How to use a Fire Piston
This guide is in progress. Soon with video tutorials!
This guide will be a step by step guide with photos on the use and maintenance of your fire piston. As soon as our lathe starts cranking out the fire pistons we will be shooting and editing our video guide. In the meantime we will be laying out the steps for you to use with a fire piston if you have one from a different manufacturer.
Build your tinder nest. It is critical
that you do this first.
Remove piston plunger from the piston sleeve.
Place a small amount of char-cloth or tinder
fungus in the tinder hole.
The amount is really not too critical here because the coal that is lit can always be enlarged with more char cloth in the tinder bundle. Just pack it in lightly and make sure none is hanging out of the tinder hole.
The amount is really not too critical here because the coal that is lit can always be enlarged with more char cloth in the tinder bundle. Just pack it in lightly and make sure none is hanging out of the tinder hole.
Lube piston if necessary.
If the piston is dry put some vaseline on it. Try and keep it between the tinder hole and the o-ring. Do not use a lot just enough so that the piston slides nicely. You can test the lube amount without any tinder.
If the piston is dry put some vaseline on it. Try and keep it between the tinder hole and the o-ring. Do not use a lot just enough so that the piston slides nicely. You can test the lube amount without any tinder.
Replace the piston at the top of the piston
sleeve.
Be very careful here. Do not dislodge the tinder or push hard on the o-ring. You may need to wiggle back and forth to get the o-ring past the lip of the piston cylinder. Do not depress the piston yet. The more air space at this point the better so keep it up close to the opening. We have also found it helpful to have the piston cylinder upside down at this point. It allows you to get the tinder in, making sure that it doesn't fall into the cylinder.
Be very careful here. Do not dislodge the tinder or push hard on the o-ring. You may need to wiggle back and forth to get the o-ring past the lip of the piston cylinder. Do not depress the piston yet. The more air space at this point the better so keep it up close to the opening. We have also found it helpful to have the piston cylinder upside down at this point. It allows you to get the tinder in, making sure that it doesn't fall into the cylinder.
Rapidly depress the piston into the piston
sleeve.
This is where the magic happens. It is also the most maddening part of getting a fire piston to work. There is a certain amount of finesse required to reliably use a fire piston. Included in your purchase instructions are the keys that we have discovered for reliable piston depression timing.
This is where the magic happens. It is also the most maddening part of getting a fire piston to work. There is a certain amount of finesse required to reliably use a fire piston. Included in your purchase instructions are the keys that we have discovered for reliable piston depression timing.
You will see a bright flash if it is dark
enough.
You will likely have a coal if you get a good flash here. Also you may feel the piston push out a bit. That is just the expansion of the gasses in the cylinder. Frankly it scared me a bit when it happened to me the first time. Don't worry it is normal. If you do not have a coal here go to the end and read the very important instructions there.
You will likely have a coal if you get a good flash here. Also you may feel the piston push out a bit. That is just the expansion of the gasses in the cylinder. Frankly it scared me a bit when it happened to me the first time. Don't worry it is normal. If you do not have a coal here go to the end and read the very important instructions there.
Remove the piston from the sleeve carefully.
Pop the piston out of the cylinder. A quick fluid motion is required here to make sure the tinder doesn't dislodge. Also you can at this point give the tinder a little air by blowing to make sure it is lit. Don't heat it up too much or you can melt the tinder hole. If you do not have a coal here go to the end and read the very important instructions there.
Pop the piston out of the cylinder. A quick fluid motion is required here to make sure the tinder doesn't dislodge. Also you can at this point give the tinder a little air by blowing to make sure it is lit. Don't heat it up too much or you can melt the tinder hole. If you do not have a coal here go to the end and read the very important instructions there.
Dislodge the tinder from the tinder hole.
Included in your kit is a nail. Use that to knock the tinder coal into your bundle.
Included in your kit is a nail. Use that to knock the tinder coal into your bundle.
Place tinder into tinder nest.
Pretty self explanatory here.
Pretty self explanatory here.
Blow tinder nest into fire.
Have at it. This takes practice too. Blow and keep crunching the tinder nest to make good contact with the coal. If you are worried about burning your hands just use some leather gloves. You will get the hang of it really fast.
Have at it. This takes practice too. Blow and keep crunching the tinder nest to make good contact with the coal. If you are worried about burning your hands just use some leather gloves. You will get the hang of it really fast.
Very important!!! If you do not get a coal! Very important!!!
You must purge the cylinder. When it is depressed you use up the available oxygen.
The piston WILL NOT fire until it is purged, either by you or by waiting 10-15 minutes. Take the nail, included in the kit, and put the head first into the cylinder. Run it up and down a few times to get some fresh air in there. If you don't have a nail a cotton swab, stick, will work. You can also blow across the cylinder like a bottle to make the toot noise but the nail works really well.
Then go back to the top and TRY AGAIN and AGAIN until you get it. This is the part that gets frustrating. There is a timing and finesse to using these. They all have been tested before they leave the production facility. They do work but there is an error in the construction process, that is the user. It takes time to get the correct rhythm. Once you get it you will make a coal 90% of the time with char-cloth. Maybe less with other tinder but char-cloth is super easy, once you get the rhythm down right.
If you run out of char cloth here is how to make some yourself. Making Char Cloth