Road Flares for Fire Starting?

EHCRain10 · 02-23-2008, 09:18 PM

What do you guys think of using the roadside emergency flares to start a fire in a survival situation?
the ones that ive found burn for 15-20mins each so they should be able to get even wet tinder to burn.
any ideas?

toolman · 02-23-2008, 09:35 PM

Seems like a mite overkill to me, but in a survival situation they should work fine.

The_Patriot · 02-23-2008, 10:47 PM

Why not just get a magnesium fire starter? They're cheap, light, small and start lots of fires. Magnesium burns REAL hot and can start wet stuff also. Do a Google on "magnesium fire starter" if you haven't seen them before.

GlockMeister · 02-23-2008, 11:46 PM

If you want something small to start a fire for camping or survival, might I suggest one of these. I have one and that word GREAT! You can get them in black,yellow,red and a couple other colors I think. And that;s about the best price you'll find. One seller had a video of him using it to start steel wool on fire to demonstrate how hot the sparks get. Trust me, it does as I tried it.
GunBroker.com guns: Ultimate Survival BlastMatch™ fire starter (item: 93030359 ends: Feb-24-08 05:29:59 PM)

EHCRain10 · 02-23-2008, 11:59 PM

all the advice i see about packing a survival kit says to have at least 2 ways to start a fire and i was thinking that these could be a third way in a dire situation or a way to signal at night

GlockMeister · 02-24-2008, 12:04 AM

Well yes, at least 2 ways. Matches can get wet. Something could get lost or broken. Generally, I try to have one that isn't mechanical in nature. As they can break. So one of the 2, will be non mechanical or strictly manual. But those I mentioned are small and compact. Someone will always find fault in something if they look hard enough. lol Persoanlly, I think a flare is a good idea. Gopher it.

I mean if a doctor orders enough tests on someone that's healthy, eventually they'll find something wrong. lmao

samuel · 02-24-2008, 06:01 AM

Highway fuzees draw moisture and deteriorate very easily. sam.

Wingwiper · 02-24-2008, 07:09 AM

I am not sure what you all mean by the SHTF, but if it is because we are over run by the enemy for whatever reasons, whether it is for our oil fields or whatever, then you would not want to give away your position to everyone.

For fire
carry flint
magnesium fire starter
Carbide smoker,
l.e.d. flashlight, far less power consumption than an ordinary bulb
sections of rawhide to to be able to use the stick fire starter routine.
matches

ArkansasHunter · 02-24-2008, 07:41 AM

I think it's a good idea to use flares or anything else that will light a fire in a SHTF situation.
I don't like being cold so anything that would get a fire going fast would be super dupper to me.
A.H

Dookiebutt · 02-24-2008, 07:42 AM

I have a case of something called tryoxane. It's used to heat MREs. It looks like compressed laundry detergent. It burns very well.

killer · 02-24-2008, 10:47 AM

I think you can figure out where I work due to my avatar and we use flares (fusee's) alot. Some of the "goofballs" I work with use them to light cigarettes. They have a tendency not to have long careers I've noticed....accident prone and all.

Rain and wet sloppy snow will put the darn things out at times so they are not as great as one might think. But if you had wet tinder and needed something to assist and keep a good flame going for awhile I'd say they'd be good.

One problem "new hires" find out is they stick them in their personel bags (grips) they use while out on the road and they are somewhat fragile. In a few weeks they find the magnesium powder has leaked all over their stuff.

Like samuel said they have to be stored in a dry place, and keep them from rubbing on stuff while transporting and yaaaaaaa...I think a couple in the ole SHTF gear trunk not a bad idea.

I had a terrible thought one night as I sneaked a ride in the caboose of a foreign railroad as they creeped through our yard heading home. The floor of the caboose was soaked with fuel oil from over the years. As I dismounted from the caboose I thought, "Wonder if I tossed a fusee in there by the time they were crossing the Mississippi river off our property if the hind end would be lit up like a torch? That would be kind of cool."

Hey now...just a thought and I don't act on all my thought's. You know how things just pop in there uninvited..."Billy" I could use some help here.

samuel · 02-24-2008, 11:26 AM

Wingwiper:sh** hit the fan.

Wingwiper · 02-24-2008, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samuel

Wingwiper:sh** hit the fan.

