The fire starter is a device used for receiving open fire. It is currently prevalent among tourists and fans of extreme traveling. It has one indisputable advantage compared to other sources of flames — it is not afraid of moisture and low temperatures. Even if the starter gets into the water, it is enough to wipe the drops of dew from it, and you can use it.
Today using a fire starter is much safer and more convenient than matches. It will help you set up flames under any conditions, both in the rain and in strong winds. Flint sparks are cut with a knife or metal plate.
Using A Fire Starter: A 6-Step Guide
If you want to know how to use fire starter, you should understand what it consists of mainly. It is made of magnesium and is entirely waterproof. The two elements, which include a unique earth alloy, are linked together. With a metal-cutting impact against each other, a bundle of sparks is generated in a temperature ratio of up to 3000 degrees. This instrumentality has many advantages:
- Does not get wet, does not run out of power, always prepared to operate.
- Does not depend on weather conditions.
- Suitable at a time when fine motor skills are troublesome (frost, stress, bulky gloves, and mittens).
- Unpretentious care.
Step 1: Prepare Your Fire Pit
Preparing a fire pit is uncomplicated:
- It is significant to discover a suitable place to set up a fire pit. It should be a flat place with no wind.
- Focus on the type of campfire. For a dugout, you need a not very deep hole in the ground. If you want to know how to create a dirt mound fire pit, you need a slide made of sand.
Before use, you should make sure that all components are dry. If this is not the case, wipe and dry them first, or replace them if possible. Then it would help if you prepared a kindling, with the help of which the flame will be fanned; any dry material (grass, thin twigs, fragments, etc.) is suitable as a kindling.
Step 2: Gather The Firewood
Firewood is any dried material capable of rapid combustion. Often smoldering materials are taken as tinder:
- rag;
- a lump of cotton wool;
- moss;
- tree bark;
Suppose you want to protect the tinder from water. In that case, it can be pre-soaked in molten paraffin or wax, and to enhance its flammable properties, pre-soaked with gasoline, kerosene, or alcohol.
You can accumulate pocket-sized twigs, shavings, or pieces of wood that are incredibly flammable. However, you can also select tremendous branches. Once the primary body of the tinder is on fire, the kindling will also support the fire to burn steadily. It will be spacious and can burn for a long time using immense pieces of materials. It is also essential to choose a tinder that will keep the fire going — large chunks of wood. They will burn slowly and keep the flame alive.
Step 3: Strike The Flint
The fire starter is a genuinely excellent traveling gadget or survival tool. It consists of 2 parts: a block or rod with a flint strip and a blade. You can use the knife as a blade if one piece is missing. To receive a spark, it is worth bringing the flint to the tinder as close as possible and with a firm movement to slide the chair over the fire starter. As a result, a bunch of sparks is burned out.
If you are using a knife, try scrubbing with the back of the blade if possible to prevent damaging the cutting edge. Also, do not try to cut pieces out of the rod — miniature chips will be enough to ignite. To get more sparks, you need to apply a lot of force and do it fast. As soon as the sparks hit the tinder, they will start burning.
Step 4: Blow To Get The Fire Going
It is also essential to keep the flame active:
- It would be better if you blew on the fuel so that it smolders and smokes.
- Throw up wood when the fire begins to die out.
- Provide enough oxygen to ignite the embers and keep the flames in the dugout fire pit
Step 5: Keep The Fire Going
The fire is on, and it signifies that most of the path has been covered! It is now essential to preserve the magnitude of the heat. To do this, you should better follow several steps:
- Throw in small firewood.
- Observe the fire attentively, make sure it doesn’t get out of control.
- Make sure that sparks don’t fly into nearby combustible materials.
Step 6: Extinguish The Fire
After the company has had a fantastic time with hot chocolate and marshmallows over the campfire, it’s time to leave the relaxation place. It is noteworthy not to forget to eliminate the fire properly. This endpoint is the most important during the outdoor recreation time. To prevent the flame from flaring up again, it is worth following the recommendations:
- Pour plenty of water over the fireplace.
- Bustle the coals.
- Use only water to extinguish flames.
8 Fire Safety Tips You Need To Know About
You should always know the requirements of fire safety when making a flame in nature. Besides, it’s impossible to discount the generally accepted conditions of behavior in the forest during a hazardous fire period:
- The fire should be made in particular places and only if necessary.
- You should not throw unmarked cigarette butts and matches on the grass thoughtlessly.
- The choice of a site for a camp hearth depends on the availability of natural shelter by rain and wind. It may be a rock but by no means a place near a dry tree.
- There should be a pond near the fireplace.
- Accommodation points for tourists should be located no closer than 3 m from the fire, on the windward side.
- There should be no such risk factors as dead and dry grass nearby, recently emerged young growth, accumulation of debris between stones, as well as huts, sheds, tents.
- You should organize damp firewood around the fire for drying. Someone should be on duty at the hearth all the time until the fire is exterminated.
- Before leaving the campsite, you should make sure that the fire is well extinguished. It is best not to touch the fireplace with your hands and not leave garbage in it or around it.
Proper burning of a fire in nature is of great importance for the fire safety of the environment, fast ignition, efficient combustion with minimum firewood consumption. To have a fun and safe time, it is essential to follow the basic rules of lighting a fire.