Lighting a Candle With a Ferrocerium Rod

This is fun little exercise to improve one's accuracy and control with a Ferrocerium Rod. If you knock the candle over you lose. If you light it with the least number of strikes among friends you win. I've done it at 3 strikes before, but this is all the candle I have so 7 strikes for me.

One variation is 10 pushups for every failed attempt. This is a fun game with scouts.

Apologies for my craptastic camera.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• ferrocerium
• flint
• firesteel
• metal match
• candle
• sparks
• bushcraft
• survival
• fire

[FireSteels]

Is that a bit of vaseline on the wick?

[nwmanitou]

@FireSteels Nope. Just a dry wick my friend. I did spend some time fluffing up the wick material and removing any residual wax by scraping it with a knife, but that's It. Originally, as the game was presented to me, you had to do 10 pushups for every failed attempt at lighting the candle.

[luvhambo]

I like how this exercise not only improves skill, but also opens the mind to different uses of the rod. It's easy for me to get into ruts about how to do things, and this is a great example of what's possible when one thinks outside the rut.

[practicalsurvivor]

I am going to have to try this Kung Fu :)

[scarz1951]

It's magic! :)

I've learned how to light a candle with real flint and steel. Someone always challenges me when I tell them that. You tease out the candle wick, catch a spark with a piece of char cloth then hold the glowing char against the candle wick and blow. Sometimes it lights immediately and other times it takes awhile requiring a second piece of char cloth. Your way is certainly easier and shows that a good ferro rod is worth it's weight in kabarbles.

[biotoxin21]

FINISH HIM

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

Okay brother, you're now just showing off!!! SIAS

[practicalsurvivor]

Good stuff ! I will have to try that.

[jwilson004athotmail]

Very nice bro, I'm definately using this little trick!!