Recent content by chem_doc

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  1. chem_doc

    Another bow drill problem...help a guy out :)

    Have you tried a variation on the bow drill called the Egyptian Bow Drill? It's a little easier than the standard, "spindle keeps flipping out of the string" standard bow method.
  2. chem_doc

    The secret household kindling

    Dryer sheets (especially used/spent ones) burn surprisingly well. Don't even know if y'all have them across the Atlantic... These are the sheets you throw in the dryer with wet laundry to prevent "static cling" and give them a fragrance... Doc
  3. chem_doc

    Cooker from a pine log

    He is. I watch him, but pretty much for entertainment value only. If I want "real" outdoorsy stuff, it's Les Stroud here in the States. At least his show in re-runs. Doc
  4. chem_doc

    Cooker from a pine log

    Actually, I believe that wasn't water. It was urine, so that he could concentrate the salts/waste materials before drinking it so that it did his body even more harm. Doc
  5. chem_doc

    Bigger firesteel?

    Holy sh*t, Casey! I stumbled onto firesteel.com's firetubes probably right about the time this thread was started. I had ordered a firesteel tube (I believe it's the Bunker size), a smaller firesteel with some magnesium (a round rod that fits the scraper perfectly to make shavings), and...
  6. chem_doc

    Nalgene Bottles

    Off the top of my head, I believe Nalgene = polypropylene (at least that's the stuff we use in lab). I'd hesitate to use it if that is polypropylene. http://www.sdplastics.com/polypro.html "It has excellent resistance to acids and alkalies, but poor aromatic, aliphatic and chlorinated...
  7. chem_doc

    Bear Grylls injured

    I wish Bear a speedy recovery. I don't want anyone to be hurt... And I do watch the "Man vs Wild" show, but as I've posted before, it's more entertainment than educational, much like watch Pro Wrestling isn't going to teach me anything. As for the reason for the quote, I usually watch...
  8. chem_doc

    Les Stroud/Survivorman calling it quits

    I don't know if it was reported here or not, but Les Stroud, of "Survivorman" fame, has decided to end his show with this current season being the last. Can't say as I blame him. It takes time away from his family and I imagine doing week after week of surviving is hard to handle. But...
  9. chem_doc

    first time bow drill

    You may want to give this setup a whirl: http://www.dirttime.com/egyptian%20bow%20and%20drill.html It's what I'm trying to learn. It's less stressful on the bow string, and it keeps the spindle from flipping out, letting you focus on the other mechanics of getting an ember. Doc
  10. chem_doc

    Egyptian Bow Drill

    I'm still hit and miss with this method... and it's annoying. I'm using the same hearth I started with (I've worked with a few spindles so far). Sometimes, I get an ember without too much work. Others, I work and work and.. a little smoke and... nothin'. Any tips? I'd like to be able...
  11. chem_doc

    Egyptian Bow Drill

    Interesting. Is this a case of, assuming you don't know what the wood is you're using (let's say you've stumbled across a dead tree in the woods, no leaves on it, bark not in great shape, so it's tough to ID the tree...), if you can push in with your thumbnail and easily leave a mark, it's...
  12. chem_doc

    Egyptian Bow Drill

    I was looking at my hearth last night and noticed something... The better/easier the coal formation, the better cut my "wedge" was. In some of my earlier attempts, the notch didn't quite go to the middle of the... Divot? in the wood. Those were hit and miss. As I stopped and looked and...
  13. chem_doc

    Storing water

    I wouldn't be too concerned over it. I doubt much, if anything, from the bottle would leech into the water. I think most water bottles are PET, and that should be failry resistant to reacting with the water (not saying it couldn't happen, just that it should be slow/non-existant). The...
  14. chem_doc

    Egyptian Bow Drill

    I'm sitting outside, enjoying a martini and a cigar (I may be "King of the Castle," but She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed doesn't like cigars indoors...). I promised myself if I managed fire from the bowdrill, I'd have a martini. I'm so pumped right now. I DID IT!!!! My last spindle was worn down to a...
  15. chem_doc

    Egyptian Bow Drill

    I agree about carrying the cotton wool, Ogri. But this is me, learning how to do this in my back yard, where natural tinders are a bit scarce. ;) I also wanted to learn more about the mechanics of making the ember (the real trick of the bow drill method) than the blowing it into a flame...