Horse hoof fungus

[QDanT]

After spending several days over the last couple of years looking in the local Birch woods without success I traded for one. Read through the x8 pages search threw up for Amadou and gave it a try this afternoon. What a joke the outer skin is like trying to peel a hand grenade so trying to scrape off the bottom layer was easier until it came up under the outer skin! OK so where's the Amadou layer

I know there looks to be a layer between on the left hand side one but nothing appeared scraping the right hand side. May be this one's a dud ?
Here's another laugh :-
though, the tinder polypore has been used as a tinder for starting fires. I don't know all the details, but small pieces of the fruiting body are struck with a flint to make sparks.
from :- http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/dec2001.html
I know it's hard but
cheers all Danny

 

[slammer187]

I think that you need to shave 1mill off of that piece and you should have the amadou, The piece to the left definitely has a good layer on it...the boiling is the boring part

 

[Toddy]

Dan I jest you not, there's another box load of them sitting to come down to you....little ones though, this weather makes climbing trees so not happening
I can't find the address card you sent me Please pm.

The bit you want is that corky layer at the top under the hard shell.

The kind of grainy stuff burns well, but doesn't really take a spark unless it's been absolutely soaked in saltpetre. It will hold an ember though and glow away until burnt out
Sllice it fine and add to kindling it's a good extender, allows you to use a blowpoker to bring up the flames.

cheers,
M

 

[BorderReiver]

The blue bit is what you're after.

 

[QDanT]

thanks all for replies I've just come back inside after

it's like trying to skin a coconut. I guess it goes like chamois leather or felt after boiling and bashing with a stick but all though it looks thick (in blue) there was only about 1/16" that didn't have the tiny tubes coming up from the bottom layer and no way was it going to cut or peel off in one piece, but I'll experiment with the scraps.
Did anyone get a laugh at http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/dec2001.html
cheers Danny

 

[Zingmo]

Oh Dan! What a nightmare. I have never investigated below the skin of one of these things. I am sorry, I would never have offered you this thing if I had known what trouble it would be. Perhaps "small pieces of the fruiting body are struck with a flint to make sparks." happens when someone has given up the quest for amadou!

I occasionally get to work at a plant that owns a patch of woodland (SJ 91931 09156) which is almost entirely unmanaged birch with plenty of standing and lying dead wood. Normally I just turn up tonnes of the Birch Polypore stuff, but this time I found the coconut in question. We are bidding for more work there, so if I find any in a season in which the fungi are more pliable, I will send them on to you.


Z
(Received your package via a colleague today - very pleased thankyou.)

 

[QDanT]

Hi Zingmo, when I said dud I didn't mean the trade, just the opposite in fact. I was really pleased to get the as I said I'm out in the woods all the time and have looked but never found any. Like owt else no doubt when you've done a few you can make it look easy. Thanks for reply and I'm still pleased with the trade.
cheers Danny

 

[Toddy]

Some of the little ones in the box I've sent (it went this morning) are still softish....get the hard shell off quick, it makes a lot of difference.

cheers,
M

 

[QDanT]

...get the hard shell off quick, it makes a lot of difference.cheers,M

Just Like That
cheers Danny

 

[Ogri the trog]

As an alternative to boiling & bashing, a very good instructor once told me.....

Take the fresh flat flakes of amadou and whilst sat around your evening camp-fire - gently squeeze and stretch the patch - occasionally adding a little pinch of fire-ash - until it resembles chamois leather. It does take a long time and you must be gentle or you'll tear the pieces - but the result is just as good as any boiled & bashed examples that I've seen.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[slammer187]

As an alternative to boiling & bashing, a very good instructor once told me.....

Take the fresh flat flakes of amadou and whilst sat around your evening camp-fire - gently squeeze and stretch the patch - occasionally adding a little pinch of fire-ash - until it resembles chamois leather. It does take a long time and you must be gentle or you'll tear the pieces - but the result is just as good as any boiled & bashed examples that I've seen.

ATB

Ogri the trog

That sounds like a good idea, something I must try thanks!

BTW Dan your striker will be out to you soon to give you some sparks to light your amadou

 

[bert333]

Thank goodness for cotton wool! (let the pelting begin....!)

 

[Toddy]

Yeah but that stuff doesn't grow here, and, it's one flash and it's by.
If you get an ember into a fomes, it'll burn for hours

cheers,
Toddy.............who does use cotton pads smeared with vaseline in her firekit too

 

[QDanT]

First thanks Toddy box arrived this morning, and with a few to play with it was down to the "shed". The first one the top layer sliced of fairly easy just a bit fiddly in the creases.

but chipping and scraping and gauging out the bottom layer took ages and bent my Opinel tip.

But by the 3rd. one I started to make a vertical cut about 1/4" from the edge then under cut this with a horizontal cut, the slice coming off easy.

and the uncut part giving something to hold until they were all cut out then it was a quick scrape.

they're now in a billy of boiling water with a tablespoon of Potassium nitrate on the stove in Doctor Beakers laboratory Oops I mean Brendas kitchen.
cheers all Danny

 

[Toddy]

Well done
Told you, best peel them quick, otherwise you're right, it's like trying to peel a coconut
Ach, a wee sharp knife and a bit of patience works, but it fair gets tedious when you've a few to do.
If you want some more, I'll have time for a proper scour around after the Moots by.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[QDanT]

Sunday morning update, the Amadou boiled for 10 hours and cooled down over night so this morning saw me setting up a bashing station

I'd dragged the dense (50Lbs+.) wood block in from the sea over 25 years ago and it's been used several times as a work platform and the Ash pole beater I've just made from an old head snapped off tarmack stomper shaft I spotted 10+ years ago, it had been thrown into the hole backfill and I "Just knew it would come in handy someday" So a before and after shot

and the two finished

At first it was like trying to flatten a rubber ear but after a while breaking into a Reggae beat it turned into a good impression of leather ? and as Toddy's said short and fast let the stick bounce is the trick.They're now on the still warm stove so should get a chance to dry out a bit slower before tonights fire is lit

just thought I'd share cheers all Danny

 

[QDanT]

Well by the time the fire (house hot water + central heating) was lit (half of Sulphur match from brass holder on right, in string round bog roll holder on mantlepiece, for tommorows fire) the Amadou was almost dry and 1/2 hour later the 7Lbs weight that lives on the stove was too hot to pick up and was put on top to help dry it out and keep it flat.

Just Like That

hope this works out better than the last batch of rushes !
cheers all Danny

 

[QDanT]

Thanks for all your help it's now Amadou-R-Us

Doesn't even need fluffing up, tear off a tiny piece hold on top of flint, click steel on flint, even the tiniest spark landing on it starts a glow which gets brighter without blowing even just moving it about stokes it. I'd say it was more efficient than char cloth and it's really hot burning lights a sulphur match for fun.
I'm really pleased, thanks again to Zingmo and Toddy and all who helped. cheers Danny

 

[mitch66]

nice thread, and fire place. all the best.

 

[QDanT]

Soft soldering a couple of 3/16" brass tube pieces (1mtr. lengths BQ)
together and shaving a tiny bit of plastic of the Clipper lighter flint mechanism makes it a tight fit,

then with the cut down nail pushing a piece of Amadou up the other tube - a quick flick and :-

I'd made this to try and use a cotton lamp wick as a shepherds lighter but even if 27 quick flicks i.e. a shower of sparks managed to catch and smolder there wasn't enough heat to light a sulphur match. There is now just playing about and thought I'd share.
cheers all Danny