Where I work I occasionally have the task of burning off an ever-added to heap of old pallets and off-cuts froma furniture makers. (It's all just wood so no environmental concerns.)
Tonight there was a heap about 3/4 the size of an articulated lorry trailer to be got rid of so instead of the usual "plenty of deisel and a burning rag on a stick" approach that my colleagues take I decided it was time the job was done properly. I set a little time aside for the job and went to the heap armed with the only tool available i.e.an old claw hammer with only one side on the claw.
It didn't take long to make a decent job of splitting up enough wood to have a good heap of kindling. My pocket knife did enough work to give me a decent-ish bundle of extra fine wood shavings to use as a tinder ball and then I got my bow drill set from the Landy.
Glowing coal first time
(I've been practicing!) and into the tinder ball with it. 10 minutes later and I had to move the Landy so the paint wouldn't peel off in the heat as I had parked it about 15 yards away upwind... Far too close!
The feeling of satisfaction was great as I watched over the fire, enjoying a good cigar lit from the first flames, knowing that I had made that fire. Not just lit it, but made it, out in the wind and damp, on the very muddy ground, in the dark with 4 bits of wood and a length of string.
I know the old addage about "Indian have small fire and it keep him warm, White man has big fire and gets warm gathering wood to feed it", so not all camp fires need to be big to serve their purpose, but tonight got me wondering what the biggest fire you guys here have lit with "primitive" means? (On purpose that is. No forest fires PLEASE !) :twak: :yelrotflm
Tonight there was a heap about 3/4 the size of an articulated lorry trailer to be got rid of so instead of the usual "plenty of deisel and a burning rag on a stick" approach that my colleagues take I decided it was time the job was done properly. I set a little time aside for the job and went to the heap armed with the only tool available i.e.an old claw hammer with only one side on the claw.
It didn't take long to make a decent job of splitting up enough wood to have a good heap of kindling. My pocket knife did enough work to give me a decent-ish bundle of extra fine wood shavings to use as a tinder ball and then I got my bow drill set from the Landy.
Glowing coal first time
(I've been practicing!) and into the tinder ball with it. 10 minutes later and I had to move the Landy so the paint wouldn't peel off in the heat as I had parked it about 15 yards away upwind... Far too close!The feeling of satisfaction was great as I watched over the fire, enjoying a good cigar lit from the first flames, knowing that I had made that fire. Not just lit it, but made it, out in the wind and damp, on the very muddy ground, in the dark with 4 bits of wood and a length of string.
I know the old addage about "Indian have small fire and it keep him warm, White man has big fire and gets warm gathering wood to feed it", so not all camp fires need to be big to serve their purpose, but tonight got me wondering what the biggest fire you guys here have lit with "primitive" means? (On purpose that is. No forest fires PLEASE !) :twak: :yelrotflm
, but we didn't bung all of it on as that would have set the woods and us on fire. 
Not that we needed it any bigger, it was more than big enough for 20 people to sit around. Much bigger would have started to have been a waste of fuel.
ouch
).
