Bushcraft fire bellow/tube

[John Elstob]

I saw this on YouTube and thought I would recreate it take a piece of elder a piece of wire or greenstick, hollow the centre out to get rid of all the pith one fire tube/bellow

 

[Tony]

How's it going, is that all the way through? If it is, have you used it yet?

 

[John Elstob]

How's it going, is that all the way through? If it is, have you used it yet?

Hey Tony, yes, it was all the way through, and yes it works. To be honest, not as well obviously as the metal ones but as it turned out the piece of wood I selected was slightly tapered as well to make it more effective. I will put some more photos up. Once I find it again lol I seem to have misplaced it. I guess if you forgot your bellows like I did on that trip if a good substitute

 

[John Elstob]

Hey Tony, yes, it was all the way through, and yes it works. To be honest, not as well obviously as the metal ones but as it turned out the piece of wood I selected was slightly tapered as well to make it more effective. I will put some more photos up. Once I find it again lol I seem to have misplaced it.

 

[Disabled Preppers]

Hi just wondering would most reeds not be a good use for this to and or may be a length of bamboo between knots , i have had some longish piece to , funny the things we have in our hands and never think of the other use for them .

 

[John Elstob]

Hi just wondering would most reeds not be a good use for this to and or may be a length of bamboo between knots , i have had some longish piece to , funny the things we have in our hands and never think of the other use for them .

Yeah I guess they would be ideal. Especially the bamboo as you could make the hole taper using different diameter pieces

 

[forrestdweller]

i learned something similar in Japan using bamboo called "fukiya"(iirc): cut a section about a foot (or a bit longer) with one end just below a node and poke a small hole in it which faces towards the fire. the "mouth end" has a larger opening. (hope my description makes sense...) it's amazingly effective and i've even used it for small campfire forging projects...

 

[Keith_Beef]

I've managed, in the past, to take the pith out of a length of elder to use for this purpose. Then a couple of years later I read that all parts of the elder except for the flowers and berries are toxic. Oops.

I no longer have the elder tube, but I have the piece of pith.

 

[Keith_Beef]

i learned something similar in Japan using bamboo called "fukiya"(iirc): cut a section about a foot (or a bit longer) with one end just below a node and poke a small hole in it which faces towards the fire. the "mouth end" has a larger opening. (hope my description makes sense...) it's amazingly effective and i've even used it for small campfire forging projects...

You could probably do the same with a piece of Japanese Knotweed.