Three quick questions

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Doc

Need to contact Admin...
Nov 29, 2003
2,109
10
Perthshire
1. How do you pronounce 'Mora'? I've heard 'Moora' is correct. Is this right?

2. You're in the woods in Scotland. It's been raining for a week, nearly non-stop. It's still raining. Will the bow drill method of fire-lighting work? I only ask because I find this technique a bit marginal, and don't know whether this is down to my inexperience or limitations of the technique.

3. I've spent many a (reasonably) dry night under a British army poncho/basha. Is the Australian hoochie really significantly better?

Answers to any and all appreciated.
 

Gary

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 17, 2003
2,603
2
57
from Essex
Three quick answers

1. More-a.
2. yes it should work ok - ensure you tinder is dry - bow drill is all about preparation.
3. Not really - hootchie is slightly longer but erected correctly both are much the same - personally I like a poncho better as its lighter and more versitile.
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
Gary said:
2. yes it should work ok - ensure you tinder is dry - bow drill is all about preparation.

Wow! Really ... with materials you'd find outdoors? Does that mean that seasoning/drying of the wood just makes it easier and that it's not absolutely needed? :shock:

What wood would you choose in this case?

Thx!!

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Tony

White bear (Admin)
Admin
Apr 16, 2003
24,166
1
1,921
53
Wales
www.bushcraftuk.com
Adi007 said:
Gary said:
2. yes it should work ok - ensure you tinder is dry - bow drill is all about preparation.

Wow! Really ... with materials you'd find outdoors? Does that mean that seasoning/drying of the wood just makes it easier and that it's not absolutely needed? :shock:

What wood would you choose in this case?

Thx!!

Ad

There is a good chance of finding dead standing wood that is dry inside, you would have to split this down until you found the dry wood and then make your firelighting kit from that dry wood. If it has been raining for a long time the rain will penetrate into the wood further, so, you would have to find some thicker standing dead wood so that you could find the dry wood inside, it would be more work but you would be able to make your fire set and get a fire going. Those with far more experience than me are more able to pick the right piece of wood for the conditions, it's an experience thing. And if the first piece of wood you look at is not dry move on to another one. If your tinder is well prepared and you have a dry set you should be able to light the fire in most conditions.

In the states they have competition of who can light a fire from a bow set the quickest, the thing is that they soak the set in water before they start. They still get a fire going, as I said before, experience, and that helps with technique and away you go :biggthump
 

Gary

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 17, 2003
2,603
2
57
from Essex
Foreigner - tut! :-D Im not a foreign Im english!

They also have competions to see who can get fire with the smallest sized set too - Mad if you ask me.
 

Curdog

Member
Nov 18, 2003
13
0
"Mad if you ask me"

Hows Come? Sounds like a good way to perfect your technique to me.
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,454
1,293
Aylesbury
stewartjlight-knives.com
Do you know, I think I've seen a bigger one than that!
:lol:

I can't remember where but it was something to do ith Tom Brown Jr, and there was at least 4 or five people needed to operate the thing. I'll have to try find the pic now...
 

bigjackbrass

Nomad
Sep 1, 2003
497
34
Leeds
Okay, I think I have the perfect project for BushcraftUKers: We'll need a tall, straight tree, a quarter mile of nautical cable, and a Land Rover at each end...
 

martin

Nomad
Sep 24, 2003
456
3
nth lincs
bigjackbrass said:
Okay, I think I have the perfect project for BushcraftUKers: We'll need a tall, straight tree, a quarter mile of nautical cable, and a Land Rover at each end...
I've got 23 metres of steel winch cable, two Landrovers and I know where theres a nice tall straight Sycamore. Its about 3 feet in diameter though(We made a zipline off it in the summer.). I'm game for a laugh if you are! :super: :biggthump
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,454
1,293
Aylesbury
stewartjlight-knives.com
Stew said:
Do you know, I think I've seen a bigger one than that!
:lol:

I can't remember where but it was something to do ith Tom Brown Jr, and there was at least 4 or five people needed to operate the thing. I'll have to try find the pic now...

Found it. It's about 1/3 of the way down.
 
My teacher always said, the drill for the bow-drill should be about the size of your male organ. That's what made me decide many years ago to be honest, and make a mini bow-drill set. :oops: I found, that this produces a fire (Also when soaking wet) in an average of 20-30 seconds. it fits in my pocket, and is a great partystopper! (or for when somebody asks if you have a light in the pub!)

I definately recomend trying to make one of these! Mine is visible on the trackertrail web-site (Someone posted a link earlier on) You can always contact me for sizes, pictures, etc...

I was at Tom Browns school, and saw a bowdrill being done with the big poles. It is quite amazing,... The coal will not blow away, or decide to stop glowing afterwards,.... it's the size of a large golfball!

(by the way, I used hazel for the bow, and Alder for the drill, although hazel works too)
 

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