Magnesium blocks got a bad reputation when there were many cheap poor copies around. I was given one at the time and it was extremely difficult to get the things to do much of anything. Even a half decent one and they can be effective. Folks also don't take wind into account, if there's even a small breeze just scrape it onto the glue side of any kind of tape.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I like the tape idea! Next video!!

@nickcasolino8903

9 ай бұрын

I heard some Chinese scumbags were selling block of Aluminum for block of magnesium. Great tip, thanks for sharing.

@voyager667

9 ай бұрын

They still sell aluminium.

@Josh-bs4xf

9 ай бұрын

​@@SpeirOutdoorsanother way is scrape it into a peace of paper or cardboard then just fold it up in a way it doesn't fall out

👍👍👍 .. Good advice. I had a Magnesium Block long before Ferro Rods became the greatest thing since bubblegum. Fortunately it is of good quality, bought before the cheap knockoffs started to flood the market. I don't use it as much as in the past, but it is still around and remains part of the team. I find that mixing the Magnesium Shaving in together with the Tinder for me, works the best. As a Boomer DOB 1950, I am very much a traditionalist. I have the Zippo, Bic, Mag Block, Ferro Rod, Magnifying Glass, Char Cloth and other I cannot recall right now .. but .. my favourite remains the humble wooden match. Why? I don't know. Perhaps having the 'Lion Match Factory' just down the road from where I lived as a youngster carved this preference indelibly into my psyche back then 😁. Thanks for sharing .. take care ..

@crazysquirrel9425

10 ай бұрын

FYI for a long while they did not sell strike anywhere matches. I found some recently in an ACE hardware store! Bought 1 box of the big ones and a 10 pack of the small ones. I do miss the red tipped ones.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

You sound like me!

@thomasmusso1147

10 ай бұрын

@@crazysquirrel9425 👍

@thomasmusso1147

10 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors 👍😊

@sosteve9113

3 ай бұрын

Exactly i have one I bought when I was a youngster,and use it sparingly because of the superior quality

Since mag starters are not pure magnesium they can differ greatly depending on their composition. That’s why I prefer USA made over the Chinese versions.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Very true. But in a pinch any can work

@richjageman3976

10 ай бұрын

Chinesium tends to not be quite as good as American produced/marketed magnesium fire starters. At least from my experience, but in a pinch it is better than nothing.

Great common sense video. All I can add is that coating a ferrocerium rod with Vaseline, everytime you venture into the great outdoors, will prevent it from developing corrosion, especially in saltwater environments. Happy Trails !

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Nice idea. Thanks!

@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234

10 ай бұрын

Good tip. I had a ferrorod in my pocket when I walked into the ocean. It did start to degrade 😊

@clivedunning4317

10 ай бұрын

@@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234 Thanks for a positive comment. I keep telling folk to do this and some think I'm pulling their leg. I always take a small tub of Vaseline in my kit when I go outdoors. Happy Trails .

@Iron-Bridge

8 ай бұрын

Superb advice. Especially since I transfer from sea expeditions to land based campsites in the same period sometimes.

That was a good presentation and helpful information, I will just add that when choosing ferro rod go Big and buy a decent quality one,don’t go cheap 6”x0.5”,,it will last you lifetime unless you loose it… Well you deserve Like 👍.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

True. Thank you!

Excellent presentation. You even covered the differences between the soft and hard ferrorods (one producing more molten balls of steel and the other producing more sparks). The original Doan tool magnesium firesteel (first produced in the early 1970's) had no issue with glue, the rod never came out of the mag block, unfortunately, he closed shop a short time back and they are hard to find now. The cheap knock-off's (like Harbor Freight) use cheap glue and the rods do come out of the block after a while. I believe Christopher Nyerges (the school of self-reliance) still has some Doan tools available so get them while you can! PJ cotton balls, dryer lint and shredded duct tape all make good man-made tinder. Natural tinder like you show or inner bark of trees or dried grasses all work well when (as you said) are dry.

