Hand drill- On spot vs Dried

[timtim]

Hello All,

Currently practising the hand drill. Do any of you guys know which UK species are suitable and reliable for on the spot hand drills?

From having a look online it seems dead flower stalks such as Burdock/Teasel/Mullein are the best once they have died during the Winter. Are there any sources that are available year round? (perhaps woody sources such as dead willow shoots?)

Thanks!

 

[rich59]

On the spot hand drill is only likely to work in the driest of conditions. So, all year round is pretty much off the agenda. So your flower stalk sources might work on the spot in late summer/ early autumn?

I have had some success with on the spot elder drills - so any warm and dry weather.

Shed dry elder will work all year round - with hearth boards such as pallet wood, clematis, ivy, and maybe willow, poplar or horse chestnut but these can be too soft.

 

[timtim]

Update: I managed to get an ember from burdock on a piece of Willow 2 weeks ago before Christmas collecting both materials in the field. Very frosty day. But lucky to find a good enough section of Burdock, maybe 4-5 hand widths tall. Using a pre-dried hearth board of Clematis a piece of horseweed or Weld (need to identify properly) worked. Also a cat-tail stalk on the same pre-dried clematis hearthboard worked, I think cat-tail may be quite dry on the inside once you pull off the outer sheath even after moist conditions. The mature seed head had fallen off and the harder dry mature stalk remained. Will continue exploring and see what works.

Possibly not the most useful technique for survival firestarting or in general, but it is fun to explore!