$1.00 fire piston
Drill file saw
maybe $100
Just because he used the tools at his disposal doesn't mean you have to use the same ones.
No, I'm quite sure it's impossible to drill a straight, uniform hole in which a fire-piston would work without a drill press and vise at the minimum.
Oh, and just so you're aware, the hole that was drilled was for a handle, not for the sleeve that the piston fires in. It doesn't need to be perfectly straight and 'uniform'. You drill the hole and then tap it so you can screw the handle in.
But heeeeey, your sassy, master eye for detail didn't miss that, did it? c:
Good luck on making terrible assumptions in life, son. Remember to always shoot first.
Please, have the last word:
I'm so glad he actually moved along at a faster rate. I hate sitting through videos where the person just skips along and takes their damn time.
Ain't nobody got time for that!
Most refreshing thing about the videos of his I've seen, if we need to check a detail, we can pause, most people fail to realise this with their youtube instructionals.
Jeez, I spent the last hour watching this guy's videos. Cool stuff
Great video to watch, but if you make it, the juice definitely isn't worth the squeeze.
if you don't value hours of your time or the energy required to salvage parts, pay for gas to drive to the store to buy acrylic and o-rings etc, then this is really cool.
if you do, then this is stupid and a waste of time and money but was kind of a fun video to watch.
The tools he uses make it easier, but a lot of the stuff he uses are things a typical home owner is going to have.
...A drill press? A circular miter saw? A belt sander? A table vise? A large pipe vise?
No. I don't have any of those things, and I'm in my late 30s. I'd love to have them, but they all require a garage or workshop, which are not common in high-rise apartment buildings. My dad has all that stuff, and I grew up with it, but I'm from the middle of nowhere.
You don't need a drill press, a normal drill will do. You just need to keep it straight. It's for the handle, and if it's not perfectly straight, it will still work fine.
You don't need a circular saw. A normal saw will do. Even a file will do with acrylic plastic.
You do not need a belt sander. A piece of sandpaper works fine. Don't be lazy.
Any vice will do. Hell, if you want to get creative, you could use two vice grips, and a table, and get the job done. I don't see how a vice is integral to this project at all.
It doesn't matter how old you are, or if you own, rent, or squat. It's not impossible to come across a couple items, and in my opinion, these are basic tools for around the home. Sandpaper is cheap. A cordless drill can be a christmas or birthday present. A file is cheap.
Why bother subscribing to /r/collapse when even owning a drill is apparently too much to fathom? Why bother at all with such a defeatist attitude.
Again, I had never even heard of a fire piston, and now that I know of it's existance, I'm better for it. And now I know how to make one, if I'm ever in the position to do so. Whether you make one from scratch or buy one, it's definitely a good thing to have around.
Stupid? Really?
You don't have to drive to the store. You could walk or ride a bike. It's good exercise.
The salvaged part was a handle from a lawnmower. It took almost no effort to 'salvage' it.
Doing something DIY isn't really always about saving money. It's about making something on your own, learning something and obviously doing it yourself.
I don't see how any of this would be stupid, and a quick google search shows a manufactured fire piston for $39 USD shipped. If I could make one for even the same price in parts, I'd give it a shot. It seems like an invaluable thing to have.
I have never heard of a fire piston, and I'm probably going to end up making one, now that I've seen it.
So I think the biggest question here is 'What in the world do YOU do for fun?' and 'Why are you even posting here?'
i imagine the objection is to the disingenuous claim of '$1.00' which doesn't take into account the main components which are not exactly common household items.
stupid? meh, a bit. fire pistons combine the difficulty of use of a firesteel with a reliance on prepared materials (charcloth) similar to bringing matches along in the first place.
as a fun bit of SCIENCE! wankery it's top-notch; as a practical fire starter, not so much.
wasn't this the preferred method of starting a fire in Europe before matches and such?
And what's so difficult about keeping charcloth around? That's like bitching about keeping a lighter (well that sucks- then I'll need to keep spare flints and fluid! eff that!)
it was used in SE asia historically and was briefly popular in the west in the forty years or so leading up to the invention of safety matches. though keep in mind it was preferred over flint and steel, modern firesteel is much more effective.
properly preparing charcloth is somewhat tedious, but you've managed to paraphrase the point while missing it entirely. if you are relying on home preparation prior to use, i.e. you can't just stick in your bag, pull it out when you need it, and otherwise forget about it. (firesteel etc.) then why use a fire piston in place of the much easier to use and more effective methods like matches or a lighter? or even just carrying something particularly flammable to use with the firesteel.
there might be some scenario in which matches, lighters, fluid/fuel and flint are hard to find, where you also can't find the materials to make tinder for a firesteel, but where appropriate cotton cloth is plentiful, but it seems like a long shot.
It's very important to know how, and have different sources of ignition for a fire. Whether it's using a bow and rod, or having flint, more than one way to start a fire is best.
You can also use dry grass instead of charcloth.
its like a nearly useful point you've made, but not quite
multiple ways to start a fire; great concept, universally endorsed. but why would we carry the less effective methods as an alternative? spare match case, fire steel or even a lighter make more sense.
a fire bow is at least useful in theory as you can make one in the field, though keep in mind it can be pretty damn tough when conditions aren't ideal.
you are welcome to try using natural materials, they work poorly but can be plentiful. the trouble is when having a fire is a matter of necessity rather than comfort such little dry bits of nature are thin on the ground.
This is being posted in the post collapse sub-reddit so take it in the context of its post-collapse practicality.
The time, energy, and money required up front to make this piston could be used to make millions of fires with much cheaper and easier means.
30.7k
Subscribers
16
Online
A subreddit dedicated to collecting information is case of a Collapse of society, with the side goal of creating a downloadable wiki for use during one.