Fire Pistons

Fire pistons are another way of starting a fire without matches or a lighter.  A fire piston works on the same basic principle as a diesel engine:   heat is generated by compression.  A fire piston consists of two pieces: a piston and a cylinder.

To use a fire piston you must first place tinder in the cylinder.  Char cloth (partially burned cotton cloth) or a tiny piece of punky wood is the preferred tinder.   The piston is then placed in the cylinder and slammed down quickly to compress the air in the cylinder.  If the seal is tight, and the tinder is dry enough, and the stroke fast enough and forceful enough, the compression should generate enough heat to ignite the tinder.  Don't expect flames when you dump out the tiny bit of tinder.  At best you're going to get a glowing ember which you must blow or fan into life amid more dry tinder to create a flame.  You'll need to place the ember in a bed of prepared tinder and nurse it along to get flames which you can then use to ignite your campfire.

Fire pistons are a little more difficult to use than flint and steel but they are very durable and can be used to light many fires if they are properly cared for.  They should be able to be used indefinitely, as long as the seal remains in tact.   Damage to the seal will render them instantly useless.   It also takes a fair amount of strength to strike them hard enough to make them work so they are not for the weak and you may bruise your hands long before you get a fire going.  Unlike flint and steel, there are no consumable parts to use up, but the seal WILL wear and may have to be replaced periodically.

In my research, fire pistons are usually more expensive than flint and steel.  Given the differences in cost and performance, I would rather carry flint and steel as an emergency fire starter. In fact, I can get several flint and steel sets for the price of one fire piston.  I think the likelihood of getting a fire going quickly are much higher, at least for me, using flint and steel.  I routinely use flint and steel to start my campfires so I can stay in practice.

Fire up!