Your FERRO Rod 's ( Show N Tell )

[old4570]

No1 Ferro Rod

60mm Long and 6mm Dia ..
PITH ( Pain In The Hand ) ... Yes , painful to use .. I should 3D print a handle / grip for it ..

No2 Ferro Rod

I purchased some of these when I realized how painful No1 was to use ..
After ordering a 3 pack , they became scarce . Recently I got another 3 pack ..

No3 Ferro Kit

About the same size rod as no1 , but has a grip and a striker .. Haven't used it yet .
Seems interesting ..

To date I have only used Ferro Rod No1 , well , played with . And it literally is painful to use . Also getting a spark from it is some what uncontrol able ..
Or throws a spark where ever . The larger rod looks to be the go and now that I have a few to spare , I can play with the larger one . I might have to order myself another No3 , just so I have something to play with . But from what I have seen , get the largest ferro rod you can , if you plan on using one . ( Or cheat - BIC )
Because , starting and actual fire ..... U really want some fiery large chunky bits to come off the ferro rod .. Small sparks don't do jack , except maybe frustrate you .
Especially if you dont have a fire starter ( material that easily catches fire ) .

 

[Wave Man]

size matters, and what striker you use. I have been using this 10"x1/2" rod now for well over 12 months heavily, at first daily and now at least weekly, and it's still going strong.
Bigger rods allow you to manipulate the rod more easily and generate lots more sparks. Plus as the larger rod wears on one end you can turn it around and start over on the other end so you get far more out of them.
I'll never go back to a thinner diameter or shorter rod now that I have seen what a 10"x1/2" rod can set alight. The only downsides to the larger rods are cost and problems with packability.

Also, the best (IMHO) strikers for ferro rod (again I've tried most) is an HSS lathe bit, they rip the spark out of the rod. I like the 200mm ones as I have XXL sized hands.

here's my ferro rod wrap, with fatwood, guitar picks, pocket bellows, 10"x1/2" rod, HSS striker, both rod and striker have handles made from paracord and the rod has a firecord lanyard.

 

[old4570]

Ordered a 150mm by 12mm Ferro Rod last night ..
The ones that are much larger , just get a little silly on price .

 

[Wave Man]

ferro rod cost has exploded recently and it has gotten pretty expensive to buy the bigger rods.

My 10" rod was $50 when I bought it and at the time was the most expensive rod I had ever bought. But it has well and truly paid for itself and is well worth the money.

I will eventually get a 1" diameter rod but the $100 investment is giving me pause.

I honestly believe a 6"x1/2" is about the minimum size rod I would ever consider these days and prefer 8"+ rods. Small kits are the only time I consider shorter rods but I have pretty much built all the kits I will ever need so that isn't a worry anymore.

 

[Randall]

size matters, and what striker you use. I have been using this 10"x1/2" rod now for well over 12 months heavily, at first daily and now at least weekly, and it's still going strong.
Bigger rods allow you to manipulate the rod more easily and generate lots more sparks. Plus as the larger rod wears on one end you can turn it around and start over on the other end so you get far more out of them.
I'll never go back to a thinner diameter or shorter rod now that I have seen what a 10"x1/2" rod can set alight. The only downsides to the larger rods are cost and problems with packability.

Also, the best (IMHO) strikers for ferro rod (again I've tried most) is an HSS lathe bit, they rip the spark out of the rod. I like the 200mm ones as I have XXL sized hands.

here's my ferro rod wrap, with fatwood, guitar picks, pocket bellows, 10"x1/2" rod, HSS striker, both rod and striker have handles made from paracord and the rod has a firecord lanyard.

I have the same bellows - they're actually useful for many things re cleaning gear. What are the guitar picks for?

 

[Randall]

View attachment 28811

No1 Ferro Rod

60mm Long and 6mm Dia ..
PITH ( Pain In The Hand ) ... Yes , painful to use .. I should 3D print a handle / grip for it ..

No2 Ferro Rod

I purchased some of these when I realized how painful No1 was to use ..
After ordering a 3 pack , they became scarce . Recently I got another 3 pack ..

No3 Ferro Kit

About the same size rod as no1 , but has a grip and a striker .. Haven't used it yet .
Seems interesting ..

To date I have only used Ferro Rod No1 , well , played with . And it literally is painful to use . Also getting a spark from it is some what uncontrol able ..
Or throws a spark where ever . The larger rod looks to be the go and now that I have a few to spare , I can play with the larger one . I might have to order myself another No3 , just so I have something to play with . But from what I have seen , get the largest ferro rod you can , if you plan on using one . ( Or cheat - BIC )
Because , starting and actual fire ..... U really want some fiery large chunky bits to come off the ferro rod .. Small sparks don't do jack , except maybe frustrate you .
Especially if you dont have a fire starter ( material that easily catches fire ) .

I have a version (there are many) of your number 3. It's a design taken from a more expensive US brand. Did you know that you can screw the cover in place of the scraper for a longer handle?

