Magnesium fire starting bars...can they "go bad"?

[@jerrybobteasdale]

Use a file instead of a hacksaw blade.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Have you tried that Duke? Just wondering....seems to me that the soft magnesium would just gum up the teeth of the file. I suppose you could use the edge of the file to scrape. Would be a lot more comfortable than trying to hold a little stub of hacksaw blade in your fingers.

[@jerrybobteasdale]

Use a bastard file, the crosshatch pattern is less apt to clog. Leathermans have a nice bastard file. Oh, and it's good to scrape onto sticky side of duct tape, and press some into the adhesive. Magnesium shavings like to blow away.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Duct tape? What a great tip! I have an 8" straight cut file I found on the side of the road. I tried using it to scrape shavings just using the edge and it was wonderful. No tired fingers trying to grip a fragment of hacksaw, and a huge pile in just a couple of minutes. Might wrap the back half with a scrap piece of leather for added comfort/grip. Thanks for the great tips!!!

[@jerrybobteasdale]

Yer welcome. Yeah, those bits of hacksaw are not an easy tool. A file is a brittle metal. You can probably put it in a vise, throw a heavy rag over it, and hit it with a biggish hammer to snap that 8" in half. Hah, or just buy a little file! I sometimes try to do things the inventive way, rather than the quick, sensible way. How did the pile burn?

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Burned really well and long. Might do a vid here in a bit and credit you!

[@smsgtbulldog]

Doan’s are the ones for me. The ones made with Chinesium can be almost impossible to get lit. The Doan company only sells their products on line now and have been almost driven out of business by cheapo mag bars. A light coat of oil will protect both the ferro rod and the mag bar without hindering performance.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Thanks for the tips!

[@oddballdynamics.9658]

The bars will oxidize and darken but only a thin layer that actually protects it. Easy to scrape off and expose fresh magnesium. The powder will go bad as there is much more surface area to oxidize.

[@robertlittle9907]

No they do not go bad I am 58 years old and I've been carrying one for the last 48 years in my pocket. and it still works as good today as it did back then

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Good to know! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@FiredUpKnifeandTool]

10 years with a coghlans for me ...

[@robs5688]

I've heard magnesium can cause sterility and erectile disfunction if placed near testicles for extended periods of time.

[@robs5688]

I just tested 2 that I've had for 30 or more years, stored in a pouch indoors, and they both worked fine. Because I bought them so long ago, I don't think either one is Chinese made.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Outstanding info! Thank you very much for sharing that!! And thanks for dropping in!

[@squirrely-dee-crew]

I've been practicing with my HF Mag block and I've found that if you run the hacksaw blades' toothed edge over the widest and flatest part of the block at various angles, you get more dust, faster. Works pretty good.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Sounds like a great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@charlesmckinney]

Ive got a couple about 20 years old and they both still work. There seems to be a very, very thin oxidation on both, but they work fine.

[@Ironmanpizza78]

I bought the Harbor Freight magnesium fire starter yesterday April 18 over night it became corroded after getting wet

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

I may have to buy one to torture test. Maybe leave it out for a month and see what happens. Guessing it'd form a corrosion patina, but once you scrape through it'd probably function fine. Incidentally, I taught a MOSS class 3 months ago and started two piles, American mag bar and Chinese, side-by-side, and invited the students to tell me which was which. Group was about 12 people and they could not discern any appreciable difference. Thanks for checking in Glenn! Wishing health & happiness to you and yours during the present difficulties. - - BWD - -

[@cliffowens3629]

About 25 yrs ago I worked at a wastewater plant and was involved in cleaning out one of the grit chambers. As I did my shovel uncovered a Doan's that was marked Aviation and date stamped 6/84. Worked fine including the ferro rod and I keep it in my pocket to this day. I think Doan's is defunct now isn't it?

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Sounds like you found a military issue model. I think they closed doors in 2016 according to their old page: www.doanfirestarter.com/ Thanks for stopping in!!!

[@cliffowens3629]

Went to the link and tapped. " Not available. " bummer

[@cliffowens3629]

Tried sending an email to the address for Steve. Bounced back as nonexistent. Too bad. Wonder if an Army Navy Surplus might carry. Haven't seen an AN in ft Lauderdale or Davie Florida in years.

