Fire, fire...!

[Ed]

i use good para cord but want to be able to make natural cordage for it so any tips welcome,

Make yourself a set that is easy to use and gets fires going quickly, oooo and perfect your technique.
If you take 10 mins to get a fire going, then you are going to need some tough cordage for that kind of wear and tear. Dean on the other hand can get a coal in 30 strokes :yikes: and most nettle cordage can take that

Ed

 

[al]

30 strokes!!!!!!!!! what ?!!!, is his bow 10 foot long or what? takes me about 2 mins tops to get fire but i`ve only been doing it since june i think and still have to try variations on woods etc so this years project is at least once a week so i catch all weathers,if you`re gonna learn something you may as well do it properly eh

 

[Stuart]

the cordage i am preparing to make in this picture worked well for a bow drill set, unfortunatly i am no good at plant ident :?:

can anyone identify this tree from the photo? (there is not much to go on) the cordage of the inner bark is the strongest I have ever seen

 

[Stuart]

Ah! I have found a better picture, this one shows more of the tree being used
Can anyone identify this from the photo?

its not the trees in the background or on the floor only the one in my hands

 

[chris chris]

I use the leather lace/cords, you can get them from shoe repairers in your local market, I find they don't slip as much.

Stuart, that's a good challenge. Is it Lime bark or even Elder - did you soak it first to remove ?

Chris :wave:

 

[falcon]

Some of the trees in the background look like Sycamore - can you recall which tree the fallen branches came from or did you actually drop the timber?

I bought a wide leather lace/strap at the Wilderness Gathering in 2003 from Drew of the Survival School which is very strong but perfectly flexible and moves very freely while drilling. Believe it or not, I managed to snap a traditional leather bootlace a while back. I think they call that "perfecting your technique" !

 

[Ed]

30 strokes!!!!!!!!! what ?!!!,

As i said... perfect your technique and make a set that gets going easily ;-) and no, his bow is not that huge... less than 2ft.... probably more like 18". You do not need to drill that fast either, just nice easy gental strokes aslong as you are bearing down enough to create the friction.


Ed

 

[Ed]

the cordage i am preparing to make in this picture worked well for a bow drill set, unfortunatly i am no good at plant ident

can anyone identify this tree from the photo?

Not from the photo, but I was there ;-)
I'm sure it was a lime (a coruption of 'line') tree if my memory serves me correctly. We thought it was a lime but didn't have my book on me to confirm. I checked it when I got home though ;-)

:biggthump
Ed

 

[Stuart]

Stuart, that's a good challenge. Is it Lime bark or even Elder - did you soak it first to remove ?

Chris :wave:

no I didnt soak it at all, There was a whole group of the saplings growing very close together so I thined them out

I thought you had to soak lime to make it into usable cordage??

 

[Moonraker]

that is the hardest tree ident I have ever seen

You can find a very good article on natural cordage for fire-bows here:

Fire - Bowdrills, Fast Survival Bow Drill Strings

It says:

Root bark is a better choice than branch bark when it's available.

There is a nice article with photo illustrations also, here:

Fire - Bowdrills, Bow Drill Strings

Simon

 

[Lithril]

hmmm, my first bow drill fire was at the NEC earlier this year... couldn't give up, Stuart had the camera trained on me for all of 45 mins

Stuart those pics look familiar

 

[maddave]

Mate, that isn’t sad, that's fantastic :biggthump Well done that man, it's not something just anyone can do. A fine example of perseverance and how it pays off ): Now you just need to make yourself a set out of oak and have a go!! :rolmao:

You're a sick man Tone....lol Imagine the heat generated?? And that would be just from his head !!! ):

 

[Odie]

Saturday afternoon during the assessment phase of my Woodlore FBC course. Up until then I had only got smoke from my hearth and no ember.

The pressure was on because I knew I needed to make fire to get a good assessment grade.

Start bowing, nice and easy - using the full length of the bow and firm but not heavy pressure on the bearing block. Just warming the hearth up - then a little whisp of smoke from the base of the drill.