A ferro rod, believe or not, it carries its own Firestarter. A ferro rod is made of magnesium. If you scrape slowly or lightly your ferro rod you'll get a pile of magnesium. Then Scrape your ferro rod normally; it will create some sparks, which it will light your pile, which it will light your tinder. I got this trick from Paul Kirtley (credit where it's due)

Good no nonsense summary. Thanks.

I always use a ferro rod to light my Trangia liquid fuel stove. Main reason is that it always works and I don't have to worry about damp matches - ! 😅

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I use one to light my BBQ pit, jet burner for crawfish and fish fryer

@waterbourne9282

Ай бұрын

Me too, way easier, especially in winter.

Hello 👋 my outdoors friend, thank you for sharing this informative video. You did a great job. Stay safe.out there. 🤗

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you

I liked your information. I followed you because of your last comment.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for the support!!

Great vid! To the point and informative! Thanks.

7:29 Amen! Instant sub! Praise the Lord.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Yes indeed!! I appreciate the support!!

Very good information and well-presented. Thank you.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you

Great video. Thank you.

Before matchs and lighters were invented people carried round dry tinder and it wasnt always charcloff

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Yes they did. And did everything their power to keep it safe and dry

Good advice about the feroe rods that are glued into the magnesium. I have a few of those. Will be buying the next ones that are separate from each other.

Thanks again for sharing 😊

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Your welcome

Great information…Have fun stay safe.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you

Hey, I never knew this about flint firestarters et al. Thanks! I subscribed.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for the support

God Bless you, Brother.

Awesome channel ! Thanks

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you!

The commonest myth is that a big loose ferro rod is better than the very small one in a Bic lighter. Weigh up the rod and associated gear, and a Bic ferrorod is lighter. And just as a long soaked Bic ferro rod swells and fails, long immersion damages big, loose rods too. In over 70 years outdoors, I have started fires with a bow, piston, matches, ferro rods, magnifiers, magnesium, and flint. But I trust, and get fastest results, with the little ferro rod in my Bic.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I’m covering that with the next video

@mikebeall3257

9 ай бұрын

I carry a Spark lite Aviation survival fire lighter, no gas required. I also carry a 2 hole pencil sharpner, doesn't matter how wet the outside of twigs, the wood inside is dry and shavings can be crushed easily.

Great video, thank you! All your points are right on the money. Your right practice is king, we heat with wood and it a good day when my wife says in the morning, it was a two strike fire.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Absolutely! Most people watch videos and see these guys always start a fire with one strike and it don’t always happen that way.

Good info! I generally don’t carry too much of a fire kit because of the risk of wildfires where I live like you mentioned, but I do carry a ferro rod.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I usually always have a Ferro rod on hand.

@darstar217

10 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors I keep a mini one on my keychain all the time. I’ve tested it out and it works well.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

@@darstar217 I have a necklace Ferro rod I typically wear when I hit the trail. It has come in handy before. But when u know how to make fire in various situations, it don’t matter what size Ferro rod you have.

@darstar217

10 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors I don’t plan to make fire if I get lost hiking because the last thing I need in that situation is to start a wildfire and that can happen super easily depending on weather. I bring more items for shelter instead. I do carry the ferro rod just in case, though.

@lucdenolf1570

10 ай бұрын

Everybody says to carries ferrorod, nobody says to carry a waterproof blanket. I believe that above freezingpoint a blanket is more usefull and less dangeress than a fire for survival.

Good Deal.

The two most important points in this excellent video are at 7:09 and 7:30.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

You are correct

Great video ! Just subscribed

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

Thank you I really appreciate the support

Every one of my fire kits has a bic, ferro rod, flint n steel, fatwood, and 3 or 4 cotton balls with vaseline. In damp or wet conditions I'm gonna have a fire one way or another. Great video.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Yes indeed. I was stuck in a situation years ago where I absolutely could not start a fire. Ever since then, I’ve practiced in nearly every way

Good video, man! New subscriber. 👍

@awayinthewilderness4319

10 ай бұрын

Love that you show honor to the name above all names!

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

That’s the only way!

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your support

Good man

Any chance of doing a product review of our Firestarter?

Very informative video there brother. I would love to see you find and test as many different brands of Magnesium products to see which ones burn more intense and hotter. That be a good little experiment. I don’t think anyone has made a video on different brand/types of magnesium.. Christ is King. Cheers from Australia 🍻

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! I will look into that for the future!

