HOW TO MAKE A QUALITY FIRE PISTON

© Greg Grant 2008

First off I want to thank you for purchasing these instructions. Before we
get going I want you to know the plans you have received are to make a
quality fire piston. There are other plans out there that just screw a cap on
a pipe, and away you go, this however does not work. The plans you have
will take a small amount of effort but it will make a piston that will last.
Alright with that being said lets get going.

First head to the hardware store, you will need

the following: (1) 1/8”x5 ½” or 6” brass nipple pipe (the inside is about
¼”). (2) 6” x ¼” bolts, we will talk about the second bolts use latter. (1)
plug that will fit on the end of the pipe. (1) knob that will fit on to the
threads of the bolt. (1) tube of Quik Steel, this is an epoxy that dries like
steel, or JB weld. And finally a few “O” rings, they need to be ¼” O.D, X
1/8” I.D, 1/16” wall thickness. You need to get “O” rings of this size.
 Now cut one end of the threads off, so you will
have a pipe that is 4 ¾” in total length.

Now follow the directions on the Quik Steel,

then make a small ball that is big enough to fill half of the end plug, now
drop into the plug.

Now the ball is in the end plug use one of the

bolts to smash it into place and make the top flat, this should only fill half
of the end plug. If need be dig some out or add to get the plug filled half
way and again tap it flat.
 This is what it should look like after you have it
tapped flat.

Now working fast before this stuff starts to set

up, about 4-5 minutes screw the end cap on to the pipe. Use a pair of pliers
and a wrench to tighten the plug on to the pipe as tight as you can get it.
Then use one of the bolts to drop down into the pipe to again flatten the
bottom by gently using a tapping up and down method. Now set this unit
aside for the Quik Steel to dry. This will take about 1-2 hours.

Now get a hammer and a punch. It needs to be

round and tapered to go into the end of the barrel.
 Now drive the punch down into the barrel. What
you are doing is “flaring” out the end, so the piston and “O” ring can be
placed into the barrel easily. Without doing this you will never get the “O”
ring into the barrel.

Its hard to see, but between the arrows the barrel

is a little wider this will allow the piston and “O” ring to slide into the
barrel.

Now lets start working on the bolt. You need to

use a hack saw and cut the bolt head off so you will have a shaft with a
total length of 5 ½” long. NOTE: Ignore the groove on the bolt in this
picture.
 We now need to cut the “O” ring groove on the
end of the bolt. We will now start calling the bolt the “piston”. First make
a mark 1/8” from the end, (the end you just cut the head off of). Now get
your drill and put the threaded end into the chuck, just hand tighten it, do
not use the chuck key or you will damage the threads. Now find something
to place under the shaft at the half way point, in the picture I am using a
tape measure. Now start the drill turning at about half speed and lower the
saw on to you mark, do not apply a lot of pressure at first until you have a
groove starting. Sound confusing, don’t worry. Click on the link below
and watch the short video I made of this process. Its not to hard, you will
get the hang of it. Click on this link below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT2e_eRRmhk

Now this is what you should have for the “O”

ring groove.
 Now you want to check the depth and width of
the groove by placing the “O” ring into the groove and test fit it into the
barrel. Place a small amount of Vaseline on to the “O” ring and test fit it.
It should be snug. If its to tight cut the groove a little deeper, or wider and
keep test fitting.

After you have a good fit into the barrel. Now

you need to drill a 1/8” hole in the end of the piston. This is accomplished
easier if you have someone hold the piston straight up and down and use a
center punch to get a starting point centered in the piston. You need to
take your time and get it centered. Drill the hole about 1/8” deep.
 Now after you have the hole in the center you
need to take the hack saw and cut a line through the center of the hole and
the piston, this helps to hold your starting tinder in place when firing the
piston. Just cut it shallow, DO NOT cut into the “O” ring groove. If you
do you will need to start all over with a new bolt, because this will cause
the piston to leak.

Now place the “O” ring back on to the piston

and check for any burs around your cuts you have made with the hack
saw, if you feel any use the file to remove them.
 Now this is where the second bolt comes in.
Use this bolt to wrap a small piece of napkin around and run it up and
down in the barrel. Do this a few times and change out the napkin, it will
be black from grease and dirt when the pipe was being made. Do this a
few time to get the barrel as clean as possible.

This is what the napkin will look like, it will be

black, keep changing it out until you have a fairly clean napkin.

Now again place a small amount of Vaseline on

to the “O” ring and test the unit out.
 You should be able to push the piston down
about 2/3 of the way down then you should feel pressure starting to build.
Push it as hard as you can down you should not be able to bottom the
piston out. If you can you have a leak in the “O” ring, you need to inspect
it, and the barrel for debris.

After you have the hang of what it should feel

like, put some char cloth into the end of the piston and start learning to fire
it. Belief me it takes some practice to master this. After every couple of
tries, run the bolt with the napkin up and down a few time to keep the
barrel clean. Remember to use a VERY small amount of Vaseline on the
“O” ring only. Do not get it on your tinder, be it char cloth or chaga (this
is a type of fungus on birch trees). This completes the build of the fire
piston. You have built a unit that will last a very long time. Now you
know the basics of how these things work you can use different materials,
to make your own design. To watch this fire piston in action, and what you
should see after some trial and error, click on the link listed below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg9rRDMuY78
I want to say thank you again, and hope you can teach other people how to
build and use these primitive fire starting devices. I know myself and
everyone who sees one of these things create an ember are amazed at how
it works. Have fun, be safe, and enjoy the great outdoors. Thanks again.
Greg Grant

DISCLAIMER
NOW THE LEGAL STUFF. THESE DIRECTIONS AND PICTURES
ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. YOU AT YOUR
OWN RISK ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN
SAFETY AND SKILL LEVEL. I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
ANY DAMAGE TO PERSON OR PROPERTY FOR ATTEMPTING TO
MAKE OR USE THE FIRE PISTON AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.
ALL TEXT, PICTURES, AND VIDEO ARE COPYRIGHTED.