Cooking amadou in wood ashes?

[Lush]

Hi there,

I have a little batch of amadou cooking right now. To do this I emptied a bucket of wood ashes (about a pound ) in a 4 liter pan with water at home. Obviously I have put a lid on it so it does not evaporate too quickly.

Some sources say that it must cook for 3 day's. Does anyone know if this is right? It seems like a lot of time to me. I did not study phisics, but after eight hours of cooking, wil it get softer and softer? (or better for firelighting in any other way) I mean, three day's is a lot.

What do you guy's think could be the reason for cooking it for such a long time? Will it have to do with getting a more concentrated lye solution due to evaporation? Or maybe a totally different reason? Has anyone tried this method of preparing amadou as tinder? Did anyone try the "cooking it in urine" method? Come on... be honest now, lol...

for ppl. that don't already know it: amadou is the soft fluffy layer just below the hard outer layer of horses hoof fungus..

Some opinions and input would be greatly appreciated...
Lush

 

[bambodoggy]

I do mine for about 3 to 4 hours and it works just fine and dandy mate

Never tried the pee thing....can't see the point ? ? ? !!!

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Lush]

Thanks Bambodoggy,

I thought 3 day's would be a little over done probably. This batch cooked for 9 hours.

As for the urine.... I actualy don't know what would be the point. Except for if it would make extremely good tinder.... Like nothing could match it... Maybe if you are with a group it is faster to generate enough pee, as opposed to burning enough wood to obtain the ashes, lol.

Very curious what tinder I get when it's dried. I will post the results back of course..

Lush

 

[Ogri the trog]

Lush,
I've seen timings range from as little as 15 minutes for boiling and around one day for soaking without boiling. I've been trying to read up on the subject in preparation for doing my own amadou prep. It has been discussed extensively over on Paleoplanet.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[bushwacker bob]

The urine bit only counts if you have been drinking wood alcohol for several hours before collecting your water.

At least,thats what the bloke who included it in the recipe said.
It was boiled for 3 days cos he was asleep for 2 days 23 hours.


I'll get my coat.

 

[Biddlesby]

Lush, I expect urine is used due to the ammonia content. Liquid ammonia has even been used as rocket fuel!

 

[Lush]

@ Ogri the trog: I will have a look at Paleoplanet for that discussion, thanks..

@ Bushwacker bob: that's too funny.. So the "3 day's cooking myth" might just be because "a bloke" was asleep for for 2 days 23 hours? Hahaha.. But then again, was this bloke the original inventor of the 3 day cooking period or was it someone else? Well, it does not matter. Whatever works is fine. Although historically proper recipes have something nice to them. Maybe another internet rumour did it's work here (don't know for sure yet.)

@ Biddlesby: You might be right regarding the ammonia in urine. Although the link to rocket fuel is not very clear to me. It can also be a lot of other things that make urine work as a recipe for cooking amadou. Ammonia is a lye like solution as well. Just as wood ashes solution is. Interesting however...

Lush

 

[Lush]

Hi folks,

Long time no post! I promised to post the results back from cooking the amadou... Well, it was a big success. Before I could not ignite a piece of amadou with flint and steel.

After cooking the amadou it is quite easy to get it to smoulder with flint and steel now. I cooked it for 9 hours. Less may be well enough. I don't know.

cheers,
Lush

 

[Mike Ameling]

The whole purpose of using urine is for the Potassium Nitrate in it. Boiling the urine just removes water, and concentrates the potassium nitrate.

You can avoid the urine part by starting with potassium nitrate crystals. Just desolve them in a little water, and then soak your future amadou in it. Once that velvety inner layer of the shelf/hoof mushroom soaks up a bunch of your solution, let it dry - to remove the water.

Variations of this were used to make the match cord for a matchlock musket, and for making cannon/fireworks fuses. Potassium Nitrate is also one of the three ingredients in gunpowder - the old Blackpowder, along with sulfer and charcoal. When mixed with sugar it does make rocket fuel. And it is used to help preserve meat when making things like bacon and sausage. A common term for it is Saltpeter.

The primary chemical soaked/leached out of wood ashes is Lye. Lye mixed with animal fat produces soap.

Many places restrict access to potassium nitrate - because of it's "pyrotechnique" properties. But few question anyone using it to cure your own bacon, ham, and sausage.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - firing things up - out in the Hinterlands

 

[Lush]

Is there Potassium Nitrate in urine? I think if it is, there is something wrong with one's urine (not joking.) You might be right though. I am no expert chemist . It will be a lye solution, like wood ashes, I think indeed.

What do you think of the following: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24050. I am aware of the fact that wood ashes is/was used in making the match cord for a matchlock musket. I think it has to do with the breaking down of the cel structure so it(hemp, wood, amadou ect.) burns better.

I am very curious what other ppl. think about the role which lignin might play in improving some tinders..

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

any pics? Ive never heard of this stuff and would like to see it.

 

[Lush]

Sure, I will soon post some

 

[Lush]

double post sorry

 

[Lush]

Matthew (and others), here are two pictures.

This is how they look on the tree. It grows around the tree a bit (Horses Hoof)

Here is where I cut a piece of amadou from the hard outer shell. The green arrow is the outershell of another
Horses Hoof Fungus where it is broken. So the amadou collor there is revealed. The Amadou is found just
under the VERY hard outer scale.

Cook it in some wood ashes, and it lights with flint. I am very happy with the result..

 

[bartjen 2]

do you remove the inner layer first and let the hard shell on the outside on to boil.???and doesn't it break when you flatten it???

 

[Lush]

do you remove the inner layer first and let the hard shell on the outside on to boil.???and doesn't it break when you flatten it???

Hi Bartjen,

The outer shell can be discarded.

First you seperate the amadou from the hard outer layer (tedious and dangerous job.) Then you boil the pieces of amadou. When still wett, you can flatten the amadou. When it dries, it becomes quite hard.

I hope I am clear now?

 

[bartjen 2]

thanks your very helpfull:You_Rock_