Making Fire Without Matches

[bigmickb]

<p>OK, here's one for the outdoors bushmen (and women) of the geocaching world. Has anyone ever made fire without the use of matches?</p>

<p>I'm ashamed to say I've been challenged to do this by a nine year old after a backyard campfire over the weekend. (She wasn't impressed enough that I lit the whole fire with just two matches and no paper. NOOOOOO!!!) Has anyone out there actually done this?</p>

<p>I'm not looking for links or URL's. <a href="http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q ... &meta=">Mr Google</a> has supplied me with plenty of those already. I'm looking for people who've actually done it and how you did it. I'd really like to see some step by step instructions that I may be able to follow if at all possible. I've also got a few criteria I'd like to keep in mind.</p>

<p>* This is to show a nine year old, so I'd like to avoid using flamable liquids or anything explosive (petrol/metho/kero/C4/etc...)
<br>* I'll most likely end up doing this at night, so anything involving a magnifying glass and the sun is probably out too. Sorry!</p>

<p>Who can help me!?</p>

[tank47]

I have tried using the rotating stick in a depression of another piece of wood, created plenty of smoke and a small glow and blisters on the hands but the fluffy material failed to ignite.<p>This was on the "Animal Tracks Safari" in Kakadu.<p>The fire was lit by our Aboriginal guide using a lighter. The trick is to have a path for the glowing embers to get to the fluffy material before they go cold. I could see it should work but we had no success.<p>I would be inclined to surrender to a nine year old they know toooo much.

[GeoScrubers]

What about those flint sticks from camp stores/shows etc. <br>
It's not rubbing 2 sticks together, but it not matches either

[dcr]

I have tried using the rotating stick in a depression of another piece of wood, created plenty of smoke and a small glow and blisters on the hands but the fluffy material failed to ignite.

A good trick is to have a mix of sugar+Condy's crystals (potassium permanganate - KMn04) and put some of that into the hole.
The "stick" should be of hard wood so that it wears away at the "hole".
It also helps to use a bow so that you can really get the stick moving ... this really impresses the Cubs when we light fires this way.
<br />
Once the sugar+Condy's crystals really heads up and you have some smoldering, tip this into your tinder and give it some air (fanning or blowing) and you should have ignition.
<br />
cheers Darren

[The Ginger Loon]

After watching 12 seasons of Survivor I can tell you the best way to make fire without matches is with a flint & machette and a stack of coconut fibre.

[Geodes]

I've done it using a 6" telescope mirror - just focus it it on a pile of leaves, or a bit of paper and "whoosh" - only takes a few seconds (mind you, a box of matches or lighter is considerably more portable ).

[The Ginger Loon]

Don't let the 9 year old try this...

Make a depression in the ground.
Put in some chlorine granules.
Put in some brake fluid.
STAND BACK.
Very carefully and with pinpoint accuracy throw in the fluffy material just as the chemical reaction takes place.

Viola!

[Hounddog]

With Two sticks?....hard work but.........

With those bloodfilled blisters on your hands you can always slap the the nearest basketball and viola you know a a new friend called Wilson!

[Biggles Bear]

I have tried using the rotating stick in a depression of another piece of wood, created plenty of smoke and a small glow and blisters on the hands but the fluffy material failed to ignite..............

<P>A piece of dowel and a hand drill make it a whole lot easier

[ian-and-penny]

Condies crystals wrapped in a cotton wool ball, & a couple of drops of glycerine (baby oil) should do the trick.

or how about unwinding a steel wool pad (the non soapy kind) and touching it with a 9v battery.

[GammaPiSigma]

I've had success with a flint and paperbark, and a magnesium/flint starter with egg cartons.
<br><br>
Method 1: Strip a thick sheet of bark off a paperbark tree and peel the paperbark into thin layers. Pile up the thin sheets of paperbark under some bundled twigs and strike the flint into the paperbark. Have made fire on several occasions with my first strike.
<br><br>
Method 2: Magnesium starter and egg cartons. Cut the bottom of an egg carton into the individual cups. Shave some magnesium into the bottom of the egg carton cup and strike the flint. Have had good success with this method.
<br><br>
Here is a very good way to make your own non-flammable liquid based firestarters. Take the bottom half of an egg carton and fill each egg carton cup with wax. Cut them into individual cups and store in a dry container. I have found these good firestarters and each one usually gives around 8 minutes burn time.
<br><br>
Cheers,
Mike(pi).

[rhinogeo]

After watching 12 seasons of Survivor I can tell you the best way to make fire without matches is with a flint & machette and a stack of coconut fibre.

<p>....always helped along with a good amount of magnesium shavings from their 'flint' blocks (clearly used in the fire challenge between Danielle and Cirie)</p>

<p>A couple of good articles on firemaking sans matches are available <font color=blue> here</color> <font color=black>and</color> <font color=blue> here</color></p>

[rhinogeo]

Another particularly cool method is using a <font color=blue> Fire Piston </color>

[The Rats]

I think it was the Myth Busters who did this exact experiment only a few episodes ago.<P>Using the hard stick rubbed into the softer wood worked, but it needed the 'bow' attachment wrapped around the upright stick to generate enough speed and thus heat.... and of course the magic of tv.

[Facitman]

The Mythbusters also used the mirrored surface of a coke can... after polishing it with chocolate for 7 hours