Start increasing the pressure and step up the tempo on the bowing - more smoke! Ok lock the bearing arm onto the shin, keep everything on the bearing side tight incase I lose control and shoot the drill into the bushes. Keep the bowing action fluid, not too manic and keep using the full length of the string.

OK good smoke now - I'm on my way. Count out loud - they will think I am nuts but this is my best shot!. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ... fifty strokes should be enough, keep concentrating on the bearing block - dont let it slip, keep the bowing smooth .. 9, 10; 40 ... 10 more ... 9, 10; 50!

Things looking good, easy with the hearth ... theres a pile of soot on the plate ... AND ITS SMOKING! OK keep calm, tilt the hearth back, a little nudge with this twig, Oh My God, its still smoking - I think I have an ember!!!

Let it breath, its like a new born baby, let it get to know the world, let it breath for a few seconds - get its strength up .... damn where's my nest?!! - Whew, ok the nest is ok, open it up and make sure the thistle down is in the middle ready to receive its precious cargo.

Come on little ember time to do you work, gently now into you loverly down and straw bed ... there nice and comfy and warm, let me tuck you up a bit ... let me close the bed around you....

A gentle blow, almost a kiss ... harder now I can see the bright red glow! This is looking good, I hope the instructor is watching. Keep blowing, MY GOD THIS SMOKE IS CHOKING ME! ... think and remember ... hold the nest high, back to the wind, whaft it down to take a breath ... thats better!

Blowing stronger now, I can feel the heat on my hands - where's the fire. Another bow, hands getting hotter - still no fire! More blowing - my lungs cant keep this up much more - I think I'm going to need plastic surgery on my hands! WHERE IS THE GODDAMNED FIRE!!??

OK I think my hands are going to combust before the tinder does - This isnt straw its :***::***::***::***::***::***: asbestos! Damn I need the fire soon and an ambulance to follow - I am not giving up until I have either fire or two charred stumps where my hands used to be. This smoke would make James Bond's Q proud, they can probably see my smoke across the channel, my lungs are raw from inhaling huge quantities of the stuff!

Please, I cant take this any more, a few more puffs - WHOOF!!!! HOLY CRAP!! FIRE - Whoot!

In the begining all was dark, then I said let there be fire and there was fire - then I said let there be burn cream and there was none.

Yep, my first time was pretty good

 

[Ed]

Thats a great story thanks for sharing that with us :biggthump

Ed

 

[Lithril]

OK I think my hands are going to combust before the tinder does - This isnt straw its asbestos! Damn I need the fire soon and an ambulance to follow - I am not giving up until I have either fire or two charred stumps where my hands used to be. This smoke would make James Bond's Q proud, they can probably see my smoke across the channel, my lungs are raw from inhaling huge quantities of the stuff!

Please, I cant take this any more, a few more puffs - WHOOF!!!! HOLY CRAP!! FIRE - Whoot!

In the begining all was dark, then I said let there be fire and there was fire - then I said let there be burn cream and there was none.

Yep, my first time was pretty good

Cheers for that, brings back some memories of the nec... I'm sure Gary soaked the hay first.........

 

[Stew]

Odie,

You told that brilliantly!! :You_Rock_

 

[den]

Last week i was having a go at making some bow drill cordage. I wanted something which could be easy found and didn't need too much prep in the end i used the dead stems of hedge bindweed not the strongest fibre in the world but no prep needed and nice and long. i put it into a 2 strand ply about 12 thick and used it on my best set at the moment which is holy board and hazel drill. I got quite a good smoke off it then,SNAP. I'm going to give it another go as i think i might just pull it off with a thicker cord from bindweed.

while were on the bow drill thing.
Has anybody had any luck with broom? I've made a set and it smokes like it wants to. the dust is a nice black but no ember!

I remember someone mentioning good old limpet shells for the block. How good is that :You_Rock_ I've been using two on top of each other for the block and applied to my existing sets i was shocked how much easier getting an ember was. I've been getting 5 or 6 goes a limpet before i go through the smooth inner shell. Reducing the friction between the block and drill is a must for success

 

[Paganwolf]

try using a beer bottle top looks like a flat limpet :shock: and it wont wear out, i havent tried limpets yet i may give it a go this weekend