Friction Firelighting

[bushwackerscott]

Does anybody have any advice on firelighting using the handrill method?

Like the best woods to use, how to produce proper fine dust (no matter how hard i try the dust that collects is no where near hot enough to produce an ember) etc.

Friction is my favourite method of firelighting and im eager to learn of your own experiences and any advice you can offer cheers :-D!

 

[TAHAWK]

Use Google or another search engine and search "fire by friction." There are many articles available that go into GREAT detail on methods, material, and construction - 100's of pages and lots of pictures. Some are by UK authors and specifically address materials avilable in the UK. Good hunting.

 

[jason01]

Hi Bushwacker

Ive had good success using Willow for spindle and hearth board, theres a picture of my setup on British Blades

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031&highlight=fire+friction

The secret is to persevere! Youll get there in the end.

Best

Jason

 

[Adi007]

Great looking set Jason!

What cord did you use for the bow?

 

[bushwacker bob]

well made set jason01,is that an estwing axe?and whats your opinion of it?

 

[jason01]

Adi, the cord is a bit of old nylon guy rope that I had lying around, its quite a coarse nasty bit of stuff but it grips fairly well and lasts well.

Well spotted Bushwacker, it is an Estwing, it looks pretty but I dont much like it tbh, the balance is all wrong for me, not enough weight in the head too short and overall quite heavy for its size, also the laqcuered leather bound grip versions always start to corrode under the leather wrapping where you cant do anything about it. I keep trying to like it but I much prefer a wooden shafted hand axe, almost any wooden shafted hand axe actually!

Best

Jason

 

[bushwackerscott]

Where did you get your axe from?

 

[jason01]

It was a present from my late father, 10 years or more ago, he was in the tool trade so probably got a good deal, dont know where from though I'm afraid, also have one of their claw hammers and a great geology hammer. They used to do more than one size of axe.

I wouldve thought any decent tool merchant that stocks their hammers could get one in for you, no denying the quality of their stuff.

Jason

 

[Martyn]

I remember you posting that Jason, great looking set. What are you using for a hand divot? It looks like something you've made for the job, rather than fashioned on the spot, what wood have you used?

Also - What's that knife? Is it a Helle?

 

[jason01]

Hi Martyn

Knife is a Helle Symfoni I bought from Bagman, my first scandi, lovely knife

I was struggling to make my first friction fire, so to reduce the effort slightly I used whatever tools I had at hand in my garage to speed up production of numerous experimental hearthboards and likewise the hand divot was made in the garage from a piece of Teak which turned out to be too soft for long term use, might make another from African Blackwood!

I cant claim to have made the kit on the spot in the woods, though none of the pieces are difficult to make, selecting the right materials first time is not so easy!

Funnily enough, the day I took the pic I couldnt seem to fail to start a fire, last time I tried I couldnt get an ember for the life of me!

Jason

 

[TAHAWK]

Is it considered "poor form" to place a thumb tack in the divot to reduce friction? It's a common trick over here (where the divot is often called a "thunderbird"). Alternatives include ear wax, but , alas, some of us are less "waxy" than others.

 

[jason01]

Id like to be ble to do it with just the materials I can gather in the woods eventually, and maybe a bit of string ;-) but anything that helps make the learning stage easier must be good! Thumb tack (drawing pin over here) sounds like a good idea, think I'll look for a nice stone with a suitable indentation too.

Jason

 

[Ed]

Is it considered "poor form" to place a thumb tack in the divot to reduce friction?

Not at all.... thats the way we were taught in the scouts. For a natural alternative to reduce friction use waxy leaves like holly.


Ed

 

[TAHAWK]

Not at all.... thats the way we were taught in the scouts.
Ed

Ah yes, Scouts. But for them I never would have been intoduced to the wonders of "fire by friction," "flint and steel" and all that. We had a lad in our Troop (used Yucca for board and splindle, a leather thong, and a glass candle holder for the "thunderbird") who could get flames in under a minute in all weather. He inspired us all to practice, practice, practice, but he was never bested in a contest.

No holly in our woods, but bayberry is good for those on the Atlantic coast.

