Reliable, instant, matchless fire

[Brian James]

Brian's off to the hardware store!

fire without matches

Questions: how much steel wool is required? How does it work in the the wet? Could an integrated lighting system be "wired" into the Bushbuddy, using current from the batteries in your headlamp?

[Jason Klass]

Wow, that's really cool! They say you can use batteries other than a 9 volt but I don't see how you would have both end touch the steel wool at the same time with something like an AAA.

[Richard Nelridge]

Jason,

I agree, really cool. However, how much steel wool do you think that we could get by with to start a fire? Might be an idea for if nothing else an emergency kit????

Rich

[Sam .]

4/O steel wool catches and holds a spark well. Any of the sparking fire-starters will work, as will a match.

Never tried it wet. Just fooled around with it a few times. It's light and can be compacted fairly well.

It does rust very quickly and makes a bit of a mess as it crumbles easily.

YMMV

[Mark Hurd]

Used to use this for fire starter back when I was a Boy Scout. (That would have been just after fire was invented .;-) Any kind of spark will light it and if memory serves we even got a magnifing glass and the sun to work, but the steel wool must be one of the finer grades to work right. We used to use a ping-pong ball size wad of the stuff to get a small campfire going. Blow on it after it is lit to enhance the burn. This is rapid oxidation of iron (rust) in action! I believe it should work wet, but not sure. Good luck!

-Mark

[Joshua Mitchell]

Back in scouts I could never get this to work… I could do old school flint and steel and a number of other ways… but the whole battery and steel wool simply never worked for me…

[Jim Colten]

the steel wool must be one of the finer grades to work right.

Definitely! … and more specifically, 4-ought grade (aka OOOO)

[Author]

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