Just back from a group/ families holiday in northern France. I filled in the odd hour here and there with the aim of making fire without tools.
Resources
The main thing available was a garden with Leylandii hedges, grass, some chopped down pampas grass, a couple of ornamental cherries and a small pine tree. There was a gravel/ chippings driveway with a concrete edge and some concrete steps.
Down the road were hedges with dwarf willow and elm.
A few miles away were beaches with sand dunes.
Skills
Bow drill and hand drill.
Plan 1
Make a bow drill set. Needs bow handle, bow string, drill, hearth, and top bearing. The main challenge was the bow string. The top bearing was supplied by a pair of cockle shells. Bow handle, drill and hearth - I made do with odd bits of wood lying about on the ground.
While on the beach I found dead marram grass made a weak cordage and so tried with that. I made up about 80cm and tried it out. I knew from past experience I can use weak cordage if I do multiple wraps (ideally 6 or more).
Result 1
Abject failure! I well waxed the cordage - with ivy leaves. But there was not enough cordage to get more than 4-5 turns. Therefore more pressure on the cord than I liked. Cockle shells as bearing do also add a little side friction due to their shape. Marram also was weaker than other cords I have made in the past. Result? Cord broke just when getting first smoke. Ever had that happen?
Plan 2
Make a hand drill set. Only 2 bits needed - drill and hearth. Nothing listed above appropriate for a hand drill. I scouted around and found a few bits of elder growing out of the leylandii hedge. Closer inspection showed that some growth had been vertical within the hedge to get the plant to the top. Hey!! Hand drill is on then!! Some of it was 2y old (ideal) and had been cut at the base by the caretaker some months before. I found a couple of straight lengths with diameters about 8mm up to 16mm and lengths 18 to 24 inches (sorry about mixed units).
For hearth I had rounded natural wood available. Some found on the ground. Also there was some dead side branches on the lower part of the garden pine tree.
Tools - I used a right angle edge of the concrete driveway edging for much bark scraping, and wood cutting and shaping. I tried some flakes of a found flint I smashed up and some of the driveway pebbles. I also tried the serrated edge of the largest cockle shell. These all had some virtues but required significant finger strength. I also used a crack between 2 edging blocks to drill into for fine shaping of the drill tip.
Doing it - I started with fine (8mm) elder drill on hearth from wood found on ground. The hearth seemed hard by the nail dig in test. Getting the drill to make a burned-in secure socket on rounded natural wood was a challenge. Making some notches with the concrete edge and making a 3rd side with my foot/ shoe got a socket going. I made the side notch with that trusty concrete edge. Started drilling and.... failure! Powdery, pale brown punk. I noted all was damp so put to dry for a day.
Next day - wood dry, still pale brown punk and wearing through the hearth quickly. Also the drill was cutting in a lot in a circle and the tip cracked and snapped off.
Pause for thought. - concluded hearth may be hard but rotted enough to wear away too fast and reduce friction
Next day - change of hearth to dead wood from lower branches of pine tree (dried over night). Success!! Coal on first attempt. Offered to light barbecue that evening and suceeded (using fine kindling from the dead base of pampas grass and within the laylandii hedge.)
I then set the hearth board up with some more starter sockets and notches to be in business to light any fires needed rest of holiday.
More problems
Next barbecue was nearly my downfall! Same materials but this time in a new socket got light brown punk again and no coal. Other sockets did the same. Moving to a larger diameter drill tip was tried (usually works) but I still got brown powder. I concluded I was lucky the first day to hit a harder/ less rotted section of hearthboard. I did light the barbecue with a friction coal but only because my fire steel was used to ignite the brown punk.
Learning pointsI learned the importance of a long stony edge for shaping, of drilling into a crack for shaping a tip, of using my foot to help start the socket. Most importantly I learned to be more choosy in found wood for hearth board. I reckon it should be strong enough to split rather than just break across.
I'm still learning to make natural cordages strong enough. I could probably have found a supply of nettle for cordage and probably could have got fibre from either elm or dwarf willow hedges nearby. I opted for hand drill as the drill material turned up and this route seemed likely to be quicker.
