Wow what an ordeal! This is Becky and I have can not log in as myself. While I figure that out, I'll borrow Darrel.
Anyway, I have a whole list for you. Some of the information I will just copy from our site. I forget just how many there are...I hope if I forgot any, someone will remind me.
Traditionally in the US and UK in the 1800's,
(1) char cloth,
(2) rags soaked in salt peter, and
(3) amadou were used. In SE Asia, fine
(4) inner bark from the Fishtail Palm was used. We had some of this sent to us and it works very well.
Where ever you are in the world, if you find any species of
(5) Shelf fungus, dry it out and try it. They work with varying reliability. Most work very well though. Turned into to amadou it works great. In the 1800's, this was also soaked in salt peter.
In the UK,
(6) Cramp Ball fungus very well.
Mullein is a tinder that is found widely throughout the world. It comes naturally from
Europe and Asia and grows in North America from Mexico to Canada. It likes alkaline soil and is found in disturbed soils, along roadsides, fields, near seashores. In the United States, it is found in all 48 contiguous states and Hawaii. There are over 250 distinct species of mullein (and many other subspecies) that grow between 2 and 9 feet tall. The
(7) pith has produced a coal, but it is not as reliable as the
(8) feathery bark, which is very easy to light. Unlike wood punk, you do not need to have "just the right" mullein to work in your fire piston, just make sure it is a brown stalk. It takes little preparation and works extremely reliably and can be found in a variety of climates. One last tinder that you can get from Mullein is from charring the Pith much like Charcloth. It makes the pith much more reliable.
Milkweed offers another tinder for your fire piston. Actually, to be honest, it offers
two. Various species of Milkweed are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, including Africa and India. Some of them grow in rocky environments and some in a swampy habitat. I see them here in Minnesota in my backyard and different species are found in Canada and Mexico. The distribution of this plant is widespread. They like sun and moist soil. The two types of tinder this plant offers are the
(9) fluff and the
(10) ovum. The ovum is VERY reliable with the fire piston while the fluff is quite the challenge. As with other plant fluffs, it lights and burns out quickly. The trick is to have just the right thickness ball and very quickly transfer it to your tinder bundle. Unlike the Ovum, it is not very reliable and would make a better addition to your tinder bundle. Milkweed Ovum would be a year around tinder, both green and dry. (ovum dries out in the fire piston with a few whacks)
(11) Wood punk is another tinder that works in the fire piston, although not as reliably as the other tinders mentioned. Some swear by this. While it will work, we have taken the word of the
average fire piston user who say it doesn't always work and finding punk in just the right stage can be pointless when other more reliable tinders are available.
(12) Yucca,
(13) Sunflower stalk,
(14) scrapings from inside bamboo, (
15) ground up Cedar bark, and
(16) cotton fibers, are tinders that have worked for others.
And last but not least and already mentioned,
(17) Chaga!
There is one more unusual one that someone mentioned but it has escaped my mind and I can't seem to find it in my notes... I'll come back with that one I guess.
If you want to learn more and see pictures of some of the tinders listed above, you can follow this link:
Tinder Pictures
Have fun!
Becky
