Fire lays, mixes and additives. Methods and techniques

[Leigh Robinson]

I can make fire. I can use it to warm me and to cook food.

I suspect there is a lot more to fire than warmth and heat. I suspect there is more than just the tipi lay, indian lay, parallel lay. I think there are many different ways to lay a fire. I also suspect that there are different mixes to the fire e.g. pine and oak to get a different effect. I also suspect that fires probably take additives to produce different results e.g. sphagnam to make a smudge to keep mozzies off. What about additives for brighter light, more heat, slower burns?

Is there any resource out there can open the doors on this a little?

 

[Ogri the trog]

There are as many fire lays as you want to imagine and each can be tweaked and adjusted to favour a number of performance attributes.

As fore wood burning properties - this was posted a few weeks ago - http://imgur.com/a/AoeRT

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[dwardo]

MY fire is often a mish/mash of various styles depending on what I need it for. Often its one type at one end and different at the other.
Woods all burn differently depending on species and also how much moisture they contain. The best way to learn is to try them all. Pines for light and more dense stuff for embers and coals is a rule of thumb.

I usually end up with some form of long log fire to create a lot of horizontal heat with more of a tipi/stacked at one end to boil water. Long fire also helps on the amount of cutting needed as longer pieces of wood can be used.

 

[lannyman8]

as above, loooooooads of ways to do it, but if you want some bright light from the fire add some pine tree nots from dead trees, the resin will flare up and produce light, if you want a fire to last all night chuck a damp log or rotting log on which will last the night by the time it catches it will smoulder away until morning, ready for some tinder to be blown into flame for breakfast....

chris.