Help with a Mg firestarter

I've heard that pregrating the MG causes it to oxidize and become less easy to light, and produce a smaller amount of flame once it lights. I've also heard that powdered magnesium oxidizes faster, so IF you are going to try it, I'd use some sort of rasp like a sure-form plane.

Personally, I like cottonballs with some vaseline rubbed into them, stored in an old film canister. They weigh almost nothing, and burn 3-5 minutes – which is long enough to light wood that's been rained on all day as long as you whittle it into 2mm thick strips with your knife. (The Opinel #6 is 3/4 of an ounce and big/comfy enough to do this with).

Your fears are correct. Magnesium in a solid bar won't oxidize very rapidly. Magnesium in a ribbon or powder will oxidize rapidly unless you keep it in an air-tight container with the air purged. I had a bunch of thin ribbon, and after a year of storage, I could barely light it at all. OTOH, once you manage to light it, it burns with an extremely intense light and flame.

Why not just shave it or grate it with your pocket knife when you need it?

–B.G.–

The Swedish firesteel is just much easier to use and I was looking for a way not to waste the one while not having to carry both. I should have realized the oxidation thing myself. Guess I will take it along then. My normal method is the vaseline/cotton balls but I was cleaning up and found the bar in a box.

I used a rotary rasp in a hand drill to hog out a couple of tablespoon full and then put it a small zip lock bag and then hermetically sealed it. Mine remained usable and easy to light after 2 years in storage. I carry a small amount in my wallet along with a single edge razor blade and a tiny ferro rod on my keychain. 24/7 I'm with the ability to start "fire"

The magnesium will get a fire going when the woods are filled with wet wood.

+1 on the pre shaved magnesium oxidizing rapidly(few days) and becoming substanially harder to light.

The best way i have found to get shavings is to take a hacksaw blade to it. This works amazingly well! I have a little 3 inch piece of a hacksaw blade that I keep with my mag bar and ever since i was shown this trick i have trying to spread the advice. Try it, it is about 1000x easier and faster than doing it with a knife. I carry my firestarting kit in an old altoids tin. I carry a mag bar, the hacksaw piece,some dry birch bark, and a few matches.

The altoid tin makes for a great place to grind on the mag bar to gather the shavings easily and then dump them into where your building the fire. I had basically given up on mag bars until my friend showed me the hacksaw trick, now i carry it all the time.