Your EDC knife can be more than just a tool for unexpected situations. It can also serve as a fire starter. Learn how to start a fire with your knife to make camping easier and be prepared for emergency situations.
Tinder
When starting a fire, the first thing that catches the spark is the highly combustible tinder or fuel. Tinder is easy to ignite and burns quickly. Its purpose is to help the spark catch onto something immediately, which will then accelerate the spark into a flame. There are a few different options to choose from when selecting fire fuel.
- A magnesium block paired with your EDC knife is perfect for fire-starting. Simply shave off some magnesium to use.
- Instead of throwing away the lint from your dryer, you can use it as a low-cost fuel for your fires.
- An economical way to create tinder is to soak cotton balls in Vaseline. This can be stored in your survival kit.
- This fabric swatch is called char cloth, which is highly combustible and has a low ignition temperature, making it an ideal tinder.
- Don’t worry if you forget fire fuel during camping. You can use natural materials as tinder, such as dry grass, leaves, wood shavings, pine needles, and tree bark.
Kindling
After you’ve successfully ignited the tinder, the fire can spread to some slightly larger flammable pieces, which are called kindling. Kindling is made up of natural materials like twigs, tree bark, grass, and any type of wood that is thinner than your thumb. It burns longer than tinder but takes more time to ignite, so it may not be enough with just a spark. Kindling serves to bridge the gap between the tinder and larger firewood. Like tinder, it is essential for kindling to be dry in order to be effective.
Firewood
After lighting your kindling, gradually add larger pieces of wood to keep your fire burning for a longer period. These larger pieces of wood are usually logs that need to be chopped into smaller and more manageable sizes.
The Spark
To start a fire, you may need to use your knife for various tasks. For instance, you might need to cut or whittle down the kindling, as well as chop the firewood. Additionally, your knife can help you generate the most important part of the fire: the spark. You can create friction by raking your knife on a magnesium block to produce a spark. Alternatively, keeping a ferro rod with you can also help. Simply strike the ferro rod with a hard material, like your EDC, to create a spark.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you don’t have a magnesium block or ferro rod available, you can try using a rock or stone as an alternative. It might be more challenging to create a spark with your knife, but it’s not impossible. To do so, you need to brush the knife sharply against the rock as if you’re shaving it into the tinder. Once you’ve generated a spark and it catches onto the tinder, it should ignite the kindling and, eventually, the firewood.
At this point, you can relax, listen to the crackling of the flame, poke at it occasionally with a long stick, and enjoy the warmth and comfort of your fire.
source: https://eknives.com/blog/how-to-start-a-fire-with-your-edc-knife/
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