ah now, it took me a matter of a day or 2 to get the bow drill, it just seemed to come to me and be willing to make embers for me, the hand drill on the other hand took me ages, around 6 months of constant (when i had time) trying
top tips for me...
1) technic over wood types
2) 3 stage method
3) correct length and width spindle
4) position and hold of the spindle and board
1) the woods are of course important but i found once i had mastered the technic it was more important to get the correct technic than specific woods as such.
2) with the bow drill i use a 2 stage method, the filling of the notch with the dust, stage 1, and the heating/lighting of the dust, stage 2... with the hand drill a 3 stage method is needed, (1)first the warming of the board and hands, this is a very slow with little pressure methodical movement to warm the board in, you will get a very light wisp of smoke every now and then but very little. (2) the dust stage is the same as the bow drill, you need to fill the notch before the heat can be produced to light the dust, again methodical and not to much pressure with a little amount of smoke but a steady stream of it, with light brow fluffy dust forming in the notch. (3) the lighting stage, allot of pressure with loads of smoke, the amount of turns depends on how much dust has been formed, i find it easyer to get an ember with more dust as the heat is held in better...
3) the correct length and width of the spindle is a personal thing and will come with more practise, i have made embers with very short lengths of teasel which are too thin to be used really, but the best size is as long as your elbow to the tip of your fingers long, maybe a little longer, but the longer it is the harder i find it to control, and around 10mm wide at the drill end, again i like it a little smaller nearer 7-8mm but thats just me, you will learn once you start making embers..
4) there are many ways to hold the drill and board, again this is personal choice, as long as it feels comfortable then dont worry what you look like...i do 2 different holds to get an ember, i use the bow drill stance with my foot on the board to burn in, i do this as you get better downward force from your body which helps burn in the board quicker, this in turn helps save your hands a bit when starting out...
i then use the sitting style with the side of my foot on the board, this gives more room for your arms to work and is more comfortable for making the ember...
hope this has helped a little, it took me ages to get it down, and do use lots of spit or water, it WILL help prevent blisters, all the best and dont stop trying, the satisfaction of knowing you can do this is great.....
you rock....
regards
chris.
) I succeed.
