Ferro Rod vs. Misch Metal???

S

Scott Free

Joined
Sep 15, 1999
Messages
3,319
As I understand the difference between a ferro rod and a rod made from misch metal, is that misch metal is harder to strike but throws hotter and longer burning sparks. Is this true? If so, is misch metal subject to the same corrosion issues as ferro rods?

I am familiar with the RAT (misch metal) Fire Kit. I want one. I also want to make a custom handle for misch metal rod, but haven't a clue as to where I can find misch metal rods. A googe search turned up nothing. :confused:
 
The ones from USAknifemaker are different than regular ferro rods I have used.. They throw sparks and small burning embers that remain lit much longer than the usual sparks.
They say they are harder to use, but in my experience they are just as easy if not easier to really get some sparks and burning embers to happen.
 
I'm kinda confused too on this.....i recently asked a Taiwan supplier of firesteels about this, and got that they were the same.......
 
The provided link seems to indicate that a ferro rod and misch metal are the same thing, too. Still confused. :confused:
 
As I have it, all ferro rods are misch metal, but not all misch metal is ferro! If I'm correct, 'misch' is another language's 'mixed,' so any mixed metal can be called misch metal. Various percentage mixes of ferrocerium as a component of the mix will cause the rod to be harder or softer and throw more or less sparks. Maybe.. ;)

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
As I have it, all ferro rods are misch metal, but not all misch metal is ferro! If I'm correct, 'misch' is another language's 'mixed,' so any mixed metal can be called misch metal. Various percentage mixes of ferrocerium as a component of the mix will cause the rod to be harder or softer and throw more or less sparks. Maybe.. ;)

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

I believe you're on the right track Stitch :thumbup:; Firesteels are comprised of misch metal and iron. Wiki, although not the best source, is a good starting place for further research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocerium

I recently spoke with TexasTony about the RAT fire kit, and apparently while all ferro rods have a small percentage of magnesium, it's believed that the RAT firesteel has a higher magnesium content - resulting in the long lasting molten globs of metal.
Check here too for a review by J Williams and Joe Flowers.
http://www.woodsmonkey.com/index.ph...iew&catid=78:firestarting-equipment&Itemid=97
 
stitchawl said:
As I have it, all ferro rods are misch metal, but not all misch metal is ferro! If I'm correct, 'misch' is another language's 'mixed,' so any mixed metal can be called misch metal. Various percentage mixes of ferrocerium as a component of the mix will cause the rod to be harder or softer and throw more or less sparks. Maybe.. ;)

Stitchawl
Click to expand...
I'm not 100% certain, but I, too, believe that this is correct.
scotsmanspride said:
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=5

Here is a website that sell the misch metal blanks in about 10 different sizes. Hope this helps you out. If the link doesnt work it is www.goinggear.com
Click to expand...
It's also worth noting that the owner of this site (storl) supports Bladeforums with a dealer membership. :thumbup:
 
I own both sorts and there definitely is a big difference between the two. Here's a summary of what I've found:

Ferro rod: sparks very easily. It will throw a shower of sparks if you drag the striker down it slowly whilst applying pressure. Also works if you strike it quickly. The sparks burn very quickly. If you strike the rod when standing most of the sparks will burn out before they hit the ground. If you look closely at the ferro rod it will appear porous. May tend to break when dropped.

Mischmetal rod: Harder to strike than the ferro rod. If you strike it too slowly it won't spark, you will just shave metal off the rod (which can be handy at times). Sometimes the shavings will ignite but will stick to the striker. Requires a quick strike in order to spark. The sparks are hot and burn much longer. A 3 second burn time is not uncommon. If you strike the rod when standing the sparks will burn long enough to hit your foot, burn through your thick cotton socks and burn your foot then bounce off and burn a hole in the carpet. You will then get in trouble with the wife for swearing in front of the kids.
If you look closely at the mischmetal rod it will appear solid, not porous. You'd have to try pretty hard to break one by dropping it, throwing it or running it over with a forklift.



Hope that helps a bit.

PS - if you're really looking for excitement then scrape a pile of shavings off a mischmetal rod, spark it up and then blow on it. Just don't blame me if you get burnt by the ensuing volcano.
 
Two differant breeds boys. While all rods I guess could be called "misch metal" , make no mistake they are differant animals all together. The misch metal such as the RAT, is a beast, equivilant to throwing napalm on your tinder. The other day, I was dicking around with a 6in long misch metal rod I have, and i striked it and coiled up a shaving on my knife blade that didnt ignite. Well on the next strike, it ignited, and burnt a hole through my fleece, tshirt, and left a nice little burn on my abdomen. A LMF wont do that!!!

