Fire - Fire Piston (original) (raw)

The fire piston is a unique method of producing fire. In spite of the appearance of needing higher technology to invent and construct a fire piston, it is indeed a primitive technique.

Fire pistons rely on the principle that when air is compressed, it heats up (this is the same principle that is used in diesel engines). If you compress air enough, it will heat up enough to ignite tinder.

A fire piston consists of a cylinder and a plunger that fits into the cylinder with a nearly air-tight seal. A tinder material is placed into the cylinder and the plunger inserted a short ways. Then the plunger is suddenly and quickly forced down into the cylinder, compressing the air and raising its temperature quickly and igniting the tinder. The plunger is removed and the tinder carefully dumped out into a larger tinder bundle and then blown into flame. Tinder fungus is an excellent natural tinder to use with fire pistons.

Three fire pistons are shown here on this website, with pictures, a movie of each, and descriptions.