Boy Scout Know-It-All

[Wook]

I took out my home-made fire-bow kit again yesterday. I could get lots of smoke, but no fire. I'm beginning to question my choice of wood, since it produces little "rolls" rather than dust, irrespective of pressure. I suspect it may actually be almost impossible to get a coal with this kit. I've only ever managed it once.

After an hour or two I was tired and cranky. A local boy scout (actually a member of scouting UK, I'm not speaking metaphorically) leaned over the fence, apparently interested in what I was doing.

"Can you show me how to do that?" he asked

"I've not mastered it myself yet" I replied

I whipped out my Opinel, wondering if I made the fire-point smaller if I would have more success. The wood has baked hard under the fire-point and required a fairly severe power-grip to make any headway.

"You know, you've got no control at all holding it like that" says the boy scout.

"I have sufficient control for what I'm doing" replies the tired, cranky me......

After the boy scout wandered off, I conducted an experiment. I held my blowtorch lighter up to the piles of dust I had created. It wouldn't even stay alight when lit with a lighter, so I guess I know why I was failing.

 

[Stew]

If you've managed it with that kit once then how is it impossible?

 

[Wook]

If you've managed it with that kit once then how is it impossible?

"Almost impossible"

 

[JonathanD]

You'd be amazed at how many people stop me when I'm doing my field surveys and tell me I'm either doing it wrong or that the snake I'm holding is not an adder/grass snake but some other species. I used to put them right, but some people know better and won't have it, so I give up.

 

[Stew]

You'd be amazed at how many people stop me when I'm doing my field surveys and tell me I'm either doing it wrong or that the snake I'm holding is not an adder/grass snake but some other species. I used to put them right, but some people know better and won't have it, so I give up.

[h=1]“Arguing with a fool proves there are two.”[/h]
― Doris M. Smith

 

[JonathanD]

“Arguing with a fool proves there are two.”


― Doris M. Smith

I wasn't arguing, I was educating

 

[cranmere]

You'd be amazed at how many people stop me when I'm doing my field surveys and tell me I'm either doing it wrong or that the snake I'm holding is not an adder/grass snake but some other species. I used to put them right, but some people know better and won't have it, so I give up.

I get people telling me that I shouldn't eat wild plants unless I was an expert. I growl "I *am* an expert" these days.

 

[bambodoggy]

You'd be amazed at how many people stop me when I'm doing my field surveys and tell me I'm either doing it wrong or that the snake I'm holding is not an adder/grass snake but some other species. I used to put them right, but some people know better and won't have it, so I give up.

Lol....a very high percentage of people that stop to watch us taking a tree down claim to have been "in the trade" in the past....then after I answer their questions on what I'm doing and how I'm doing it they tell me that's exactly how they used to do it lol Seems there used to be a heck of a lot of tree surgeons about......and I thought there were plenty now! Lol

 

[woof]

You want to try being a dog handler..every one's an expert on dogs, they all know far more than I do...I'm retired now & have started a gardening business & guess what ? everyone's an expert... My reply one day while quoting for a job(didn't get it !)was "if you know so much, why am I here quoting to do the work ?, surely you should be doing it yourself ?".

Rob

 

[JonathanD]

This last Monday, somebody told me the best way to catch an adder is to grab its tail and use a whipping action It's no wonder the population has declined so rapidly.

 

[Clouston98]

I was once told that only 'softy's' used ground insulation when camping. I replied "when was the last time you slept out under canvas when it was below minus 5?" I got the answer of 'oh fair enough'. I can't stand it when would be experts spout crap- another thing is when people use "well technically" or "statically, 68% of" I switch off- unless that is the person really knows their stuff- which you can tell. Then there's the armchair experts- the sort who bang on about stuff they've never even done, like there're an authority on it.

 

[santaman2000]

This last Monday, somebody told me the best way to catch an adder is to grab its tail and use a whipping action It's no wonder the population has declined so rapidly.

Decline in which population? Adders? Or catchers? LOL

 

[John Fenna]

I was once told that only 'softy's' used ground insulation when camping. I replied "when was the last time you slept out under canvas when it was below minus 5?" I got the answer of 'oh fair enough'. I can't stand it when would be experts spout crap- another thing is when people use "well technically" or "statically, 68% of" I switch off- unless that is the person really knows their stuff- which you can tell. Then there's the armchair experts- the sort who bang on about stuff they've never even done, like there're an authority on it.

