25 Bushcraft Fire Starting Techniques

Arguably the most important part of a survival situation is the ability to make a fire. Anyone can create some sort of makeshift shelter to protect themselves from the elements. It takes skill to create a fire – especially to create a fire without matches or a lighter. Let’s talk about 25 bushcraft fire starting techniques that you can actually use.

1. Bow Drill:
   • Create a bow using a flexible, curved stick and a strong cord.
   • Carve a spindle and a fireboard from dry wood.
   • Place the fireboard on the ground and hold it steady.
   • Attach the spindle to the bowstring and place it on the fireboard.
   • Use the bow to rotate the spindle back and forth, creating friction that generates an ember on the fireboard.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared tinder bundle and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
2. Hand Drill:
   • Carve a spindle and a fireboard from dry wood.
   • Place the fireboard on the ground and hold it steady.
   • Hold the spindle between your hands and apply downward pressure.
   • Begin rotating the spindle back and forth between your hands, creating friction that generates an ember on the fireboard.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared tinder bundle and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
3. Flint and Steel:
   • Hold the steel firmly in one hand and the flint in the other.
   • Position the flint at an angle, with the edge facing the tinder.
   • Strike the steel against the flint, directing the sparks toward the tinder.
   • Aim to catch the sparks in the tinder, creating an ember.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
4. Solar Ignition:
   • Find a magnifying glass or a water-filled plastic bag.
   • Position it at an angle to concentrate sunlight onto your tinder.
   • Hold it steady and adjust the angle until the focused sunlight creates a hot spot on the tinder.
   • Wait for the tinder to catch fire and transfer it to your prepared kindling.
5. Fire Plough:
   • Carve a groove into a fireboard using a sharp stick or knife.
   • Use a dry, flat piece of wood as the plough.
   • Rub the plough back and forth along the groove, exerting pressure and creating friction.
   • The friction generates heat, eventually creating an ember.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared tinder bundle and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
6. Fire Saw:
   • Create a notch in a fireboard and place it on the ground.
   • Take a dry, flat piece of wood and saw back and forth against the fireboard notch.
   • The friction and heat generated eventually create an ember.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared tinder bundle and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
7. Fire Piston:
   • Load a fire piston with a small piece of tinder or char cloth.
   • Rapidly push the piston into the cylinder to create compression and heat.
   • The heat causes the tinder or char cloth to ignite.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
8. Fire Roll:
   • Collect dry and fibrous materials like bark, grass, or plant fibers.
   • Roll the materials tightly together into a long, thin rope-like structure.
   • Hold one end of the roll and rapidly spin it against a hard surface to create friction and heat.
   • The friction generates an ember within the roll.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.
9. Fire Thong:
   • Cut a flexible branch or cord and create a bow-like structure.
   • Attach a short, curved piece of wood to the bowstring, creating a thong.
   • Place a dry, flat piece of wood on the ground as the fireboard.
   • Hold the fireboard steady and use the thong to rapidly saw back and forth on the fireboard, creating friction and heat.
   • The heat generated creates an ember on the fireboard.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared tinder bundle and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.

1. Fire Steel and Char Cloth:
   • Prepare a piece of char cloth by charring a small piece of natural fabric until it becomes black and carbonized.
   • Hold the char cloth close to the tinder.
   • Strike the fire steel against a hard surface, directing the sparks onto the char cloth.
   • The sparks will ignite the char cloth, creating an ember.
   • Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.

11. Fire Straws:

• Obtain pre-made fire straws or make your own by tightly rolling a piece of paper or cardboard into a straw-like shape.
• Stuff the straws with dry tinder materials like cotton balls, dryer lint, or char cloth.
• Seal the ends of the straws with wax or by folding them over.
• When ready to start a fire, simply light one end of the fire straw with a match or lighter.
• The tinder inside the straw will catch fire, providing a flame to ignite your kindling.

12. Fire from Ice:

• Find a block of ice and shape it into a lens-like shape using a knife or by rubbing it against a hard surface.
• Position the ice lens to focus sunlight onto your tinder.
• Adjust the angle and distance to concentrate the sunlight into a hot spot on the tinder.
• Wait for the tinder to catch fire and transfer it to your prepared kindling.

13. Fire from a Battery and Steel Wool:

• Gather a 9-volt battery and a fine-grade steel wool.
• Hold the steel wool against the battery terminals.
• The electrical current passing through the steel wool will cause it to heat up and eventually catch fire.
• Transfer the burning steel wool to your prepared kindling to start the fire.

