Bow-drill success at last!

[Big John]

Hi All,

Just wanted to share my (grin) with everyone after achieving fire by friction for the first time at the weekend - all the practice time was worth it!

One question though, after my success I lent the set to my mate who tried, but this just resulted in the friction surfaces glazing over and producing no friction - and smoke appearing in the bearing block - anyone know why it would have glazed over (looks very pretty but not much use for fire-lighting!)?

Thanks,

 

[rich59]

Fab John. It is a great feeling.


As for the glazing I think the general view is that resins come out of the wood and cook into a nice glaze. Therefore some woods are more likely to do it than others. It can occur particularly if you keep up a below ideal level of friction and heat for too long. You can get rid of it usually by scratching it away with a knife, or sometimes by persisting with quality drilling so that it burns away.

 

[Welsh Dragon]

Well done :You_Rock_
I'm just starting along the frustrating road of bow drill fire lighting, I'm determined to crack it though


Brian.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Well done John,
Wear your grin with pride.
As Rich says, it is not uncommon for the heat generated in one attempt to draw resins fron the wood, though a good rework of the set would surely lead to further successfull embers. Its all part of the "7P Principal" - Prior Planning and Preparation Prevent P... etc etc.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[jasons]

Well done, keep at it.

 

[rik_uk3]

Hi All,

Just wanted to share my (grin) with everyone after achieving fire by friction for the first time at the weekend - all the practice time was worth it!

One question though, after my success I lent the set to my mate who tried, but this just resulted in the friction surfaces glazing over and producing no friction - and smoke appearing in the bearing block - anyone know why it would have glazed over (looks very pretty but not much use for fire-lighting!)?

Thanks,

I think the glaze is carbon that builds up after a while due to friction, and this produces a slippy surface, so best to scrape it clear unless you want to spend a lot of time on your bow

 

[Big John]

Thanks all, I'll give the set a bit of attention and try again.

 

[Longstrider]

Well done John ! That first glowing coal that you produce with the bow-drill is worth more to you than a similar sized ruby isn't it ? I think everyone within a couple of miles knew that something was up the first time I managed it I laughed and hollered so much

I find that if my drill/hearth start to glaze I can either give the glazing a quick scrape with my knife or make sure that I have the cord really tight to prevent any slipping, and then give a few strokes of the bow whilst putting good heavy pressure (heavier than normal) on the drill through my bearing block. This second method rarely fails to burn off the glazing for me.

 

[Chris-N]

To stop the glazing/burnishing with the hand drill, I put a few grains of sand in the hole before I start drilling for an ember. I find it to be caused when no enough pressure is used. I think this is because wood particles are now flattened down instead of "ripped off". My understanding is that this is more of a problem with the bow drill than the hand drill because the wood is rubbed in one direction for longer. I believe that it is the changing of spinning direction that produces the most friction and char dust. Hope this helps,
Chris

 

[BobFromHolland]

:You_Rock_

I wonder if I'll ever forget that feeling I got from my first ember...

It's something, isn't it? A better award for achievment isn't imaginable..

Great!

Bob