Magnesium Fire Starters and Wind
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Magnesium firestarters are used by many hikers, and outdoorsmen as an aid for building a fire. Tipically a magnesium firestarter consists of a small block of lightweight magnesium with a full length Swedish firesteel attached to one side.
To start a fire, simply scrape some of the soft magnesium into a small pile of shavings. Then strike your survival knife blade along the flint to create a shower of sparks that ignite the pile into a white hot flame of 5400° F or 2982° C.
Advantages of magnesium firestarters are:
- They work even when wet.
- The magnesium burns so hot that it can be used to ignite damp wood.
However many survivors who use magnesium firestarters report a common problem – in windy conditions the shavings tend to blow away as quickly as you make them. This is just one reason ome survival experts tend think magnesium firestarters aren’t all that good a choice while others swear by them.
The Equipped to Survive forum has a somewhat heated discussion about this that not only makes for good reading but also highlights the fact that people interested in survival have a great deal of experience and knowledge to share.
mojhave desert
To start a fire in high wind or rain i always lay down and put my jacket over my head. This makes a nice little enviroment for lighting your fire.
missouri ozarks
I take a 1/4'' drill bit, and drill several holes in the magnesium block, creating huge piles of shavings. then i take a .69 cent waterproof match container from walmart and save the shavings. you get consistent shaving size and its quick and easy. You can still use the magnesium block and steel even though you've drilled 30 holes.
I carry 3 full containers. one in the truck, one in my pack, and one in my bug out. as well as the original firesteel it came from. the little match containers from walmart also have a tiny steel in the bottom of the tube, not much but in a pinch it will still light the shavings easily enough.
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To prevent the shavings from being scattered, I will scrape the magnesium into the lid of a peanut butter jar until I have enough. Then pour them where you need them and light them.
Survival Topics - very good idea. I do something similar, storing the shavings from the magnesium bar in a small container.