Other LastDitch FireStarting Methods
There are a variety of other lastditch techniques for starting fires. All of these
require supplies that you may not normally carry, but as long as you’ve got suf
ficient tinder, you can get a roaring blaze going with any of these methods.
Provided you have a lens or some type of highly reflective object, you
can use the rays of the sun to make a fire. You can find lenses in binoculars,
cameras, telescopic sights, and magnifying glasses, but don’t limit yourself.
As I mention earlier, I’ve seen people get fires started by concentrating the
rays of the sun off the inside of a teaspoon, or through an ice cube.
Clearly, the success of these methods requires a bright, sunny day
and usually intense sun. Your tinder pile is also critical: you’ll have no luck
igniting a pile of twigs or objects of similar size, so make sure you’ve got
light, dry tinder material. Angle the lens to concentrate the sun’s rays on a
single spot on the tinder until it begins to smolder.
Another way to get a fire going is with steel wool and batteries. To
get a hot, glowing ember quickly, simply run two batteries end to end in
series so that the positive end of one is contacting the negative end of the
other. You can use any type of battery that has a positive point on one end
and a negative point on the other, but D cells work the best.
Stretch out the steel wool so that it contacts each of the battery ter
minals. Almost instantly, the steel will puff up and ignite. Make sure you
have your tinder pile at the ready, because this all happens very quickly!
Finally, there are ways to make fire from various chemical combinations,
although you have to be sure that your combination won’t produce a noxious
gas that will leave you gasping for air—or worse. In the past, I’ve had great suc
cess using potassium permanganate combined with sugar.
To become adept at any of these methods, whether primary or last
ditch, it makes sense to take time to practice them. I acquired these skills
over the course of several summers. Each year, I chose a different fire
starting method and that would be the only way I would make fire during
my camping trips that season. One summer I allowed myself to use only
a flint striker; the next, I used only a piece of rock and steel; and the next,
only the fire bow. By practicing this on safe, easy camping trips (I was an
outdoors adventure guide for many years) and through repeated efforts, I
finely honed these skills.
(^132) | Survive!