Can’t Start a Fire Without a… 9-Volt Battery and Steel Wool?
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. And there’s more than one way to start a fire when you really need one.
Just ask Kevin, who shows us one way to do it in the backyard of his Nashville home.
Actually, all you need in the way of modern conveniences are a 9-volt battery, some steel wool and some lint from your dryer.
“The nice thing about steel wool is that it can get wet and still perform if you need to start a fire, unlike matches and tinder,” Kevin said.
“This method of starting a fire is a way around the moisture, humidity or whatever else that gets in the way of you starting a fire.
“First, get lint from your dryer. I keep a bunch of it around. It’s a great fire starter.
“You want to fluff up the steel wool a little bit. Get some air into it. Then touch it all over with the positive and negative terminals of your 9-volt battery to spark a fire.
“You’ll start to get sparks right away, so just keeping touching it against the steel wool in many places, then add the lint as tinder and blow on it softly. In no time you’ll have a fire going.”
Of course, that particular fire is going to be pretty small and may not meet your needs. Not to worry, says Kevin.
“Now, to make a bigger fire, you want to find some dead trees. Particularly pine trees. The bottom one-half or one-third of these trees is covered in dead branches, and you can pull them down by rope or hand. Then, hold the steel wool against them until they catch fire.”
OK, this sounds good, and it’s nice to know you can start a fire without a lighter or matches. But what if you’re in an emergency situation and don’t have a charged 9-volt battery?
“Well, I use the 4Patriots solar powered generator to charge my batteries,” Kevin said. “But if you don’t have a battery and do have matches, you can protect them from moisture by dipping them match-head first into a cup of melted wax.”
Good info. Thanks, Kevin.
And if you’re interested, here’s the link to the generator that Kevin mentions in the video. You can learn more about it here.
Small bag of plain Frito’s work great for tinder. They are so oily a match will start a pretty good flame going and than you can add some wood. of course keep the Fritos unopened until ready for use. keep a few bags in car or bug out bag. if not needed for fire they are edible.
Go to a Boy Scout store and get a copy of Emergency Preparedness merit badge book. It shows how to use flint and steel, and friction to start a fire. I include a propane lighter in my backpack. Flint and steel for moderns. A pine knot has lots of resin in it. It is waterproof and can start a fire, even with wet firewood.
Good advice, Roger, thanks!
course steel wool doesn’t work to well, I always taught 0000 steel wool and to blend the dryer lint into it. If you don’t have a 9volt battery use 2 AA held together and the steel wool blend stretched from one end to the other. Its a bit cumbersome but it beats being cold. If you carry a 9volt battery in a survival kit make sure to tape or cap the terminals so your kit doesn’t go up in smoke.
Hey man, try it out, cotton balls wiped in Vaseline burns strong for 5 minutes. Easy to pack too in any waterproof bag or container.