Carry a FIRESTEEL (R) on your Keychain

This is a FIRESTEEL (R). You use it just like a flint and steel. You scrape the FIRESTEEL (R) with either a knife blade or hacksaw blade, or the scrapper you can buy from the website. To see more about FIRESTEEL (R) go to http://www.firesteel.com. There is a video that will show you how the FIRESTEEL (R) works and why you should carry one with you at all times... FIRESTEEL (R) comes in an assortment of sizes to fit your needs.

And here in lies the problem. I could not find a way of carrying a FIRESTEEL (R) on my keychain, so I made an Instructable to show you how... This is my first attempt at an Instructable, but hopefully NOT my last...

Step 1: Supplies Needed

You will need the following supplies:

FIRESTEEL (R)
Ring Terminal (Electrical Dept Home Improvement Store)
Needle Nose Pliers
Electricians Tool (Crimper)
Epoxy
Heat Shrink Tubing (Electrical Dept Home Improvement Store)
Lighter

Comments

[SasquatchKid]

Nice

[kricketone]

ring terminals will not last long  almost all of them are made of soft copper,  I tryed this and it lasted about a month, I snagged it on a tree limb and it broke off..

[klee27x]

Can anyone tell me what it is that survivalists have against lighters? It seems like a Bic lighter should be like the Holy Grail of survivalist fire-starting tools. But nooo, heaven forbid. They all want to light magnesium shavings by striking their survival knife against a flint. :)

[berky93]

lighters are much more fragile than firesteel, and usually don't work when wet. they have a much less chance of lighting a fire than firesteel (firesteel is hotter) plus they run out faster. the only reason lighters are what people carry around instead of firesteel is that lighters are much more controlled, giving off a small flame that is sustained, instead of a large puff of sparks.

[thoraxe]

its also very difficult to use in the slightest wind

[countable]

You can, however, get windproof lighters. Its basically a mini blowtorch, meaning it burns really hot (>1000C) and is almost completely windproof.

[sklnxbones]

Well first of all... I think FIRE is the most IMPORTANT item you can take with you and the most IMPORTANT skill you can learn. I don't think I will get an argument here. When I am in the Wild I carry a number of different ways to make fire. I carry a lighter, water proof matches, a magnifying glass and a FIRESTEEL. Just in case ONE fails I have another way to make fire... I am not saying any ONE method of fire is better than any other... The ONLY thing I wanted to do is show those of you who have a FIRESTEEL a way of carrying it that was easy and convenient...''

[klee27x]

Ahh, no offense, mate. I would never bash anyone for posting useful Instructables. I was just truly curious. If you came on here and insisted you'd take a Firesteel out into the wilderness while intentionally leaving a "garbage" Bic lighter at home, then I would have to continue questioning the degree of practicality. But I guess your answer says it all! :P

[maruawe]

If you have ever been in the wild, you would know that a lighter will run out just when you need it the most. fire steel does not run out of propellant...I have a piece of flint that I carried for a lot of years (40 or more)and it still works when I need it.. Go on a hunting or camping trip to Alaska where it is always below zero to find out what I'am talking about or even Montana, Idaho, Colorado in the winter or late fall.

[klee27x]

I can see the problem in extremely low temperatures. You have a good point there. Gas lighters might not work so well. As for running out when you need them the most, notice I specified "Bic." If you have even had a Bic lighter run out when you needed it the most, then I suppose those other 999 fires weren't very important? :P

[maruawe]

I smoke so I use lighters all the time ,They run out at the most inopportune times. If you let them get cold they won't light. So to be sure that I have something dependable at all times I carry a flint and I usually can find a piece of flint in the mountains.......or desert lands ( Sand conducts heat but doesn't hold the heat at night..) I would like to get a length of fire steel to try Ps try to light a fire with a "bic" in a 30 or 40 mile per hour wind Even with flint it is hard....... GOOD LUCK with your "bic" , I'll keep my flint and maybe a chunk of fire steel also....

[helloworld1]

how do you detach the firesteel from the plastic handle?

[sklnxbones]

The FIRESTEEL (R) I purchased were from FIRESTEEL.COM. It was ONLY the rod and nothing else. This is why I came up with this method of attaching it to my keychain. The ones that have the plastic piece you can put directly on the key chain... I hope this helps... Thanks

[helloworld1]

oh ok thanks, i have one with the plastic handle, do you think i could melt that off?

[HeWantsRevenge]

could you please add how to use this cause i have no idea wtf its suppose to do?

[sklnxbones]

OK I did... I made some changes to the Intro page that explains what it is and how to get one... But since you asked I will tell you. Its very similar to a flint and steel. You scrape it to make sparks to start a fire. I have included the website on the Intro page so you can see for yourself why this little marvel is so important to have...

[Tool Using Animal]

Other than having to go look up what a Firesteel was, this is a great idea, and I can see a definite survival advantage to doing this.