"I’m a fire starter, a lousy fire starter"

[AJB]

Ok, I’m about to do a brave, some will say, a fool hardy thing and admit a major flaw in my character.

Even though it works fine on cotton wool and the like, I have NEVER managed to get a fire started using anything like a natural kindling and a firesteel.

There I’ve said it.

Apart from the technique (I usually end up shooting the stuff across the garden) and the fact that I’ve learnt (by watching Ray – I wish they would spend more time showing the fundamentals) to move the steel and not the knife, that’s not really it either, that tricky little manoeuvre he does with his thumb. I suppose the problem is that I never spend enough time preparing the tinder.

Has anyone/ can anyone do a master class for a frustrated firelighter.

I’m going home now and hoping for solutions to brighten my Monday morning.

Unless I get drummed out of the club!

 

[bambodoggy]

Andy, use a golfball sized pile of paper thin (or thinner) birchbark carefully feeled off a living tree (only the outer layer so no damage caused). Then put the end of your firesteel through the pile and rest it on the floor (hard surface is easier), this way the firesteel can't slip. Hold the firesteel in one hand (using only your fingers to grip it not your thumb - you'll see why in a minute) and hold the knife in the other hand. Deside if you're going to use the spine of the blade or the blade itself to scrape with (it really is personal choice so no answers saying not to use the blade please) Then, using the thumb of the hand that is holding the firesteel (sort of palm upwards and thumb downwards) on the back of the blade push the knife slowly down the steel to scrape off a little of the steel, then do it again a little harder to make lots of sparks land on the birkbirch... I garentee it'll light up first time Matey

Failing that, get yourself along to one of the many meet ups around the country or the offical BCUK meet and some kind soul will show you how to do it.

Once you've mastered that you can try other less "beginer friendly" natural tinders. Birchbark will usually go straight to flame this way, other tinders may only smolder and require blowing to a flame.

Hope that helps buddy and don't worry about asking...that's what the forum is for

Cheers,

Bam.


EDIT: Here's a piccy to sort of show what I mean:

 

[tomtom]

thistle down is your friend

 

[Ogri the trog]

Andy,
Don't despair. Bambodoggy covered the bit about getting a flame going so I won't repeat it.
You're going to need lots of kindling, very dry wood from match thickness up to pencil/finger thickness. If you think you've got enough, collect some more - there's nothing more frustrating than having the flame about to catch but you've run out of suitable thickness wood.
Place your burning tinder under a small pile of kindling, not so tighly packed that air and flame can't get through it, and wait till it catches, then add some slightly thicker stuff and wait again.
The most common failure I used to find was putting too much kindling on at once - this leads to the air and flame being routed around the outside of the pile which burns for a while but soon the support is burnt through and the pile falls in on itself - leaving a small flame with little or no suitable fuel with which to sustain itself.
Practice is the key along with a good dollop of patience.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Doc]

I had this problem and solved it by using a bit more force on the firesteel, and using birchbark exactly as described by bamboodoggy (by the way, is there now a smouldering hole in the desk? )

 

[giancarlo]

nice description Bam, you should knock it up into an article so it can be put on the article list when the main site is ready

 

[tomtom]

nice description Bam

yep that desk should go up lovely

 

[Goose]

Bet they love you in the office Bam!

 

[bambodoggy]

Thanks all....hope it sorts things out for him. I remember the first time I used birchbark years ago in Scouts and was amazed that it went straight to flame...

Do let us know how you get on Andy

As for the desk....luckily I'm the MD so not really a problem! lol (oh and I have to admit to not actually lighting that pile too lol ).

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[AJB]

Hi, thanks for all your advice, sadly I didn’t get chance to put any of it into practice this weekend.

However, whilst emptying the fluff trap on the tumble dryer (you don’t get much less of a bushcrafty activity than that) I thought I would apply my firesteal to it. It went up with the slightest spark.

A free, renewable, compressible, light, very flammable and did I mention free tinder.

 

[odin13]

great tutorial their bam, so now i now where i hhave been going wrong. I went to try out this new method, but ive lost my firesteel !!!
cheers,
alex

 

[AJB]

Hi Bam,

I just read your explanation again, this time more toughly. Although I haven’t had time to try it yet, I just wanted to thank you for it, as I think I’ve spotted where I was going wrong.

Also thanks to everyone else who offered assistance, it wasn’t the fire building I was having trouble with, I spent my childhood burning anything that didn’t move, in fact between 1965 and 1985 I don’t think there was anything combustible left that wasn’t nailed don in my home town! I was just having trouble getting anything remotely forgeable to catch using a firesteel.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi, thanks for all your advice, sadly I didn’t get chance to put any of it into practice this weekend.

However, whilst emptying the fluff trap on the tumble dryer (you don’t get much less of a bushcrafty activity than that) I thought I would apply my firesteal to it. It went up with the slightest spark.

A free, renewable, compressible, light, very flammable and did I mention free tinder.

Hi Andy,
For an alternative source of this fluff tinder, have a rummage in the bottom corners of cotton/canvass rucksacks, also pockets and your own belly buttons Depending on your stature, there's nearly as much as the average tumble drier lint trap

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[philaw]

I've only tried natural tinders a couple of times so far, and haven't had much luck because I was trying stuff out, not looking for tinders I knew would work. However, when practising with stuff like tissues, I found that I really need to strike AS HARD AS I CAN to get the long-lasting, sizzling sparks that I want. Also, my striker had gotten a little rounded without me realising, so I used a whetstone to square it off. Needless to say it made a massive difference!

 

[Buckshot]

You could also try this technique which works very well because it holds the tinder so close to where the sparks are.

Cheers

Mark

 

[AJB]

Hi Bam and Buckshot,

Thanks for all the advice, I finally got a chance to have a go and your top tips made all the difference. They both worked brilliantly, thanks for taking the time to pass on your experience.

Andy

 

[Buckshot]

Pleasure Andy
So now you can be a twisted fire starter!!!!!

Cheers

Mark

 

[Lithril]

Got a bag full of Ash shavings at home from some work I was doing with the plane, can't get it to take from a firesteel and havent tried charcloth etc yet but if you light it (with a lighter *cough*), its incredible, good flames and some reasonable embers just from shavings.

 

[bambodoggy]

Hi Bam and Buckshot,

Thanks for all the advice, I finally got a chance to have a go and your top tips made all the difference. They both worked brilliantly, thanks for taking the time to pass on your experience.

Andy

You're more than welcome Matey, glad you got it going and happy I could help

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[spamel]

Ash is the best wood for fires, it burns really well and produces the best embers and ash for other uses. If you can get hold of ash, use it, but don't use it all, save some for me for next time!!

I showed a friends son the birch bark technique in the pouring rain. I stooped over the bark and used my firesteel on it with the back of my opi 8. "That'll never work" he said. Woosh!! Up it went, and the look on his face, pure magic!! He couldn't believe it. It really is wonderful stuff.