[Ron Fontaine]

A FireSteel in Action

The ability to make and maintain a fire is one of the most fundamental survival skills. Fire cooks your food, makes water safe to drink, provides light, protects you from the elements, and dispels fear and anxiety.

With fire you are well on your way to surviving come what may. For this reason Survival Topics offers FireSteel.com FireSteels in a variety of sizes to ensure that you can start a fire whenever you need one.

Help support the website and its valued members. Visit the Survival Topics survival gear depot and purchase some FireSteels for yourself, your friends, and your family. Firesteel could very well save your life!

[Ron Fontaine]

By the way - all new members who join the Survival Topics forums, are in good standing, and submit relevant posts that add positive input to the community are eligible to receive free survival gear including firesteels, compasses, paracord, and more.

You are invited to join the forum if you haven't already. Simply send an email to:

ron@survivaltopics.com

with your preferred username and password.

Upon receipt of your email I'll set you up with a full SurvivalTopics.com membership.

[northernbc]

ron you are absolutely correct about the importance of fire, without it we will not go very far in most cases. it is my opinion that everyone who is truly interested in this stuff should be able to make fire with a bow and drill.this is something that requires alot of practice and should not be overloked until you need it. there are instances where you may become seperated from all your gear being able to use one may save your life. it has taken some practice but i believe that starting from scratch i could produce fire in 30min max. this is a great project for idle time around the fire and the satisfaction when succsesful is awesome. i don't feel that i could make a picture as my computer skills are very poor but here are some tips that i had to work out for myself .make your bottom board long enough to hold in place with one foot as you drill.do not make your spindle to long or you can not get enough weight on it 18inches long and .375 to.500inch thick round end not sharp. the top of the spindle should fit into a depressionthat you make into apiece of wood that you hold and lean down on creating friction the top of the spindle and this boaed holder require some sort of lubricant as you want less friction at top of spindle than the bottom. make your bow about 30inches long and a shoelace or spruce or pine root makes a good drawstring the area directly under your board with hole and notch should be slightly excavated so your tindercon be placed on some bark and slid under the notch this way you can keep tinder togethur and wheh smoking remove board then blowing on tinder gently add more tinder like material. this is probally a poor explanatiun and there is probally something better somewhere on the web. lastly lean on your spindle and drill steadily the weight is more important than the speed.and of course the tinder is critical powdered birch bark and powdered grass seems to work well, good luck if you try this it is very satisfieng once you succed

[TapDuncan]

I always say, can't build a fire, nice knowing you. I just built a fire in 30 MPH winds using old magazines and baling twine for tinder. I admit I used a bit of Vaseleline, but hey, I have that on me anyway. Let's give it up for fire, with out it, we all die.

[Standing Bear]

Making fire in severe, unpleasant, difficult conditions is surely one of the most important survival skills to have. Perhaps my favorite way is by using the good ol' magnifying lens. Sure, it only works if the sun is out and in optimal conditions, but it uses no resources, you dont expend much energy holding it and concentrating the beam, can last you a long time, and preserve your other firemaking materials. It can serve other purposes too of course. I have a medium sized one in addition to the one on my victorinox. Theres no substitute for the trusty firesteel though!

[tjwilhelm]

If you haven't tried it before, you can also use the parabolic reflector from inside a large flashlight to do the same thing a lens does. A lens allows light to pass through and "refract" the light to a tiny, hot focal point. A parabolic reflector does not allow the light to pass through, but it does "reflect" the light to a tiny, hot focal point on the same side as which the sun is hitting it.

Disassemble the flashlight and remove the reflector -- no bulb. Aim the shiny side of the reflector straight at the sun, and poke some dry tinder up through the light-bulb-hole. You'll see the bright focal point on the tinder, and -- if you point it straight at the sun, and adjust the tinder so just the tip of the tinder is right in the hot focal point, it will ignite pretty quickly.

If you want to have some REAL fun, stick the end of your pinky finger in the hole where the light bulb goes, and then aim the reflector at the sun...Ha! LOL! (just kidding...don't really try it with your pinky!)

[username]

Originally Posted by Ron Fontaine

By the way - all new members who join the Survival Topics forums, are in good standing, and submit relevant posts that add positive input to the community are eligible to receive free survival gear including firesteels, compasses, paracord, and more.

You are invited to join the forum if you haven't already. Simply send an email to:

ron@survivaltopics.com

with your preferred username and password.

Upon receipt of your email I'll set you up with a full SurvivalTopics.com membership.

Not that I need any, but how does a new member get free gear? Ron, I love this site, thank you for providing it free of charge and have already purchased most everything your store offers, but for others how do they get free stuff?

I really don't think anything is needed, a seller who also runs a free forum is already going well above and beyond what most do, I am just asking because you mentioned it.

[Celticwarrior]

I gotta second that sentiment by Username, this is by far one of the best, most active and interesting survival sites on the web, and I appreciate Ron for having taken the time to provide not only his store, but an absolutely amazing storehouse of facts, wisdom and conversation. I am deeply grateful to him for having introduced me to so many great people here, and the interesting lore I have gleaned from the Topics site and this forum are more valuable than gold. Thank you Ron.

[Roadracer]

I third that...(can you "third" something?) I enjoy the lack of doomsday freaks hoping they can open fire on every person who dare steps foot on their land in search of food for their starving children.

I hope this site keeps it's "tone" so-to-speak 'cause if that stuff starts I'm outta here.

I also enjoy the lack of cursing. my kids can sit on my lap while I read & that means a lot to me.

Thanks everyone for keeping it positive!

[LaRemnant]

Originally Posted by username

Not that I need any, but how does a new member get free gear? Ron, I love this site, thank you for providing it free of charge and have already purchased most everything your store offers, but for others how do they get free stuff?

Perhaps he decided to offer this to any lurker out there who might actually be a very strong contributor if only they joined in on the fun we're all having.

Heck, I don't think anyone would mind getting free stuff but it is his site and if he plans to give new members (read: from this moment to whenever he deems adequate) for merely joining and posting some *beneficial and productive* threads, then I say more power to him. I would like to see more people in here. I wish that everybody could learn what you guys have shared.

Truly, I would rather learn from this site than receive gold coins.