives.
practicalman45 good comment. Where’d you get them?
A $1 needle file also works well. The outside is hardened and it can be used to sharpen an ax.
@@johnnybeanz1296 These are similar: www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-1pack-CNMG120408-PM-4325-CNMG432-PM-Carbide-insert-lathe-tool-CNC-Cutter/153347149390?hash=item23b433ce4e:g:8qgAAOSw9xJcPFsA
I have on made by primus i dont know if they are sold in the us but the striker is the best one i ever used very nice high carbon steel (carbon steel is harder doesnt wear as fast not for better sparking) it has a serated edge that sparks even after 3 different 10mm ferrorods used up
Ditto on the needle file.
They also fit in a lot of places.
And about the lanyards.. I use waxed jute (fire cord) for those and handle wraps. No dry tinder? just unroll a bit and it lights as easy as a match.
Even though I have spent a lot of my 64 years in the bush I always learn something new with each of your videos. If I am ever involved in a forced plane landing in the deep bush where I would be stranded for a month I would hope you are on that plane as well. Kind regards from Northern BC Canada.🇨🇦
I'll take that as a compliment though I am not sure what i think about somebody wishing me to be in a plane crash. :O) Just teasing you. Thanks for the kind words.
One more time, VERY useful video, Lonnie.
From Louis, France.
good info as always Lonnie, good job filming Connie.
I was curious about who was filming. I don't know anything about filmmaking but thought it looked really great and was always aimed where i wanted to look, without shaking or jerking
Terminology can be the problem. The Boy Scout manual shows a photo of a ferro rod and calls it "Flint & Steel" . Maybe because we call the sparker in a lighter a piece of flint when it is actually a mini ferro rod. Terminology, like common names for plants, can make things confusing. Thanks for joining the battle I have been fighting the past 15 years!
Thanks for your teaching on ferro rods. You myth busted lots of things I’ve been told.
LOVE YOUR CHANNEL LONNIE! I was a "survivalist" from before they coined the term! I was born in '46 and went through Cub Scouts, Webelos (where I started my "shooting career" with 22LR single shot rifles and spent my 1st ever night alone, sleeping under the stars, in the "wilds" of SE'n KS - rattlesnakes & skunks were my only concern!) and Boy Scouts thru "Star". At the age of about 14 I learned to fly an old Cessna 140 (tail-dragger) that a neighbor had and joined the Civil Air Patrol/Civil Defense and left scouting.
At 16 I got my 1st car, the day after my Birthday, and that was the end of everything but cars and girls for awhile! I stilled fished and hunted of course, taking girls fishing with me and ranging farther afield with hunting via my car. I graduated Hi School in '64 and married the summer of '66 and after a year of marriage, birth of my daughter and translocation to Chicago, got back into serious hunting and fishing, especially in WI and the UP, MI. I also started canoeing extensively, learning to run whitewater in northern WI. I combined fishing, hunting and canoe camping in the wilder areas of Wisconsin and started going into survival mode in the late '60's, just to test how "good" I was. As a young boy my dad had read stories of the Mountain men and pioneers and their exploits, so he'd set a high bar for my outdoor education. I was divorced in the mid-'70's and my girlfriend and I extensively camped and canoed during the warm months and I camped and bow-hunted deer in the Fall in the UP of Michigan - some really wild places where they had the largest Black Bears in the Lower 48 near Superior (Royal) Gorge, a very deep, impenetrable, canyon. I also ice fished and cross country ski camped in Wisconsin.
Finally, I left the Chicago area just prior Christmas of 1980 and moved to Colorado's West Slope, where I camped above 7, 500 ft elevation for most of all four seasons, working here and there for a week, or so, just to keep myself in food and ammo, etc. I slept in my heavy down bag down to -30 F with no bad outcomes and ate a lot of Snowshoe Rabbit stew, etc. I loved it then, and look back on it fondly, but I'm old and busted up now, can't walk of stand, my knees being shot, and I'm glad I did it, but likely will never camp, fish and hunt like that again.
I haven't shot a firearm "live" since 2014, but shot my cowboy guns and 357 Mag Colt back in the day, that the muscle memory seems permanent! I still "shoot" my Glock 26 at a laser target with a 5/16" dot about 10 or so feet from my bed as I'm mostly bed bound now. I'd reckon based on my laser "groups", that I'm still dead on for a brain-stem shot at combat distances. I have a Custom Shop J-Frame S&W SS 3" 60-15 in 357 Mag, loaded with 38 Spcl +P for backup just in case the 9mm G26 fails to stop a big dude attempting harm on my wife or myself. For "distance" work I have a Mossberg 500 20 ga with a rifled bbl that'll through a 14" pattern at 5 yds with #3 Buck and group 2 1/2" at 100yd with conventional slugs, and 3" at 200 yds with sabot slugs. My 600 yd rig is a Thompson-Center All Weather 270 Win which I'll be selling soon, there's no good place to shoot it on Maui past 300 yards and as I can't really hunt anymore, I'm only interested in man-sized targets out to 300 yds max in the event of a hurricane and marauders/looters, etc.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK - FROM ALL I'VE EVER LEARNED, YOU'RE THE REAL DEAL!