We have been handing the magnesium firestarter to conscripts since the sixties that means anyone can use it with minor instructions. We usually have a Victorinox knife with a saw blade that is ideal for creating shavings. Unfortunately conscription ended in the 1990's and now we have trouble filling the ranks.

An excellent video. I have to ask. What is that large orange ferro rod? It looked like it had a hollow tube to use as a bellow. I will definitely be subscribing and look forward to viewing your other vids!

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

It is the prepared 4X survival torch. They have various sizes. It’s an awesome tool. Links is on my website. Www.speiroutdoors.com/links or in the bio

Thank you for this video. Very informative. I make a habit of coating my ferro rod with beeswax after each use; otherwise, it will slowly oxidize and turn to powder.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

Mine never sits long enough to oxidize lol I use it daily

👍 Subbed Magnesium fire starters been around a long time, started in boy scouts in the 80's still part of my kit with my ferro rod.

Complimenti per il video. Magnesio + ferrorods,È Super

Good video,just subbed

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! Appreciate the support

Another good tinder to have is some fine steel wool that has no oil in it. It is light to carry and doesn't take a lot of spark to get going. With a mag bar it would ignite right now....

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

I did a previous video on that with a survival necklace it worked great!!

I use a fine metal file to scrap off magnesium shavings because it seems to work the best, then I put them in small air-tight pill bottles, sometimes along with cotton pads for tender! Trying to shave off filings into a pile in high winds isn't easy!

I always took the "works when wet" as opposed to matches. Regular matches do not fare well when they or the striker get wet. I have seen many people who could use a ferro rod to light a fire without problem. They tended to suffocate it though. Appears to be a general lack of fire building skills.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

A lot of people do. Let it breathe

The only way I've seen magnesium become explosive is a VERY large chunk heated with a torch until burning and then thrown into water. The reaction separates the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water and of course both gasses are highly flammable. A contained explosion is far more dangerous, but you get my point.

In a wilderness survival situation fire is essential, if you plan on hiking or camping there is nothing wrong with going well overboard with your fire starting options, I take multiple new lighters as well as a ferro rod, magnesium, cotton wool and a small tin of lighter fluid, there is absolutely no situation or weather in which I can't easily start a fire.

Charred punk wood , one of the best materials for catching a spark, be it ferrocerium rod or traditional firesteel.

For the magnesium/ferro rod item, keep it in a small ziplock bag for long-term storage. I've had a few go bad when left loose in with my camping gear. The magnesium can be salvaged but the rod becomes useless.

When you scrape the magnesium, you want tiny curls, not specks like sand. Using the hacksaw blade will not make curls, it will only make specks.

A magnesium bar and a dead bic lighter works real good..

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Next video!

@MCk-23

10 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors great video, could you tell me out of the two which would be better for a beginner hiker?

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

@@MCk-23 get a good quality Ferro rod. The hexfire from uberleben is what I use. amzn.to/3KwoCNV I have 2 of them.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I posted the video all about using a dead Bic lighter and magnesium bar today

@MCk-23

10 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors cheers. Thanks for your time

A good investment is a welding striker.Light weight to carry also.

Magnesium burns at 5400 deg F. That helps with damp tinder, but not totally wet tinder.

You can scrape a Ferro rod like you do a magnesium brick and pile up some shavings for damp tinder.

Using the magnesium block Cody from dual survival replaces the scraper that comes with the block with a regular piece of broken hacksaw blade... He uses the side of the hacksaw blade to scrape the shavings and he uses the broken front part to throw the Sparks pulling back the block not the scraper holding the scraper still while using the block in a backward motion

I've used and own both, but prefer to keep a US made mag block in my bug out bag. It's for emergencies for when you absolutely have to depend on it for a fire. My ferro rods are for quick daily use, when conditions are ideal! If I thought situations would dictate extended emergencies, like for years, my choice would be char and a steel! Ferro and mag wear out or get used up eventually, but your char and steel will still be working long after you're gone!

@Aethelhadas

9 ай бұрын

char cloth?

