Guys here are a few pictures and thoughts on the Fire Piston
This piston is made by Jeff Wagner of www.firepistons.com. The material of the cylinder is Asian Water Buffalo and the piston itself is made from Cocobolo. The gasket is a cotton string similar to the kind found on parcels.
Pictured with it are some other items I own to give you a sense of scale.
In the forground are the tinder samples suppied by Jeff. Each comes in a small Zip Lock bag and are sufficient in quantity to start about 50 fires. Jeff also supplies extra gasket string and a well made instruction sheet for renewing the gasket and general tips on care and feeding.
Here we see a close up of the Oakum supplied. This will not last as long as the other things provided but it will last long enough to get you into the swing of starting fires.
When I first read an article in BCUK (Bush Craft U.K) I really had to get one. The wait unfortunately was 8 weeks! Jeff wrote ocasionally to let me know the ETA which did nothing to stop the impatience
When it finally arrived I lingered for a while (But not that long) to admire the workmanship and then I was straight outside to give her a try. One the first go... 'Houston, we have ignition' From this moment on I was hooked.
Later on I read a 'user review' of the Piston that unfortunately gave it only 'Gadget' status. This was in part due to the frailty of the Char Cloth. The piston has a small recess that holds either the Tinder Fungus (http://www.chagatrade.ru/moreinfochaga.htm ) or Char Cloth ( http://www.bushcraftuk.co.uk/200/char_cloth.html )
Admittedly I had to agree that the Char cloth is a pain in the rump to get out (unlike the Tinder Fungus, which not only ignights the easiest it smells great too) of the piston without another 'pick' like tool, which, when its buring away and your fingers is not exactly ideal. Then, this weekend I was playing around with a Swedish firesteel and ignighting '0' grade steel wool when I thought it may be a good idea to take a small sample of steel wool, gently shred it and put in a small bit of Char Cloth. You then roll it up like a booger between finger and thumb and place it in the piston. Fist time it lights the cloth. Its easily removed as the steel wool holds it in place and it can be handles without too much care. Drop it into the tinder (Oakum in this case) a few puffs and its blazing away, marvelous.
With this discovery I think it puts the piston back into the realm of useful/worth consideration as an alternative fire starter (Read Jeffs page to understand the benefits over a naked flame) and out of the Gadget/Gizmo category. Tinder fungus may be hard and expensive to locate but Char cloth is made for next to nothing and one Brillo Pad sized 0000 steel wool would make at least 100 fires. As a project, I am looking to make a small die and press and manufacture them to fit exactly into the piston. I will post any findings as I make them.
This piston is made by Jeff Wagner of www.firepistons.com. The material of the cylinder is Asian Water Buffalo and the piston itself is made from Cocobolo. The gasket is a cotton string similar to the kind found on parcels.
Pictured with it are some other items I own to give you a sense of scale.
In the forground are the tinder samples suppied by Jeff. Each comes in a small Zip Lock bag and are sufficient in quantity to start about 50 fires. Jeff also supplies extra gasket string and a well made instruction sheet for renewing the gasket and general tips on care and feeding.
Here we see a close up of the Oakum supplied. This will not last as long as the other things provided but it will last long enough to get you into the swing of starting fires.
When I first read an article in BCUK (Bush Craft U.K) I really had to get one. The wait unfortunately was 8 weeks! Jeff wrote ocasionally to let me know the ETA which did nothing to stop the impatience
When it finally arrived I lingered for a while (But not that long) to admire the workmanship and then I was straight outside to give her a try. One the first go... 'Houston, we have ignition' From this moment on I was hooked. Later on I read a 'user review' of the Piston that unfortunately gave it only 'Gadget' status. This was in part due to the frailty of the Char Cloth. The piston has a small recess that holds either the Tinder Fungus (http://www.chagatrade.ru/moreinfochaga.htm ) or Char Cloth ( http://www.bushcraftuk.co.uk/200/char_cloth.html )
Admittedly I had to agree that the Char cloth is a pain in the rump to get out (unlike the Tinder Fungus, which not only ignights the easiest it smells great too) of the piston without another 'pick' like tool, which, when its buring away and your fingers is not exactly ideal. Then, this weekend I was playing around with a Swedish firesteel and ignighting '0' grade steel wool when I thought it may be a good idea to take a small sample of steel wool, gently shred it and put in a small bit of Char Cloth. You then roll it up like a booger between finger and thumb and place it in the piston. Fist time it lights the cloth. Its easily removed as the steel wool holds it in place and it can be handles without too much care. Drop it into the tinder (Oakum in this case) a few puffs and its blazing away, marvelous.
With this discovery I think it puts the piston back into the realm of useful/worth consideration as an alternative fire starter (Read Jeffs page to understand the benefits over a naked flame) and out of the Gadget/Gizmo category. Tinder fungus may be hard and expensive to locate but Char cloth is made for next to nothing and one Brillo Pad sized 0000 steel wool would make at least 100 fires. As a project, I am looking to make a small die and press and manufacture them to fit exactly into the piston. I will post any findings as I make them.
