I’ve been practicing a technique recently which was shown to me by George at the last Reading meet. It involves a piece of cloth like a polish rag or a small bit of rope, a piece of elder or hollow metal tube, flint and a steel.

Firstly, you take the polish rag or rope and twist it through the hollow tube. It helps initially to have the end of the material pre-burned. Make sure there’s enough material pushed through the end of the tube to allow your thumb to press on the material without touching the burned end.

Put the end of the material onto the flint so that the burned part is right on the edge of the flint. Use your striker (or ferro rod) to create some sparks which should land on the burnt end of you material. You can waft the material around a little to get the ember going. There’s no real need to blow on it. All you have to do then is transfer the ember or apply directly to your tinder bundle.

To extinguish the ember, pull the material down into the tube and put your thumb over the top to starve the ember of oxygen.

This is a pretty good way to carry around ember making material and a small version could go in a survival tin or possibles pouch.

My video below also shows the technique.

Pablo.