You all have it easy, starting a fire in Washington state west of the cascade mountains is insanely difficult anything on the ground is wet or slimy rotten wet 6 months out of the year and then the rest of the time there is a fire ban because the woods are a tinderbox.

You can get spontainious combustion from magnesium alloys. We used to have to keep this material seperate while using this material. Especially if it got hot in the process.

The scraper is just a piece of steel saw

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

Yes it is

I only trust the doans. The other ones have had the "sparking insert" get loose. Never had a doans come out. I have even tried to push or remove the ferr rod from a doans, and broke it is was so well secured

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

The Ferro rod will fall out of the cheap ones for sure. Had it happen to me several times

4:45 LOL juup and than telling a lighter fith a small ferro rod in it (anyway, also the modern Pietzo Lighters) will not work LOL The do. Old school one i blow out may make a few runs on my Jeans for extra drying, ready to go.

I'm new to this, and don't know nothing about nothing. (i cannot start fire) one exception! faro-rod fire starter, first time every time, with cottonwool pad, pulled apart by hand..... every-time and it cheep as it gets . or Bic lighter!

@SpeirOutdoors

3 ай бұрын

Well then, you can’t say you know nothing! Ferro rods are always in my pack or on my person

If i remeber correctly, then a ferro rod is also kind of a magnesium starter.. and you can also scrap of a little bit of power in order to help with the starting. so this comparison is a little missleading i think.

Magnesium burns at like 2500K so thats like 2226 ⁰C which is definitely hot enough to burn wood scrapings or feather sticks. Infact its used to set thermite aflame.

I carry lighters a pocket torch and matches

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I carry a lighter and Ferro rod

ROF LOL ; and the biggest myth is you got to have these wonder tools . So what did they do before these wonder tools hit the BS marketer ? Matches ; preferable water proof matches always got a fire going . Cigarette lighters also got a fire started . For years I carried a water proof matches in a water proof container --- never failed . Bit of gun power worked wonders also ;)

👍

I have always packed a lighter I live in the Pacific Northwest We get about 7 feet of rain every year When it is raining it is like somebody standing over you with a bucket of water Without a lighter You are going to have a really hard time lighting a fire Those other methods Are cool But you should always sneak a backup lighter In your pocketThat way you are always sure to get a fire people are going to say what if it gets wetYou simply blow on it and it will dry out What if it gets brokenHave you ever tried to break a lighter It is next to impossibleBy dropping it falling downIf you fall down hard enough to break a lighter in your pocket your leg is also going to be broken I have used all 3 When you are in a life-and-death situation and you are cold you want that fire as fast as you can get it

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

The very next video I published after this was using a broken bic lighter in conjunction with magnesium to ignite a fire. I get it. Bics are the most innovative and cost effective way to start a fire in the modern era. That’s a fact. I try to always learn other methods as well but I will have 3 lighters, one in a backpack, pocket and first aid kit. Oh and bright colored as well.

@oldcountryboy

9 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors Actually the lighter was invented In 18 23 The first feral rod was invented In 19 0 3 And the first magnesium fire starter was made in 1974 So actually the lighter Is the Less modern of the 3😉😉

Magnesium come into it's own in damp conditions.

I think the biggest problem I have with any of these fero rod/magnesium type of firestarters, is that if you are prepping to take all of this stuff with you, just take a storm lighter/jet lighter, and it will light anything in pretty much any weather conditions.it’s not as though a ferro rod is traditional like a Flint and steel - it is a very modern man-made item. So just use a gas lighter.

@Guns_RedRoses

4 ай бұрын

At a certain elevation your lighter/torch lighter will not work. Carry storm proof matches and learn how to use a fero rod/magnesium firestarters. If you have a magnesium bar and some free time, make shavings and store them in a small tin or plastic container, practice in your back yard.

All that is well and good, but what about the actual steel you use on the ferro rod? Seems tha Stainlee steal does not work and that a high carbon steel blade works very well. And, as you must know, lots of folks have stainless steel knives, not carbon steel ones.