Now, that said, I still prefer my LMF. Well, actually, I just recieved one from goinggear.com with a gorgeous lacewood handle that is a damn nice firesteel. Throws sparks like a champ that also seem to hang around a bit longer then the LMF, but not as long as the RAT. Now, the goingear one is 1/4 thick and the the LMF ones I have are 1/8 and 3/16. I suspect that has a bit to do with it. If I needed another firesteel(:jerkit:) I would definatly go with another wood handled one from goingear. :thumbup: Best Ive ever tried.

Not to discount the RAT at all though, you see, its a last ditch type of firestarter for me. It wears down alot faster then the LMF types of ferro rods. In the woodsmonkey article, just in testing it looks about the same, maybe a little better then the LMF Army model Ive been packing for a year, and lite multiple fires with. However it is truely an idiotproof rod. If you can find tinder, damp or not, and you can strike it, you WILL have fire. Bold statement? I believe the RAT can back it up. Try for yourself.:thumbup:
 
Good post J!

I have a couple of different firesteels and they behave differently. The LMF is my favorite. The sparks do seem to burn cooler then the other one, but the ease of sparking it makes up for that especially when I am crouching down and concentrating on aiming my sparks at a fluffy little tinder pile. I can use light fast strokes or hard, slow strokes (keep your mind on topic boys). I don't want to be dealing with difficulty of striking at the same time I'm trying to guide the sparks. Finally, the fact that you keep getting sparks when you strike provides positive feedback on the process.

The other one I have is some weird brand I bought at Canadian tire, the one with the eagle head or some such stupid thing on it (I immediately cut the handle down into a proper sized handle). Anyhow, this one is 1/4" thick and behaves like I imagine the Rat-ones would based on the descriptions. If my striker is too sharp it actually shaves curls off the rod like a Doan stick. As somebody said, this could be handy since when you hit those shavings with a spark they ignite and they burn really hot. The sparks that I do get from it do tend to be longer burning. I find that in order to get sparks I have to hit it just right with the striker. It always requires a fast and moderate level of pressure. The best way to work it is do a few strikes while standing up until you get sparks. These practice strokes give you the feel for what is required with that striker. Then you crouch over and go to work. Because the striking has to be more consistent on this one, I find that it is less versatile than the LMF - even if the sparks burn hotter.

I will buy more firesteels, but I won't stray from the LMF brands anymore.
 
Trace Rinaldi said:
The ones from USAknifemaker are different than regular ferro rods I have used.. They throw sparks and small burning embers that remain lit much longer than the usual sparks.
They say they are harder to use, but in my experience they are just as easy if not easier to really get some sparks and burning embers to happen.
Click to expand...

Those are trhe ones. He calls them the big stick. 3/8ths thick and 5" long.

I have a bunch and have given a bunch away. I do find them a lil more difficult to use than the regular, but not terribly.

They will light tinder that normal ferro rods won't due to the sparks burning longer and hotter.

The steel is alot softer than normal ferro rods, so sometimes you just peel of slivers of the ferro rod while trying to strike it. If you concentrate those peeling in one area; once you do get the spark, sit back and watch the fireworks!

:thumbup:
 
Marty Simon called this type a Ferro/Magnesium rod.

And, like Tony states, they are a little harder strike, but the added magnesium produces a spark that burns much longer.


In fact, when Tony and I where testing one this fall he was sparking it while standing in the woods and leaves on the ground where starting to burn, very impressive.

But like others have said, be careful when and where you strike one of these bad boys. :eek:


Also, there is a bit of a learning curve on these, so make sure you practice using it before you rely on it. :cool: :thumbup: :cool:



"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
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my experience/observations:
Ferro rod(LMF) sparks very easily, brittle, sparks don't last long, wears down slowly

Misch Metal(goinggear.com) sparks easy enough, harder to get a spark than the LMF, strong, sparks last a long time, wears a bit quicker than the ferro, another bonus, if you scrap slowly you can get a little pile of shavings that will ignite like the surface of the sun

at first I prefered the LMF style ferrro rod, now after a bit of practice I will not go back to that style, in my eyes the misch metal is much more efective, it's still very easy to use, and the heat of the sparks is insane!
 
I highly recommend goinggear.com. Two days for my order to arrive and shipping charges were reasonable. They even included a couple of freebees.
 
Some interesting stuff about the different types here. Funny thing is I've got both types but never really paid much attention to the difference.

The higher magnesium ones certainly do light stuff, especially, as has been said, when you slice pieces off before they ignite.

And another :thumbup: for goinggear - great service to the UK as well!
 
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