Stuff the top of your spindle/socket with leaves. Holly's good if you can find it, but fresh beech does well too. It's just lubrication that won't easily go to smoulder.
If the tip of your spindle where it's rubbing agin the hearthboard goes shiny, take you knife and gently chip out a series of wee notches right round it. Make it a burr. It'll start rubbing off fibres again. Same with the hearth board, just rough up the cupped hollow a bit.
If it keeps doing it, try something else for the hearthboard or spindle. I like hazel on ivy or elder, but pine's usually pretty sound for a hearth board, if it's dry. Oak is hellish hard, so not my preferred option.
Beech should have worked on the spruce I'd have thought
Smoke is good though, smoke is very good, you just need to get fibres that soak up all that heat now
Best of luck with it
cheers,
Toddy
p.s. While I mind, will you have a look at Hamish's (Dreadhead) thread on birch oil ? Can you make see if you can find any information your side of the continent on how the Russians (and presumably other Easter Europeans) made the birch oil that they used to waterproof and protect leather ? and how they made the birch oil that was used for rifles and fuel ?
No hassle, just if it's something you can find easily
M
