Master Fire Starting Skills: Essential Techniques & Survival Tips

Learning how to start a fire is one of the key discoveries of human development. Today it's as easy as striking a match or flicking a lighter. But knowing how to light a fire through other means is a great skill to have, especially if you find yourself stranded in the wilderness. Read on to learn how to light a fire.

Things You'll Need

• Two pieces of hardwood
• Flint stones or flint steel
• Tinder
• Glass lens
• Flammable materials (gun powder, lighter fluid)

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Instructions

• 1

  Light a fire the old-fashioned way, by creating friction between two pieces of wood. Known as the bow and drill, and the fire plow methods, each causes small wood shavings to fall from the large pieces as you rub them together quickly to create heat and eventually creates a spark which ignites the shavings.

• 2

  Make a spark and light a fire with another primitive method, using flint. If you are lucky enough to find flint stone in the wilderness, you are all set; otherwise, you might prefer to carry flint steel. Simply knock the stones or steel together to make a spark and ignite light, dry tinder to start a fire.

• 3

  Use the power of the magnified sun to start a fire. The lenses of your glasses, binoculars or magnifying glass can work to concentrate the rays of the sun onto light, dry tinder creating enough heat energy to spark a fire.

• 4

  Accelerate the burn by using gun powder, lighter fluid or other flammable materials to get a fire burning faster. Take care when using accelerators as explosions or out of control fires become a greater risk.