Drill and Bow fire Lighting - A First Attempt in the Field

[wolf]

has any had any success using dog rose as the drill

 

[rich59]

has any had any success using dog rose as the drill

Yes and no. With hand drilling I have had a lot of success with a garden rambler rose with stems about 1cm diameter. In the early days of my bow drilling I used to try hard with some 1.5cm diameter wild rose, and always seemed to get a rather coarse, gritty punk that would not burn. It might have been my technique.

How about you Wolf?

 

[rich59]

Well in a wood actually but anyway ..

Paul

Paul,

Just spotted your comment about doing your first attempt in a wood. Interestingly enough trying in a wood may be far harder than in a field! I can go down to the local wood, pick up some seemingly dry wood not lying on the floor and attempt to create a coal by drilling. Never seems to work. I can take the wood home to my garden or shed and it works.

A key issue here I think is that under the trees you have a high humidity. Doing it in a dryer atmosphere such as in the open, or in a dry shed is more likely to be successful.

 

[wolf]

had alot of smoke with dog rose stem but no ember,got an ember from elder,but this stopped working dont know why,will keep at it,want to try iron pyrite and flint with tinder fungi...

 

[P Wren]

Paul,

Just spotted your comment about doing your first attempt in a wood. Interestingly enough trying in a wood may be far harder than in a field! I can go down to the local wood, pick up some seemingly dry wood not lying on the floor and attempt to create a coal by drilling. Never seems to work. I can take the wood home to my garden or shed and it works.

A key issue here I think is that under the trees you have a high humidity. Doing it in a dryer atmosphere such as in the open, or in a dry shed is more likely to be successful.

Hi Rich59,

Interesting point because, I brought the bow and drill set home and over the next few days tried some of the techniques that fellow community members suggested - lubricating the bearing block with green leaves, changing the the shape of the drill bit that fits into the bearing block. Even without these changes I did seem to get a lot of smoke much quicker in my garden than I had in the woods. On Sunday 11th September when I made the attempt there was constant drizzling rain and it was quite warm - I am reasonably fit but was sweating buckets while bowing - and am sure you are right that the extra effort was because of the high high humidity.

I have been trying to get back out into the woods to change my selection of woods for the drill set as I know there are a few beech trees around - but due to a Fencing Competition last weekend (that's the swordy type rather than the living hawthorn variety ) and training the previous weekend haven't had the time .

I have been trying to contact a local scout camp to see if I can camp there 'off season' and practice some bushcraft skills but I haven't heard back from them - and I've been sending PMs to Lawrence Dell, who knows some land areas within driving distance of me but I haven't heard back from him.

Grrrrr, need lots of green and a complete absence of Londony stuff !