cramp balls and birch bark

[mazeman]

I've been out playing with cramp balls this morning and have seemingly hit an impasse... I can get all kinds of tinder to work with cramp balls: punk wood, grass, jute string, cedar bark etc, but the one that is flooring me is birch bark. No matter what I've tried I can't get it to flame. It smokes, gets bloomin' hot and all, but no flame. And I know that the birch bark is good stuff as it sparks to flame from a firesteel very easily. Any ideas guys?

 

[Pignut]

interesting that!

Cramp ball in birchbark is what I use most, try scraping the bark up a bit, I dont normally bother even doing that and works every time!

Regards

 

[Ogri the trog]

.... playing with cramp balls .....hit an impasse.......... birch bark. ....... no flame. ..... the birch bark is good stuff as it sparks to flame from a firesteel very easily. Any ideas guys?

You've found something that other people have trouble with too, and partly answered your own question.
Birch bark contains a lot of oil - which is the reason that it takes a spark so well - though it isn't the best tinder for lighting with an ember - it's not impossible, its just that there are other materials that flame from an ember a little easier than Birch Bark. Once you get a flame from grass, cedar etc it will burn as well as anything on account of the oil.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Pignut]

Only use the feathery bits of bark that are naturally loose on the tree, see if that helps you out

 

[GreenmanBushcraft]

Older birch bark is a little thick to catch, but the very young thin (pure white) bark should catch OK. Try roughing it up if not and or pull the strips into very fine ones.

Hope that helps a bit.

Kris

 

[mazeman]

interesting that!

Cramp ball in birchbark is what I use most, try scraping the bark up a bit, I dont normally bother even doing that and works every time!

Regards

I'm interested in your technique, Pignut.... Can you explain/describe it to/for me please?

And thanks for the info, Ogri - tis still your Cedar bark I'm using; thanks again for that.

And Greenman, I've been using quite a few types of birch, even that really wonderful Paper Birch stuff, but it doesn't seem to do it.

As an aside, I had an odd time a wee while ago trying to spark some birch, I was in a little river valley in the mountains near here and all the birch around me had very red bark, even on the quite mature trees (I later found some other trees of similar sizes with the usual silver bark). Try as I might I just could not get the bark to catch a spark. I even tried a lighter and it still wouldn't go much. Has anyone else experienced this?


Thanks, guys for your replies.

 

[Ogri the trog]

And thanks for the info, Ogri - tis still your Cedar bark I'm using; thanks again for that.

Glad to hear it Buddy,
I've since read that cedar bark is best left to be weathered for "several years" to become any good for fire lighting - yet I've had no trouble and your getting on well with it. I regularly just tug a handfull of dead grass from the roadside and try that as a tinder - wanting to improve my technique in less than ideal conditions.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Mang]

Spooky post mazeman, I tried some papery Birch bark with some charcloth and got the same result. I guess you live and learn but do it faster on a forum like this

 

[rich59]

To go from hot ember to flame I find I need a good close link (or even mixed in) between the ember and the material to burn. I had lots of problems with cramp ball if it still had the outer casing on, but better results if I used bits of cramp ball without the shell.

Mazeman - how about if you got some cramp ball (without shell) and stuffed it into the end of a roll of papery birch bark (like a cigar with more than one layer). Ignite the cramp ball and blow it into a really bright glow. Does that work?

 

[Celt_Ginger]

I think it's something to do with birch bark's combustion temperature (the temperature it must reach before if bursts into flame). It has a higher combustion temp. than some other materials. A spark from a firesteel is at about 1200 C where as a cramp ball is a lot cooler.

 

[mazeman]

Mazeman - how about if you got some cramp ball (without shell) and stuffed it into the end of a roll of papery birch bark (like a cigar with more than one layer). Ignite the cramp ball and blow it into a really bright glow. Does that work?

Just had a crack at this.... It burnt through the fill a treat but didn't flame! Drat and double drat.

 

[mazeman]

I regularly just tug a handfull of dead grass from the roadside and try that as a tinder - wanting to improve my technique in less than ideal conditions.

ATB

Ogri the trog

I think there's a name for it... Pyromania, maybe?

 

[Pignut]

Cramp ball abd birch bark......

Will put together some photoes later!

Regards

 

[Kepis]

More or less the same principal as cramp balls, this is a roll of birch bark blown to flame from a charcloth ember

 

[Toadflax]

Have a look at the "Birch Bark Cigar" article.


Geoff

 

[Pignut]

More or less the same principal as cramp balls, this is a roll of birch bark blown to flame from a charcloth ember

Prety much how I would do it!

 

[mazeman]

Tried the birch bark cigar taht I had already prepped in the garage but had forgotten about (thanks for the reminder, Toadflax - great name by the way!) Still no joy. Used the thinest, whitest peelings I could find and blew like billy-o....... nuttin' but smoke and flying specks of red hot cramp ball dust.

This has become one of those things :swordfigh

 

[Toadflax]

This has become one of those things :swordfigh

I completely understand. I'm like that now with the bow-drill. I have had flame from it 2 or 3 times over the past year, but still can't do it reliably.

Tried the birch bark cigar taht I had already prepped in the garage but had forgotten about (thanks for the reminder, Toadflax - great name by the way!) Still no joy. Used the thinest, whitest peelings I could find and blew like billy-o....... nuttin' but smoke and flying specks of red hot cramp ball dust.

I have to confess that I've just remembered that I haven't tried this with a cramp ball. I've only ever used charcloth with the 'cigar'. I must try this myself.


Geoff

 

[mazeman]

I have to confess that I've just remembered that I haven't tried this with a cramp ball. I've only ever used charcloth with the 'cigar'. I must try this myself.


Geoff

I can do it with charcloth no problem, goes up like a 1980's Welsh cottage - let me know how you get on with the cramp balls. Bon chance.

Richard

 

[Toadflax]

I can do it with charcloth no problem, goes up like a 1980's Welsh cottage - let me know how you get on with the cramp balls. Bon chance.

Richard

Not well. I made up a nice big birch bark cigar and got a big piece of cramp ball going but ended up with lots of smoke and not much else, so I suspect that we may need a bit of some other tinder to ignite from the cramp ball first.


Geoff