Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Fire lighting, no matches, no friction finesse needed

How to light a fire with simply superfine steel wool and a 9-volt battery, check it out. I have a certain friend who is very good at starting a fire with some sticks and his hands -- I'm still going to work on that method, but for now, this is an awesome stopgap until I get those skills.

Good items to put in a little emergency kit. Of course, with the battery and wool WELL separated.



Enjoy geeky survival information,

Bp

11 comments:

Stu Farnham said...

Thanks and a tip of the Hatlo hat to Marco for forwarding the clip.

(Hey, Mr. Claims-to-be-a-geezer: can you name the reference above?)

Bentley said...

That rocks. And i think when i get home i need to try it!

Bpaul said...

You got me on that on Geezer Senior.

Bentley, just make sure to do it in the livin room, maybe on a couch and near a curtain.

enterainment>safety

Bentley said...

I'll make sure to sit in a vat of equal parts Frozen orange juice, styrofoam and gasoline while i'm playing with it as well. Maybe even in tinder dry forest.. hmm..

Stu Farnham said...

"Thanks and a tip of the Hatlo hat" was the signature line of cartoonist Jimmy Hatlo when he used a reader's idea in his ine-panel daily newspaper cartoon. 'They'll Do It Every Time'. Hatlo drew the cartoon from its first appearance in 1929 until his death in 1963, after which it was carried on by toher cartoonists until early 2008.

Marty said...

If you find an easy way to do it with natural material, let me know. I will then sign up for Survivor and be king of the island because of my 1337 fire making skills.

It always amazes me that people can be picked for that show and not know how to start a fire with a Bic and a box of M80's.

Bpaul said...

"It always amazes me that people can be picked for that show and not know how to start a fire with a Bic and a box of M80's."

Oh that was a good laugh after a long day (not yet over).

Stu -- GEEK! *points*

lisa said...

yeah- but that's a one time deal... like you get one fire, and then your steel pad is through.

when saturday market opens again in the spring,go there (i know i know, it's horrible) and find the guy who has made what is essentially a flint stick with a little scraper thing and a starter thing... i'm all scientific , doncha know. the point being, for about $7, you can have at least 500 fires. So that's good news if the apocolypse takes a while. sorry, i don't know how to spell apocolypse.

lisa said...

yeah- but that's a one time deal... like you get one fire, and then your steel pad is through.

when saturday market opens again in the spring,go there (i know i know, it's horrible) and find the guy who has made what is essentially a flint stick with a little scraper thing and a starter thing... i'm all scientific , doncha know. the point being, for about $7, you can have at least 500 fires. So that's good news if the apocolypse takes a while. sorry, i don't know how to spell apocolypse.

Anonymous said...

Lisa, I think you miss the point. Starting fire with a flint stick is *so* ordinary. Doing so with steel wool and a battery has a certain je ne sais qua which appeals to the male of the species. The only improvement that could be made would be if it exploded.

Enjoy what remains of your neighbors' mailbox,

Bpaul said...

"The only improvement that could be made would be if it exploded."

Nailed me on that one HAHAHAH!

Tho I'll get that guy's stick at saturday market, good to support local, non-explosive firestarting kits, despite their aesthetic drawbacks.