Refresher Guide on How to Start Fires Without Lighters or Matches

Refresher Guide on How to Start Fires Without Lighters or Matches

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It’s very easy to start fires without matches or lighters, but it’s also very easy to forget these simple hacks, especially when you are under stress.  As the weather starts to heat up and we spend more time outdoors, let’s take a quick refresher course on how to improvise when you don’t have access to traditional fire-starting material.

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Fire Starter Sticks

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Every bug out bag and survival kit should include a fire starter stick.  Some are even attached to lanyards or come with key ring loops, making them easy to keep with you at all times.  They are just as effective as a lighter or match as long as you have good kindling material, and they work well under adverse weather conditions.  They are also cheap and durable.  Most sticks contain magnesium or similar material that sparks as the stick is swiped against the friction piece.  The result is enough heat and bursts of flame to start kindling in a few easy swipes.  They also can be used instead of a lighter or match that you have, and you can save those precious resources for other needs later.

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Cell Phone Battery and Steel Wool

Take a handful of kindling material such as small twigs, dried grass and some moss, mulch or other combustible debris and fashion it into something that resembles a birds nest.  Place a wad of steel wool atop the kindling and spread it out a bit in order to cover as much of the surface as possible.  Spreading out the wool will also help you to use less so you have more on hand later.  Next, hold the kindling and steel wool in one hand and start rubbing the terminals from your cell phone battery over the metal fuzz with your other.  Keep rubbing for a few seconds, and you will notice that the steel wool ignites and hopefully lights the kindling.  Nothing could be easier, and you won’t damage the battery in the process as long as it remains dry.

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Chlorine Tablets and Brake Fluid

Take some dry chlorine purification tablets and grind them into a powder.  Prepare your fire with lots of tinder and kindling, and make that material easily accessible so you can combine the chemicals without having to maneuver yourself deep into the fire you are building.  Place the powder over a concentrated area of the fire-starting material and pour some of the brake fluid on top.  This will create an exothermic reaction that should cause a fire.  However, it will be hot and sparky, so be careful that your hands are not caught above the fire when it ignites.  Remember to use chlorine tablets that are in dried form, and pool ones also work really well.

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Flashlight Reflector

Old style flashlights have a burnished, concave aluminum reflector behind the bulb that magnifies and directs the beam of light.  You can use this to your advantage by angling the reflector toward the sun.  Place some of the tinder through the hole where the bulb used to be or carefully put the material against the edge of the reflector.  Once it gets heated by the sun, it can easily start a fire.  This may take some practice and tweaking for the best results, but it does work.

These are just a few random ideas in addition to more traditional options such as using friction, a magnifying glass or Fresnel lens.  You can also use the bottom of a soda can as well as a 9-Volt battery and some aluminum or steel wool as well.  Remember to keep some of these items on hand so that you can use them in case you lose access to your lighter or match.  Practice these tricks now so you will remember what to do when you are faced with a real situation, and you will never panic about how to start a fire again.

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