Today I'll show you the ultimate fire starter ...

... The Mother Of All Fire Rods

If you don't like reading you can just watch the video summary, but below you will find some valuable links for the supplies needed for this project.

But first ... what are the advantages of this fire rod?

It is large, i.e. difficult to loose, easy to handle even with gloves on, will last a lifetime and most importantly - the handle serves as very high temperature kindling. Just shave off some magnesium and once it catches a spark it will burn at such a high temperature, you will have a fire going in no time.

Supplies

1. Ferrocerium rod (the larger the better) - You can get them on eBay, e.g. here http://ali.bargains/ferro you can get a huge 127mmx12.7mm rod

2. Magnesium rod (with a diameter at least 4-5mm larger than the Ferrocerium rod) - here you can go to the hardware store and get a so called "Magnesium anode" for your boiler, however as these are of various purity, I prefer to buy the pure 99.99% magnesium rods from China, especially considering these here

http://ali.bargains/magrod are the perfect size to match the rod above.

3. Good two-component cement - here pretty much anything will do - the best would be "liquid metal"

Step 1: Preparation and Assembly

As for preparing the handle there isn't practically much to it.

If you bought the appropriate size magnesium rod - you just need to drill a recess which will be 0,5 to 1 mm larger diameter than your ferrocerium rod. If you have the magnesium anode, it would be nice to put it on a lathe and smoother the rough outer surface as well as making the hole and cutting it to the right length.

Of course if you don't have access to a lathe, you can accomplish the same using hand tools and some sandpaper for smoothing of the outer surface.

Once done, glue in the ferrocerium rod into the magnesium handle using the two component cement.

HINT: As the cement will air-tighten and seal the two rods during the assembly, you might have a difficult time putting the two together (it will act as a piston). Therefore it is recommended not to put the cement all around the rod, but only on one side, and then twist it around to distribute the cement all around and then secure the whole thing with a number of rubber bands, untill the glue sets.

YOU'RE DONE!

Step 2: Ussage

1. Collect some wood kindling and pile into a small heap

2. Shave off some magnesium from the handle

3. Firmly set the end of the ferrocerium rod on the ground with the edge above the magnesium shavings.

4. Strike the fire rod with the back side of the knife to create sparks (you need to have this ground flat, so that there is a sharp 90deg. edge - if not, you will have to use the cutting edge as I did in the movie, but that does damage the blade)

ENJOY YOUR FIRE!