[@cliffowens3629]

Stay well and thanks

[@ericf7063]

Under EDC conditions it should be fine indefinitely. It's an element. However it can be altered. Wikipedia: "When exposed to steam, magnesium changes from magnesium to magnesium oxide and hydrogen. When exposed to cold water, the reaction is a bit different. The reaction does not stop because the magnesium hydroxide gets insoluble in water. Oxygen: When exposed to oxygen, magnesium turns into magnesium oxide" Then also to consider is if the mag rod is mixed with other metals which alter it's natural properties and further muddies the water. I guess the answer is maybe

[@kluke6094]

I had one that was about 20 years old. It oxidized and turned completely black. I was curious if it still worked, and it did just fine.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Wow, good to know! Thanks much for sharing that info!!!

[@adamboylan2307]

I had a fire steel that spent most of its time in a damp environment. When i finally decided to pull it out again to use it, it was nearly completely disintegrated. All that was left was a light grey powdery pile of corrosion. It took about 6 months in this damp environment to destroy it. Maybe other sizes and brands of fire steels are better. But that’s what happened to me. I think magnesium bars have a lot of the same type materials as fire steel. So maybe they react similar. Just a theory.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing that information!

[@MrTangent]

Fire steels aka ferrocerium rods are completely different from magnesium. The ‘ferro’ indicates iron, and ‘cerium’ indicates the rare earth element cerium. It is the ferrous (iron) property that decomposes (rusts) when exposed to excess humidity/moisture. A way to combat this is to apply clear fingernail polish on them, or beeswax or similar sealant (petroleum jelly, lanolin, etc.). Magnesium on the other hand is very resistant to water-induced decomposition. It forms an oxide layer that generally protects it from said destruction.

[@jamesgorman5692]

I've never heard of it before, I guess if you were storing it for a while you could paint it and scrape it off when you need it.

[@go2yadramah415]

Funny thing I have not found one person mention this these magnesium bars will rust so that is something that needs to be understood as to thier weaknesses. But I have found it better that you treat the magnesium as a wet weather substitute but use your ferro rod as it's striker. You will find it will suit your striking needs and far out last the striker the magnesium one has.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Great tip! I have found that the ferro rods are often epoxied into the bar and can fall out. Just something to be mindful of. Redundant systems..."Two is on and one is NONE!" Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

[@Sacpilot531]

about 15 years ago i purchased a mag bar and a small tub of powdered mag. I worked great but recently i tried it and it will spark for a second and go out. The powder was a nice silver color originally but now it is a dark grey. The only thing I can figure it is oxidized over the years. So the bar might not go bad but the powder can!

[@rickace132]

I just tested my cheap Chinese one I bought 11 years ago, still works. I kept it in a cool dry place, inside of a ziplock.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Good to hear! Thanks for sharing that!!

[@BlackRifleSurvival]

I've never heard of them going bad, the Doan bars are the best out there next to pure ingots. I have the Chinese made ones they are ok. I agree with your points

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Thanks for contributing your input BRS! A Z.E.R.T. forum member posted they were aware of some extremely poor quality Chinese-made bars. They suspected that there was too much inert metal added. I think the lessons here are, 1.) Like a lot of gear, always purchase the best quality you can buy [afford], and 2.) If you must buy a non-DOAN'S brand, test your bar and confirm it will work before you rely on it. I notice UST is marketing one and I am wondering where it is made.

[@Goddess1Princess]

Ust is usa based

[@nickw3657]

If its softer it has more Mg in it... These Chinese Models are a blend of tin, aluminum, and Magnesium. I bought Raw 99.9% Mg Round bars for just a few bucks each to try out. Quality matters. The Doan bar can peel off with a knife blade if needed due to how soft Mg is.

[@CanItAlready]

Take a closer look at that Coghlan's. If it's like mine it's marked Made In USA.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Haha, yes, thank you, another viewer PM'ed that to me. Maybe I need new glasses! Thanks for stopping by friend!

[@steersman-zv2ng]

If a fire wants to climb explain then how come an upside down fire starts so good .

[@branni6538]

Fire is heat, solid or liquid fuel and oxygen/gas. An upside down draws oxygen up through the bottom piles of wood without being smothered entirely by ash. The coals remain fed and burn down slowly due to heat, fuel and oxygen. Fire does burn up as hot gasses are heavier than cold air and so rise. Flames seen going up are a mixture of ignited flammable solids, liquids and gases. The burn that goes down or sideways is consumed by heat, not usually by flame itself but by coals. The flammables are consumed above in flame drawn up into the fire and the below consumed by heat.

