Fire challenge

[oops56]

I like to see if anybody can go into the woods with just a flint & steel bring no tender. Also one canteen of water a pot of any kind noddles or coffee just a pocket knife northing else and do it. I like to do it later when the snows gone
P. S. no spoon or fork make do without or make somthing like chop sticks

 

[Ogri the trog]

That sounds very much like a "Rite of Passage" challenge Oops. I'm also guessing that you mean a traditional piece of flint and steel striker, not a fire flash rod of Ferrocerrium.

Hmm interesting.

Ogri the trog

PS, Closest I got was this attempt, copied from another thread


First some hanging dead wood - not the best as I think it was maple but fine to demonstrate an idea.

Next, a piece of that wood cut into sticks and feathered - note the smallest curls on the bottom stick, they are the ones that will catch light from a spark.

Finally, and admittedly after a few attempts, flame. My firesteel is in the bottom of the picture, struck with the spine of my knife.

Not a serious attempt at lighting a fire, but showing that you can get a fire going just using feathersticks and some well placed sparks.

ATB x2

Ogri the trog

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, not done it with flint and steel, but I've done it with a modern firesteel plenty of times. Although I do usually remember to take cutlery, it's not unheard-of for me to forget and have to improvise.

Even if I do have prepared tinder on me, I usually try to use what's available on-site. Pre-prepared tinder is for "emergencies".

 

[oops56]

Right no firesteel good old rock flint in 2 or 3 weeks it be dry out there i do it i guess i could do it in the yard but thats no fun i like to see birds etc.

 

[Wayland]

Closest I have done was after falling off a longship and getting all my gear wet I managed to start a fire from a dry reedmace head and some birch bark.

That was with a traditional flint and steel.

 

[rich59]

Oops,

The hardest part of your challenge is getting the spark to catch on found material, if you can't bring some charcloth with you. You have really got to know your natural tinders for this - and also find them in a bone dry state. I would choose a warm dry afternoon to attempt this. I would consider cramp ball fungus or punky wood as possible tinders I would be likely to find. I would hope to dry them for an hour or so in strong sun before attempting it.

Personally I might end up ditching the flint and steel and just use the knife to help shape some friction fire materials for hand drill.

 

[oops56]

Dam my mastake yes in the fire kit there should be char cloth .now slap my hand and take away my brownie points.

 

[jasons]

Sorry dont want to sound big headed but thats common practice for me . my next thing I want to do is the bow drill from nothing.

 

[British Red]

This was looking like a real challenge until the charcloth was added

I was there with cramp ball or reed mace or maybe some amadou....nowt easier if you have charcloth

I remember trying to think through "boiled water where there is no water" with just a knife once (no cup, bottle, flint, steel, plastic, bottles etc). Now that was a mental challenge....theoretically possible of course - a good way to put together a few bushcraft skills. May have to get my camera out and try that one....

Red

 

[jasons]

This was looking like a real challenge until the charcloth was added

I was there with cramp ball or reed mace or maybe some amadou....nowt easier if you have charcloth

I remember trying to think through "boiled water where there is no water" with just a knife once (no cup, bottle, flint, steel, plastic, bottles etc). Now that was a mental challenge....theoretically possible of course - a good way to put together a few bushcraft skills. May have to get my camera out and try that one....

Red

 

[Longstrider]

Flint and steel WITH charcloth isn't that much of a challenge to be fair. The fact that Wayland managed without the charcloth is the impressive bit
I'll be trying the "flint, steel and reedmace" idea myself now to see if I can manage that, but I'll take some charcloth as well so I know I can stil make a brew if I can't manage to make fire with the reedmace

I've only managed to make a fire from a bowdrill set gathered "on the spot" once. Doing it with my pre-prepared kit is no problem now I've had some practice and have got some nice wood sorted. The one time I did get it to work with "on the spot" kit, all I used was my knife and a bootlace and eneded up with a fire (and a LOT of sweat) I was well pleased with myself

 

[Dances with Wolves]

I accept your challenge Sir, and you shalt hear of my attemps by the 25th of April, as I'm going to Wales from the 16th - the 22nd, and I shall give it my best efforts despite being a newbie

Wolves.

