Im wondering if anyone has this growing on trees near where they live. I dont have any around here to play around with.
Old Mans Beard
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cod3man
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I'd guess you'd be talking about the hair like lichen hanging from trees in very damp areas?
I dry it then rub in balsam resin for firestarting. Unless you use the resin it dampens fast and won't work.
I dry it then rub in balsam resin for firestarting. Unless you use the resin it dampens fast and won't work.
It grows everywhere up here (northern Norway). But it often rains here and the old mans beard is soaked and useless for firelighting.
Birch bark is the prefered material.
Tor
Birch bark is the prefered material.
Tor
ok 2 questions
1. the balsom resin, is it just the trupintine in the blisters or bumps on the trunk? or something else?
2 how do you get it in the beard/moss?
thanks
dean
1. the balsom resin, is it just the trupintine in the blisters or bumps on the trunk? or something else?
2 how do you get it in the beard/moss?
thanks
dean
What I know as Old Mans Beard is a completely different plant. I guess the name is used for varying things between different countries.
The wild clematis that grows on hedgrows here in the UK is known as Old Mans Beard or Travellers Joy. The fluffy seed heads are great tinder.
http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/clematis.htm
The wild clematis that grows on hedgrows here in the UK is known as Old Mans Beard or Travellers Joy. The fluffy seed heads are great tinder.
http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/clematis.htm
I'll second that Longstrider, though i have spoken to people who've had no idea what i meant by Old Man's Beard when referring to wild clematis! There's tons of the stuff near me, it takes sparks well but burns very quickly and needs something to take the flame from it.
bushtuckerman said:
I agree, it needs something else to help it along the way if you want to build a fire as it flares up very quickly but does not sustain the flame for more than a few seconds, but it does jump to flame very readily with a firesteel. From my own experience it's useless as a tinder nest when starting out with a glowing coal like you get from the bow-drill. It simply isn't dense enough to get a flame from the coal until you squash it so tight that it can't burn anyway.
I was starting to wonder there 
#
I too know of the wild clematis as Old Man's Beard.
Cheers,
Toddy
#I too know of the wild clematis as Old Man's Beard.
Cheers,
Toddy
Have you used it to start fires Abbe?
I have real difficulty making sure it's dry enough to store for dye, let alone getting it dry enough for fire lighting!
Is it a good thing or does it get used just 'cos it's there ?
Cheers,
Toddy
I have real difficulty making sure it's dry enough to store for dye, let alone getting it dry enough for fire lighting!
Is it a good thing or does it get used just 'cos it's there ?
Cheers,
Toddy
Toddy said:Have you used it to start fires Abbe?
I have real difficulty making sure it's dry enough to store for dye, let alone getting it dry enough for fire lighting!
Is it a good thing or does it get used just 'cos it's there ?
Cheers,
Toddy
Yes, its real good in winter. Our winter here is real cold and everything is bone dry. But in my pictures you can see that I use it in summer too.
I like to use it with my firesteal as it takes the sparks real nice. When its wet its useless and birch bark is my choice Most of the time I use a mix. I use the hang moss to catch the sparks and then I put some birch bark on to eat then twigs etc etc.
Hope you can see it the old mans beard in use.
cheers
Abbe
We have loads of the stuff on the trees on Bodmin Moor down here. Its called all sorts of names. I use it in tinder bundles . it takes a coal well.
loads of it in the pine woods here in the peak disrict too, and wild sheeps wool , that burns fantastic too, its full of lanolin oil,mixed both together a few times, no problemsSMARTY said:
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