[@meerkatzThe23]

oh,they can even go pretty feisty

[@pranays]

Even coghlan's seems to burn faster than the blocks I got in the late 80's early 90's

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

The DOAN'S are supposed to be the "Gold Standard" on these. I wonder if the military still issues them?

[@tikkidaddy]

Get a KNOWN pure magnesium bar the same size and dimensions as your Chinese bar. Take the ferro and accessories off and weigh both bars. Is the Chinese bar HEAVIER? Aluminum is heavier than Mg.

[@davidsanders1991]

Good fire! Great video. Practice, practice, practice.

[@rustamgani6826]

You're right!!! Practice, practice, practice!!!

[@99Racker]

How about a knife blade? The handle is made for the hand. You can improve your knife blades by taking a file and flattening the back of your knife blades. Even a SS blade can be used to shave the magnesium. Thanks for the videos.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

That's a great idea. I have made notches on the spines of a couple of my knives to scrape a ferro rod...don't trust myself to get a good 90 on the whole spine lol. Thanks for dropping in and have a great year outdoors!

[@FiredUpKnifeandTool]

10 years with a coghlans for me i didnt like the doans ended up giving it away

[@QuantumMech_88]

The doan Is hard as a rock and having been issued one many years ago , I've never been a fan of magnesium blocks . ATB

[@FiredUpKnifeandTool]

@@QuantumMech_88 mag blocks should not be that hard

[@QuantumMech_88]

Once again - I have seen more than a few doans' and other magnesium "survival" components while teaching at the JOTC in Panama and later teaching civilians . In my experiences , the magnesium bar is a waste of time . When I need fire , I want it now . A ferro rod with my homemade tinder + strips of innertube is an infinitely better choice and is a backup to a Zippo lighter and lifeboat matches .

[@FiredUpKnifeandTool]

@@QuantumMech_88 here in the PNW i agree that a mag bar isnt always necessary but when your out of your premade tinder everything is soaked through including a zippo and lifeboat matches just arent cutting it then its nice to have ....im not discounting your training or experience but it very much depends on the climate your in as to what will work consistently but in every climate a mag bar and ferro rod will work ...in my experience even at 45 below a ferro rod and mag bar will perform whereas lifeboat matches and zippos both can fail and be extremely difficult to use while gloved

[@QuantumMech_88]

I have a home in AK - NM and live in Finland part of the year . Was stationed at Ft. Lewis for 15 months . Why is your fire making gear soaked when you should be keeping it dry ? If your fire gear in a shirt pocket under a parka is "soaked" = so are you . All due respect - I've made friction fires in the PNW under a poncho in freezing rain more than once and can build a fire at 50 below without gloves for the 10 minutes it takes to get a fire going after doing the prior preparations . I have no idea what your skill level is ... and it's none of my business . Have a great weekend Jesse .

[@Goddess1Princess]

note coghlan's are made in the usa

[@quercus4730]

Never owned a doan's, the chinese made mag bar has started many fires no problem.

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

I just taught a class on trail safety and survival a few weeks ago and I did a demo using shavings from a COGHLAN'S [USA made] and a HARBOR FREIGHT [Chinese] and asked the students their opinion on burn time and quality of burn. The students all opined that they could see no discernible difference between the two. Interesting huh?

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Really excellent comparison here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKOnfnSFoa56l7s

[@tikkidaddy]

Hey Devil...a pad of 0000 steel wool is a mans best friend. Hit THAT with a good ferro, or a 9 volt battery dude...but don't degrease it...just right out the pack. You can use it to gently polish the lead and fouling out of barrels and cylinders if all you have is a push bob gun cleaning rod! No damage. Gotta be #0000 superfine.

[@joepoelmans5910]

Even if its rusts ive seen jute and cotton mixed with rust and rolled which combusts into fire so either way is good

[@tikkidaddy]

Devil: good video. The problem with these Chinese mag bars is that they add ALUMINUM and other white metals and its NOT pure lab grade stuff. Now will POWDERED aluminum burn?? Sure. if you mix it with RUST and magnesium, but they can't put RUST (iron oxide) in the bat! So I get mine from GalliumSource off ebay, or I get Firesteel.com stuff. Pure lab grade mag is the WTG. Dian's bars are great but here again so much stuff is faked now. Aluminum makes the bars harder to shave off too!

[@BushcraftWoodsDevil]

Outstanind info Mark. Thank you very much for sharing this!

[@tikkidaddy]

DOANS