When I was in the Army, I had access to all the shop areas, being the head Crew Chief. First on Hueys and then the first Black Hawks to go into regular service. The sheet metal shop always had magnesium sheets in there. I remember when I was a kid, I would go to the hobby shop and get a few small strips of magnesium and was surprised to see how hot they burned. So I always glitched some of it from my friend in the metal shop. It sure does burn hot. I never asked him what they used it for on aircraft. That stuff would burn up in a minute. I think it was just old stock from when he took over the metal shop.
Lonnie I have a steal just like
Yours I picked up rocks I use
That spark real well
Steel
Lonnie your videos are so educational, Love them all, keep them coming, thanks
Thank you for teaching me the ways of the fire rod, Gandalf! Very educational!
I did learn something today. Cheers✌❤
Excellent content, as usual! Thank you and keep’em coming.
Thank you for sharing! Love your calm no nonsense style 👋🏼
Thank You Lonnie for another great presentation!! You handle your topics with great calmness and respect something that is very much appreciated!! I believe much confusion has entered the community as the result of inconsistent nomenclature as I've seen manufactures and TH-camrs alike refer to a ferrocerium rod as a "fire steel" Thank You again Lonnie(and Connie) for all the time and Love you put into your videos!!🔥🔥
Thanks for the video!
Vielen dank für die Tipps und liebe grüße aus Deutschland👍🤘
Herbert Maucher Shyt,,,I never thought I would understand German,,oh yes I forgot,,lived in Stuttgart 3 months..
I saved this one for a bad day. Thanks for being so cool, Lonnie.
Lonnie that was a great video, I also use the same ferro rod but I use it as a back up, my main way of making fire is with Flint steel and char cloth. Have a awesome day Lonnie and Connie it's great to see another one of your high quality videos
The chemical composition of flint and quartz are the same, silicon dioxide.
Good video.
I have several fire kits and they all have a magnesium block, along with ferro rods
But I also have a peace of a file in each for scraping the magnesium off the block.
The file makes it easier to get a good pile together.
If the weather is a bit wet I also carry some gauze pads with petroleum jelly smeared on them. A bit of magnesium and one of those gauze pads gets a fire going really well.
Have you tried the Harbor Freight magnesium block? I've tried and tried to get that junk to work and just can't. Do you have a suggestion to a better magnesium block? Thanks
@@beebob1279
Go pick up one from the camping section at Wal-Mart. They are priced low and work well
ditto on the harbor freight ones.
Their mag is probable an alloy of chinese-ium. It sucks. Even shavings from a drill press only half will burn.
I get them on sale for the ferro, wich is not the best either, but that part does work, its cheap and easily found locally.
Its worth a 1.99 ferro, but the magnesium is junk.
Another great video, thanks! I was amazed by the glass, I must admit. Who knew! Really can learn something new everyday.
Your calm presentation is far more persuasive than a lot of rant and raving.
Thanks for a great video.
Yea i was actually lol after you used the glass shard...amazing properties of different elements....especially the Walmart magnesium bar......cool!
I agree with your comments Lonnie. We also don't have flint in the states. Finding a rock or material with a hardness of 70 or higher with a sharp edge is all you need. Good stuff here as always. Thank you again.
Nice to have you back Lonnie.
That is a nice video and the information you gave is very important to those who think they know what is required to survive in the wilderness. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
Love the video and your channel.
Here's my pet peeve: The biggest thing that has ever bothered me is for those folks that watch shows like Survivor. On that show, the host says, "You will win fire in the form of flint." That is completely inaccurate. That show gives the contestants a magnesium block with a ferro role embedded in it. That being said, none of those idiots can ever get their fires lit. If you cannot light a fire with a magnesium block, please stay out of the wilderness. Note: This comment is not trying to suggest that that show is anywhere near real "survival," I am just talking about how these myths are often spread. Peace.
+HNX Media; Agree ! I like to manage my outdoor excursions so I don't end up in a "survival" situation, but be prepared for it nonetheless. Prepare for it, visualize it, plan it and pack for it. Haven't had to be flown out in a basket, yet. (knocking on wood)
Tv shows like Survivor are Scripted.
They fail to start fires for Drama & tension only.
If a person has never started a fire, they simply won't know what to do, regardless of what they have to use. Hence the reason they have so much trouble.
