Amadou: Can you "improve" it?

[Stringmaker]

Interesting stuff here, thanks for the inputs.

It sounds like the best way to improve my existing stock of amadou is to boil it in a solution (add to taste!) of saltpetre then. Is that kitchen safe or does it whiff?

 

[leon-1]

If I remember right I heard something about people using jute cord soaked in a low saltpetre concentration as well.
Not as a fuse, just to keep glowing enough to get a fire going.

Yeah you can use Jute as a slow match. Get hold of No'12 sashcord (this type is unwaxed) it works. You can also use linen or cotton cord.

The higher the concentration of Saltpetre the quicker it'll burn.

Using ash should work well enough, it was once used in the production of slow matches, basically you are creating a lye solution so you'll require hardwood ash.

 

[leon-1]

Interesting stuff here, thanks for the inputs.

It sounds like the best way to improve my existing stock of amadou is to boil it in a solution (add to taste!) of saltpetre then. Is that kitchen safe or does it whiff?

I wouldn't worry about boiling it, I would just leave it to soak for a long period of time. When you take it out though don't place the amadou on anything metal as the nitrates from Salpetre will eat into it / cause corrosion.

The solution, once you have finished with it, can be used as fertiliser for your plants.

 

[Stringmaker]

I wouldn't worry about boiling it, I would just leave it to soak for a long period of time. When you take it out though don't place the amadou on anything metal as the nitrates from Salpetre will eat into it / cause corrosion.

The solution, once you have finished with it, can be used as fertiliser for your plants.

Excellent, thanks.

 

[Elen Sentier]

I was a little bit skeptical of the idea that cavemen would have access to Saltpetre. However it looks like bat droppings and the crystallisation of nitrates on cave walls were a major source of the constituents in some parts of Asia, so I guess an ingenious caveman might well have got stuck into that!

Would boiling the amadou in wee help, do you think? A long way from civilisation, of course!

Yep, bat droppings are good for that sort of thing. There's a cave on the edge of Dartmoor (Ivan will know it) my uncle used to take me to to a) see the bats and b) collect droppings for various fiery activities . He used to wee on the compost heap too , man-wee is better than woman-wee for that

 

[Goatboy]

Yep, bat droppings are good for that sort of thing. There's a cave on the edge of Dartmoor (Ivan will know it) my uncle used to take me to to a) see the bats and b) collect droppings for various fiery activities . He used to wee on the compost heap too , man-wee is better than woman-wee for that

It's the fire in our blood and soul you see Elen.

 

[TheNative]

I used charred amadou with my flint and steel, however I do not char it in a tin as this is a modern method. I focus on 18th century woodsman skills and the correct way to char is to just put the amadou on the end of a stick over the flames until it is charred then bury it in a hole and cover over with soil to extinguish the amadou ready for use again