Recent content by Pele's Fire

I have done the bottom of soda can, the aluminum will polish up really nicely to a mirror finish but you have to use a metal polish like MAAS or something. It took about 10 minutes of polishing for me worked in the sun in about 20 seconds.

Also the picture that Mac took are exactly how the shavings should look if you are doing it right! Nice machete!

Its a pain to cut into proper pieces & the diameter is generally too small vs. the amount of work going into cutting it into proper burning pieces since it is hollow & hard. It will really take the edge off of your knife or machete too. Best used as containers & tinder material I have also...

Hi, Yes, I live in Hawaii & it is one of the only ones that I have around me that I can get reliably out in the field. It depends on the humidity. You do want it to be as dry as possible but I have found that if you turn your knife at a right angle to the bamboo & scrape back & forth Like a...

:lmao: Thanks Gordon. I have heard wood punk works but I don't run into much of it here in Hawaii. I am drying out a coconut husk to see if I can get that to fire off reliably as its burns very well & seems kind of spongy like tinder fungus. I agree with the Match. I think in the end if...

I dont think I would be wanting one nearly as bad if I had skills like Darrels.:lmao:

Thanks BOD & Tom, I didn't know that you could use palm heart Lulut. Please let me know if you are able to produce a lump of the tinder that fires as reliably as chaga. I know that at least two of the makers of pistons on Ebay are sending their pistons out with some type of manufactured...

I wanted to add that the palm is pretty common in Hawaii, the common name for it is Fish Tail Palm. I wonder what part of it they use for the lumpy tinder. John

Tom, Thanks for the threads. I was thinking to make one out of the same type of tubing in fact have it sitting in the garage waiting for a go. You give me inspiration that a normal guy can make a decent looking piston. In fact I think I have seen the bird you drew running around my...

Tom, The antler piston has a brass liner & O ring then has some type of high gloss varnish on it. I think its pretty waterproof. I have always wanted to make my own piston but I have this thing about things being pretty to look at vs. barely functional & ugly:lmao: I think anything...

I have a pump drill that I ordered from someone off the internet but I noticed a big problem for me was the little piece of spindle was tied in with sinew & required some delicate knot tying which I promptly screwed up resulting in me breaking the spindle so I upgraded it with a keyless chuck...

Hi all, I don't get to post much but I wanted to get everyones opinion of what they prefer of these two types of fire making devices? I know there is another thread that has a poll but I think that the poll is too broad in scope because alot of people have only tried matches etc. so that is...

Does anyone make any of these Kelly Kettles or Ghillie Kettles in Stainless steel? If so I would like to purchase one or two. The did all these studies of aluminum & alzheimers kind of has me turned off to boiling water in it.

I do have pictures. I just don't have them in anything but a jpg. which won't load on this site. If you like I can send them to you directly? Really not much to it other than at the end of the spindle I screwed on the 1/2 inch chuck. I am having alot of fun coughing from all the smoke it...

When I switched this over, the Keyless chuck added too much weight for the mullein to handle between that & the flywheel & it just shatters the mullein. Because the chuck weighs as much as the flywheel alone, I figured I would try just the chuck in the end of the dowel. It didn't work. I had...