14. Fire from a Magnesium Block:

• Scrape off some shavings from a magnesium block using a knife or a sharp edge.
• Create a small pile of magnesium shavings on top of your tinder.
• Use a ferrocerium rod or a lighter to ignite the magnesium shavings, as they burn at extremely high temperatures.
• Once the magnesium is burning, it will ignite your tinder, and you can add kindling to build the fire.

15. Fire from a Spark-Lite:

• Obtain a Spark-Lite or a similar spark-emitting device.
• Attach a small piece of char cloth or a cotton ball to the end of the Spark-Lite.
• Strike the Spark-Lite against a rough surface, directing the sparks onto the char cloth or cotton ball.
• The sparks will ignite the char cloth or cotton ball, creating an ember.
• Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.

16. Fire from a Fire Syringe:

• Load the fire syringe with a small piece of tinder or char cloth.
• Rapidly push the plunger into the syringe barrel to create compression and heat.
• The heat causes the tinder or char cloth to ignite.
• Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.

17. Fire from a Light Bulb:

• Carefully break open a light bulb, being cautious of the glass.
• Extract the filament, ensuring it remains intact.
• Use a battery or other power source to heat up the filament until it glows red-hot.
• Transfer the glowing filament to your prepared tinder bundle, igniting it and eventually building the fire.

18. Fire from a Coke Can and Chocolate:

• Polish the bottom of an empty, aluminum soda can to create a reflective surface.
• Melt a small piece of chocolate and spread it onto the polished surface of the can.
• Use the reflective surface to concentrate sunlight onto your tinder, igniting it.

19. Fire from a Fire Plunger:

• Assemble a fire plunger kit, consisting of a hollow tube, a plunger, and a rubber gasket or piston.
• Load the tube with a small piece of tinder or char cloth.
• Quickly push the plunger down into the tube, compressing the air and creating heat

20. Fire from Chemical Reaction:

• Mix potassium permanganate and glycerin in a small container.
• The combination of these chemicals creates a rapid exothermic reaction, generating heat and igniting the surrounding materials.
• Place the mixture onto a bed of dry tinder or directly onto the kindling.
• Ensure proper ventilation and stand back as the reaction occurs and the fire starts.

21. Fire from a Flashlight Reflector:

• Unscrew the reflector from a flashlight.
• Polish the reflective surface to a high shine.
• Position the reflector at an angle to concentrate sunlight onto your tinder.
• Adjust the angle until the focused sunlight creates a hot spot on the tinder.
• Wait for the tinder to catch fire and transfer it to your prepared kindling.

22. Fire from a Fire Roll (made with natural fibers):

• Gather dry, fibrous materials like bark, grass, or plant fibers.
• Roll the materials tightly into a long, thin rope-like structure.
• Hold one end of the roll and rapidly spin it against a hard surface to create friction and heat.
• The friction generates an ember within the roll.
• Transfer the ember to your prepared tinder bundle and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.

23. Fire from a Hand Sanitizer and Spark Source:

• Apply a small amount of hand sanitizer to your tinder.
• Create sparks using a flint and steel, ferrocerium rod, or other spark-emitting device.
• Direct the sparks onto the hand sanitizer-soaked tinder.
• The hand sanitizer will quickly catch fire, providing a flame to ignite your kindling.

24. Fire from a Battery and Foil Gum Wrapper:

• Cut a foil gum wrapper into a thin strip.
• Touch one end of the strip to the positive terminal of a battery.
• Touch the other end of the strip to the negative terminal of the battery, creating a circuit.
• The resistance in the circuit causes the strip to heat up and eventually catch fire.
• Transfer the burning strip to your prepared kindling to start the fire.

25. Fire from Char Cloth and Friction:

• Prepare char cloth by charring a small piece of natural fabric until it becomes black and carbonized.
• Place the char cloth onto the fireboard or tinder bundle.
• Use friction-based fire-starting methods like the bow drill or hand drill to create an ember on the char cloth.
• Transfer the ember to your prepared kindling and blow gently to ignite it into a flame.

There are plenty of ways to start a fire to create warmth and to cook a meal for yourself and your family. Before you have to, practice these bushcraft fire starting methods in a safe setting and hone your skills. Always remember, the time to practice survival skills isn’t in a survival situation. Also remember that I am not an expert and to obey your local laws and regulations when it comes to fire starting and safety.The best fire is a safe fire. Do your due diligence and develop those skills!