I also ordered some replacement rods for these holders - they are a common size and the rods themselves are very cheap. Really I have enough to last me for life . I also have the same as your # 2; it came on the sheath of a cheap heavy use chinese survival knife. I removed the rod and rod sheath from the survival knife - I'll probably never use that rod. The smaller rod I have like your # 3 is in a bush kit, along with some vaseline impregnated cotton wool balls; I have about 10 squashed into a small tablet container. I practice with tinder to keep it real - it's easy enough. However I know how desperate things can get when your hands are frozen and it's blowing a gale with driving rain. Simple things can become very difficult - hence the vaseline cotton wool balls.

 

[old4570]

Randall - Is that your HX OUTDOORS D2 ?????? ( If so , ......... )

 

[Randall]

Randall - Is that your HX OUTDOORS D2 ?????? ( If so , ......... )

not my particular one, but same knife. I grabbed the photo off the net. It's a heavy beast. There's an area on the back of the blade for striking the ferro rod, which works well. The pommel is a hammer head. The steel is supposedly good - these knives were quite popular a while back. I've actually used mine quite a lot - I don't usually need a fixed blade or a heavy knife. I grab this when I want something tough and reliable. If you're interested the model is TD01 - it should be $40 or less if you shop around? Not a hunting knife though - thick blade stock. Ahh, just checked - I paid $52 for mine in 2018.

 

[old4570]

See HX here and there when looking at knives . Been curious about them , enough to shell out $ = Not sure !

 

[Wave Man]

I have the same bellows - they're actually useful for many things re cleaning gear. What are the guitar picks for?

pocket bellows is a fantastic bit of kit particular for those of us with beards (who like to keep them from catching on fire).

Guitar picks are very good little firelighters, they take a spark straight from a ferro rod really well and burn for a few seconds each. They store very well and burn even when wet. Just be sure to get the celluloid ones and not the newer plastic ones (the plastic ones don't work).
If you buy them in bulk they end up costing just a few cents each.

 

[WanderOn]

This is the striker my daughter and I made. Bit agricultural but it works well. Uses a piece of 10mm tool steel set into a timber handle. Good coating of coconut oil.
Really like the process of lighting a fire with ferro rod and striker.

 

[Wave Man]

lovely HSS striker mate, you and your daughter did a great job.

IMHO these are the best at getting the best out of your ferro rod, they rip the spark out oof the rod.

I used to advocate the tool sharpener (eziedge and the like or any of the carbide tool sharpener) and they work just as good as the HSS strikers but their prices went stupid and so I have embraced the HSS striker (you can by the HSS lathe bit for a few dollars each off eBay and handle it yourself)

 

[Taplow]

This has been my go-to ferro rod for several years now. I bought the rod from the old BushcraftOz store and Blake sent me kangaroo cord to braid and use as a lanyard. Corin sent me a drill bit and the tubing for the lanyard holes. Originally the lanyard was in a loop secured by the button, but this made it hard to strike efficiently. It's still a bit short opened out, but I put up with that for sentimental reasons.

It lives in the leather pouch I found on eBay which also holds some fatwood, bellows, and cotton wool. Not part of my ultralight hiking set up but a treasured component of my bushcraft gear.

 

[old4570]

Did some grips for the ferro rods ...
I will have to re-grip No1 .. It's a little skimpy on the grip area .
No3 really hits the spot ..
So I will make No1 the same as No3 but rather than electrical tape , I will thread wrap the front ( helps stop the wood from splitting )

 

[Wentworth]

This is the striker my daughter and I made. Bit agricultural but it works well. Uses a piece of 10mm tool steel set into a timber handle. Good coating of coconut oil.
Really like the process of lighting a fire with ferro rod and striker.
View attachment 28849

That's a great striker WanderOn- no chance of losing grip on that!

 

[old4570]

Re-gripped Ferro Rod

 

[WanderOn]

That's a great striker WanderOn- no chance of losing grip on that!

Thanks Wentworth
It helped the kids be able to throw some big sparks. Think it was a good idea.
I have another piece of tool steel I haven’t decided what to do with.

 

[WanderOn]

lovely HSS striker mate, you and your daughter did a great job.

IMHO these are the best at getting the best out of your ferro rod, they rip the spark out oof the rod.

I used to advocate the tool sharpener (eziedge and the like or any of the carbide tool sharpener) and they work just as good as the HSS strikers but their prices went stupid and so I have embraced the HSS striker (you can by the HSS lathe bit for a few dollars each off eBay and handle it yourself)

Thanks Dean
It does rip into the ferro rod.
Need to dream up another handle for the other piece of tool steel I bought.

 

[old4570]

Came today !
Larger rod is the 150mm x 12mm & cost $14 bananas with free shipping !
Smaller one is the same as No3 in the first picture I posted .. ( Wanted one to play with )

 

[WanderOn]

View attachment 28881

Came today !
Larger rod is the 150mm x 12mm & cost $14 bananas with free shipping !
Smaller one is the same as No3 in the first picture I posted .. ( Wanted one to play with )

Where did you get the ferro rod for $14? Couldn’t find it on evilbay. I may be looking too hard as well
Thanks