Sam

I know what the letters meant, just not sure under what scenerio they are referring.

BPierce · 02-24-2008, 11:35 PM

Charcoal lighter fluid, read the cautions on the can and don't spill it on yourself.

mrloring · 02-25-2008, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samuel

Highway fuzees draw moisture and deteriorate very easily. sam.

I am a fire fighter so I get to use these fairly often. They will absorb moisture very quickly and then they are worthless. It actually takes very little moisture to ruin the striker on a flare. I tried to use one to light a campfire once, it doesn't work that well. Flares are designed to be held with the burning end up, like a candle, if they are held upside down they may go out. If you do use one light the flare, lay it down, and then put kindling on the flare.

sell33 · 02-25-2008, 08:31 PM

Only thing i have ever used a road flare for was to try to light a charcoal grill at a tailgate party because we forgot matches lol, it worked but was slow. Not surprising tho cause charcoal is always a slow burner...

BPierce · 02-26-2008, 02:46 PM

mrloring, I have been told that firefighters particularly forest fire people use fuel oil to start a fire. It burns hot but sometimes can be a little hard to ignite. I like to mix in a little gasoline but that means you have to be real careful. Having worked in a hospital, I can attest to the folly of using accelerants to start a fire when in a less than sober condition. A little squeeze bottle of an accelerant that you are familiar with is not a bad thing to have in an emergency.

damage855 · 02-26-2008, 02:57 PM

clorine pool tablets, then drop a little brake fluid on them..

mrloring · 02-26-2008, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BPierce

mrloring, I have been told that firefighters particularly forest fire people use fuel oil to start a fire. It burns hot but sometimes can be a little hard to ignite. I like to mix in a little gasoline but that means you have to be real careful. Having worked in a hospital, I can attest to the folly of using accelerants to start a fire when in a less than sober condition. A little squeeze bottle of an accelerant that you are familiar with is not a bad thing to have in an emergency.

That is true. In my area we have never had to fight fire with fire. When we do a training though, burn down an old house or in the countys metal burn building, we will use kerosene or diesel fuel. It is much safer than gasoline because it is not as volatile. We light up with a road flare either way.

Amarksman · 03-27-2008, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damage855

clorine pool tablets, then drop a little brake fluid on them..

Thats a new one to me. Care to ellaborate a little?

02-23-2008, 09:18 PM	#1
EHCRain10 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dinwiddie, VA Posts: 115 Trader Rating: (0)	Road Flares for Fire Starting? What do you guys think of using the roadside emergency flares to start a fire in a survival situation? the ones that ive found burn for 15-20mins each so they should be able to get even wet tinder to burn. any ideas?

02-23-2008, 09:35 PM	#2
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,354 Trader Rating: (0)	Seems like a mite overkill to me, but in a survival situation they should work fine. __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun!

02-23-2008, 10:47 PM	#3
The_Patriot Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Middle of Ohio Posts: 271 Trader Rating: (0)	Why not just get a magnesium fire starter? They're cheap, light, small and start lots of fires. Magnesium burns REAL hot and can start wet stuff also. Do a Google on "magnesium fire starter" if you haven't seen them before. __________________ "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." Tom Paine 1776

02-23-2008, 11:46 PM	#4
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 4,936 Trader Rating: (0)	If you want something small to start a fire for camping or survival, might I suggest one of these. I have one and that word GREAT! You can get them in black,yellow,red and a couple other colors I think. And that;s about the best price you'll find. One seller had a video of him using it to start steel wool on fire to demonstrate how hot the sparks get. Trust me, it does as I tried it. GunBroker.com guns: Ultimate Survival BlastMatch™ fire starter (item: 93030359 ends: Feb-24-08 05:29:59 PM) __________________ I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6!

02-24-2008, 12:04 AM	#6
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 4,936 Trader Rating: (0)	Well yes, at least 2 ways. Matches can get wet. Something could get lost or broken. Generally, I try to have one that isn't mechanical in nature. As they can break. So one of the 2, will be non mechanical or strictly manual. But those I mentioned are small and compact. Someone will always find fault in something if they look hard enough. lol Persoanlly, I think a flare is a good idea. Gopher it. I mean if a doctor orders enough tests on someone that's healthy, eventually they'll find something wrong. lmao __________________ I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6!

