Fire Pistons

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jskeen

jskeen

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Ok, I'll toss this one out here too and see if anybody has anything to add. Anybody made these before? My first couple couldn't seem to generate enough pressure to get up to temp. I think it has to do with the precision of the hole and how the gasket fits, but might be wrong. Anyway, they sorta piqued my interest and thought I might pass it along and see if it bites anybody else.

Here's a link for some "what is it" info.

http://www.wildersol.com/
 
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That's cool, I saw these on a documentary about Austrailian bushmen. They have been making them without power tools for centuries so I don't imagine the tolerances are that critical.
 
I saw one of those used by Les Stroud on and episode of Survivorman on the Discovery Channel or the Science Channel. I never really considered making one myself, but I'm going to give it a shot now.

Jason
 
Someone help a fellow out here! Are there any plans or cross sections that show how they work? I am having a hard time getting my mind around how it works. Any help??
 
Looks cool.

For some reason I am visualizing someone turning one of these and successfully testing it while they are still in their shop standing in a pile of tinder. [:0]
 
Wow! That's amazing! My son is very active in frontier camping with his church. They make all their own stuff just as it was made in frontier times. This is something I'm definitely going to make him.
 
I turned one tonight out of some scrap Chechen I had laying around. I wrapped the shaft with some waxed twine and I think I have a pretty good seal but no fire yet. I think I need better tinder. Several of the sites say to use tinder fungus, or char cloth. I may try to find some punky wood, I'm sure I have some laying around here somewhere.

Photos coming soon I hope.

Jason
 
We used these in survival training, but when we were in the field we were issued magnesium /steel packs and matches. They should be easy to make, but try a rubber o-ring for a seal instead the twine. For tinder, we use a little bit of charred cotton and dumped the ember into a cottonball that was saturated with vaseline. It will light the wettest wood you can find. If someone gets one working, please post it as I would like to make one for myself and some for the family.
Johnnie
 
My guess is that this is exactly where the Diesel engine came from. I plan on trying to make one - very cool, fun, unique idea that would serve a good purpose. Should be a good "name this turning" subject for my next AAW meeting :-)
 
Got another question about making a fire piston. For those of you that have made one and got it to work. How much space is left between the bottom of the "piston" and the bottom of the "receiver"? I'm making one for my son and after looking at pictures and some rough drawings I'm sure the amount of space left when the piston is plunged is probably the critical part of this. Any help is greatly appreciated
 
I'm too busy but totally intrigued too. I read this in the original tip off website..but what does it mean?

"The new TinderLite Fire Piston Pen is the only device of its kind. Like the other TinderLite products it features both boal based, compression fire starting and high temperature spark based fire starting capability by means of the ferro rod housed inside the tail cap."

I'm curious how much void is in the bottom and what is "boal based" and what's a ferro rod? Is the lack of ferro rod the reason people are having a hard time getting theirs to ignite? My guess as to what boal based is is that the rod that is being pushed in has a hollow in the end. If that is a hollow, is that where the tinder goes, and is the ferro rod behind the hollow? If the tinder goes in that hollow, I'm guessing there is no space left, the shaft goes all the way to the bottom.
 
I'm interested in trying to make one too. The rod, from a picture I've seen leaves a 3/16 gap between the end of the rod and the bottom. As to how deep the tinder hole is in the rod bottom, I'd guess not to deep.But start shallow, you can always bore out more if need be.....
 
My previous obsession, before it became pen turning, was flint knapping. Over in PaleoPlanet (a primative skill site, think stone age IAP) there is always quite a lot of discussion about fire pistons, here is a recent thread http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/2748
I see fire pistons for sale at the knapping events. Last year I did a couple turnings for a paleo arts guy who carved the outsides of them and finished them off into FPs. The turning is the easy part, the final percision fitting is most of the work.

Look also for info on making charcloth and finding/perparing dried moss and other tinder.
 
Originally posted by bkc

I'm interested in trying to make one too. The rod, from a picture I've seen leaves a 3/16 gap between the end of the rod and the bottom. As to how deep the tinder hole is in the rod bottom, I'd guess not to deep.But start shallow, you can always bore out more if need be.....
Click to expand...

Don't recall where I read this at, but I do remember that the hole in the end of the piston where you place your tinder was only approximately 1/8" deep.

The 3/16" gap between the piston and the bottom of the chamber seems about right. The receiver bottom can be either flat or slighly domed inside.

Want to try and get one made as well.
 
Ok, now I'm hooked on the idea of a fire piston too. but I'm having trouble finding a way to polish the bore of the receiver. any ideas?
 
How about once you drill the receiver out you tape sandpaper to the bit and sand with it. Or you could just use a dowel......
 
Originally posted by tomahawk54

Ok, now I'm hooked on the idea of a fire piston too. but I'm having trouble finding a way to polish the bore of the receiver. any ideas?
Click to expand...

Why not glue a large brass pen barrel (or any appropriately sized brass/steel,plastic tube) inside the wood receiver?

It would provide very straight, smooth sides. I think that's the way I'm going to try it.
 
It works. I took a 3.5 inch piece of 7mm brass tube and pluged one end with the top of a slim line pen. I then took a 1/4 inch dow rod and sanded it down so it would slide into the brass tube, drilled a 1/8 inch hole 1/8 of an inch deep in one end. From that end I cut a grove in the dow rod 5/16 inch up. I used a #60 O-ring.

I lubed the O-ring with vasolene, put some char cloth in the hole started the dow rod in the brass tube and slaped it, when I pulled the dow rod out the char cloth was glowing red. It has worked everytime so far. Now all I have to do is install the brass tube in a nice turned piece of wood and turn a piece for the top of the dow rod.

Smitty
 
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