cramp ball help

[Wilderbeast]

Hi all, just been trying to get cramp balls to catch an ember from a firesteel and can't for the life of me get it to work!!! I split one the size of a large golf ball into 3rds to reveal the rings, but they keep jumping around on their round bottoms!! help please!
cheers in advance
wilderbeast will

 

[Sniper]

I beleive they have to be well dried, are they? Have you tried slicing the top off to give a flat end to make it sit steady?

 

[Wilderbeast]

yeah they are dry, still wont light????

 

[Toddy]

All you ought to have to do is land a spark on one (underside/ inside/ crumbly bit/ whatever) and that spark should glow and when blown on give you the ember start for fire.
Sniper is right though; hard dry is the way to go if you can get it.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Sniper]

I recently got some and they took a spark easily from flint & steel, and they ember up real hot. Maybe try and scrape a wee bit into dust on top of one of the pieces.

 

[Wilderbeast]

I think I figured out what I dun wrong!! when I dried them , I dried them "un opened" so they were dry on the outside but a little moist on the inside.............drying them cracked open now and i'll see how it goes!!

 

[Sniper]

I've found when they do dry out they start to get a bit crumbly, and that's the best time to use them. Let us know when you've got it going.

 

[rik_uk3]

On rough ground they won't move around

 

[Treeclipper]

Not trying to hijack the thread ,but where/which tree's do you get crampball on, I've never really seen any in West Lothian?

 

[Forest fella]

You find them on Dead Ash tree's,and I had the same problem with mine,they were dry on the outside and damp in the middle,I nuked em in the microwave for afew seconds.That did the trick.

 

[Shewie]

Not trying to hijack the thread ,but where/which tree's do you get crampball on, I've never really seen any in West Lothian?

They`re one of those things you can`t ever see for looking, but once you find one you`ll get loads.

 

[Wilderbeast]

still no good, been drying them all day on a radiator top and the sods just won't catch a spark

 

[rich59]

still no good, been drying them all day on a radiator top and the sods just won't catch a spark

Try the flame test - see if they will catch with a lighted flame. If not then no hope of catching from a spark.

A common problem is harvesting them too young - brown colour rather than black.

 

[Wilderbeast]

ok well they all failed the flame test but they are deffo the right colour,

do I just keep drying them or what??? They've been drying for a while though

does anyone have one or two ready to take a spark I could have as they're for a presentation, tall ask I know but worth a try!

 

[troy ap De skog]

i have a few going spare.. they seem to be very relyable,
ones are fist size and a jet black on the outside.

 

[fireman sam]

I had the same problems with cramp balls originally. I really did think the ones I had were dry but they weren't and were still retaining a degree of moisture, despite there dry 'feel'.

I can now regognise those that will work from those that wont. Doing so is not so much to do with their colour but their weight and the sound they make when flicked with a finger. When properly seasoned, and this can be straight off the tree, they feel significantly lighter than unseasoned ones. It's a good idea to compare the two and listen to the sound they produce when flicked in their different states. Once you've done this you'll never mistake them again.

Best of luck!

 

[mace242]

Good advice - if light this way I always rough up the top a tad.

 

[rich59]

When I try to light a cramp ball with flint and steel I invariably fail, unless I crumble it first and drop the sparks into the pile - that works a treat. Firesteel takes it straight away uncrumbled.

 

[Sainty]

Just had a go in the garage. Worked fine for me with the firesteel after half a dozen strikes. Shame really as I had to douse it in water to put it out before it went in the bin.

Martin

 

[mace242]

Just had a go in the garage. Worked fine for me with the firesteel after half a dozen strikes. Shame really as I had to douse it in water to put it out before it went in the bin.

Martin

Snuff it out with a licked finger - you could still use it again. Not that i've tried it - if you get burned I take no blame - I'll give it a go tomorrow.