Tinder Fungus Preparation

[Longstrider]

I have recently treated myself to a lovely Cocobolo Fire Piston. It came with a small supply of what is described as "Chaga" fungus. Now, I've been playing with the thing and am nearly out of the stuff. I can find False Tinder Fungus (Razor Strop Fungus) on local Silver Birches, but cannot find the true Tinder Fungus (Hoof Fungus) anywhere around home. I've read that the False Tinder Fungus can be used, and have gathered myself a nice chunk about the size of a tennis ball. It was still growing when gathered, so is still wet. Do I need to do more than simply dry it out before trying it in the piston, and if so, what do I do to it? I've read tales that range from boiling for a day in urine, through boiling for a couple of hours in a mixture of water and birch ash to simply drying the stuff out, but think that all of these were in relation to true Tinder Fungus.
How effective is it in use in a piston when dried/treated? Better or worse (harder to get an ember) than char-cloth? I know how to make the char cloth, but wanted to try the fungus approach first...
Is Chaga fungus something that I could find in central England, or is a foreigner to these shores? I cannot find it mentioned in my fungus I.D. book at all.

Thanks for any help guys.

 

[spamel]

False tinder fungus is Fomes Fomentarius, Horses hoof fungus. I don't think you can find the true tinder fungus in UK (Edit: Somebody correct me if this is wrong, I've just read post 3). What you probably have is birch polypore or razor strop. It does smolder, but it stinks and creates a lot of smoke! You can slice it and dry it out, then it should work.

 

[happy camper]

hello
i might be wrong, but the methods you mention, like boiling with ash are used to to prepare false tinder fungus, if you search the site under fomes fomentarius there is a great tutorial for its preparation.
"true tinder fungus" is black on the outside and a reddy brown on the inside (it can be hard to spot, but kind of looks like it is a charred part of the tree) and, as far as i know, doesn't need any prep., except drying.
here's a link that you might find useful..
http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/tinder/tinderfungus/index.html
hope this helps and sorry i can't help with the rest of your question

 

[rich59]

I can find False Tinder Fungus (Razor Strop Fungus) on local Silver Birches, but cannot find the true Tinder Fungus (Hoof Fungus) anywhere around home. I've read that the False Tinder Fungus can be used, and have gathered myself a nice chunk about the size of a tennis ball. It was still growing when gathered, so is still wet. Do I need to do more than simply dry it out before trying it in the piston, and if so, what do I do to it? I've read tales that range from boiling for a day in urine, through boiling for a couple of hours in a mixture of water and birch ash to simply drying the stuff out, but think that all of these were in relation to true Tinder Fungus.
How effective is it in use in a piston when dried/treated? Better or worse (harder to get an ember) than char-cloth? I know how to make the char cloth, but wanted to try the fungus approach first...
Is Chaga fungus something that I could find in central England, or is a foreigner to these shores? I cannot find it mentioned in my fungus I.D. book at all.

Thanks for any help guys.

Hi Longstrider,

I can answer a little bit of your questions. I know there are guys here who will chip in about best tinders for fire pistons. My two pennyworth is in helping identify your fungus.

This is chaga or the true tinder fungus

This is the false tinder fungus

and this is razor strop

If you have razor strop then don't despair. This is a very useful fungus. It will smoulder beautifully from a small piece of heat. You can light it directly with a magnifying glass or with a fire steel or ferrocerium rod. I haven't tried it yet but I suspect that if lightly charred it might take a spark from flint and steel. The best bit for starting a glow is at the part that was attached to the tree. I would suggest you try it (when dry) in your fire piston and see if it works. It certainly has possibilities.

I live in London and have been keeping my eye out for true tinder fungus for a couple of years and no luck yet. I have found something that looks a bit like it, but when I took it home and dried it it did not seem flammable at all. I do think I know why it is black on the surface though as birch sap seems to be an important aspect of them growing, and runs of birch sap seem to turn black.

 

[happy camper]

hello again
i seem to remember reading a thread about where to get true tinder fungus in uk, i think its easier to find in certain areas of scotland. try a search and you might unearth the old thread.

