This is a bit of a blast from the past - I didn't see the need to start my own thread.
Today, my parents came to visit and brought a hand drill set they had bought when they recently visited the Masai Mara. My Dad being my Dad, he insisted on buying the one that they demonstrated with, not the others they produced later, as he knew it worked!
When I suggested we go try it out, my Dad was only too happy to as he had only managed a small wisp of smoke on his own.
I'm annoyed that I didn't get any pics of the set - I shall have to get some sent over to me.
The spindle is approx 30cm long and approx 7mm thick along it's entire length. I was surprised by how short it is as when I have seen others such as Rich59 demonstrate, the spindles have been much longer. Apparently the other sets that the Masai were selling had spindles only about 20cm long, which I suspect was because they didn't expect them to be used so were maximising their income vs outlay (although we know how to make the drills longer
) The wood is from the Sandpaper Tree / Bush - named because the leaves are like sandpaper and used to polish carvings, etc.
The hearth is canoe shaped and approx 20cm long. The interesting thing is that the top and bottom was slightly convex, a feature that my Dad insisted is on all the models he saw so he believes it is part of the design and has a purpose. The hearth had three notches cut in with a slight bit of drilling in two and one that had been used. It was evident from the wear pattern on the used hole that the board was tilted in use as the side wall was worn down slightly. I do not know what wood was used for the hearth.
In use, I found it quite easy to get smoke compared to other sets I've tried. I haven't succeeded at hand drill before so was extremely pleased when I got an ember.
My Dad struggled to put enough umph into it. This is where I think a lot of time spent watching episodes of Ray Mears and observing Rich59
et al helped. The technique I used involved fast bursts of only 5 or 6 strokes before resetting my hands at the top.
I'm really pleased that the Masai and their history helped me finally succeed with the hand drill!
Interesting things to note:
- The small spindle diameter meant that the ember was very small as well (at least compared to bow drill embers I get) so more care was needed to get it to flame. The Masai use elephant dung which I imagine works as an extender - apparently getting the flame took some time for them too. I used quite coarse hay as that is what I had to hand but there were a few failed attempts.
- I'm still not sure what help the rocker of the hearth is. Perhaps the extra bit of rubbing on the wall helps produce a bit more dust? I really don't know.
- I was surprised by the short length of the spindle but soon realised that it isn't necessary as I was only travelling half the length of the shaft doing the quick burst hand rubbing and I wouldn't have been able to sustain many more strokes per burst.
I have some pieces of wood drying and I'm looking forward to getting them out to play
(when my blisters have gone..... )
