Bracket fungus tinder

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falling rain

Native
Oct 17, 2003
1,737
29
Woodbury Devon
I found a nice bracket fungus growing on a birch tree today whilst out for a walk.
It's quite fresh looking and white.
Something I've never tried is using it for tinder. Can anyone tell me the process of drying etc. Do I cut it up into pieces and let it dry naturally, or stick it in the oven on a low heat? How long does it take to dry out and do I just use sparks on the dried pieces?
Any advice would be geatly appreciated as I've never used this method before.

Cheers in advance.
 

falling rain

Native
Oct 17, 2003
1,737
29
Woodbury Devon
Thanks for all the advice. I'll certainly be giving those ideas a go. :D............ Just kidding. I thought I'd read about using bracket fungus as tinder. No worries if no one knows. Knowing me I've probably got it wrong. :confused:
 

Cobweb

Native
Aug 30, 2007
1,149
30
South Shropshire
Don't quote me but I think you slice it into thin strips and place on newspaper or kitchen towel and then put it into the airing cupboard until it's dry.
 

ocean1975

Full Member
Jan 10, 2009
676
82
rochester, kent
Birch polypore is what you have there by the sounds of things.I dried one out on the radiator last year and to be honest it wasn't that good as cramp balls or hoof fungus but it did hold a flame,i cut it into 10mm strips.You can also use it for a temporary plaster if you cut your finger!!! And you can also strop your knife with it hence it's other name razor strop fungus.
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
I used to slice it, thread it onto cotton and hang it up to dry outside on the balcony in Germany. Birch polypore is a wonder material and it can be used for all sorts of things. I also don't rate it for catching a spark, but once you have an ember it is great for extending it and also good for giving off smoke to keep bugs away. I heard that Oetzi carried some to use as a mouth wash/gargling tincture for use when he had a sore throat!
 
This is the way I have been shown... You need to locate a smooth grained interior part of the fungus I think called the trana (not sure of the spelling). I'm sure you'd fnd diagram online.
Slice this thinly, soak in a solution of ash and water, brush of the excess and leave to dry.
 

falling rain

Native
Oct 17, 2003
1,737
29
Woodbury Devon
Well if it's good enough for Oetzi it's good enough for me. Impossible of course but I'd love to meet that guy and see and learn how he did things. Thanks for the advice. Very much appreciated. I'l be experimenting............. Oetzi :You_Rock_ ...........What a thought to spend a month with Oetzi?
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Well if it's good enough for Oetzi it's good enough for me. Impossible of course but I'd love to meet that guy and see and learn how he did things. Thanks for the advice. Very much appreciated. I'l be experimenting............. Oetzi :You_Rock_ ...........What a thought to spend a month with Oetzi?

Aye, it'd be cool! Bagsy not having the month where he dies! :D
 

falling rain

Native
Oct 17, 2003
1,737
29
Woodbury Devon
Aye, it'd be cool! Bagsy not having the month where he dies! :D

Indeed Spam, but how amazingly cool would it be to spend some time (say a month) with that dude............... For all the things we think we know, I bet he could teach us tenfold.... and the rest............ We're just playing. .. Oh if only. :rolleyes:
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
Early in my exploration of primitive fire I found an old dead bracket fungus on an old stump in my local park. I'd heard some bracket fungi can burn so I put a match to the edge of it. It smouldered for hours and got amazingly hot. I could only put it out by immersing in water. It turns out that that was my first experience of the birch polypore.

I tried igniting bits in all sorts of ways. I could never get it to take a flint and steel spark but it would take a ferro rod spark well if you aimed for the densest part where it attached to the tree. It is fine with a lens. I can't recall if it would work in a fire piston. Anyone else?

It's most annoying habit though is that over time it disentegrates.

As for drying - nothing special. Warm dry place. To be quicker cut it up.
 

falling rain

Native
Oct 17, 2003
1,737
29
Woodbury Devon
Thanks Rich ......much appreciated. I've got it drying in the shed at my Mrs house. After the.................. 'maggots coming out of the cattail seed heads in the airing cuboard and crawling all over the place and all over the clean washing'... incident. :eek: :rolleyes: I'm banned from taking so much as a stick indoors so therefore it's in the shed. I'll cut it up and lay it outside on sunny days. :)
 

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