Amadou!

[BowdrillBrink]

Okay! Can someone give me a extremlly detailed tutorial for gathering Amadou for flint and steel!? I've heard mixed things about gathering it, and all I'd like to know, is how to gather it, what fungus's to use (if there are any spaciffic Polypore's) and anything else I need to know about it!
Thanks!!

~Brink

 

[nodd]

Hi Brink here is a link to a thread I posted a While back with some photos hope this helps for a start there are other threads on here as well.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34224

 

[BowdrillBrink]

Cool, thanks.
I saw allot of different reply on that thread.
Which method worked best for you?

 

[nodd]

So far I have only got round to trying the salt peter method which works ok I will get round to trying the wood ash method as well sometime.

 

[Tiley]

The wood ash method works fine and produces good amadou. I usually put a couple of tablespoons in with the fungus and boiling water and simmer until it's soft(-ish!). Then flatten it and, while still damp, rub in some more wood ash. After that, dry it and so on as you would do.

Some folk insist on it being hardwood ash. To be honest, I've never knowingly tried it with softwood ash. I assume it would still work, maybe just not quite as well...

 

[BowdrillBrink]

Okay, thanks.
I've heard someone say you needed to make a "slurry" out of the wood ash, to rub it on when its still damp. I'm assuming you do that by adding a bit water. But if you did, it would turn in to lye, and that could burn your hands... right? Also, what kind of fungus did you use, I'm trying it with a Red Belted Conk.

 

[Tiley]

I used the good ol' horse hoof fungus (Fomes fomentaria) which was sent to me by an extremely helpful bod north of the border.