What is a firesteel and how to use it?

November 2023

The firesteel is a well-known tool for bushcraft enthusiasts, categorized as a fire starter. Also known as a ferrocerium rod, it is a bar that, when scraped, emits hot sparks of 3000°C, capable of igniting a fire starter (a substance that helps start a fire), whether it’s natural or chemical. While the firesteel may seem like a gadget, once you learn how to use it, you realize how useful and smart it is to add to your basic gear.

This article is particularly for those who are used to using a lighter to start a stove or a campfire and who don’t see the point of carrying a firesteel. I’m going to give you a few arguments in its favor that I hope will make you want to test this fire starter, practice using it, and incorporate it into your gear.

The Advantages of a Firesteel

Mechanically, by its very nature, a firesteel never "breaks down." There's no risk of it failing when you need it, unlike your lighter, which contains parts that wear out and can break. This is particularly true for the flint wheel that scrapes the stone, which wears down with each use, and you can’t always tell the state of it. Moreover, the lighter is not necessarily waterproof, and once the gas tank is empty, it becomes useless. A firesteel, on the other hand, is waterproof and does not require gas.

The firesteel is simply a rod that you scrape, possibly with a handle and a striker. There are no surprises, and no risk of it suddenly becoming unusable. It’s a reliable and durable tool. Its only mechanical flaw is that it can oxidize if you leave it in a pocket or a damp container. However, this has never happened to me personally, even though I have been using it for over fifteen years.

How to Start a Fire with a Firesteel?

Using a firesteel is simple with a minimum of training. You just need to scrape the firesteel with a striker or the back of a knife blade above the fire starter you want to ignite. The flames appear almost instantly. As for the knife blade, it should not be too rounded or too soft. The edge must be at 90°. You will find these qualities on nearly all bushcraft knives, such as those from the Mora range.

There are different techniques I’ll describe here, which will also be illustrated in short videos below. Personally, I use the back of my knives instead of a striker, but feel free to test both methods. It’s important to note that you should never scrape the firesteel with the cutting edge of the knife, as that could damage the temper of the steel due to the heat generated.

Method 1: Scrape the End of the Firesteel Near the Fire Starter

Hold the firesteel in your non-dominant hand and the striker in your dominant hand. Place the striker about an inch from the end of the firesteel. In one simultaneous motion, pull the firesteel back with the index of your non-dominant hand while pushing on the striker with your thumb, and pushing the striker with your dominant hand. This method sends sparks to the fire starter with great precision, but it requires a little practice and works best with high-quality firesteels. Personally, I prefer the ones from Light My Fire.

With a low-quality model, you will get firesteel shavings, but they won’t ignite. The main advantage of this method is that you’re using the tip of the firesteel, which prevents creating a hollow in it, as can be seen in the picture below. This is a common flaw with the traction method of scraping the firesteel, which I will describe next.

Over time, the hollow weakens the tip, which can eventually break, resulting in fewer ignitions.

Méthode 2 : Traction on the Firesteel

Place the firesteel in your non-dominant hand above the fire starter and the striker in your dominant hand against the firesteel. In one motion, pull the firesteel while pushing the striker. This method produces many sparks, is mechanically simple to do, but is less precise than the first and tends to create a hollow in the firesteel as described earlier. The pressure is less constant and loosens at the end of the firesteel.

Method 3: Knife Planting

This technique uses a knife rather than a striker. Plant the knife’s tip in the fire starter or just behind it, with the edge facing up and the spine of the blade facing the fire starter. Scrape the firesteel along the spine with force. This method produces a great shower of sparks with precision and requires minimal movement, making it secure when you’re tired or in low light conditions. Plus, the knife doesn’t move during the process.

Method 4: One-Handed Technique

This method is useful to practice in case of injury that makes using both hands difficult or impossible. Place the end of the firesteel against the fire starter. Then, holding your knife (edge up, spine against the firesteel) with all fingers except the thumb, use the thumb to push the firesteel while rubbing it along the spine as hard as possible. Don’t worry about burning yourself; the action is quick enough to avoid it. Ideally, practice this technique alternately with your dominant and non-dominant hands.

Firesteel and Fire Starters

Firesteels do not only ignite chemical fire starters. With a little research and practice, you can find many natural resources that will help you start a fire. In the videos, I use birch bark that I scraped with my knife to form fine, easily inflammable particles. Generally speaking, you will get excellent results with:

• Fatwood (resin-rich conifer wood)
• Liquid sap from balsam fir
• Shavings from dry and rotten wood
• Almost all cotton-like plants (thistles, hairy willowherb, cattails)
• Tindersticks from Light My Fire

Practicing with these natural resources will give you confidence in your ability to start a fire under any circumstances.

Signaling for Help in Case of Trouble

Let’s imagine a worst-case scenario. You’re immobilized by an injury, you’ve called for help, but night has fallen, and your lights are out of battery. This is when you take out the firesteel and create a shower of sparks! These sparks will be very visible, even from a distance, and will help you be spotted. This use of the firesteel is not often highlighted, yet it’s very effective, so I wanted to share it with you

In Conclusion

The firesteel is, in my opinion, a tool worth paying attention to. It has replaced the lighter in my fire kit, and I constantly use it, testing different brands. It’s worth considering carrying one, at least as a backup, and training with the methods described in this article. Once you master it, you can also easily introduce your children to using it, as it’s fun and safe.