A fire piston, sometimes called a fire syringe or a slam rod fire starter, is a device of ancient Southeast Asian origin which is used to kindle fire. In Malay it is called "gobek api" . It uses the principle of the heating of a gas (in this case air) by rapid and adiabatic compression to ignite a piece of tinder, which is then used to set light to kindling.
A fire piston consists of a hollow cylinder sealed at one end and open at the other. Sizes range in length from 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) with a bore about 0.25 inch (6–7 mm) in diameter, to 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35 cm) with a bore about 0.5 inch (14 mm) in diameter. A piston with an airtight circular seal is fitted into the cylinder. A string packing lubricated with water or rubber gasket lubricated with grease is used to create an air-tight but slippery seal. At the end of the piston a small cavity is made, where tinder can be inserted without it being crushed during subsequent operations. The piston can be completely withdrawn from the cylinder for installation or removal of the tinder.
The piston (or cylinder) has a handle on the end to allow a firm grip to be applied to it, or a large enough surface area to strike it sharply without causing pain, while the cylinder (or piston) is braced or slammed against a hard surface. The compression of the air when the piston is quickly forced into the cylinder causes the interior temperature to rise sharply to over 400 °F (260 °C), the autoignition temperature of tinder. This is hot enough for the tinder in the piston face to ignite with a visible flash that can be seen, if the cylinder is made of translucent or transparent material. The piston is then quickly withdrawn, before the now-burning tinder depletes the available oxygen inside the cylinder. The smouldering tinder can then be removed from the face of the piston and transferred to a larger nest of tinder material. The ember is then fanned or blown upon vigorously to create a flame, at which time various stages of larger kindling can be added until built into a full-scale fire.
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A fire striker is a piece of carbon steel from which sparks are struck by the sharp edge of flint, chert or similar rock. It is a specific tool used in fire making. Before the invention of matches, percussion fire making was often used to start fires. Before the advent of steel, a variety of iron pyrite or marcasite was used with flint and other stones to produce a high-temperature spark that could be used to create fire. There are indications that the Iceman, also known as Ötzi, may have used iron pyrite to make fire.
Fire making, fire lighting or fire craft is the process of artificially starting a fire. It requires completing the fire triangle, usually by heating tinder above its autoignition temperature. Fire is an essential tool for human survival and the use of fire was important in early human cultural history since the Lower Paleolithic. Today, it is a key component of Scouting and bushcraft.
Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder is used to ignite kindling, which in turn is used to ignite the bulk material, to produce a fire. Tinder can be made of any flammable substance, as long as it is finely divided and has an open structure. Any flammable material may be used as long as it is finely divided.
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