It also depends which country you come from. Ferro rods and magnesium rods were known to.ke as bush/wild/wilderness camper in Australia. Here, everything is so dry, you can start a fire with dead leaves or a suitable dead bush/shrub, with a match. No need for feather sticks, bark shavings, ferro or magnesium shavings. As result, many Australian bushies like myself, wouldn't know the first thing about ferro rods or the use of magnesium shavings.
Went camping with some buddies one time. I had gathered some stuff for a fire earlier and had a little fire starter kit with me and one of my buddies decided to start the fire. He had a pile of dry twigs, a pile of dry sticks and a pile of fuel sized sticks ready to go. A box of matches, a lighter, and a bottle of accerlant (alcohol gel). I watched him for about 20 minutes fail to start a fire with all that in front of him. I was like "Dude, what in the world are you doing over there?" Turns out it was his first time camping.
@@gooseknack One cold January day I went to the woods in a torrential down pour with nothing but a home made soup can rocket stove, flint with striker, a couple of cotton balls, a canteen of water, a pouch of cocoa powder, and a metal canteen cup. My goal was to gather wood in a rainstorm in cold, harsh conditions and get a fire going in a rocket stove and boil the water to make the cocoa. I was just getting the water close to a boil when my sister called. She asked me "what are you doing"? I said, "I'm in the woods, starting a fire in my homemade rocket stove to boil some water for a cup of hot chocolate". She said, "it's cold as hell and pouring rain". I said, "I know". Then she asked, "who does that and why"? I told her, "I'm practicing my fire starting and survival skills in harsh conditions. In a survival situation, a man's morale, willingness and ability to survive can be enhanced greatly by having fire and a comfort item like a hot beverage or food ". She just said, "oh" in a tone that indicated she still didn't understand. She is the type who would run to my house in a teotwawki sitiation. She thinks I'm extreme but also knows I would have answers and solutions in a bad situation. So her and many like her have said, if things get bad, I'll just come to your house. I told them, you had better bring something of value with you, like beans, bullets, or some useful skills.
i miss AK, i lived there for 14 + years, in the village of Kink across the inlet from Anchorage, ..
God bless you and the misses stay warm this winter and enjoy
I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos! Thanks!
I never buy any other firestriker. I will always stay with light my fire. I've tried primus and about 10 other off brands. Light my fire is far superior with a long lasting easier to create spark. I never use more then 3 strikes for any tinder. Birch and gathered fatwood are my favourite.
Good video.
I have never once scraped a pile of shavings from my ferro rod. It's just a waste of material and with a proper tinder bundle, completely unnecessary. Maybe people are thinking of a magnesium block.
(lol commented before you actually got to the mag block part. My bad lol)
In addition to Far North's video, I really like this one that shows different techniques in using a ferro rod. And it doesn't even require using rod shavings. Just wood. Of course, presumption that you have dry wood available and it's not too windy.
th-cam.com/video/wzRfKoM_hVc/w-d-xo.html
Using wood scrapings is a well known technique. In the video below I demonstrate how to find dry wood to scrape.
Is A Ferro Rod Worth Having?
th-cam.com/video/1bU7COLWJE0/w-d-xo.html
Man I like your stuff. You don;t carry $$$$ of equipment. You just do it with basic tools. That is real skill. Keep it up my brother!
Lonnie, I always enjoy your videos, and I almost always learn something new, or a trick I haven't seen yet. Thank you and hope you and Connie are doing well.
Wow, there was snowfall already where you are 😲
Anyway, good to see you back again 🙂 Honestly, I believe people are confusing magnesium blocks with ferro rods when they talk about making a lot of shavings to start a fire 😅
That's handy info to know. Even though I've spent allot of time camping through my life, everywhere from campgrounds to old fire trails in forests... I never knew ferro rods existed, they're new to me. It wasn't until I watched a few camping or bushcraft style videos on youtube a few years ago, that I learnt of their existence. Had never seen them in Australia. I guess it's for two reasons, the first is rain and damp are not so much of an issue down here, so matches stay dry(even water is scarce, above ground). Second, the greater fire risk. Grass and bush fires have been started with sparks from an angle grinder or a backfiring vehicle and sparks from welders. Even in the middle of winter, an Australian forest can be as dry as a tinder box. All that rolled together means a fire can be started from fallen, dead leaves or a suitable dead bushy shrub, from a match. Thats after clearing 2 metres of debris from the outer edge of your campfire pit, of course!
All this is handy info to know on the use of ferro rods and even quartz, which can be found in abundance in many areas of Australia.
Cheers and take care!
If you think ferro rods are nice you should try this thing we have in the US called the Bic lighter.........it will blow your mind!
This guy has a calm and confident demeanor that only comes from years of experience. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Great info Lonnie. I love your channel. Its awesome to see another Alaskan out there doing it for real