 

[bushwackerscott]

A few minutes searching and here is the fruit of my efforts! Thanks jason for putting me onto what seems a pretty decent axe. http://www.loadsatools.com/retail/TOOLS/-Axes_Estwing.htm

 

[TAHAWK]

A few minutes searching and here is the fruit of my efforts! Thanks jason for putting me onto what seems a pretty decent axe. http://www.loadsatools.com/retail/TOOLS/-Axes_Estwing.htm

Although made over here, Estwing axes are not well thought of as compared to GB, HB, Norlund (no longer made but common on eBay), and some others. Three issues are often cited: pretty soft steel in some (quality varies greatly from piece to piece); difficult to shorten up for fine work; and water getting under handle and causing rust that loosens handle.

 

[Darryl]

Guys,

Here in the U.S., a great combination for hand drill is a Horseweed drill (Erigeron canadensis) and Paw Paw fire board. With practice, even here in the humid South, a 10-15 second coal is easily obtained. That is of course if you have practiced and know how to do one in the first place.

In England, a wonderful combination would be a Cattail stalk drill on a fire board of Linden tree (Basswood). The Basswood is very light and works almost as well as Paw Paw here. The Cattail drill which is somewhat fragile will crank out a coal at a lower ignition point than most other materials.

If you are having a lot of trouble with hand drill due to the wet weather, level of skill etc..., take a piece of Pine resin and resin up and down the drill. It will make the drill somewhat sticky and you will be able to grasp it much better and exert more downward pressure. You will be amazed at the difference! Other resins such as Spruce etc... will also work. Of course, you have to be aware that it will also make you pop a blister much faster if your hands are not already toughened up.

The two biggest problems I have seen when teaching people hand drill is that they hold their breath which tires them quickly and have tender hands which causes them to give up to soon.

Hope this help!

 

[Justin Time]

Darryl, welcome aboard
By Linden/Basswood do you mean Lime tree? I know in German Linden means Lime.

I've tried using Teasle and Willow, but the managed to drill right though the willow board, got some dust and a little smoke but not enough for an ember...too much pressure?

 

[Leon]

Hi Justine,
I've had similar frustations with Teasle...lots of smoke achieved quickly with both willow and pine hearths but never an ember.
After much frustration I tried a piece of Teasel fastened into an electic drill and only after several attempts did it produce what was a very fragile ember. It's as though the teasle breaks down in relatively large fragments and prevents the dust from the hearth from sticking together.
Teasle is a suggestion in one of the Ray Mears books though; anyone else had any measure of success with it?
To date I've only managed fire from the hand drill using elder as the spindle on both pine and willow hearths.
I like the idea of making the spindle stickier with resin, Darryl. I can see that would be a great help.

 

[Darryl]

Justin,

Yes - I mean Lime tree. We call them Basswood over here. The wood is extremely light and easy to get a coal with. The only consideration is that it has the tendency to "fire glaze" and get a slick shiny film while drilling and you have to break through this on occasion when it happens. Other than that, it is great wood and takes a hand drill easily.

Teasel/Willow - Could be several things. Your Teasel drill may be too hard for your Willow if the Willow is a very soft type. Not to say the combination won't work. You just have to spin faster to get the temperature up before it has a chance to work its way through the fireboard.

Probably however, it is your technique which needs modification. If you are getting only a bit of smoke and some coal. It is critical to have the right combination of speed and pressure. The pressure grinds off the powder you need for the coal while the speed is what will get the temperature up to 800 degrees farenheit (Don't know the celsius equiv).

Start out slowly until the drill and the board mate nicely and then begin to slowly put more pressure on the drill to grind off more powder. As you get the drill to smoothly work into the board, carefully tilt the top of the drill back to you a bit. This makes the tip at the bottom rotate towards the outer part of the notch and will dramatically force out a large amount of powder. Once this happens, speed up a good deal in order to get the heat up and you will see two things happen - A large amount of powder pushing out and it will begin to turn dark brown and then black along with a LOT of smoke. Get to this point and you have it made.

Earlier I had posted the tip about using a piece of Pine resin to make the drill sticky. I can't emphasize this enough as it can make all the difference in the world.

Also, if you can find some Tinder Fungus which you have there, take a piece of the dried fungus and grind to a powder. Place a pinch of the powder under the notch and as soon as any real heat touches it, pow, it will catch and begin to smoulder.

See if you can get some dried Cattail stalks and a piece of Lime (Basswood) and I think you will be happy. Teasel and Willow will be ok too. Another good wood to use is Elderberry for the drill. It is a bit hard and will drill through pretty fast and is slick and needs Pine resin but works great and has a nice pithy center which sometimes catches a coal.

BTW - Common Mullein stalks are terrific and easy to use.

Hopes this helps!