02-23-2008, 11:59 PM	#5
EHCRain10 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dinwiddie, VA Posts: 115 Trader Rating: (0)	all the advice i see about packing a survival kit says to have at least 2 ways to start a fire and i was thinking that these could be a third way in a dire situation or a way to signal at night

02-24-2008, 06:01 AM	#7
samuel Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,050 Trader Rating: (0)	Highway fuzees draw moisture and deteriorate very easily. sam.

02-24-2008, 07:09 AM	#8
Wingwiper Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 790 Trader Rating: (0)	I am not sure what you all mean by the SHTF, but if it is because we are over run by the enemy for whatever reasons, whether it is for our oil fields or whatever, then you would not want to give away your position to everyone. For fire carry flint magnesium fire starter Carbide smoker, l.e.d. flashlight, far less power consumption than an ordinary bulb sections of rawhide to to be able to use the stick fire starter routine. matches

02-24-2008, 07:41 AM	#9
ArkansasHunter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 10,504 Trader Rating: (0)	I think it's a good idea to use flares or anything else that will light a fire in a SHTF situation. I don't like being cold so anything that would get a fire going fast would be super dupper to me. A.H

02-24-2008, 07:42 AM	#10
Dookiebutt Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,020 Trader Rating: (0)	I have a case of something called tryoxane. It's used to heat MREs. It looks like compressed laundry detergent. It burns very well.

02-24-2008, 10:47 AM	#11
killer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In the rat race Posts: 907 Trader Rating: (0)	I think you can figure out where I work due to my avatar and we use flares (fusee's) alot. Some of the "goofballs" I work with use them to light cigarettes. They have a tendency not to have long careers I've noticed....accident prone and all. Rain and wet sloppy snow will put the darn things out at times so they are not as great as one might think. But if you had wet tinder and needed something to assist and keep a good flame going for awhile I'd say they'd be good. One problem "new hires" find out is they stick them in their personel bags (grips) they use while out on the road and they are somewhat fragile. In a few weeks they find the magnesium powder has leaked all over their stuff. Like samuel said they have to be stored in a dry place, and keep them from rubbing on stuff while transporting and yaaaaaaa...I think a couple in the ole SHTF gear trunk not a bad idea. I had a terrible thought one night as I sneaked a ride in the caboose of a foreign railroad as they creeped through our yard heading home. The floor of the caboose was soaked with fuel oil from over the years. As I dismounted from the caboose I thought, "Wonder if I tossed a fusee in there by the time they were crossing the Mississippi river off our property if the hind end would be lit up like a torch? That would be kind of cool." Hey now...just a thought and I don't act on all my thought's. You know how things just pop in there uninvited..."Billy" I could use some help here. __________________ "Yeee Hawww...I'm a cowboy on an iron horse." Killer's cabin: http://buckmountainchateau.com/

02-24-2008, 11:26 AM	#12
samuel Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,050 Trader Rating: (0)	Wingwiper:sh** hit the fan.

02-24-2008, 11:35 PM	#14
BPierce Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Minnesota (Becker County) Posts: 140 Trader Rating: (0)	Charcoal lighter fluid, read the cautions on the can and don't spill it on yourself. Last edited by BPierce; 02-24-2008 at 11:42 PM.

02-25-2008, 08:31 PM	#16
sell33 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,041 Trader Rating: (0)	Only thing i have ever used a road flare for was to try to light a charcoal grill at a tailgate party because we forgot matches lol, it worked but was slow. Not surprising tho cause charcoal is always a slow burner...

02-26-2008, 02:46 PM	#17
BPierce Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Minnesota (Becker County) Posts: 140 Trader Rating: (0)	mrloring, I have been told that firefighters particularly forest fire people use fuel oil to start a fire. It burns hot but sometimes can be a little hard to ignite. I like to mix in a little gasoline but that means you have to be real careful. Having worked in a hospital, I can attest to the folly of using accelerants to start a fire when in a less than sober condition. A little squeeze bottle of an accelerant that you are familiar with is not a bad thing to have in an emergency.

02-26-2008, 02:57 PM	#18
damage855 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina / Lake Norman Posts: 886 Trader Rating: (0)	clorine pool tablets, then drop a little brake fluid on them.. __________________ If total goverment control will make us all safer, then why are prisons so dangerous?