Just had a second attempt at making fire with a bow drill, and...another fail. But I got way, way closer.
I managed to get smoke. And I mean it was belting it out. I'd read you should maintain friction for another 20-30 strokes, but in my excitement, I did about another fifty. Then I chucked the bow away, grabbed my tinder (dry grass), and moved the hearth out of the way so I could get at the smouldering dust. And...
...no smoke, no smoulder. It wasn't even warm.
I tried again another few times, but still no luck. The same dirty black/brown dust was all I had, and it was always cold.
Any suggestions? The wood is Hazel. It was two branches both pruned from a nearby recreational woodland and dumped. Wasn't rotten so I decided to use it. One branch of about 2.5-3cm in diameter, the other 4-5cm.
I've read that either the drill or the hearth needs to be softer than its friction wood. Could this be something to do with it?
I managed to get smoke. And I mean it was belting it out. I'd read you should maintain friction for another 20-30 strokes, but in my excitement, I did about another fifty. Then I chucked the bow away, grabbed my tinder (dry grass), and moved the hearth out of the way so I could get at the smouldering dust. And...
...no smoke, no smoulder. It wasn't even warm.
I tried again another few times, but still no luck. The same dirty black/brown dust was all I had, and it was always cold.
Any suggestions? The wood is Hazel. It was two branches both pruned from a nearby recreational woodland and dumped. Wasn't rotten so I decided to use it. One branch of about 2.5-3cm in diameter, the other 4-5cm.
I've read that either the drill or the hearth needs to be softer than its friction wood. Could this be something to do with it?