I was camping before Karrimats were invented - I used to use my spare clothing under me as padding .. in my cotton drill tent that had wooden poles and my cape was also my groundsheet!
As soon as Karrimats hit the market I was hooked .. until thermarests were invented and I changed allegiance ...until down filled air mattresses came along ..
Even in summer..
I was once told "Any fool can be uncomfortable!" .. Mrs Fenna bred no fools

 

[JonathanD]

Decline in which population? Adders? Or catchers? LOL

Sadly just the adders

 

[Clouston98]

I was camping before Karrimats were invented - I used to use my spare clothing under me as padding .. in my cotton drill tent that had wooden poles and my cape was also my groundsheet!
As soon as Karrimats hit the market I was hooked .. until thermarests were invented and I changed allegiance ...until down filled air mattresses came along ..
Even in summer..
I was once told "Any fool can be uncomfortable!" .. Mrs Fenna bred no fools

Aye that saying is too true!

 

[cranmere]

I was once told that only 'softy's' used ground insulation when camping.

I'm like Mr Fenna, old enough to remember the days before closed cell foam mats. We sure as heck used ground insulation for comfort, often in the form of lots of dry grass or leaves spread thickly under the groundsheet. LIke John I was quick to use modern floor mats when they appeared.

 

[Clouston98]

I'm like Mr Fenna, old enough to remember the days before closed cell foam mats. We sure as heck used ground insulation for comfort, often in the form of lots of dry grass or leaves spread thickly under the groundsheet. LIke John I was quick to use modern floor mats when they appeared.

Yes my point entirely- ground insulation is key! Which I was quick to tell the know it all in question (who had never even camped once before!) .

 

[leon-1]

After the boy scout wandered off, I conducted an experiment. I held my blowtorch lighter up to the piles of dust I had created. It wouldn't even stay alight when lit with a lighter, so I guess I know why I was failing.

Okay, so you've got a coal from this set once before, could moisture have entered into the hearth at all?

Did the wood seem denser or softer than when you tried before, could the grain be tighter packed in this area than on the last hole drilled?

What type of wood are you using for the Hearth and the drill?

Are you starting again from scratch each time you try to get a coal, I find that doing the whole thing from scratch each time works better.

Could you be drilling into a knot? That could make quite a difference due to the change in the grain.

Try changing the drill, don't get rid of the original one though, if that doesn't work go back to using the old drill on a new hearth. Once again keep the old hearth, I would keep it indoors just incase it has taken on moisture and then try it again at a later date. It doesn't sound like moisture, but without hearing and seeing it I can't tell you to be honest.

Some woods can have a bit of inconsistency to them, palette wood (which a lot of the time is baked pine) can have a certain amount of variation in it dependant on whether all of the resin has soaked out of it.

Touch wood, I haven't had a friction fire fail in over a couple of years and long may it continue. A couple of weeks ago I was using Hazel and Sycamore drills on a Lime hearth, a week before that I was using Sycamore on Alder, a week before that I was using Hazel on Ivy and a week before that I was using hardwood broom handle on palette wood hearth.

Don't give up on it, the more combinations you try the better. Some combinations will make things a lot easier and others will make you work for your crust, but each one will give a little more insight to what's happening every time you give it a go. All the best and good luck.

 

[woof]

I remember thinking "wow !" when I first tried the karrimor mat, then as John says thermarests came out... then the 5cm thermarest...I now have the ultra lite camp cot, so its back to basics with a karrimor mat on top of the cot.

Rob

 

[Stew]

Okay, so you've got a coal from this set once before, could moisture have entered into the hearth at all?

Did the wood seem denser or softer than when you tried before, could the grain be tighter packed in this area than on the last hole drilled?

What type of wood are you using for the Hearth and the drill?

Are you starting again from scratch each time you try to get a coal, I find that doing the whole thing from scratch each time works better.

Could you be drilling into a knot? That could make quite a difference due to the change in the grain.

Try changing the drill, don't get rid of the original one though, if that doesn't work go back to using the old drill on a new hearth. Once again keep the old hearth, I would keep it indoors just incase it has taken on moisture and then try it again at a later date. It doesn't sound like moisture, but without hearing and seeing it I can't tell you to be honest.

Some woods can have a bit of inconsistency to them, palette wood (which a lot of the time is baked pine) can have a certain amount of variation in it dependant on whether all of the resin has soaked out of it.

Touch wood, I haven't had a friction fire fail in over a couple of years and long may it continue. A couple of weeks ago I was using Hazel and Sycamore drills on a Lime hearth, a week before that I was using Sycamore on Alder, a week before that I was using Hazel on Ivy and a week before that I was using hardwood broom handle on palette wood hearth.

Don't give up on it, the more combinations you try the better. Some combinations will make things a lot easier and others will make you work for your crust, but each one will give a little more insight to what's happening every time you give it a go. All the best and good luck.

Stop being a know-it-all!

(Just in case anyone doesn't realise, that was a joke. )