how to modify spine of esee for firestarter?

[alloyguitar]

I picked up an esee 3 off ebay, and, after giggling like a little girl while turning countess receipts and random sticks into a pile of shavings all over my balcony, I used a small file to remove some of the coating on the spine of the blade, just after the thumb jimping, more or less.

The problem that I'm having is that, with my firestarter, I can barely get it to spark, if at all.

The flint sparks fine with hacksaw blades, a small swiss army knife ripoff, etc. Just not the esee.

I'd seen people perform a similar modification on carbon steel moras, so I was assumming it'd work fine. Anybody have any ideas, or did I ruin the powdercoating on mine for no practical purpose?

 

[Gamez235]

Create an edge on the spine. Like so...



It doesn't have to be a big as this example but a 1/2"-1" will do.

 

[turn4chatter]

I picked up an esee 3 off ebay, and, after giggling like a little girl while turning countess receipts and random sticks into a pile of shavings all over my balcony, I used a small file to remove some of the coating on the spine of the blade, just after the thumb jimping, more or less.

The problem that I'm having is that, with my firestarter, I can barely get it to spark, if at all.

The flint sparks fine with hacksaw blades, a small swiss army knife ripoff, etc. Just not the esee.

I'd seen people perform a similar modification on carbon steel moras, so I was assumming it'd work fine. Anybody have any ideas, or did I ruin the powdercoating on mine for no practical purpose?

I think you need a sharp angle. Just make sure the exposed metal is close to a 90 degree angle as possible. That's my understanding

 

[alloyguitar]

That was mine as well, but no such luck. Or, well, it didn't produce much of a spark when I got it to spark.

I THINK rowen differentially hardens them. Maybe the softer spine is the reason.

 

[grunt soldier]

you have to take the coating off the esee and then the spine needs to be squared. a lot of knife companies round them for more comfort and so you don't tear your hand up on it. try stripping a quarter inch square of the coatin and then just take a sqaure file and file it down just a bit to square it up a bit and it should work much better.

 

[cubby]

you have to take the coating off the esee and then the spine needs to be squared. a lot of knife companies round them for more comfort and so you don't tear your hand up on it. try stripping a quarter inch square of the coatin and then just take a sqaure file and file it down just a bit to square it up a bit and it should work much better.

yep. bare steel and a square edge= sparks!

some sand paper on the spine would do it, eventually. or a bench grinder.

 

[alloyguitar]

you have to take the coating off the esee and then the spine needs to be squared. a lot of knife companies round them for more comfort and so you don't tear your hand up on it. try stripping a quarter inch square of the coatin and then just take a sqaure file and file it down just a bit to square it up a bit and it should work much better.

That's what I did. I stripped around 3/4's of an inch along the spine. I also removed around 1/16th of an inch of coating on the sides as well to make sure it's contacting metal, instead of powdercoating.

How "square" are we talking, here? Mine has a VERY slight radius on the edges, but less than my swiss army ripoff had.

 

[alloyguitar]

Okay, problem solved. I had a very slight radius, so I went ahead and filed that down, and save it a slight bevel towards one side to create a bit more of a point. It's not sharp enough to cut me, but it does throw sparks now.

 

[cubby]

with a file?

 

[alloyguitar]

A nicholson mill smooth file, to be specific.

 

[EvilBlackGun]

Why fool with edged-tools?

Take a small pill-vial, put in a fresh 9v battery with contact DOWN, add enough FINE (ØØØ) steel-wool to fill the vial, and cap it. Next time you need a fire, remove the wool and fluff it slightly, touch both contacts to the wool -- and have your tinder ready, cuz YOU GOT A FIRE!! Also works with weak batts. if you have some tiny jumpers and can connect 2 or 3 batts. together.

 

[grunt soldier]

Take a small pill-vial, put in a fresh 9v battery with contact DOWN, add enough FINE (ØØØ) steel-wool to fill the vial, and cap it. Next time you need a fire, remove the wool and fluff it slightly, touch both contacts to the wool -- and have your tinder ready, cuz YOU GOT A FIRE!! Also works with weak batts. if you have some tiny jumpers and can connect 2 or 3 batts. together.

what you described is a cool trick but only good for a few fires max. a fire steel is good for thousands and thousands of strikes, they work when wet, most bushcraft sheaths and set ups have a firesteel loop, so it's always on you, not in your bag or kit somewhere, lots of reasons a fire steel is better. if you get high speed you can get one with a tinder compartment and compass. like the esee fire starter, you can put 2 water purifying tabs in it and a couple pj cotton balls and then with just your knife and sheath (which should have 10 foot of 550 cord and a ranger band wrapped around it your pretty much are set if you loose your bag or something. its a mini survival all right there on your hip at all times

 

[alloyguitar]

Bingo. I'd like to modify the sheath to carry either a firesteel or a magnesium firestarter, and some other stuff as a just in case kinda deal.

Plus I like the idea of starting a fire without the use of a lighter.