 

[Gailainne]

I have to agree with Red, charcloth makes it too easy, even I can conjure fire if I have charcloth, and I'm a total novice.

Impressed with Wayland, tho, I dont know if it was a survival situation per se, but the use of local materials and the knowledge to use them for me is what its all about.

I think once I get a few more components to play with, I will try the original premise, "ye olde fire striker" and flint, chert, quartz, whatever, and whatever tinder i can recognize, or make work.

Plus I can always sacrifice a boot lace and make a fire bow.

Nice one Oops, challenges are fun, and bushcraft ones more so.

Regards

Stephen

 

[Mike Ameling]

I kind of chuckle every time I read this. It's something some of us have practiced for years.

I do a lot of Living History events. We get all our clothing and camp gear to be similar to what was available in the 1750's to 1780's. Then we gather for the weekend to live as we think we would have back during those years. It takes a lot of research and hand-work to come up with the appropriate clothing, camp gear, and skills. It can be a lot of fun, but you can easily be miserable for the weekend also. You also learn to appreciate what people lived through in the past.

Every fall I host a gathering with all clothing/gear to fit into the 1750's to 1820's time period. We hike back into some rough land, and live for the weekend with what we have on our backs and what we can scrounge from nature. We have had rain, snow, heat, wind, hard freeze, and even a few hot humid weekends over the past couple decades. We have feasted on trout, grouse, and squirrel. We have also eaked by on parched corn, cattail root, and watercress. But you learn a lot along the way.

One of the contests I have run during this gathering is:

Demonstrate your knowledge in each grouping
Flint - find a piece of flint/chert/quartz and chip a sharp edge
Fire - start a fire with that flint and local tinder
Food - find a local food plant
Cordage - 6 foot long and hold the weight of your gear when looped over a branch
Fishing Tool - some means of harvesting fish
Container - from natural materials- tight enough to carry a handfull of nuts/berries
Deadfall/Snare/Trap - from natural materials
Sign - evidence of non-modern man - recent or ancient
Rock Throw - at small animal target/silhouette

And we added two more pages to that over the years. Things like stone tools, make a knife, cooking, packing, knots, how many ways can you make fire, medicinal plants, time/direction, etc.

I learned a lot of this stuff growing up on the farm, but I really got interested in it when I got involved in the Living History stuff. This weekend I am heading down to the Colonial Trade Faire and Rifle Frolic at Fort de Chartres - south of St. Louis near the town of Prairie du Rocher IL. Here's a link to the web site of the group hosting the event. http://www.chasseurs.homestead.com/chasseurs.html

Yet I have so much still to learn. Oh well, my quest goes on.

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

Mike Ameling
Alledged Blacksmith and Known Iron Torturer

 

[w00dsmoke]

Well a couple of days ago I tried just that here in wettest west Scotland...

No luck at all. All tinder materials were absolutely soaked as it we previously had sleet. I found willowherb white fluffy seed heads from last year and these did take a spark but instantly burned out without spreading to more seed heads. It was next to near impossible. Ok I could have dismembered some trees to do it to get to the dry stuff but I did not think it right in our local beauty spot! I spent a good hour and half trying though...

So for the merits of the excersise do we take geography/presipitation into consideration pmsl

 

[Gailainne]

presipitation into consideration pmsl

Made me laugh, between the rain and the midges (I wonder if you got enough of them they would burn ) I think if you can make a fire in Scotland, the rest of the world would be a piece of P....ehhh very easy

Stephen

 

[Wayland]

I found willowherb white fluffy seed heads from last year and these did take a spark but instantly burned out without spreading to more seed heads.

I had that problem at first with the reedmace but I ended up making a tube from the papery bits of the birch bark.

As the flash flame travelled up the tube it lit the bark paper.


I have lit fires with charcloth so often I lost count several years ago I'm afraid.

The longship incident was not a survival situation but I did want to dry my kit out at the time....

 

[Goose]

Not many people who can start a story "I fell off this viking longship and......"

 

[Wayland]

Believe me that's only part of the story.....

 

[Gailainne]

Believe me that's only part of the story.....

You are NO WAY getting away with that statement...tell all.

Stephen