Making fire with Woolly Thistle

[jwhf]

Has anyone ever tried and been successful with getting a fire going using woolly thistle as the tinder?

Cheers

Jonny

 

[sargey]

are you talking about the seed head fluff?

it works ok, but is a bit of a flash tinder, i gather two or three seed heads, pull them apart and fluff them up, then hit them with sparks. i usually use them in conjunction with dry brown gorse twigs for the second stage, can be painful (very prickly) but very effective. you go from sparks to flames two feet tall in seconds.

i also make a point of scattering a couple of other seed heads aross the hill to help them along a bit.

cheers, and.

 

[jwhf]

Hi Sargey

Thanks for the response.

That was exactly what I was talking about, and I had tried using a little of it and as you say it goes quite quickly but I thought I might not be using it correctly......was using my blastmatch on it and it just flared up, although it seemd to hold a coal quite well (like with a cramp ball) when used as a mass rather than feathery

Will go and try what you suggest and blame you for any singed eyebrows!!!

Jonny

 

[johnboy]

Hi,

Tried it. I fluffed it up so the down was quite fine added some very dry leaves and twigs and set it off with sparks from my fire steel.

excellent.

cheers

John

 

[Gary]

Thistle down like all so many other tinders is a flash over tinder do to its large fine surface area - trick as pointed out is to mix it with well teased up materials which will catch the flame once it sparks.

For a coal this is essential and I suggest mixing the down well in with your grasses etc.

 

[jwhf]

Thanks so much for your help everyone!

All the best

Jonny