need help, i was told you can use bullrushes for tinder, is it ture, what or how do you use it. i believe bullrush is also know as cattails & mace reed. what tinder do you use
bullrush tinder
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need help, i was told you can use bullrushes for tinder, is it ture, what or how do you use it. i believe bullrush is also know as cattails & mace reed. what tinder do you use
The down from the mature seed head is used. I think they are ready later in the year, then through the winter. I find thistle down to be easier to use and easier to get hold of, it holds a flame better than cattail down when used with a ferro rod. I am sure it would work well in the heart of a tinder bundle for friction fire lighting as a coal extender.
For general tinder I tend to carry resinous pine or birch bark since they are more resistant to damp than the downs are.
For general tinder I tend to carry resinous pine or birch bark since they are more resistant to damp than the downs are.
I have tried thistle and reed mace both seem to flash up easy but then disappear just as quick leaving no heat or ember etc. Im sure that somone else out there will shed a little more experienced light on this
Yep, with bullrush aka cat-tail aka greater reedmace, it's the fluffy mature seed heads you're looking for. I usually see them from very early spring through to about midsummer.
Like all fluff tinders, the problem is that they tend to flash over very quickly, as others have mentioned. There's a few things you can do about this... The most effective, but least bushcrafty, is to rub some petroleum jelly through it, just like you would with cotton wool. The option I usually go for is to mix some fluff with shredded birch bark - the fluff goes up very easily, and is enough to get the bark going. Or you can just make sure you've got some very good, fine kindling on your fluff bundle - I reckon you could get that to go up nicely, although you might have to manipulate it a bit (and very quickly) to get it to catch right.
I'm sure I've heard of the fluff being soaked, compressed, and dried to make a coal tinder that can take a spark, but I've never tried it. Come to think of it, I've got a bag of reedmace fluff kicking around here somewhere, I should give it a try...
Like all fluff tinders, the problem is that they tend to flash over very quickly, as others have mentioned. There's a few things you can do about this... The most effective, but least bushcrafty, is to rub some petroleum jelly through it, just like you would with cotton wool. The option I usually go for is to mix some fluff with shredded birch bark - the fluff goes up very easily, and is enough to get the bark going. Or you can just make sure you've got some very good, fine kindling on your fluff bundle - I reckon you could get that to go up nicely, although you might have to manipulate it a bit (and very quickly) to get it to catch right.
I'm sure I've heard of the fluff being soaked, compressed, and dried to make a coal tinder that can take a spark, but I've never tried it. Come to think of it, I've got a bag of reedmace fluff kicking around here somewhere, I should give it a try...
cheers for the info, gergorach i will be over to our local pond getting some fluff(bullrush).
Like Gregorach I've had no luck in getting reed mace down to take a spark. I've not even had any joy in getting it going with a lighter, and I've tried the wet, compress and dry technique. However, I have found that if I rub between my hand so that the fibres are all seperated and leave it fairly densely packed that it acts as a supercharged coal extender. Once it starts glowing it gives of an intense heat, enough to get fine kindling to light never mind tinder. So I'll continue to experiment with the stuff as it obviously does have some value.
I've also found that the stalk of the head makes a good ember carrier, that last for half an hour or more.
Does anyone know how to get it to take a spark.
I've also found that the stalk of the head makes a good ember carrier, that last for half an hour or more.
Does anyone know how to get it to take a spark.
S0rry Gregorach, I didn't make myself clear there. Depending on how I prepare it the it either flashes over, or just doesn't take a spark, no happy medium.
Historical note:
The pith of the Rush was used for lighting much like a Tallow Candle in years past. The stalk was cut, the hard outside stripped off, and then it was dried. When the pith was dry, it was soaked in cooking grease. It was then clamped in the tongs of a Rushlamp, and the end lit. The pith acts as a wick, while the grease burns. And thus you had light - without having to go to all the work to make candles out of that household cooking grease. Yes, it was poor light compared to a good candle, and it was smokey and dripped and made the place smell like you were burning soming in the frypan, and it didn't last very long. But it was LIGHT - and inexpensive ta boot.
I've had similar experiences using the fluff from the cattail head for fire starting. So I haven't bothered with it in a while. I generally use Tinder Fungus (innonotus obliquus) which grows on the Birch Tree. Amazing stuff! That orangish inside will catch a spark without any prior preparation - right off of the tree! And when you collect some from the tree, you also then can pull some strips of the paper Birch bark off to use as tinder to help take that "spark" up to a full fire. Of course, this is using a traditional flint striker instead of that modern ferro-cerrium rod fire steel.
Old is not always obsolete - new is not always better. And the amount of knowledge/technology that has been discovered and lost over the centuries is staggering.
Just some humble ramblings to share. Take them as such.
Mikey - out "playing" with fire in the Hinterlands - "Fire Good!"
The pith of the Rush was used for lighting much like a Tallow Candle in years past. The stalk was cut, the hard outside stripped off, and then it was dried. When the pith was dry, it was soaked in cooking grease. It was then clamped in the tongs of a Rushlamp, and the end lit. The pith acts as a wick, while the grease burns. And thus you had light - without having to go to all the work to make candles out of that household cooking grease. Yes, it was poor light compared to a good candle, and it was smokey and dripped and made the place smell like you were burning soming in the frypan, and it didn't last very long. But it was LIGHT - and inexpensive ta boot.
I've had similar experiences using the fluff from the cattail head for fire starting. So I haven't bothered with it in a while. I generally use Tinder Fungus (innonotus obliquus) which grows on the Birch Tree. Amazing stuff! That orangish inside will catch a spark without any prior preparation - right off of the tree! And when you collect some from the tree, you also then can pull some strips of the paper Birch bark off to use as tinder to help take that "spark" up to a full fire. Of course, this is using a traditional flint striker instead of that modern ferro-cerrium rod fire steel.
Old is not always obsolete - new is not always better. And the amount of knowledge/technology that has been discovered and lost over the centuries is staggering.
Just some humble ramblings to share. Take them as such.
Mikey - out "playing" with fire in the Hinterlands - "Fire Good!"
Unfortunately, innonotus obliquus seems to be extremely rare over here... I've never found any.
Was having a bit of a play last night... Can't get the soak and compress idea to work at all. However, it does burn better if you really tease it out. You've still only got a second or two, but with the right secondary tinder / kindling that should be enough.
Was having a bit of a play last night... Can't get the soak and compress idea to work at all. However, it does burn better if you really tease it out. You've still only got a second or two, but with the right secondary tinder / kindling that should be enough.
Im not allowed to to play out for a few weeks but if anyone is playing with this at the min try making a birch skinned cigar stuffed with reed mace. I was just thinking back when i rememberd an old friend mentioned something about this. If anyone gets to try it lemme know Also think there were a few very small thin bits of birch in the mix.
but if anyone is playing with this at the min try making a birch skinned cigar stuffed with reed mace. I was just thinking back when i rememberd an old friend mentioned something about this. If anyone gets to try it lemme know Also think there were a few very small thin bits of birch in the mix.
That's what I used to think. I now know that there is a lot of it in this country, but it's not widespread.
I'll pm you the location. There's enough of it that it would be selfish of me not to share the knowledge, but I don't want to post the details on a public forum in case it starts appearing for sale on ebay.