If you don't have a knife for the magnesium block or showing a kid scrape the paint off the scraper that comes with it it will work better

Elemental one is flint and steal not Ferro rod

If you can't start a fire with a Harbor Freight magnesium fire starter and a decent knife under just about any circumstances, you're probably going to earn the Darwin Award anyway. The only thing you can do is LOSE IT!

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

If you practice with less than optimal you will excel with the optimal is my experience

Cotton balls are natural tinder.

@bobbys4327

9 ай бұрын

and work well for making gun cotton which will light even faster

I thought they were the same thing .😅

The other problem with this video - is that you are making out that the magnesium sparks are not hot enough to light natural tinder - it is actually a fero rod placed along the side of the magnesium that is making the sparks that catch the magnesium filings, that then produce a very hot fire

@SpeirOutdoors

5 ай бұрын

The video is debunking myths about both items. Which both items are viable at starting fires. Both items produce sparks upwards of 5000 degrees. But you do need a Ferro rod or other way to ignite the magnesium shavings

As far as magnesium goes, do not buy CHINESE buy the doans magnesium block it's second to none.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

That’s what I hear. I want to do a video with the shavings soaking wet but all the experiments I’ve done with it will not ignite

in some ways, the genre of " survival videos" has done more harm than good. the things you have said here are all true, but every one of the wrong myths have been repeated by so many "survival specialists" for so long people believe them. also things like the altoid tin survival kit, and the water bottle survival kit. these things are dangerous to put out. on my channel, I end every woodscraft video with " the best gear in the world does you no good if you don't practice with THAT gear. get out in the woods, have fun, and practice"

I got in to living history in the 1970s. I carry and eighteenth century fire steel and iron pyrites or flint. Local chert works too. I’ve camped all over Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri and some of Illinois over the last fifty years. Been in wet,snow, and rough weather these almost fifty years. It’s never failed. I don’t hike a one mile sight seeing trail or thirty mile trek without one

Breaks out the Bic lighter....

@kokopelau6954

10 ай бұрын

Just an itty bitty fero rod with gas that burns.

@crazysquirrel9425

10 ай бұрын

@@kokopelau6954 Yep. Faster than either manual method lol

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

True

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

True

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

Usually do!

Thanks for the information. Best tip in the video is to follow Jesus.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

Yes indeed

I’m 72 years old grew up in the 50s and 60s my number one all-time favorite fire starting method is, matches. Nowadays it is, a bit lighter. If you are out, wandering around aimlessly, or not, and you do not take a big lighter with you, you’re an idiot. End of conversation.

I don’t call this “survival”….It is pre-planned outdoor vacation. Real survival is washing up on the beach of a remote island with nothing but your shirt, pants and one shoe. NOT a fire starter kit, 12 yard of para cord, a Bowie knife, tarp and puritabs. The skill you really need is making fire with just your surroundings…That would be survival! Not that the video is wrong or bad, I enjoyed watching…but if you imagine for one horrid moment, surviving a plane crash in a vast rain forest….You won’t find dry tinder, or fat wood or anything you get in most “survival” videos.

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I agree with you. Survival is a situation in which the vast majority will never experience. Survival typically is a 72 hour period after some sort of accident or disaster. Once you make it through that period and become familiar with your surroundings, after that it’s just simply bushcraft.

@manofkentcatapultsgunsando5069

9 ай бұрын

Only Rule to survival is , kill or be killed , Do or Die , Total selfishness, not easy if you have a conscience.

The word you're looking for is "deter", not "detour".

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

Must be the accent

@timhofstetter5654

9 ай бұрын

@@SpeirOutdoors That and cheap speech-to-text software. Type it yourself and it'll come out right.

With magnesium, you can't get sparks. It is just a tinder, though very hot. In the first part of your video, you did not ignite a fire with magnesium, but with the built-in ferrorod :-).

@SpeirOutdoors

10 ай бұрын

I know that was the basis of the video

Use a bic already

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

The next video covers the BIC

Teach us how to start a fire with a BIC lighter.

@SpeirOutdoors

9 ай бұрын

I did in the very next video Magnesium Magic: Ignite Fire with an Empty Bic Lighter kzread.info/dash/bejne/X2SjwbJsZKa7o9I.html

Nope, I trust my zippo.

🤣🤣🤣🤣