 

[Longstrider]

So far. so good. Have decided that what I have is in fact a chunk of the razor strop fungus but it is not as white as in the picture. It was growing from within a hole in the tree so I could not get to it all. I cut a wedge out of the exposed part like cutting a cake.
Having now sliced it up into thin slices I'll dry it out and see if it will work in the piston. I already know that it takes and keeps a coal well. One very thin slice went into the microwave for some rapid drying (DO NOT DO THIS! See Below!) and a quick flick of flame from a lighter gave me coal that I kept going for about 7 minutes.
The microwave is NOT a good idea! . I only set the thing for 5 seconds. When the edges of my fungus turned into tiny flickering coals after a second and a half I thought I was on a winner. It was the bright white flash from inside the oven and the accompanying BANG! after 4 seconds that made me turn the thing off quick-smart! I have no idea whats in the fungus other than cellulose and water, but it behaved almost like tin-foil in the microwave I guess I'll just have to be patient and let the stuff dry naturally before I carry out any more tests on it.

 

[oops56]

So far. so good. Have decided that what I have is in fact a chunk of the razor strop fungus but it is not as white as in the picture. It was growing from within a hole in the tree so I could not get to it all. I cut a wedge out of the exposed part like cutting a cake.
Having now sliced it up into thin slices I'll dry it out and see if it will work in the piston. I already know that it takes and keeps a coal well. One very thin slice went into the microwave for some rapid drying (DO NOT DO THIS! See Below!) and a quick flick of flame from a lighter gave me coal that I kept going for about 7 minutes.
The microwave is NOT a good idea! . I only set the thing for 5 seconds. When the edges of my fungus turned into tiny flickering coals after a second and a half I thought I was on a winner. It was the bright white flash from inside the oven and the accompanying BANG! after 4 seconds that made me turn the thing off quick-smart! I have no idea whats in the fungus other than cellulose and water, but it behaved almost like tin-foil in the microwave I guess I'll just have to be patient and let the stuff dry naturally before I carry out any more tests on it.

See i am not the only one that did this. {microwave fungus}

 

[rich59]

The microwave is NOT a good idea! . I only set the thing for 5 seconds. When the edges of my fungus turned into tiny flickering coals after a second and a half I thought I was on a winner. It was the bright white flash from inside the oven and the accompanying BANG! after 4 seconds that made me turn the thing off quick-smart! I have no idea whats in the fungus other than cellulose and water, but it behaved almost like tin-foil in the microwave I guess I'll just have to be patient and let the stuff dry naturally before I carry out any more tests on it.

Microwave safety

DO NOT PUT SMALL THINGS ON THEIR OWN IN THE MICROWAVE. THE ENERGY CONCENTRATION IS TOO HUGE AND YOU CAN DAMAGE THE MICROWAVE OVEN.

Put a cup of water in as well to that the machine only puts a controlled amount of energy into the small bit of fungus or whatever you are heating

 

[Jeff Wagner]

The use of a microwave to dry fungus intended for primitive firemaking seems somehow unnatural. Its like ...I don't know....coal burning a bowl with a blow torch or using an electric drill to make fire by friction....

Just teasing....

 

[Longstrider]

Having managed to avoid blowing up the microwave, I've now dried out my sliced fungus and it takes a lovely coal and keeps it for as good as ever. The best bit for me though is that it works in the fire piston! The slices I cut are about 3mm thick and have dried to a tough, dense,slightly flexible texture that breaks if bent too far (Very similar to leather that has been boiled). The stuff doesn't work every time, but often enough to be of good service. I simply use my fingernails to shape a piece to fit in the piston end and then (this is the crucial bit, I've found) I tease it with the tip of my knife, roughening it up and seperating the fibres a little. Do this too much and it either falls to bits or when you do get a coal it won't sustain itself.

No boiling, no special treatment, and apparently not even the "right" fungus, but it works! (It even smells nice when it burns).

Now all I need to do is make a fire drill work and I'll consider myself to be "getting there".

