have you ever started a fire by rubbing sticks together?
 

no matches, no lighter..have you ever done it? i mean rubbing sticks together, making a "drill" with a bow? couple hunks of flint?

i tried as a kid, no success. i have using that magnesium fire started..

Carry a small magnifying glass...

Did it with flint and a knife in Navy survival school. Kind of cheated though, the flint was on a mag-block.

(1 quick Google search later)
Like this one:
Buy Magnesium Firestarter at Army Surplus World

I've used the flint and mag block... I've done one match and all that. Just never the two sticks.

Had the help of twine, but yes. In a situation where I really, really needed some heat.

I can tell you this, it is QUITE difficult. All the television BS is misleading. However, when you're cold and exposed, suddenly it becomes the only important thing, the situation creates a complete change in thinking.
I laughed a while back when on that Discovery show Dual Survival both those guys were separated and trying to make a fire in that manner by themselves. Mr. red-meat-from-a-four-legged-animal fumbled all over the place like a monkey ******* a football and wasn't able to get a fire started, but the shoeless hippy, probably because he's built like a gorilla just squeezed the stick between his hands (all 3,000psi of'em) and got an ember lickety split.

Yes, but one of them was a match.;)

Ask Normy.

I try to avoid ever having two sticks in my possesion at the same time because when I do I have an irresistable urge to rub them together and however small the odds may be there is the chance that if I totally lost my self control I could inadvertantly (I am NOT a pyromaniac) start a fire in a lumberyard if I was in one at the time - however unlikely that would be (I seldom frequent lumber yards).

No...not those 'sticks'....well, maybe he has :rolleyes:

I had a cordless drill, OSB, and a one inch hole saw with dull cutting blades. Got it smokin real good, but no flames.

Yes..in the boy scouts winter rally..or something like that. Each troop had to make a "wagon" and travel from station to station perfroming a different task at each stop. One challenge was to start a fire with bow/wood and burn through a string set at a certain height--it was a timed event.

The trick is to rub oil from the side of the nose on the opposite end of the stick you want to catch on fire, helps to have a friend with greasy skin.

If you don't have good dried hardwood, forget it. I did it in the Boy Sprouts many years ago, but it was a kit rather than "found" items. (Bow and blocks type)

Yes, but I cheated by using the powder out of a couple of 22 shells I found in my back... rubbed some lint off my jeans w/ a knife to go w/ the powder to get some other small dry stuff going.

Don't you always need some tinder to catch fire from the sparks generated by the sticks? I've never heard of two stick starting a flame, just sparks or embers which are then set on tinder.

Just like the poster with the drill motor and dead bit, you can make smoke. I have never started a fire with 2 sticks and wouldn't have the patience to do it. But, I have had wood start smoldering using a Sawzall on old dry wood. And more than once. Enough to know when doing demolition to go back and check.

So, Rick, it's just friction. If you can get enough of it. No sparks.

Yes, using the bow and string method and the flint and steel method. The tinder needs to be really fine to make it work. And you need to make the shaft very small. Also, the wood needs to be very very dry.

The flint steel is frustrating, since you need to sail the spark right into the tinder! It is tough.

And I don't know about your "winter carnival", but ours was always called the Klondike Derby. It was held in February and was usually the coldest day of the year. It was tough one year when there was no snow, and we had to carry the sled!!!

James I was just going to say klondike derby! I used to do it as a kid when I was in BSA with my brothers. Lots of fun except the no snow part.

Jeez james I swear you read my mind!

no, but I wouldn't mind rubbing these too 'sticks' together to see how much heat would come about!



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1289507449.jpg

yes i have and once the fire was started we boiled a cup of water in under 3 minutes....my troop was into camping and survival techniques. matchless fires were my patrols specialty.

You feeling better? Maybe we need another Houston meet, even without foreigners..

Thinking of fires, we need a house warming for Scott

Never used or even seen one but these are cool. Fire piston. Uses the heat from rapidly compressed air to light an ember (think deisel engine). There is a how-to for making one out of a mag light. Neato.

Fire piston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Never could do that... A magnify glass was very doable though. Also used a Jack knife and flint stick that worked just fine. Waterproof matches are the way to pack if need be.

Yes Boy Scouts....same as post 12

Ive done it using a fire plow. Thats where you lay a piece of wood down flat. and rub a groove into it with another stick.
But pretty much after I got the fire going, my arms were too tired to do anything with it.:D

That's it--Klondike Derby. Couldn't remember the name for the life of me. And yeah, we had a couple years where there was patchy snow--not fun carrying a sled outfitted like a wagon over grass patches.

I still have the patches somewhere in the attic.

The grass patches or the patchy snow? Why/how would you save those?

Yup. Used the bow-and-stick method. Quite difficult, but it can be done. Dry tinder is very important.

Flint and steel......piece of cake.

ha ha--Just realized the poor structure of my post. What I meant was the patches that they give you for participating.

I've never had to try the two sticks...but I have lit a fire with a chainsaw.

Luby,

Son, it sure sounds like we need to have a UPM/2 in Vegas. I would personally chip in a good amount of $$ towards getting your tubes blown out!

Joe A

+1 while in Boy Scouts.

Been awhile fo sho...

I watched this guy do it once he got some air under the wood. He was talking to a volleyball named Wilson at the time.

Did it a few times in USAF Survival School years ago. It was pretty cool and somewhat easy to do. Vinman's post #27 was the prefered way.

My son can do it with 2 sticks and a shoelace. He has spent allot of time camping in the Boundary Waters for the last 8 summers. He also knows what vegetation is edible. I'm amazed at his survival skills.