How to Make a Fire Piston From a Screw & Pipe

A fire piston is an ancient fire-starting tool that has been used through history for starting a fire without flame. It does this through the principles of compression, much like a diesel engine. Fire piston technology is thought to trace back to Southeast Asian cultures, and was discovered by European explorers in the mid-1800s, in the Indonesian jungles. Many materials can be used to make a fire piston, both natural and unnatural. You can make one with a pipe, or nail, and another pipe--using a screw would not give you the desired results.

Things You'll Need

  • Brass or iron pipe, 5 inches long 3/8 inch in diameter (threaded on one end)
  • Threaded brass or iron cap
  • Nail, 1/4 inch in diameter, 5 inches or longer
  • Ball end of a wooden curtain rod
  • 3 high-temperature rubber gaskets, 1/4 inch inside diameter, 3/8 inch outside diameter
  • 1/4-inch drill bit
  • 1/8-inch drill bit
  • Electric drill
  • Hacksaw
  • Wire brush
  • 3-in-1 lubricating oil
  • Epoxy glue
  • 400-grit sandpaper
  • Fire tinder
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Instructions

  1. Construction

    • 1

      Cut off the head and point end of the nail using the hacksaw. Make the final length of the nail 6 5/16 inches long. This allows for a chamber to trap the air heated by the compression of the stroke, and allows a handle to be mounted for comfortable use.

    • 2

      Clean any metal burrs from the cut ends with the wire brush. With a 1/8-inch drill bit drill a hole approximately 1/4 inch deep in the center of one end the nail. Wire brush the drilled end again to remove any burrs. This is the combustion end.

    • 3

      Drill a hole 1 1/2 inches deep into the flat side of the curtain rod ball, using the 1/4 inch drill bit. (Drill right in the hole where it previously screwed onto the curtain rod.) Fill the hole with epoxy glue and insert what we will refer to as the handle end of the nail.(opposite the combustion end), Let dry for an hour.

    • 4

      Using the hacksaw, make a small groove around the circumference of the nail 3 1/2 inches down from the bottom of the handle. Use 400-grit sand paper to polish the nail smooth. This will be your piston. It needs to slide smoothly through the pipe, which is the cylinder.

    • 5

      Place the three rubber gaskets together and slide them onto the nail from the combustion end until the top one hits the groove. Apply a couple of drops of 3-in-1 oil. The piston portion of your fire piston is complete. Set it aside and move on to the cylinder construction.

    • 6

      Screw the cap onto the threaded end of the pipe. Hand tightening should be sufficient, but if you prefer you can tighten it with a wrench to ensure it never comes loose. The cylinder portion of your fire piston is now complete.

    • 7

      Pack some fire tinder tightly into the combustion end of the nail. Hold the cylinder in your left hand, open end down. Insert the piston into the end of the cylinder with your right hand. Push hard and fast until the piston is all the way into the cylinder, and quickly remove it. You will have a burning ember on the combustion end of your nail (piston), which you can then use to start a fire.