with steel, throw it away and find another. Hold your hands close over the dry tinder; strike the flint with a knife blade or other small piece of steel with a sharp, scraping, downward motion so that the sparks fall in the center of the tinder. Adding a few drops of JP-5 to the tinder before you strike the flint will make the tinder flame up-for safety, keep your head to one side. When the tinder begins to smolder, fan it gently into a flame. Then transfer the blazing tinder to the kindling pile or add kindling gradually to the tinder. The wrist compass furnished in the individual survival kit (SRU-31/P) can be used to locate/identify iron-base lodestone.

Burning Glass

Any convex lens can be used in bright sunlight to concentrate the sun's rays on the tinder and start it burning.

Friction

There are many methods of making fire by friction (bow and drill, fire plough, fire thong, etc.), but all require practice. If you are proficient in one of these methods, use it; but remember that flint and steel will give the same results with less work.

Electric Spark

If you are with the aircraft and have a live storage battery, direct a spark onto the tinder by scratching the ends of wires together to produce an arc.

Burning Aircraft Fuel

If you are with the aircraft, you can improvise a stove to burn jet fuel, lubricating oil, or a mixture of them. Place 1 to 2 inches of sand or fine gravel in the bottom of a can or other container and add fuel. Be careful when lighting; the fuel may burst into flames at first. Make slots at the top of the canto let flame and smoke out, and punch holes just above the level of the sand to provide a draft. To make a fire burn longer, mix fuel with oil. If there is no container, simply dig a hole in the ground, fill it with loose dirt, pour on fuel, and light; take care to protect your face and hands. Always ensure that you handle fuel carefully to prevent spilling it on your clothing.

You can use lubricating oil with a wick arrangement for fuel. Make the wick of string, rope, rag, or even a cigarette, and rest it on the edge of a receptacle filled with oil. Also, soak rags, paper, wood, or other fuel in oil, and throw them on the fire.

You can also make a stove out of any empty waxed ration carton by cutting off one end and punching a hole in each side near the unopened end. Stand the carton on the closed end; stuff an empty sack loosely inside the carton, leaving an end hanging over the top; light this end-the stove will burn from the top down and will boil more than a pint of water.

Useful Hints

Do not waste matches by trying to start a poorly prepared fire. Do not use matches for lighting cigarettes; get alight from the fire or use a burning lens. Do not build unnecessary fires; save your fuel. Practice primitive methods of making fires before all the matches are gone.

Carry some dry tinder with you in a water-proof container. Expose it to the sun on dry days. Adding a little powdered charcoal will improve it and allow the tinder to stay dry, as the charcoal will absorb small quantities of water vapor from the humidity. Collect good tinder wherever it can be found.

Collect kindling along the trail before making camp. Keep firewood dry under shelter. Dry damp wood near the fire so that it can be used later. Save some of the best kindling and fuel for quick fire making in the morning.

To split logs, whittle hardwood wedges and drive them into cracks in the log with a rock or club; split wood burns more easily.

To make a fire last overnight, place large logs over it so that the fire will burn into the heart of the logs. When a good bed of coals has been formed, cover it lightly with ashes and then dry earth. In the morning the fire will still be smoldering.

Fire can be carried from one place to another in the form of a lighted punk, smoldering coconut husk, or slow-burning coals. When you want a new fire, fan the smoldering material into flame.

Do not waste fire-making materials. Use only what is necessary to start a fire and to keep it going for the purpose needed. Put out the fire upon leaving the campsite.

ARCTIC. - Do not build a fire under a snow-covered tree-snow may fall and put out the fire.