Resources
The main thing available was a garden with Leylandii hedges, grass, some chopped down pampas grass, a couple of ornamental cherries and a small pine tree. There was a gravel/ chippings driveway with a concrete edge and some concrete steps.
Down the road were hedges with dwarf willow and elm.
A few miles away were beaches with sand dunes.
Skills
Bow drill and hand drill.
Plan 1
Make a bow drill set. Needs bow handle, bow string, drill, hearth, and top bearing. The main challenge was the bow string. The top bearing was supplied by a pair of cockle shells. Bow handle, drill and hearth - I made do with odd bits of wood lying about on the ground.
While on the beach I found dead marram grass made a weak cordage and so tried with that. I made up about 80cm and tried it out. I knew from past experience I can use weak cordage if I do multiple wraps (ideally 6 or more).
Result 1
Abject failure! I well waxed the cordage - with ivy leaves. But there was not enough cordage to get more than 4-5 turns. Therefore more pressure on the cord than I liked. Cockle shells as bearing do also add a little side friction due to their shape. Marram also was weaker than other cords I have made in the past. Result? Cord broke just when getting first smoke. Ever had that happen?
Plan 2
Make a hand drill set. Only 2 bits needed - drill and hearth. Nothing listed above appropriate for a hand drill. I scouted around and found a few bits of elder growing out of the leylandii hedge. Closer inspection showed that some growth had been vertical within the hedge to get the plant to the top. Hey!! Hand drill is on then!! Some of it was 2y old (ideal) and had been cut at the base by the caretaker some months before. I found a couple of straight lengths with diameters about 8mm up to 16mm and lengths 18 to 24 inches (sorry about mixed units).
For hearth I had rounded natural wood available. Some found on the ground. Also there was some dead side branches on the lower part of the garden pine tree.
Tools - I used a right angle edge of the concrete driveway edging for much bark scraping, and wood cutting and shaping. I tried some flakes of a found flint I smashed up and some of the driveway pebbles. I also tried the serrated edge of the largest cockle shell. These all had some virtues but required significant finger strength. I also used a crack between 2 edging blocks to drill into for fine shaping of the drill tip.
Doing it - I started with fine (8mm) elder drill on hearth from wood found on ground. The hearth seemed hard by the nail dig in test. Getting the drill to make a burned-in secure socket on rounded natural wood was a challenge. Making some notches with the concrete edge and making a 3rd side with my foot/ shoe got a socket going. I made the side notch with that trusty concrete edge. Started drilling and.... failure! Powdery, pale brown punk. I noted all was damp so put to dry for a day.
Next day - wood dry, still pale brown punk and wearing through the hearth quickly. Also the drill was cutting in a lot in a circle and the tip cracked and snapped off.
Pause for thought. - concluded hearth may be hard but rotted enough to wear away too fast and reduce friction
Next day - change of hearth to dead wood from lower branches of pine tree (dried over night). Success!! Coal on first attempt. Offered to light barbecue that evening and suceeded (using fine kindling from the dead base of pampas grass and within the laylandii hedge.)
I then set the hearth board up with some more starter sockets and notches to be in business to light any fires needed rest of holiday.
More problems
Next barbecue was nearly my downfall! Same materials but this time in a new socket got light brown punk again and no coal. Other sockets did the same. Moving to a larger diameter drill tip was tried (usually works) but I still got brown powder. I concluded I was lucky the first day to hit a harder/ less rotted section of hearthboard. I did light the barbecue with a friction coal but only because my fire steel was used to ignite the brown punk.
Learning pointsI learned the importance of a long stony edge for shaping, of drilling into a crack for shaping a tip, of using my foot to help start the socket. Most importantly I learned to be more choosy in found wood for hearth board. I reckon it should be strong enough to split rather than just break across.
I'm still learning to make natural cordages strong enough. I could probably have found a supply of nettle for cordage and probably could have got fibre from either elm or dwarf willow hedges nearby. I opted for hand drill as the drill material turned up and this route seemed likely to be quicker.
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