 

[rich59]

Having managed to avoid blowing up the microwave, I've now dried out my sliced fungus and it takes a lovely coal and keeps it for as good as ever. The best bit for me though is that it works in the fire piston! The slices I cut are about 3mm thick and have dried to a tough, dense,slightly flexible texture that breaks if bent too far (Very similar to leather that has been boiled). The stuff doesn't work every time, but often enough to be of good service. I simply use my fingernails to shape a piece to fit in the piston end and then (this is the crucial bit, I've found) I tease it with the tip of my knife, roughening it up and seperating the fibres a little. Do this too much and it either falls to bits or when you do get a coal it won't sustain itself.

No boiling, no special treatment, and apparently not even the "right" fungus, but it works! (It even smells nice when it burns).

Now all I need to do is make a fire drill work and I'll consider myself to be "getting there".

I can see very strong signs that you are indeed getting there. You are observing, listening, thinking, experimenting and adapting. That is how bushcraft should be in my thinking. Trying something new, moving the frontiers. Fab. I'm not one for only repeating what others have done. You may or may not be the first person to put razor strop fungus in a fire piston and get it to ignite but you are probably the first to say they have done it on the net. An inspiration for others.

You have given me some thought about getting razor strop to take a flint and steel spark. I will play about with it some more some time soon.

 

[spamel]

I sliced mine and then hung it up on a bit of cotton by sewing thread through the fungi!! Works well but I think it smells terrible!

 

[Jeff Wagner]

Ahh...that sounds like fomes. I think it stinks too. True tinder fungus actually has an incense like quality. Quite pleasant.

 

[Longstrider]

I have just had a few days off work, and so was able to get out and about in the woods again. This time I had the brains (a rare commodity in my house) to take my fungus pocket guide with me. I can now be certain that the fungus I collected and used in my fire piston was not Razor Strop after all. It is Southern Bracket (Ganoderma australe). I have never heard this fungus mentioned anywhere in relation to fire craft before.
I'm beginning to wonder if there might not be whole load of fungi out there that would work if only we were to try them. After all, most of the bracket fungi have a very similar make-up to one another.

I guess I've just got to try a piece of Razor Strop now to see if I can get that to work too!

P.S. It's actually not true that my pocket guide helped at all in the identification. I think thats why I struggled in the first place. My girlfriend was along with me and her book has the Southern Bracket in it. Mine (Collins Gem "Mushrooms") does not.

 

[rich59]

I'm beginning to wonder if there might not be whole load of fungi out there that would work if only we were to try them. After all, most of the bracket fungi have a very similar make-up to one another.

I am getting that impression too, and Storm has done a lot of work on this. http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/tinder/tinderfungus/spolypore/index.html My Usborne guide to fungi is only 60 pages and describes not only artists conk and razor strop but also yet another "tinder fungus" called Phellinus igniarius (igneus = fire or heat). So with fomes fomentarius, your ganoderma australe and these we seem to have listed already 5 different ones that are useful.

It looks like - if it is a bracket fungus and a polypore then it is probably useful. I have stopped worrying about failing to find fomes fomentarius and chaga in my area and am beginning to explore what I can find.

 

[spoony]

Just a quick note, was out today and found huge fungi growing on birch trees, quick check in my fungi book, its birch polypore, this is what it says:
"in the past, the Birch Polypore has been put to various unusual uses. To name but a few, as a strap for sharpening razors, to stop bleeding, and as a tinder to light fires."

Have any of you used this as tinder, and if so, how have you used it, ie as it comes from the tree, or dried? Do you need to prepare it in a certain way?
see pic below:-

 

[rich59]

Dried, definitely.

My first experience of this fungus was when I found an old dried one on a long dead birch trunk. As an experiment I put a match to a corner. I was amazed that it just glowed and glowed - the heat spreading through the whole fungus over about an hour or so. I could only put it out by immersing it in water.

I have since found that it will start from a firesteel spark or from a magnifying glass. The part that takes best is the tougher area nearest the attachment to the tree.

I tried directly hand drilling into it and got a neat hole!

I have not managed to get it to take a flint and steel spark.

Darned useful fungus.

 

[spoony]

cool i only took one but there seemed to be quite a lot, will dry it out, first in the airing cupboard not the microwave

 

[BorderReiver]

]

Interesting furry nose. Long dog?